A wonderful day starts with eating eighteen steamed buns!
It's rare for her to get up early, so Zhan Xinjia quickly wrung out a damp cloth, rinsed her mouth, and wiped her face.
She wore a light blue jacket, tied her black hair with a pale yellow ribbon and casually swept it behind her, finally inserting a silver hairpin.
By the time she had dressed herself up nicely, a sweet and enticing aroma was already wafting from the kitchen.
Zhan Xinjia, drawn by the aroma and with her mouth watering, lured all the way to the steamer on the stove. She tiptoed and lifted the lid of the steamer, and immediately a burst of steam filled the air, making it hard to open her eyes.
The steamed buns, white and fluffy, were huddled together, looking so delicious that they made one's mouth water and one's throat feel sweet.
She reached out to grab it eagerly, but by the time the burning sensation returned from her fingertips and turned into pain, it was too late.
Just then, a figure flashed past behind her. Without thinking, Zhan Xinjia turned around, stood on tiptoe, and precisely pinched the earlobe of the person behind her!
Caught off guard and nearly jumping up from the scalding heat: ...
Greetings: ...
Zhan Xinjia: "Haha, I'm so glad!... Oh no, cough cough, I meant Wogan oranges, a kind of fruit... Lord Shen, what a coincidence!"
She awkwardly withdrew her hand with a forced laugh.
Seeing Shen Suqing's increasingly grim expression, Zhan Xinjia quickly changed the subject, putting on a show of infatuation and adoration in an attempt to get away with it.
"Young Master Shen, you can do everything! You're amazing! I've never seen steamed buns that are so well made. And these steamed breads are truly delicious, much better than those century-old shops in the east of the city..."
Seeing her stupid look, Shen Suqing wanted to lecture her but felt it would be like casting pearls before swine.
He clenched his knuckles beneath his wide sleeves, and in the end, he could only sigh for the seventy-seventh time in his heart.
Sometimes having a stupid thing in the house can be quite a heart attack.
He felt that this little girl not only had amnesia, but also seemed to have some underlying intellectual disability...
The young gentleman rolled up his sleeves and raised his wrist, using a damp cloth to move the steamer aside. He scooped out the pre-cooked pumpkin porridge from the earthenware pot, along with pickled radishes and green beans marinated with chopped chili peppers from a jar.
Those hands, with their distinct joints resembling jade bamboo branches, were not only adept at writing, but also exceptionally skillful and pleasing to the eye when handling household chores or preparing meals.
People say that a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen. At this moment, Zhan Xinjia sat across the table, holding a bowl and sipping the still slightly hot porridge. He couldn't help but sigh that it would be hard to find a perfect husband like Lord Shen, who was both elegant in the living room and good in the kitchen.
How come she had never heard of such a virtuous husband and father in the capital before?
I wonder what official position Lord Shen holds.
To be able to work in such a competitive city like the capital and afford a house, one must have some family background.
But Master Shen lives alone, and none of his relatives have visited him in the past few days. He seems to be a lonely man with no family or friends...
As Zhan Xinjia was thinking this casually, across the table, a handsome young man in a blue robe had already elegantly wiped the corners of his lips with a handkerchief and stacked the used bowls and chopsticks.
"If there's anything you need, come with me to go shopping later."
There were no servants or maids in the courtyard, so Shen Suqing naturally took care of even small tasks like buying groceries himself.
Considering that although the side courtyard could be lived in, the things a young girl would need would inevitably be more delicate, since he had decided to take her in temporarily, he thought of taking her with him to see what they needed to buy.
Since the day she ran away from home, it has been three or four days and Zhan Xinjia has not left the house. She is indeed very bored.
But she was a bit timid.
The little girl put down her bowl, blinked, and tentatively asked, "Young Master Shen, have there been any interesting stories outside the capital? Like someone losing a child and looking for them?"
She didn't want to go back to jail yet; if she were to openly follow Master Shen out like this and get caught by her parents, she would be in deep trouble.
Shen Suqing had no idea what she was thinking, and just assumed that the young girl was naturally fond of excitement and wanted to hear gossip.
The young man pondered.
The news that the General of the Cavalry had lost his most beloved daughter had been making headlines for the past few days, and he couldn't help but think that it might be related to the unfortunate child he had taken in.
But what pampered young lady could look at a basket of white steamed buns and drool with envy?
Moreover, the young lady who was lost in the General's Mansion was named Zhan Xinjia, while the girl in front of us is named Azhi.
Judging from her clothes and jewelry, she doesn't seem to be from a wealthy family; she looks more like someone who was thrown out after their brains were damaged...
