The matter of the Rain Fragrance Pavilion, it seemed that all the masters in the mansion had reached a tacit understanding, and no waves were stirred up, so they simply acknowledged it. After resting for a few days, I heard that Madame Hou had taken charge of all the affairs in the mansion again, and was even busier than before.

  Sun family's daughter is about to get married, according to Madame Hou's wishes, she will be married out from the Hou Mansion. Qin Miao took some private jewelry from her treasury to help Sun Miaoyu with her dowry, and Xie Wei also contributed some of her own savings.

  At a tender age as lovely as a flower, she married a handsome young man. At this moment, Sun Miaorou was at the happiest time of her life, just like herself in those years.

  Qin Miao stood at the gate of the mansion, as the lady of the marquis's manor, gazing out at the red wedding procession blowing and beating its way into the distance, until the red color disappeared from view. She still stood there, while behind her, not far away, someone else was also watching her.

  After seeing off the welcoming procession, there were still banquets for the guests in the mansion. Qin Miao quickly withdrew her thoughts and returned to the house with Sun Shi and Liu Shi to entertain the female guests. During the banquet, Qin Miao's calm and composed demeanor left a deep impression on the guests who came and went.

  Madam Wei, the wife of Marquis Wei, rarely attended social gatherings at the capital's official residences. These women were mostly from official families and were born into nobility, looking down on Madam Wei who came from a merchant family. However, upon seeing her today, these noblewomen had to secretly admit that this woman from a merchant household was indeed suitable for the role of Marquis' wife, and she carried herself well.

  Xie Lao Taitai was surrounded by a group of women, watching Qin Miao's eloquent and clever words, with a hint of pride in her heart, she couldn't help but drink a few more cups.

  The banquet will eventually disperse, and the old lady let the people from the second house and the third house go down to rest, leaving only Qin Miao.

  "Ah Nuan, you've been working hard these past few days." The old lady had drunk the sobering soup and still had two red flushes on her face, looking very festive.

  Qin Miao half-knelt beside her, gently massaging her old cold legs.

  "It's no hardship; it's what I'm supposed to do."

  The old lady looked at Qin Miao, who was squatting beside her with an unchanged face, but she felt very uncomfortable in her heart. These days, every time she came to pay her respects, the old lady felt that her temperament had become much colder than before, and she had lost a bit of her spirit.

  She pressed down Qin Miao's hand and pulled her up to sit beside her, speaking softly yet helplessly: "Ah Nuan, sometimes I think that if it wasn't for my repeated persistence and longing, perhaps you could have had a better fate, and wouldn't have had to endure all this not long after getting married."

  "The matter of the Rain Fragrance Pavilion, I've also told Ah Chun. It's just that now it's not convenient to move her, but it's not because she's pregnant. The identity of that woman is not simple, and this was also revealed by Ah Chun with a sigh. She stopped and thought for a moment, then patted her hand. 'But it's better if you don't know, one less thing is better than one more.'"

  Qin Miao seemed to have understood Old Lady Xie's meaning, and this Xingxiang might not be an ordinary prostitute, and the identity behind her was not easy for the Xie family to handle, and even needed protection.

  "Ancestors, I'm exhausted. I've already discussed with Master Hou that once the child is born, we'll give her a proper name and status, so she can officially take root in the Hou estate."

  The old lady saw Qin Miao's deep and solemn righteousness, and felt even more guilty for the entrustment of her distant sister in Hangzhou.

  "As for Ah Chun, he was originally cold-hearted. But I've noticed that since you married into the Xie family, he seems to have changed a lot." The old lady's expression was solemn, and she looked at Qin Miao with great expectation.

  "An Nuan, please promise our ancestors to be closer to Ah Zhu. Even if it's for the sake of this old body of mine, take good care of him and love him more. When I'm gone, I'll have something to report to our ancestors... Ancestors are begging you..."

  "Ancestors!" The old man's words were sincere and heartfelt, she really couldn't bear it. "A Nuan... I will."

