"Certainly, certainly!" Manager Jin quickly replied with a smile.
"Alright, stop with the smooth talk; it doesn’t work on me. Take me to the workshop." Xin He said as she walked.
Manager Jin just smiled even more brightly: "Working for a master like you makes life easy for us subordinates. We don’t have to please anyone; as long as we do a good job, rewards are sure to come. It even saves us from flattering—" he said, saving her the trouble.
Xin He laughed and shook her head, finding herself at a loss for words.
Walking behind her, Shulan whispered to Xiaoyu, "This Manager Jin is really something, isn’t he? His flattery is both loud and somehow impossible to refute."
As she spoke, she couldn’t help but giggle.
Xiaoyu lightly glared at her, "Don’t talk nonsense."
Shulan mumbled in protest, "I’m just talking to you."
Xiaoyu lowered her voice, looking at Manager Jin chatting incessantly by Xin He’s side. "You think it’s just about flattery? People like him have many schemes up their sleeves. Do you think Madam would have chosen just anyone to be Winding Pavilion’s manager?"
Shulan nodded in agreement. "That’s true. Making flattery sound so elegant and refined is a skill in itself. These businessmen are all craftier than the next."
Xiaoyu said, "Our madam is no exception."
Feeling ten feet tall, Shulan lifted her head high, "Our madam is called smart!"
Xiaoyu glanced at her and ignored her, quickening her pace to catch up with Xin He and Manager Jin.
After touring the Winding Pavilion’s workshop and pointing out a few issues, Xin He glanced at the time and decided it was time to return home.
Shulan couldn’t help but comment, "Our madam must be the most hardworking pregnant woman."
If Sir were to find out, he’d undoubtedly be angry.
Xin He touched her belly helplessly, "What can I do? In such busy times, I can only inconvenience our Ah Guai."
She lowered her gaze, her eyes gentle as they fell upon her round belly, and softly said, "Everything your mother is doing is for your sake, so that you can grow up safely and smoothly. You won’t blame your mother, will you, Ah Guai?"
As her words fell, she felt a slight movement in her belly.
Xin He almost thought it was an illusion, and she stared blankly for a moment before exclaiming with joy to Shulan and Xiaoyu, "Did Ah Guai just move!?"
Shulan rubbed her eyes, "It seems so!"
"Did my Ah Guai hear me speak?" Xin He was overjoyed.
Xiaoyu smiled, "As the child gets older, they say it’ll cause a ruckus in the belly, kicking and doing somersaults all the time. It’s a sign that our little master is lively and healthy."
This was the first time Xin He had felt her baby’s movements, and it made her so happy that she kept talking to herself for the rest of the journey.
It didn’t matter if the little baby could understand her now or not.
From the moment she got pregnant, through her disbelief and anticipation, Xin He hadn’t truly felt her child’s presence until now.
This awareness excited her and filled her with joy.
She stroked her stomach, unable to suppress the grin spreading across her face. Ah Guai, your mother will love you dearly.
——
Not long after they returned home, Xia Chaihu came running back, panting, with his book bag in tow.
Shulan, puzzled, asked, "What are you running so fast for?"
Xia Chaihu gasped for breath, "Did madam leave?"
Shulan smiled, "Not yet, why are you so worried?"
"Oh!" Xia Chaihu took another breath, finally catching it, and went in after lifting the curtain.
Shulan clicked her tongue, "He’s still a child after all. I thought only young masters like Xiaobei were so energetic, bouncing around, but it turns out Xia Chaihu likes running and jumping too."
Xiaoyu: "You should mind your own business."
"Just got out of class?" Xin He asked with a smile. "Where’s Xiaobei?"
Xia Chaihu’s face was still a bit flushed from running so fast. "He was held back by the teacher. I was worried, so I came back first."
Then Xin He remembered that she had promised to take Xia Chaihu with her to Qing Shui Temple today. She smiled, "Why are you so worried? Go wash your face. Look at all that sweat on your forehead. I estimate that we won’t be leaving for a while."
Xia Chaihu, having run all the way back for fear of missing out, finally felt relieved seeing Xin He hadn’t left yet. He nodded heavily, "Alright!"
Immediately, he dashed off.
Xin He shook her head with a laugh.
Soon after, Shulan entered the room. "Madam, Yi Ling is here."
Xin He’s smile faltered slightly, her laughter also fading. "Bring her in."
"Yes."
Upon entering, Yi Ling said with a smile, "It’s really bad timing. I was planning to visit you early, but right when I was about to leave, my family had a slight problem that I couldn’t ignore, so it got delayed. I didn’t expect to be this late. Have I kept you waiting, Madam?"
Xin He smiled, "Not at all."
"Then let’s go now. Fortunately, Qing Shui Temple is on Lian’an Town’s main street, so it won’t take long to walk there. We can come back before nightfall." Yi Ling’s face was filled with an apologetic expression.
"Alright, I’ll change my clothes and head out right away." Xin He said.
"Okay."
Xin He changed into a simple dress before leaving with Yi Ling. Xia Chaihu was already waiting outside. Seeing them come out, he quietly followed without speaking, keeping his presence minimal.
Yi Ling suggested, "Why don’t you ride with me in the same carriage? Riding alone can be quite dull."
She then indicated her understanding that this proposal was really one of Yi Ling’s usual tactics for currying favor and simply nodded. Her own carriage would be put to another use anyway.
Yi Ling got on first, followed by Xin He, who then, with a lowered voice, instructed Xia Chaihu to drive the carriage to the street corner on Tongluo Street and find a way to have Sun Yaowen sit in her carriage to go out.
Xia Chaihu hesitated for a moment before nodding quickly.
With a smile, Xin He raised her voice slightly, "Go to the pastry shop and buy some green bean cakes and crab yolk pastries, then come to Qing Shui Temple to find me."
"Yes." Xia Chaihu replied.
Xin He then turned and got onto the carriage. She was quite pregnant, and getting on a carriage was a bit challenging for her at the moment, but not too hard as she was still a skilled martial artist.
Xiaoyu followed Xin He onto the vehicle, while Shulan walked beside the carriage. Since the carriage would be traveling on busy streets, the speed wouldn’t be fast and walking was not a problem. Initially, they considered having Shulan and the other maids ride a smaller carriage, but Shulan insisted on walking and keeping a close eye on the carriage.
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