Madam Liu went to prepare breakfast, and Bao Ning took Qiu Lingyan into the house.

Pei Yuan played with Ah Huang in the yard for a while, and when Madam Liu came back with the food box, he took another portion and ate somewhere else without going into the house.

"What's wrong with Yanzi today? She seems absent-minded." Bao Ning picked up a cucumber with chopsticks for her, "Are you worried?"

Qiu Lingyan forced a smile and looked out the window, "Will the Fourth Prince not eat with us?"

"That's just his habit. He doesn't like to sit at the same table with others." Bao Ning comforted her, "It has nothing to do with you. Don't take it to heart."

Qiu Lingyan smiled and responded. She was thinking about what her sister had told her before she left the house, and her heartstrings were tense. When she saw Bao Ning's smiling face, her mind was full of guilt, and she was eating rice grains one by one.

When she saw Pei Yuan and Bao Ning in the rain, Qiu Lingjun had an idea and asked Qiu Lingyan to tell her everything she knew. But Qiu Lingyan had never met Pei Yuan. Although she told her everything, Qiu Lingjun was not satisfied. Taking advantage of Pei Yuan's being at home, she asked her to find out the news.

There was another important thing, which was to steal something that Pei Yuan carried with him, preferably a waist pendant, something conspicuous.

Qiu Lingyan didn't know what her sister was going to do, and she had a feeling that it was not a good thing, but she couldn't resist. Thinking of her sister glaring at her and accusing her word by word of the efforts she had made to keep her, a dead star, Qiu Lingyan wanted to cry.

Baoning called her: "Yanzi, what's wrong with you?"

"I'm fine, sister." Qiu Lingyan raised her head, her voice as thin as a mosquito.

Baoning looked at her distressedly, thinking of Qiu Lingyan's sensitivity and inferiority, guessing that it might be Pei Yuan's evasive behavior that made her misunderstand. It's just a child under ten years old.

Baoning asked Ah Huang to call Pei Yuan back.

She saw that Qiu Lingyan was not in the mood to eat, and it was not good to hold it in, so she asked Aunt Liu to take away the dishes and sat down with Qiu Lingyan to chat.

Bao Ning thought of her recast bracelet and asked, "Is your sister still angry with you?" She gestured at her wrist, "About the bracelet."

Hearing her mention her sister, Qiu Lingyan seemed to be acupunctured and sat there stiffly, "No, she's not angry anymore."

"That's good." Bao Ning smiled, "I heard that your sixth sister was betrothed to the second prince, right? When will the wedding take place? When it's done, we can be considered sisters-in-law."

"I don't know..." Qiu Lingyan shook her head, "The betrothal gift has not been delivered yet."

She swallowed her saliva and tentatively said to Baoning: "Sister, do you know, the second prince Pei Shu, he is here." Qiu Lingyan nodded her forehead: "There is a problem."

Baoning's smile suddenly fell: "Who taught you these words? Calling the prince by his name is disrespectful, and you still say he..." Baoning lowered his voice: "Yanzi, don't say such things in the future. If someone hears it, it will implicate your family."

Qiu Lingyan's eyes slowly turned red.

Baoning realized that he had said something heavy, sighed, and went to get a box of dates for her, and smiled: "Eat something sweet to calm your mind."

When Pei Yuan came back, the atmosphere in the room had become much more natural. After he finished his meal, he could not stay still and wandered around the mansion to digest his food. Ah Huang was so tired that he was panting for breath in order to find him. Qiu Lingyan stood up and saluted Pei Yuan respectfully, then sat down again, as if she had mustered up her courage, and asked, "Does the Fourth Prince remember my sixth sister? Her name is Qiu Lingjun."

Bao Ning looked at her strangely, not understanding why she asked such a question.

But Qiu Lingjun was about to marry the Second Prince Pei Shu, and Qiu Lingyan was still a child. Bao Ning did not take this to heart. She looked at Pei Yuan, wanting to hear the answer.

"I don't know her." Pei Yuan replied lightly, and walked into the inner room with his hands behind his back.

It was Bao Ning's insistence that he come back. Pei Yuan was not interested in coaxing children. He went through the motions and went back to bed.

Qiu Lingyan felt even more upset. She felt embarrassed and sorry for Bao Ning. After hesitating for a moment, she stood up and wanted to say goodbye. Nanny Liu came in with a box and interrupted her.

"Madam, it was sent from outside the mansion as a gift." Nanny Liu put the box on the table for Bao Ning and added, "A man named Meng Fan."

Bao Ning took it in surprise. It was a very delicate and beautiful nanmu box, as big as two palms. She was about to open the lock to see what was inside, but Pei Yuan came out of the inner room with a cold face.

He heard the movement and his face was not very good. He repeated: "Meng Fan?"

Meng Fan was the young manager of Lian Hengxuan when the tiger talisman was cast. He had a good skill in casting gold.

Bao Ning also thought of him and nodded, saying, "Maybe he felt offended that time and sent a gift to apologize." Bao Ning smiled, "That's quite thoughtful."

She wanted to open it and take a look.

Pei Yuan snorted and snatched it away, "What's so rare about it! It's just a vulgar thing."

After saying that, he turned around and walked back, shaking the box with his hands, making the things inside rustle, as if he was venting his anger.

Bao Ning sighed, not knowing why he made such a fuss. She wanted to argue with him, but since there were outsiders around, she held back.

Qiu Lingyan watched this scene awkwardly.

"It's okay." Bao Ning patted her back, "Don't be afraid."

"Sister, I'll go first." Qiu Lingyan smiled shyly, "I'll come and play with you in a few days."

