On the way back to Xiyang, Xie Yun did not appear directly, but silently followed beside him to protect. Qin Miaoqi was still a little puzzled at first, according to Xie Yun's enthusiasm recently, it shouldn't be like this. Then he thought again, since he had already made up his mind not to get entangled with him again, what others did or didn't do had nothing to do with himself.

  She felt much more at ease with this thought and they returned to Jiangdu City without any incident, chatting and laughing along the way.

  It's been many days since we last met, and the city of Jiangdu remains as it was. However, some people have become so anxious that they can't even enjoy their tea and rice.

  In Zhang's mansion, Liu Shiyé was huddled with his head down like a quail, being lectured by the master of the house.

  "What was said today, but there is news?" The Magistrate had just flicked off a drop of ink and was hastily wiping his hand with rice paper.

  "I asked and was told they had already returned. It's just that when we went there, there happened to be no one in the shop."

  "Trash, a bunch of trash. What's the point of me raising you all? Get out, all of you get out!"

  Like the elegant and refined Zhang, he now looked like a starving wolf that had not been fed, with a fierce glint in his eyes. Liu Shifu knew that her master had a weakness for beautiful women, and normally would not deign to visit those brothels, saying they were all faded flowers and mediocre women, not worth looking at. The last time he was so eager to take someone in was when he met the third madam. This time, judging from his demeanor, it was even more intense than that time, so it's better to stay away.

  Qin Miao naturally didn't know that he was being missed by others, and after returning to Xunyang, he hastily went to the shop to take a look. Seeing that everything in the store was going on as usual, he felt much more at ease. He then took his people back to the Qin family to happily see his little nephew.

  Xun Ge is now able to run and jump, and is at his most lively and lovable time.

  "Ah......" Xun Ge obediently opened his small mouth and was still being fed by his own aunt.

  "Is it delicious, Little Brother Xun?" Qin Miao asked with a smile, holding a small spoon and facing her little nephew.

  Xun Geer tilted his head, very seriously pondering what the mush in his mouth actually tasted like. He swirled it around to the left and right, wasting a lot of time before swallowing it down, and finally stuck out his little tongue to lick his lips, not wasting a single bit.

  "Hmm... sweet, fragrant." Qin Xun thought for half a day and squeezed out the few words he had. "Delicious! Ah..." After finishing speaking, he opened his mouth wide again, ready to be fed.

  "Oh my, our brother Xun and auntie have the same good taste as when they were young. This is the famous osmanthus cake from Hangzhou's old brand. Auntie loved to eat this when she was young." Brother Xun was born just over a year ago, but due to changes in his family, he followed them to Jiangyang, a foreign land. Qin Miao was afraid that he would forget the taste of his hometown, so this time she specially made time to visit several old brands and searched for some local snacks. Unfortunately, many foods are not convenient to carry because of the long distance.

  "If Auntie likes it, Auntie will eat too!" Xun Ge'er snatched the small spoon and scooped up a spoonful of the already mashed osmanthus cake, extending it to Qin Miao's mouth. Qin Miao took one bite and swallowed, savoring the fragrant, sweet, and sticky flavor.

  The aunt and niece took turns feeding each other in the small courtyard, this warm scene was enviable to watch.

  After a long day of traveling, after dinner and a bath, Qin Miao flipped through a few pages of the account book before taking off her clothes and going to bed. A gentle breeze blew outside, rustling the leaves of the trees in the courtyard, making a soft whispering sound. Qin Miao closed her eyes and gradually dozed off.

  "Creak..." The door was opened. A black shadow slipped in from the doorway.

  "Clang..." The door was closed. But the dark shadow did not leave.

  The Qin family's residence was small, and the layout of each room couldn't compare to their former Hangzhou mansion. The distance between the door and the bed was only a few steps. With silent footsteps, he avoided the embroidered stool and chairs, and quickly reached the outside of the mosquito net.

  "Who!" The mosquito net was gently lifted, and Qin Miao suddenly woke up from the darkness, having not fully fallen asleep.

  "It's me."

  This voice...... is as clear and cold as water, very familiar.

  Qin Miao subconsciously pulled the quilt tighter, moving closer to the inside of the bed. Her left hand quickly felt for the dagger under her pillow, staring intently at the black shadow's movements.

  The dark figure chuckled silently: "I didn't think you were so vigilant, and you even have a useful tool for self-defense." After finishing speaking, he lit the lighter in his hand and brought it close to his cheek.

  "It's you!" Qin Miao looked at Xie Yun's face, which seemed to have not changed in hundreds of years, and said with a mix of annoyance and anger. "What are you doing here so late at night? Do you know how scared I was?" The hand holding the dagger relaxed instantly.

  "I... I miss you."

  Uh... how should I respond to this? A handsome guy, late at night, sneaking into my room, with a helpless expression on his face, saying he's thinking of me? Qin Miao says, who can come and enlighten her about such experiences.

  "Get away from me a bit. No, go over there by the door and turn your back. Don't turn around."

  Xie Yun nodded and responded softly. Then, obediently, as Qin Miao had said, he turned his back and stood at the door. Qin Miao pulled up her collar, lifted the quilt, confirmed that Xie Yun had done so, and quickly picked up the clothes on the stool and put them on hastily.

  Listening to the rustling sound behind him, Xie Yun could imagine Qin Miao's panic even with his back turned. This actually added a few shades of good color to his gloomy mood today.

  After seeing Qin Miao and the others safely return to the city, Xie Yun felt a sense of helplessness and confusion, not knowing what to do next. After returning to the General's mansion, he ate dinner in a daze, took a bath in a daze, but his mind kept flashing back to Qin Miao's smiles and expressions over the past few days. He forced himself to lie down on the bed, but his head was throbbing with longing, even feeling numb and painful. So, after struggling and hesitating for a long time, Lord Xie decided to be a "gentleman on the beam", stealing glances and snatching moments of intimacy.

  "Alright, you can turn around now." Qin Miao checked herself out in the copper mirror from left to right, making sure she was dressed properly, before allowing Xie Yun to turn his head.

  Because of the recent life-saving favor, even if Xie Yun came to visit in the middle of the night, which was quite improper, she couldn't bring herself to directly drive him away. Moreover, since Xie Yun recognized her, they had a lot of entanglements, and she felt that it would be better to have an open and honest talk once and for all, to dispel his thoughts as well as her own.

  "Sit down." Qin Miao saw Xie Tong was a bit awkward and couldn't move, so she kindly asked him to take a seat. Huh! Just now he was still knocking on the door and feeling his way around quite smoothly, how did he become a wooden person all of a sudden?

  However, Xie Xuan did not sit down, but instead conjured up two jars of wine from under his feet and said in a warm voice, "Join me for a drink?"

  Qin Miao loved to drink, but Xie Xu didn't. But that was in the past. Since Qin Miao left, Master Xie had developed a habit of drinking from time to time, especially when he couldn't think clearly and his mind was troubled. He still didn't find drinking enjoyable, but getting drunk could numb his feelings a bit, which wasn't bad.

  Qin Miao and Xie Yan's drinking together can be traced back to that time when they strolled around the Lotus Pond, but from start to finish, Qin Miao was the only one drinking, using wine to express her longing. Later, after Xin Xiang appeared, Qin Miao also invited Xie Yan to drink with him once, and the taste of that wine was perhaps the most unpalatable and suffocating experience in Qin Miao's life.

  Now, however, Xie Yun actually invited himself to drink, which is quite unbelievable, a feeling of things being different from people.