Yu Jiao politely declined the old lady's offer and carefully instructed Mother Liu to open the lattice windows in the house and wait until the smoke from the mugwort in the house had dissipated before closing the doors and windows.
Old Madam Liu asked the maid in the courtyard to light the lamp and send Yu Jiao back to Yingyue Pavilion. That night, the old lady felt more relaxed than ever before and slept well without using any calming incense.
This was Yu Jiao's first night in the capital. She had something on her mind and did not sleep very well. When she woke up, it was already bright outside. Yu Jiao looked at the shark fin tent above her head. The hazy look on her face gradually disappeared, and she remembered that she was already in the capital.
She sat up, got off the couch, put on her shoes, walked to the table and poured herself a cup of tea. Someone outside heard the noise and asked, "Miss, are you awake?"
Yu Jiao responded, and Jianjia and Bailu went into the room and helped Yu Jiao wash and dress.
Jianjia poured hot water for Yu Jiao and wet a towel to wipe her face, but Yu Jiao refused awkwardly. She washed her face herself and rinsed her mouth with a brush dipped in coarse salt prepared in the mansion.
Jianjia said, "You slept late last night. When Cuiping from the old lady's courtyard sent you back, she told me to let you sleep a little longer. The old lady likes quietness and has not been in good spirits in recent years. Therefore, there is no custom of greeting in our house, so I did not wake you up."
Yu Jiao nodded, and Bai Lu opened the closet, which was full of brand new dresses, with no duplicate styles.
Yu Jiao was going out today, so she chose a warm cherry pink satin jacket and a plain skirt. After putting on her clothes, Yu Jiao asked, "Is Sister Fuling, who came with me yesterday, awake?"
"Miss Fuling has already stood up. I asked her if she wanted to eat, and she said she wanted to wait for the young lady." Jianjia said.
Yu Jiao asked Jianjia to invite Fuling to come for dinner. When Yu Fuling came over, the maids had already prepared breakfast in the main hall. Yu Jiao didn't need anyone to serve her, so she asked Jianjia to lead the maids downstairs to eat.
Seeing that no one else was in the room, Yu Fuling picked up her chopsticks and ate while whispering, "I heard from the maids in the courtyard that you came back a little late from the old lady last night. Were you embarrassed?"
Due to the shadow brought by Yu Zhou at home, Yu Fuling subconsciously felt that old ladies were difficult to serve, and wealthy families had many rules. She was very worried about Yu Jiao's grandmother, who was not a kind person either.
Yu Jiao shook her head. "My grandmother treated me very well. She had a cold, so I did moxibustion for her after dinner last night. It took some time."
After hearing her say this, Yu Fuling felt relieved. "Then shall we go find my younger brother today?"
Yu Jiao paused while drinking her porridge and nodded, "Go."
Yu Fuling's eyes were filled with visibly joy, "Great, I can meet Qi Zhe today. I wonder how he would react if he knew you were a daughter of the Liu family."
Yu Jiao smiled faintly. Yu Qizhe was always calm, so she was curious about what expression he would have.
"Grandmother said that everything is well taken care of in the mansion, so you can continue to live here." Yu Jiao finished her porridge and ate some cakes, and said to Yu Fuling.
Yu Fuling shook her head. "I'd rather not. There are maids following me everywhere. I'm not used to being served by others."
After they had finished their meal, Yu Jiao told Jianjia that she wanted to leave the house. Jianjia did not ask any questions that she shouldn't have said, but just asked the servant to prepare the carriage. Yu Jiao was very satisfied with her sense of propriety.
Because of Liu Ziqi's previous instructions, Yu Jiao still brought Jianjia and Bailu with her when she went out.
The carriage drove out of the quiet and majestic Zanmao Hutong, crossed Chang'an Avenue, came to the outer city, turned into Kanjing Hutong, and stopped outside the gate of the second courtyard.
Jianjia helped Yu Jiao and Yu Fuling get off the carriage. Thinking that she would meet Yu Qizhe in a while and had a lot to say, Yu Jiao asked Jianjia and Bailu to stay in the carriage and wait for her.
Yu Fuling couldn't wait to go forward and knock on the door. Not long after, the courtyard gate was opened and a round-faced man dressed as a servant poked his head out from inside.
Seeing that it was a girl he didn't know, Song Nian asked, "Who are you looking for?"
"Does Yu Qizhe live here?" Yu Fuling asked politely.
Song Nian nodded, "Are you looking for my young master?"
"Please tell Qizhe that we are from Qingzhou and I am Qizhe's sister." Yu Fuling said happily thinking that she would be able to see Yu Qizhe soon.
Song Nian looked strange after hearing this. Last time, two girls said they were from Qingzhou and were old friends of the young master. Not only did they make the young master unhappy, but they also caused him a lot of trouble and caused him to be beaten.
Song Nian couldn't help but be more cautious, "The girl said that she is a relative of my master, can you prove it yourself?"
Yu Fuling was a little dumbfounded. She came to see the younger brother, what else did she need to prove herself? She couldn't produce any.
Yu Jiao stepped forward and said to Song Nian, "Go tell your master that Yu Jiao and Yu Fuling are here."
Song Nian didn't want to cause any more trouble for his master, but he was afraid that the two girls were really his family members from Qingzhou. He glanced at the carriage parked in the alley and saw that it was luxurious and the curtains were made of brocade, which made him suspicious again.
The young master's family background is ordinary. If he was really a family member from Qingzhou, he would not use such a good carriage.
"My two young ladies, I advise you not to lie to me." Song Nian thought of what the young master told him when Miss Yang came to visit him last time, and said, "My young master is devoted to learning. He went to the residence of Grand Scholar Shen early in the morning to ask for advice on writing. He is not at home now."
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