Bao Ning sent her away and said a few words of comfort. He wanted to send her to the gate, but when he reached the door, he heard Pei Yuan's commotion in the inner room. He didn't know what he thought of the box. He threw it into the corner of the wall as if he had thrown away something dirty. Bao Ning's anger suddenly burned.

Qiu Lingyan said: "Sister, you don't have to send me off. I know the way. You can go and do your own thing."

Bao Ning hesitated: "Okay, then you go slowly. Come whenever you want."

Qiu Lingyan agreed, Bao Ning waved to her and turned back to the inner room. She held her breath and didn't look back, not knowing that Qiu Lingyan had secretly returned and taken a jade buckle from the table. It belonged to Pei Yuan, and the strap was worn out. Bao Ning wanted to replace it for him, and had just finished half of it and left it on the table.

Qiu Lingyan glanced at her back apologetically and left in a hurry.

...

The small box that Meng Fan sent was lying alone in the corner. Pei Yuan was lying on his back on the bed. When he heard the sound of Bao Ning coming in, he turned over and slept facing the bed.

Bao Ning picked up the box, opened it, and saw a set of exquisite head ornaments inside. It was obvious that it was made with great care, with a very fashionable style, luxuriously inlaid with red coral, and extremely beautiful.

Pei Yuan sat up and tried to grab it: "Throw it away!"

"Why?" Bao Ning glanced at him calmly and put the box away. "It was given to me as a gift. Why do you just throw it away just because you say so?"

"It's just a set of jewelry. If you like it, I'll buy it for you. One hundred sets is no problem." Pei Yuan pursed his lips and threatened her, "Don't accept things from wild men."

He deliberately emphasized the three words "wild men".

Bao Ning got angry and threw the box over, hitting Pei Yuan's shoulder, and it rolled to the edge of the bed: "Why are you talking so muddled!"

Pei Yuan didn't say

a word, and picked up the box silently. He went to the small cabinet beside the bed and took out a new lock, fastened it with a click, and then threw the key under the bed.

A set of movements were smooth and flowing. After doing all this, Pei Yuan looked a little proud: "Let me see how you wear it now."

"So childish!" Bao Ning was no longer angry, she punched the cotton, as if she was releasing the force.

Bao Ning no longer cared about this matter, and took out his small box, sitting on the stool and playing.

While rummaging through the odds and ends inside, Bao Ning was thinking, how could Pei Yuan's subordinates tolerate him? What kind of person is this!

Ah Huang and Ah Mian didn't understand what happened. At that time, the room was still tense, as if they were about to quarrel, but now they were in harmony again. But harmony is a good thing. The two little heads butted and ran to the yard to play.

The lamb was not very tall yet, just a little above Bao Ning's knees, and he and Ah Huang could still play together.

Ah Huang jumped while running, bumping the lamb's butt with his butt, and finally jumped onto the lamb, biting its fur and refusing to get down.

Pei Yuan watched them playing, clapping his hands on the bed and laughing out loud.

Bao Ning glanced at him and felt that Pei Yuan laughed much more often now than before, and his face became thicker. He changed from the annoying Pei Yuan to the more annoying but slightly cute Pei Yuan.

Although he was only a little cute.

Bao Ning took out the wooden horse she made and put it on the ground.

The pony was carved from wood, with long limbs and a head held high. It was carved in the image of Sifeng. Bao Ning suddenly remembered that she hadn't visited Sifeng for a long time.

The pony's tail can swing, like the wheel of a pulley, and its belly is filled with tightened steel bars and gears. After turning the tail a few times, you can hear the steel bars in the belly being tightened, creaking. When it turns until it can't be twisted anymore, you let go and the pony starts to stagger on the ground, with its tail spinning in circles like a small windmill.

Bao Ning stared at it. She had tried many times before and this was the first time she succeeded, but there were still flaws.

The pony's steps were extremely stiff, but that was it. The tail was still spinning in circles, which was too weird. If a child saw it, he probably wouldn't be amused, but would be scared and cry.

Pei Yuan was attracted and asked, "What is this?"

"My little craft." Bao Ning put the pony in her hand and thought about how to change it.

Pei Yuan suddenly remembered that Bao Ning told him in the morning that she had something to tell him. He became interested and asked, "Do you have anything you haven't told me yet?"

"Is there anything?" Bao Ning lowered her eyes and hesitated. After a while, she remembered it and smiled with her head tilted back. "Indeed, there is something."

Pei Yuan sat next to her: "You tell me."

"I like children." Bao Ning held her chin, "I also like to play."

"Wait two years, you are too young now, and it is dangerous to have a child." Pei Yuan thought he understood, touched Bao Ning's hair with relief, and smiled softly, "In two years, we will have a child."

"What are you talking about?" Baoning blushed at his childish talk. "I mean, I want to make toys and sell them to children. Kites, lanterns, clay figurines, etc. are too boring. Look at this pony, isn't it interesting?"

Baoning thought about the future: "I want to have a small shop and make things like this every day, moving ponies, donkeys... I want to have the largest toy shop in the whole Zhou Dynasty!"

Pei Yuan's face gradually darkened: "Is this all you and I want to talk about?"

...

Qiu Lingjun sat at the table, stroking the jade button in his hand, with an unexpected look on his face: "Does he really not remember me?"

Qiu Lingyan lowered her head and nodded.

"We played together when we were kids, we just haven't seen each other for a few years, how can you just forget it..." Qiu Lingjun muttered, lost in thought for a while, "Forget it."

She touched Qiu Lingyan's little face and smiled, "Yanzi, you did a great job today, I will remember your kindness."

Qiu Lingyan couldn't be happy, she still lowered her head, her fingers tangled together.

Qiu Lingjun asked, "The man who brought the box is called Meng Fan, right?"