It was unknown when it started, but outside the window, a fine rain began to fall, pattering down on the purple bamboo in front of the window, and the moist air quietly seeped into the study.

  Qin Miao stretched and got up to close the wooden window. Perhaps the gentle warmth of the fine rain was too comfortable, for a moment she leaned against the window, recalling countless childhood scenes filled with the fragrance of flowers and fine rain.

  I remember one time, our ancestors sent young Qin Lang and her to the Lang Yue Ge branch on the street to check the store. This was Qin Miao's first time completing a store inspection independently without adult help, and she was very nervous. Fortunately, Qin Lang always stood by her side, occasionally helping her out with seemingly unintentional but actually intentional assistance, so that she wouldn't be belittled by the old shopkeeper. In the end, she even found several subtle mistakes. When they left the store, it started raining the soft, gentle rain unique to Jiangnan, accompanied by the fragrance of flowers. At that time, her heart felt an indescribable joy. She happily ran into the rain, letting the raindrops gently caress her face, releasing the excitement and pride in her heart. And Qin Lang kept chasing after her from behind, shouting "An Nuan... An Nuan..."

  Xie Wei sat upright in front of an octagonal rosewood desk inlaid with Dali marble, copying scriptures with a calm mind like an old monk entering meditation.

  "Ah Wei?"

  "Has your brother ever liked another girl?"

  A soft inquiry made Xie Wei's brush pause for a moment, before she finished writing the two characters "bo re" and looked up at Qin Miao by the window. She carefully examined Qin Miao's expression, her eyebrows furrowed with a hint of melancholy and helplessness that only women could understand.

  Other women?

  In an instant, Xie Wei instinctively searched her mind for the faintest clues... that fragrance, what was it? She didn't dare to confirm how much her brother liked Xinxiang, but several times she had caught him going out to see her, and he never avoided telling her where he was going in front of her.

  "Big brother is not a person who indulges in beauty. In his early years, he followed his uncles to the battlefield, and at home, they didn't even have time to arrange for him to meet a girl, so he kept two personal maidservants. Oh, it was those two, Ruhua and Xingzhi. But brother always treated them as servants, without any romantic feelings, this I am aware of."

  At this moment, Xie Wei put down her pen and walked quietly to Qin Miao's side, wanting to take advantage of the sunlight to see Qin Miao clearly. "Sister, what's going on? Why are you suddenly asking these questions?"

  Qin Miao smiled calmly and said, "That... have you ever heard that he has any hidden illness?"

  This question made Xie Wei even more bewildered. She pulled Qin Miao's somewhat cold hand over and asked urgently, "Is it that your brother has been treating you badly?"

  Actually, from the moment Qin Miao asked her first question, she had a vague feeling that this might be possible. She knew her own brother, cold and unfeeling, never showing any warmth to those around him, even to his own sister, it was rare to see him smile. If not for knowing earlier that he had met a woman named Xiangxiang, she would have thought that her brother would likely spend the rest of his life alone.

  As his sister, Xie Wei felt it was necessary to defend her brother, after all, this older sister-in-law of hers was still very impressive, intelligent and beautiful, with a noble temperament, and most importantly, lively and vivacious, which could make up for her brother's excessive calmness.

  "Sister-in-law, my brother is this kind of person. In the whole household, even in front of our ancestors, he rarely shows a good face. But, sister-in-law, he's a good person."

  Seeing a girl one year younger than herself, enthusiastically and sincerely packing votes for Xie Zhu in front of her own brother, Qin Miao felt warmth. Such affection was like her own with her big brother, and with Qin Lang, she could empathize.

  She patted Xie Wei's slightly uneasy hand, and Qin Miao gave Xie Wei a brilliant smile: "I've always known he'd be a good person. When I met him at the Moon Full Building that time, I knew his heart wasn't as icy as his face." At the Moon Full Building, he saw himself being somewhat arrogant, and took the initiative to speak up for that little girl. Although it turned out that Xie Wei was mistaken, being deceived by the girl's weakness, Qin Miao believed Xie Wei's original intention was good.

  She's probably like that, too clever and good at understanding things from other people's perspectives. But what about Xie Yun... does he understand her?

  "I actually heard from the servants in the mansion that my brother was not like this when he was young, but rather mischievous and loved to cause trouble." Xie Wei was born late, and her parents passed away one after another before she was one year old. She had been raised by her ancestors since childhood and still lived in Nurturing Harmony Courtyard with Old Lady Xie, without having her own independent courtyard. She couldn't imagine what her cold brother would be like if he were mischievous and causing trouble, but at least that side of him had existed before.

  "After my father and mother passed away one after another, my brother fell seriously ill. After he recovered, his temperament changed and he became taciturn, which scared our ancestors into thinking that he was possessed by evil spirits. From then on, he remained reticent and cold-blooded. However, upon closer reflection, despite being this way, he still took good care of the family members, showing filial piety and respect to our ancestors and uncles. It's just that...he was too harsh on himself..."

  Qin Miaojing quietly listened to Xie Wei's words, and bit by bit, she remembered everything in her heart. She really wanted to know why a man who could stand up for strangers would be exceptionally cold to his own wife. Even though Xie Wei said a lot, she still hadn't found the root of the problem. However, thinking about it, the passing of Xie Wei's parents had a great impact on him.

  Yes, she is also a child who has never had a mother since childhood. Other people's children are all hugged and pampered by their mothers, but she only has the arms of her ancestors to rely on. Even if her ancestors, father, and brothers love her so much, she will always imagine in her dreams the warmth that belongs only to her mother.

  "Avery, maybe your brother yearns for warmth more than ordinary people. So..." She tightly held Avery's hand, wanting her to feel her sincerity. "So we all have to be doubly kind to him, let him know he's not alone."

  Qin Miao's eyes were always so dazzling, as if there were countless stars inside, shining brightly and bringing people endless hope. Xie Wei felt this way, so she also tightly grasped Qin Miao's hand and nodded heavily.

  It was already decided, Qin Miao quickly put it into practice. She let Xie Wei carefully tell her about Xie Yan's likes and dislikes, and recorded them one by one on paper. Xie Wei thought very carefully, and Qin Miao remembered everything thoroughly.

  The rain outside gradually stopped, the sky slowly emerged from the gloom, and no longer stingy, before the black night arrived, let the warm sunshine of April spread in the small courtyard, warm and clear.

  Qin Miao stood in front of the window again, gazing at the dew drops rolling off the purple bamboo leaves, light and delicate. Perhaps never like this moment, her eyes were firm and spirited, making it impossible for people to look away.