  She had also thought about how to face Xie Yun again in the future. The incident had happened, and with her personality, there was no room for forgiveness. But life had to move on, and they still had to make a living together. Even if they were no longer the beautiful couple they once were, at least they were still husband and wife. Without love, there was still duty, so they would just have to treat each other with respect.

  She thought of treating him with courtesy, but her heart was cold. However, after leaving the Yang Yi Temple, she still ordered the kitchen to prepare some wine and dishes. For several days, Xie Lin had not come to the backyard for meals, and all food and drink were sent to the front yard. Since she decided to go on, then so be it.

  Having adjusted her mood, she carried a food box along the familiar path to the front yard. And Xie Zhuo had not eaten yet.

  When Qin Miao appeared at the door, Xie Yun put down the book in his hand with a look of surprise, and the stagnant water in his heart seemed to come alive again.

  He quickly got up to welcome, but his foot caught on the table leg and he stumbled. He soon realized his mistake and composed himself, but his voice still betrayed him: "You... how did you come?"

  "Are you all done?"

  "You've been busy these days, your cold is just recovering, it's better to take a good rest."

  He followed Qin Miao closely, talking to her non-stop. Seeing that she didn't respond, he simply took out the dishes from the food box one by one and placed them on the table.

  "So many dishes, all of which I love to eat."

  "But it's too bland, how about letting the kitchen prepare some spicy dishes?"

  “……”

  At this time, a pair of chopsticks was suddenly pulled out and handed in front of him. "Aren't you hungry?"

  “……”

  "Hungry...... hungry!" Xie Yun saw her looking at him with a warm expression, and he quickly also took the chopsticks in a gentle manner, sat down and started eating.

  Qin Miao also sat down and pushed a white porcelain wine cup in front of him. "Drink?"

  Before he could respond, she had already taken out a wine bottle from her lunchbox and poured herself a cup.

  "Drink... drink!"

  He seemed to have figured it out, today she was planning to come and make amends with him. No humble bows, no gentle whispers, only Qin Miao's tone, Qin Miao's way. But even if it didn't sound particularly pleasant, he found it sweet as honey, eagerly seeking more.

  Xie Xuan abandoned his years of persistence in "not speaking while eating" and spoke up, inserting a few words. Qin Miao didn't seem to mind either, and most of the time was willing to add a sentence or two. After one meal, the atmosphere between the two gradually became less awkward.

  After finishing dinner, Qin Miao cleaned up a bit and was about to take the food box back. Watching her busily but unhurriedly, without the usual liveliness between her eyebrows, Xie Yun still felt very comfortable. Calculating the days, he indeed hadn't spent quality time with her for a long while.

  As she was about to get up, Xie Yun subconsciously pulled her. "Stay with me for a while longer, okay?"

  Still the same clear and cold tone, but no longer stiff and icy. She tilted her head towards Xie Lin, gazing into his eyes that had always been able to move people's hearts, locking gazes for a long time. There used to be frost hidden in them, freezing her to the point of trembling, but now it seemed like there was a small flame named Hope. Was she seeing things?

  "Good!"

  The sky darkened and candles were lit in the rain pavilion. Xie Yun and Qin Miao took off their shoes and sat on the couch, facing each other playing chess.

  "I must declare in advance that I'm not proficient in music, chess, calligraphy or painting. Don't say later that my chess skills are poor and spare your elegant hobby." Anyway, she didn't want to pretend to be elegant anymore, so she just let her true self shine through.

  Xie Yun hadn't seen her speak so casually in a long time. Every time she spoke coquettishly, the corners of her mouth would rise slightly, leaving a small fold at the corner of her mouth and pulling up that small dimple. In the past, he hadn't been very mindful of it, but now that it reappeared, it brought a surge of joy to his heart.

  "If it's really so smelly, I'll let you go first." Then he asked Qin Miao to make the move.

  In the black and white square inch, the beautiful time is lingering in this small study. The quiet atmosphere of early autumn, accompanied by the humming sound of the lamp core, is warm and cozy.