Mu Houchu hugged her, his voice bland and calm, "Because of desire."
"Desire?"
"People’s desires, are just like that. Because we are merely mortals, we have desires. So, for these desires, even if we know what lies ahead is a dead end, we still strive."
Xin He forced out a reluctant smile. So, Duan Lan in the past simply had no desire. Now that he does, what is his desire?
Xin He didn’t feel like thinking too much about it. After all, now they were strangers, each walking their own path. What was the point of thinking about all this?
Instead, she looked at Mu Houchu and asked, "What about you? When you originally got involved, what was your desire?"
Mu Houchu’s eyes flashed. He seemed unprepared for her sudden question, but then he smiled, "No matter what my previous desires were, from the moment I met you, I’ve wanted nothing else."
Neither national hatred, family grudges, fame nor power, he wanted none of them. He only wanted her, just to create a peaceful home for her in this tumultuous era. That was enough.
Mu Houchu’s lips curled into a slightly bitter smile, "Xin He, all the past matters are unimportant, now I just want to stay with you."
A sense of warmth spread in Xin He’s heart, but she merely sighed softly, "Life is harder for those of us who do not compete for things. Knowing what I know now, why did I ever get involved?"
Mu Houchu knew, the sigh in her life wasn’t for them, but for Duan Lan. Since Duan Lan had chosen this path, there was no way back.
Xin He held him tightly, smiling faintly, "Mu Houchu, I do not ask for much. I am content with the life we have now."
Mu Houchu raised an eyebrow, "You’re satisfied just with this? Actually, I still have the energy for more, you can be even more satisfied."
Xin He’s face suddenly flushed red and she fiercely pushed him away, "Get out!"
What a shameless man. In the past, a little spring light would make him beam. Now, a little spring light would make him flirt!
——
Over the past few days, Xin He was preoccupied with managing real estate, and didn’t bother much with events back in the capital city. After all, she knew Mu Houchu had everything under control.
Whenever she left the house now, she would dress up in men’s clothing, and it was best to darken her face a little, so as not to attract too much attention.
After all, Lian’an Town was a small place. There weren’t many outstanding beauties. If she were to parade about in female attire, her cover would surely be blown in a matter of days. She preferred a low-key approach.
Back in the days when she was poor, she was frail and thin. Her face was waxen due to malnutrition, and her clothes were ragged. So, even if she spent her day wandering on the main street, she hardly attracted any attention. But now she was healthy, her face delicately white and tender, making her appear more agile. Her thin form now had more flesh on it, making her look attractive. She couldn’t possibly wear the coarse cotton and poor clothes as before, but the finest brocade or silk art.
If she appeared like this on the main street, she would surely attract everyone’s curiosity.
But now was not the time for her to be ostentatious.
She strolled around the street with a fan, looking at the nearby properties. She contemplated the potential acquisitions, even though Shulan and Xiaoyu were dressed as laissez-faire maids. After all, it was common for young masters to have maids around, so it didn’t draw much attention. But if a young master only had maids and no male servants, that often meant that they were lecherous.
So, on this journey, there were many people who looked at Ji Xinhe with strange eyes. Xinhe didn’t mind much. If she was in a good mood, she would even wink at Xiaoyu, pretending to flirt with the good girls, causing Xiaoyu to be embarrassed.
"I’ve been looking at this spot just now, and it seems pretty good. Judging from the information you both gathered for me earlier, I guess it won’t be too hard to take over. Hmmm, but it would look bad if I did it directly. Xiaoyu, you handle it." Xin He finished her walk and sat down to rest at a tea house.
She sipped her tea while giving instructions to Xiaoyu.
Xiaoyu looked surprised, "Are you suggesting that we’ve made our decision? Buying such a large piece of land directly, that will cost a huge amount of money."
"What’s to fear about a large amount of money? The real concern would be if its price doubles in the future." Xin He flashed a smile.
Xiaoyu nodded, "If that is the case, then I shall do as you say. However, since you have decided to expand Flower House heavily, why is it that the large plot of land you aim to secure doesn’t seem to be centered around Flower House?"
Xin He laughed and shook her head, "If I want the land I secure to become the economic center in the future, it definitely can’t be centered around Flower House. No matter how profitable Flower House is, it’s just a Flower House. We can use it to earn money, but it will never be something prominent in the economic model."
Shulan was a bit puzzled, "So, do you plan to develop other industries to act as the economic center?"
Having been with Xin He for a long time now, the two maids were no longer surprised by the new concepts she occasionally mentioned. In fact, their ability to accept these new ideas had improved greatly.
Xin He winked mischievously, "Who knows?"
Shulan and Xiaoyu looked at each other in shock, feeling more and more useless...
As Xin He was sipping her tea, she heard someone at the next table discussing something.
She distinctly heard the words "Flower House" and "Yihong Courtyard".
Regarding matters related to Flower House and Yihong Courtyard, of course, Xin He subconsciously wanted to listen carefully. Shulan and Xiaoyu, being very sensible, kept quiet to better hear the conversation coming from the other table.
"Hey! Do you know? Yihong Courtyard debuted a few new girls last night. Oh, their beauty, their charm, they were extraordinary!" one man exaggeratedly said.
Others heard this and scoffed, "What good girls can Yihong Courtyard offer now? Even the best girl there couldn’t compete with those in Flower House. We used to admire the girls in Yihong Courtyard, but now when compared with the likes of Miss Hua Rao, Miss Ah Lian, and Miss Yi Ling from Flower House, all the girls from Yihong Courtyard seem plain and ordinary." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
"That’s not entirely true. This new girl, I tell you, might not necessarily be defeated by Flower House. Especially one of them, she is in no way inferior to the beauty of Miss Yi Ling from Flower House!" the man stated with conviction.
Upon hearing this, Xin He’s expression subtly changed and she looked at Xiaoyu.
It was clear that Xiaoyu was also taken aback and she shook her head, indicating she hadn’t known about this.
The conversation continued at the other table, "Really? I don’t believe it. Besides Miss Yi Ling, I’ve never seen any other girl with such a graceful charm."
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