The afternoon sun in early autumn is the hottest, with a hint of midsummer.
Chunling moved swiftly, quickly returning after completing Li Shiyue's instructions: "Miss, it's all done. However, the young master isn't in Songyuan. I'll speak to Changshun and ask him to help me think of a solution."
Chunling vividly recounted the scene at Songyuan. With an animated expression, she looked at Li Shiyue expectantly, "Miss, was my description acceptable?"
"That's good. Saying too much will only arouse suspicion." Li Shiyue picked up the osmanthus cake on the plate on the table and watched Chunling eat it happily, feeling happy as well.
Chunling is simple-minded but quick-witted, and most importantly, she is absolutely loyal to her, which is the most precious quality.
Even if not for her own sake, Chunling absolutely cannot live the same miserable life as her in her previous life.
"Pack some more and send some to each courtyard, especially the west courtyard. You should personally deliver them to Xu Yunyang."
“If he asks me, I’ll say I’m at my maternal grandmother’s, and that my aunt is there too, and they seem to be talking about something.”
Given Xu Yunyang's mindset, he would definitely try to find out information from Chunling, which is exactly what Li Shiyue wanted.
To her surprise, Xu Yunci would take the initiative to find her.
After dinner, night fell slowly, and before we knew it, it was pitch black outside, and if it weren't for the lanterns lit under the eaves, we could hardly see anything.
When Xu Yunci and his brothers came in, Old Madam Xu smiled slightly, but she couldn't hide the weariness in her eyes.
"Erlang is here."
After paying his respects, Xu Yunci sat down next to Old Madam Xu, letting her look at his hands and then around. Seeing that he was unharmed, Old Madam Xu nodded in relief.
“You’ve been sick these days. Your mother told me you haven’t been coming home often lately. Has something serious happened to make you so worried?”
Xu Yunci did not correct Madam Xu's choice of words, and briefly mentioned the events of the past few days: "As you know, the Prince of Yan and His Highness have now broken off relations. I don't know where the Prince of Yan gets the confidence to oppose His Highness regardless of the Emperor."
“Your headache has flared up, and your grandson cannot come to take care of you every day. He is always thinking of you, even though he is away from home.”
Granny Chang brought in a cup of fresh tea and smiled as she looked at the grandmother and granddaughter, saying, "The old lady has been ill lately, and Miss has been taking good care of her. It's not that I'm blaming the young master; it's just that the old lady is worried about your troubles while you're away."
"As soon as he woke up, he asked about the young master. I heard that he was busy with matters in the capital, so I didn't want to disturb him. Now that the young master has returned, the old lady has been missing him terribly."
Madam Xu glared angrily at Granny Chang: "You think you know everything?"
Turning to look at Xu Yunci, who was drinking hot tea, his gaze fell on a plate on the bedside table, where only two pieces of flower cake remained.
She couldn't help but smile slightly: "Granny Chang, go and bring some more of the flower cakes that Yan Yan made, and let them have a taste."
“I’ve been suffering from headaches lately and haven’t been feeling well, so I haven’t been eating much. Jiaojiao is such a thoughtful child. She specially picked fresh flowers and made a lot of flower cakes, afraid that I couldn’t eat anything too sweet. She put a lot of thought into making them.”
"The food was really appetizing, and I slept very well after that."
As they were talking, Madam Xu looked around and said, "Look at my brain, where is Jiaojiao? She was just here a moment ago."
"I hadn't even come in yet when I heard my grandmother missing me." She wore a jacket with straps on the shoulders, leaving one forearm exposed, and held a plate of steaming hot flower cakes in her hands.
She made them exquisitely, each with its own unique style. She walked in with a smile on her face, and seeing that Xu Yunci and his sons were all there, she turned her gaze away and walked to stand in front of Old Madam Xu.
"My cousins have arrived at just the right time. Why don't you all try my newly made dish?"
Li Shiyue slightly bent her knees and then placed a plate in front of Old Madam Xu. Behind her, Granny Chang and others came in and distributed the plates full of flower cakes one by one.
"Try this. It's fresh out of the oven and piping hot, so you don't have to worry about feeling unwell after eating it. Also, I added some honey as you suggested, and I didn't use powdered sugar, so you won't say that my cooking is bland again."
Looking at the flower cakes she had just made, which bloomed like lotus flowers with a touch of yellow at the stamen, Madam Xu exclaimed.
Xu Yunci also picked up a piece, took a bite, and found it to be tastier than the one in Songyuan.
“My cousin is skillful and filial. We’re so grateful to Grandma for this, otherwise none of us would have gotten to eat it.” Xu Yunyang picked up a piece of red lotus cake, his eyes filled with a cryptic smile, which Li Shiyue pretended not to notice.
"Third cousin, I am so embarrassed by what you said. Today I had Chunling and the others send some to everyone. Didn't you get any? That shouldn't be the case. I had Chunling send a portion to each of my cousins separately."
Li Shiyue blinked, her eyes filled with innocence and clarity, seemingly genuine; after all, anyone can play dumb.
"So it was you who had it delivered." Xu Yunci's voice wasn't loud, but everyone present could hear it clearly.
“You were off duty after the morning court session today, so you must not have been home. How could you not know that Yan Yan sent someone to deliver something?”
"Not at home, not on duty, going off to have some fun again? Have you forgotten that this year's year-end personnel assessment will be different from previous years? You've only been promoted for a short time, and you're already getting carried away. If you don't pass the assessment, the worst you'll be unable to return to your previous position."
His gaze was meaningful, fixed on Xu Yunyang's face, not wanting to miss a single expression.
Seeing the barely perceptible panic in Xu Yunyang's eyes, Xu Yunci's gaze became more inquisitive. Just as Xu Yunyang was tense, thinking about what to say to smooth things over.
With a crash, the teacup beside Xu Yunyao fell to the ground, the broken pieces scattered on the tea paper.
"What's wrong? You look so listless." Old Madam Xu frowned, wanting to ask if the people around her were not taking good care of her, but then she suddenly remembered that Xu Yunyao now had a concubine in the courtyard, and she felt a surge of resentment.
Xu Yunyao met his brother's scrutinizing gaze and smiled bitterly to himself. What could he say? That he received the flower cake today, but it was knocked over by the concubine, and that he had lost his composure in front of his grandmother because he was lost in thought?
The aroma of the flower cake still lingered on his lips, but a bitter taste rose in his heart.
"I'm sorry for worrying about my mistakes, Grandmother."
Sitting next to Madam Xu, Li Shiyue lowered her head and was biting into the red rose cake in her hand, as if she didn't see anything and was detached from it all, as if it was all unimportant.
Xu Yunyao withdrew his gaze. This was for the best. Now that he had offended the other person first, he couldn't say anything more. If he did, people would think he was humiliating them.
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