Spring days always bring different surprises. When the soft morning light passes through the diamond-shaped window lattice onto the warm couch in front of the window, it stirs up the tiny dust particles in the air like elves dancing, jumping into this mundane world, waking up the beautiful young master on the bed.

  Forced to prop up sore and swollen eyes, I didn't know the daylight was so bright. The slow thinking is like scattered sand, now recalling bit by bit. Oh, it was a night of madness, fortunately, today is a rest day.

  Xie Yun rubbed his temples, which were still throbbing with pain, and thought of curling up his body to get out of bed. Suddenly, he felt as if there was a heavy weight on him, making it difficult for him to move an inch. Following the direction of his gaze, all he saw was a thin woman lying on his lower abdomen, fast asleep!

  His heart tightened involuntarily, his lower abdomen contracted, and the familiar sense of panic and helplessness came flooding back, directly sweeping over the woman lying on top of him, stumbling as he tried to get out of bed.

  Qin Miao cried on Xie Yun's body for a long time last night, and even after falling asleep, she didn't know anything. At this moment, she was swimming freely in her own boundless dream world, but before she could savor it, she was scooped up from the dream world all wet and tossed aside.

  Xie Yun fiercely turned Qin Miao to one side, busy putting on his shoes, and before he could straighten up, a small hand stretched out from behind his head, tightly grasping his sleeve, followed by a murmured sentence that seemed like a dream.

  "Are you awake?"

  Subconsciously turning back to look for the source of the sound, she bumped into Qin Miao who had just woken up from her dream, and her heart couldn't help but relax.

  It's okay... it's okay... it's her.

  "Hmm." Xie Yun deliberately concealed the panic and embarrassment he had just felt, and only responded faintly.

  Qin Miao, who had slept with her face pressed against something for a whole night, had a faint red mark on her small face. The dark circles under her eyes, which were caused by crying, also showed an unusual tenderness, and Xie Yu thought they looked like the peach blossoms that bloom in March. Her eyelashes, which were misty with tears, seemed to be fluttering around the flowers like playful pink butterflies, gently tapping against the unopened beauty.

  Qin Miao felt Xie Yan's intense gaze on her, and the words he said when he was drunk last night echoed in her ears. Her heart suddenly rippled with waves, expanding circle by circle. It expanded to a subconscious level, where she found her arms already wrapped around Xie Yan's neck.

  Originally, I was admiring the beauty of the woman who had just woken up, but she unscrupulously "pressed herself against me", and Xie Lin subconsciously moved forward together, directly getting out of bed. As a result, Qin Miao's uncontrollable emotions were thoroughly disappointed.

  She rubbed her nose awkwardly, seeing Xie Yun was about to step out, and couldn't help but raise her voice: "Xie Yun, what's going on with you?!"

  Qin Miao tidied up her scattered nightclothes, put on her shoes and got out of bed, then rushed to Xie Yun's face, striking a pose that said "If you don't make things clear today, I won't let you leave".

  "What's going on?" Xie Yun had a northern man's physique, and Qin Miao was originally short, barely reaching his chest.

  She thought for a night, cried for a night, and always felt that something had to be said, or else she would go crazy one day if they continued to live together in such an unclear state. So, the petite Qin Miao, wearing thin pajamas, with her hair uncombed and face unwashed, looked up at Xie Yan with a plain expression and said: "You and I have been married for many days, after all, it was a blind marriage, and we didn't expect to be like other couples who are loving from the start. But you... why don't you even have the most basic intimacy? Are you not satisfied with this marriage?"

  This was the only reason Qin Miaosi could think of after ruling out all other possibilities. It was that Xie Yan did not want this marriage, did not want to be tied to her, he despised her... When she thought of this possibility, Qin Miaosi's heart was shocked and desolate. She asked herself, she wasn't ugly, nor was she stupid, except for her ordinary family background, but wasn't that something that should have been known before the marriage, why would it be a reason to despise her now?

  Xie Leng's face was cold, with no discernible emotions, only a slight furrow between his brows. Qin Miao asked him with some innocence and a hint of grievance, "What did you say?"

  Is he dissatisfied with this marriage? Xie Yan thought secretly.

  He had no dissatisfaction, but was forced by the situation. So many dignitaries and high-ranking officials threw olive branches at him, wanting to become in-laws with the Weiyuan Marquis's family. Once or twice could still be refused, but three or four times would be embarrassing. His current identity is awkward, marrying a merchant's daughter can avoid the taboo of being a prince.

  "There's no dissatisfaction." That was what he wanted to say, and it wasn't against his true feelings.