Suppressing a vague suspicion in his heart, Shen Suqing coughed heavily a few times.
He straightened his expression and reprimanded her sternly in disapproval.
"Don't gossip about others! It's not the way of a gentleman to talk behind someone's back. If you want to find your family, just tell me what you remember, and I'll ask someone to help you inquire."
"Ah... I don't know why, but whenever I recall things from the past, my head feels so heavy and my whole body feels dizzy."
Since Lord Shen found me on a stormy night, perhaps I was deliberately abandoned by my family because I suffer from a chronic illness?
Sensing the hint of disdain in Shen Suqing's words—that he intended to get rid of her as soon as possible—Zhan Xinjia dramatically and affectedly rubbed her forehead.
She swayed precariously, instantly conjuring up a pitiful and weak appearance.
Shen Suqing knew that it was a serious matter concerning the search for relatives and he couldn't let her keep running away from it. But he was also afraid that if he forced her to think about it further, this fragile little girl would burst into tears and then scream and crawl around on the ground. What should he do then?
It's no wonder he thought that way; deep down, he felt she was capable of doing something as crazy and shameful as that...
April is still considered early spring.
The morning light shone on the branches and leaves of two robust and lush old locust trees outside the door, causing the green leaves to rustle and scatter shimmering light like broken gold foil through the gaps.
A gentle breeze brushes against one's face, bringing a refreshing and pleasant coolness that soothes the soul.
Feeling utterly bored, Zhan Xinjia still went out.
Fearing being recognized by acquaintances on the street and taken to the general's mansion to exchange for a reward, she crouched down behind Shen Suqing as soon as she stepped out of the door, swaying her hips and glancing left and right, her stealthy nature palpable.
If Shen Suqing hadn't known, and she stood behind him, anyone who didn't know better would have thought some habitual thief was itching to steal his purse.
Zhan Xinjia perked up her ears alertly, and was about to tug at Xiao Shen's sleeve to peek out from under his armpit when, in the next second, her collar was suddenly lifted up by a mysterious force—
"In broad daylight, in front of everyone, what kind of behavior is this! It's simply indecent! Stand properly! What kind of young girl acts like this?"
Shen Suqing precisely grabbed the piece of fabric at the back of her neck with two fingers and loudly reprimanded her.
His thin lips pressed down into a tight straight line, his brows furrowed, and his dark, lacquered eyes glared down at her with a hint of anger, clearly unable to tolerate her extremely lewd behavior.
Although Lord Shen usually appears gentle and refined, a true gentleman, once he starts lecturing, he becomes more rigid and unapproachable than the seventy- or eighty-year-old teachers in the Imperial Academy.
If he had a ruler, he probably would have already hit her palm.
"I'm sorry..."
The little girl looked dejected, like a fox being dragged by the scruff of its neck, and instantly became docile and obedient.
Mr. Xiao Shen, so fierce...
Hehe, I enjoyed being scolded by her so much, I like her even more now!
The capital city, right under the emperor's nose, boasts a ten-mile-long street that is bustling and prosperous.
The Shen residence boasts an excellent location, situated just outside the Imperial Palace on the second ring road, adjacent to the residences of high-ranking officials such as the Prime Minister, Ministers, and Grand Secretaries. Although the courtyard is small, it is situated in a luxurious villa area where land is extremely valuable.
It's only a short walk of about half a cup of tea to reach Changning Street, the most bustling street in the entire capital.
Bustling places like vegetable markets, restaurants, teahouses, bookstores, and art academies are mostly located in this commercial street.
Because the Zhan family offended the emperor, the land for their general's mansion was almost allocated to a mass grave in the suburbs years ago. Their neighbors were mostly bandits and hunters. They only moved into the city nine years ago.
In addition, his family was poor, which caused Zhan Xinjia, despite being a native of the capital, to act like an ignorant country bumpkin.
Having been cooped up for several days, she no longer cared that she was a runaway girl and simply followed Shen Suqing around with great interest.
"Osmanthus cake! Freshly baked osmanthus cake!"
"Candied hawthorn skewers, hey, take a look! Two coins a skewer, top-quality hawthorn, the sugar coating is so glistening it's practically sizzling!"
"These are rare and unique products that have traveled all over the country. Please take a look if you pass by. They are of good quality and low price, and they are all brand new."
"Selling myself to bury my father! Cheap! Big sale! Rock-bottom price!! Don't miss out, you'll have to wait another sixteen years..."
Hmm? Something strange seems to have gotten mixed in.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com