  Waiting for Xie Yun's response, Qin Miao was very nervous. When he heard him say that he was satisfied with this marriage, the heart that had been hanging in suspense finally put down heavily and was pressed back to its original position by Qin Miao.

  "Then why..." Although there was no dissatisfaction, why didn't you get close? This is what Qin Miao wanted to express, but the words got stuck in her throat and were swallowed back down.

  Xie Xun naturally understood what she meant, and his mouth couldn't help but let out a light laugh: "You also said it was a blind marriage. It's only been a few days, and you can't wait any longer?" His words were always like the cold wind on a winter day, carrying frost flowers that could instantly freeze a heart full of hot anticipation.

  "Oh. So that's how it is." Qin Miao had actually already gotten the answer she wanted, but towards his overly calm words, she felt a bit wronged and resentful. She lowered her head, looking at the embroidered shoes on her feet, the paper cutouts of yulan flowers on them looked somewhat pitifully pale.

  She silently told herself in her heart, there's still a long way to go...

  After simply finishing breakfast, Xie Yun still went to the study in the front yard. The accounts of the mansion had all been reviewed yesterday, and Qin Miao handed over the unclear parts that she had copied out to Li Mama, letting her go around the servants' quarters to ask about them. She also went to pay respects to Old Lady and chatted with her for a while before returning to Chao Lu Yard again.

  It has to be said that the financial management of the Weiyuan Marquis's estate over the past few years, although seemingly proper and regular, has gradually shown signs of income not covering expenses. To arrive at this conclusion, simply looking at the overall accounts is not enough; one must also grasp the detailed breakdown of the industries under the marquis's name. Moreover, account books are dead things, and it's impossible to guarantee that someone won't tamper with them to deceive people. Looking back, it's necessary to send some reliable people to secretly investigate the lower-level farms and shops.

  Thinking of this, Qin Miao felt that for the next month, she wouldn't be very free either. If she had known earlier, it would have been better to let Sun Shi manage it first. But then again, she thought that as a member of the Hou Mansion now, since she was skilled in this area, she should put in more effort. Not for anything else, but for her ancestors and the beautiful young master, it was worth it.

  Just as Qin Miao was about to pick up the branch details that had just been delivered, someone came from outside to report, "The young mistress has arrived."

  Qin Miao overslept today and missed the auspicious hour when she went to pay her respects to her ancestors, so Xie Wei didn't run into her. It had been several days since entering the mansion, and Xie Wei had wanted to come to Chaoyang Courtyard to find Qin Miao early on, but considering that her elder brother had just gotten married, she thought it would be awkward to come when the newlyweds were still in their honeymoon phase. So she waited for several days before coming to visit today.

  He led her down a path that skirted the gallery and brought them directly to the study on one side of the Chao Lu courtyard. As soon as they entered, they saw Qin Miao frowning intently as she wrote something at her desk.

  "Sister, what are you writing? You're so serious!" Xie Wei jumped up to the desk and leaned forward suspiciously. She saw that Qin Miao's hand was carefully crafting intricate cursive characters, delicate and elegant.

  Xie Wei loves calligraphy, which is known throughout the Hou Mansion. Therefore, Qin Miao's gift to her at their first meeting was a set of He Shuangshuang's lake pens. Unlike ordinary women in the boudoir who often practice Weifeng's cursive script, she is more accustomed to writing running script. Today, seeing Qin Miao's handwriting, she couldn't help but feel curious.

  "Sister's handwriting is quite elegant." She had already turned to Qin Miao's side, evaluating as she looked.

  Qin Miao smiled and put down the pen in her hand, casually flipping through the account book beside her, saying lightly: "My handwriting is just like this. It's just barely usable, can't compare to yours, which is written with devotion."

  She can't compare to Xie Wei who treats calligraphy as a hobby. At that time, Father invited a teacher to teach Qin Miao all the skills of piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, but she didn't master any of them. This cursive script is still passable, writing letters and copying accounts is still acceptable, as for other things, it's just a laugh. So she has a good understanding of herself.

  "Is Avi looking for me today? Has something happened?" The ledger had been stared at for a long time, and the eyes felt a bit sour. After blinking a few times, he picked up the teacup beside him and took a big gulp of tea.

  Xie Wei had become accustomed to her sister-in-law's "generous" behavior since she saw how she ate.

  "Hey, I'm not bored anymore. Usually at home, there's no one to talk to, but now that you've entered the household, I have a companion. However..." She pointed to the full table of accounts and papers, lightly coughing before continuing: "I didn't think you were also a busy person."