There had always been a saying for the Dragon Boat Festival: Wear a herbal sachet, and fear no five poisons. The medicinal ingredients inside had all been personally selected by Lanyin. The sachet for Old Madam Qi contained chrysanthemum, cassia seeds, and mugwort leaves to aid sleep. As for Qi Yubai, since he often traveled and handled cases, who knew what he might come into contact with? So, she chose for him a blend of angelica dahurica for dispelling cold and evil, patchouli for clearing the mind, and mugwort leaves for antibacterial properties.
She wasn’t sure if Qi Yubai would like it, but after hesitating for a moment, she still handed the box over. “This bamboo-patterned one is yours.”
Qi Yubai, of course, knew that the bamboo-patterned one was his. He could even discern the ingredients inside—angelica to dispel dampness and evil, patchouli to refresh the mind, and mugwort to inhibit bacteria… She was always like this. If someone treated her well by just one part, she would go to great lengths to return it tenfold.
Despite how clever she appeared, sometimes she was just like a little fool.
Most people exaggerated their efforts, turning a minor deed into something grand. But she was different—she would do everything to perfection yet never boast about it…
At that moment, Qi Yubai’s heart softened—softened to an extreme.
It was not only tenderness but also a deep ache.
“Thank you.”
Looking at Lanyin, his dark eyes softened completely. He told her, “I like it very much.”
Then, right before Lanyin’s eyes, without the slightest hesitation, he directly fastened the sachet to his waist.
Seeing his action, Lanyin’s initial hesitation and concern were completely swept away. She smiled again, closed the box, and took the initiative to say to Qi Yubai, “Let’s go.”
The two continued walking toward Songzhi Courtyard.
As they grew more familiar, although Lanyin was still not particularly adept at chatting with Qi Yubai, she had begun to take the initiative in starting conversations. Remembering what Cuirong had mentioned earlier that morning, Lanyin asked, “My Lord, are you also going to the Duke of Lu’s Residence for dinner on the tenth?”
She used the word “also.”
Qi Yubai pretended as though he was just finding out. “‘Also’?”
He asked her, “Are you going as well?”
Lanyin, as expected, did not doubt him at all. She smiled and nodded. “I received the message yesterday. I haven’t seen Lin’er in a long time. I hadn’t thought much of it until Cuirong came today and mentioned that you were going as well. She asked if it would be convenient for me.”
“Hm,” Qi Yubai responded before asking, “And what did you say?”
“I said, it’s convenient.”
As they walked, their conversation flowed as if they were merely chatting casually. To the two of them, it felt natural, but the sight left Ting Yun, who was following behind, utterly dumbfounded.
Previously, most of their interactions had taken place at night, and with her head lowered, she never saw much.
But today, under the clear skies, a man and a woman were walking together, engaged in conversation—one slightly raising his chin, the other lowering her head. From her angle, the scene inexplicably gave off the feeling that they had been living like this for many years…
Not to mention that Lord Qi’s demeanor at this moment could even be considered gentle—just looking at her mistress, she recalled that when her mistress used to walk alongside the Young Lord Xiao, she had never seen her look this comfortable and at ease.
“What are you two chatting about?”
Unknowingly, they had already arrived at Songzhi Courtyard.
Since the weather was nice today, Old Madam Qi had asked the servants to move the tables and chairs outside. At this moment, she was seated in a chair, making rice dumplings with Nanny Wei and a few other servants. When she spotted the two of them from afar, her eyes couldn’t help but light up.
The more she looked at them, the more they seemed like a perfect match.
Lanyin, only realizing they had arrived upon hearing her voice, was a little surprised that she and Qi Yubai had talked for so long. However, she didn’t dwell on it. Smiling at the elder, she first greeted her properly and then added, “Wishing Grandmother Qi a joyous Dragon Boat Festival.”
Then she answered the elder’s question, “I received an invitation from the Duke of Lu’s Residence yesterday, inviting me to dinner on the tenth. It wasn’t until this morning that I learned my brother will be going as well, so we talked about it for a bit.”
“The Duke of Lu’s Residence?”
Old Madam Qi thought for a moment and soon understood.
That child from the Tu family and her grandson had a friendship forged through life and death. As for his wife, she had met her before as well. Though she was from the Xiao family, her temperament and conduct were excellent, and naturally, she wouldn’t oppose Lanyin associating with them. Even if Lanyin were to maintain ties with the Xiao family in the future, that was her own choice—no one else had the right to interfere. Besides, she understood Lanyin’s nature well. Though she appeared gentle, she was firm to the core. She was not someone who would turn back once she had made a decision, so there was no need to worry about her rekindling her past relationship with the Young Lord Xiao.
“Well, isn’t that a coincidence?”
She reached out and pulled Lanyin to sit beside her. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Qi Yubai, noting his composed expression, as if this truly was just a coincidence. Old Madam Qi found it amusing but chose not to say much. Instead, her gaze fell upon the box in Lanyin’s hands, and she asked curiously, “What is this?”
“I made a sachet for you.”
Lanyin opened the box. “A few days ago, Yanhuan mentioned that you weren’t sleeping well at night, so I added some cassia seeds and chrysanthemum inside. See if you like the scent. If you do, I can make you a pillow with the same herbs so that you can rest more comfortably at night.”
Hearing this, Old Madam Qi’s heart warmed—like drinking a bowl of sour plum soup on a sweltering summer day, or sitting in a heated room in the depths of winter. She held Lanyin’s hand and sighed emotionally, “No wonder people say that daughters are like a warm cotton jacket for their elders. I used to envy your grandmother for having you by her side, but I never thought I’d get to experience this warmth myself.”
She was truly delighted, holding Lanyin’s hand and showering her with praises, until even Lanyin started feeling a little embarrassed.
Old Madam Qi smiled as she picked up the sachet. Without even having someone check it first, she directly wore it. Originally, she had wanted to show it off to her grandson, but just as she glanced over, she caught sight of a brand-new sachet hanging from his waist as well.
She had rarely seen him wear these before.
Now, seeing how he seemed to treasure it, she didn’t even need to guess to know who had made it.
Lanyin noticed her gaze and explained, “I made one for my brother as well. Since he often goes out to investigate cases, I made one with herbs that ward off evil and have antibacterial properties.”
Sachets weren’t particularly private objects, and Dragon Boat Festival sachets were common customs, so she wasn’t concerned about others reading too much into it.
Old Madam Qi noticed the hint of gentleness that flashed through her grandson’s eyes at Lanyin’s words. Smiling, she withdrew her gaze and said to Lanyin, “Both he and I are rather rough-tempered. I usually wouldn’t think of these things, so it’s fortunate that we have you.”
Lanyin naturally shook her head.
This was all she could do—small things like these.
Looking at the ingredients laid out on the table for making rice dumplings, Lanyin took the initiative to say, “Let me help you.”
As she spoke, she was about to roll up her sleeves.
But Old Madam Qi wouldn’t allow it. “A young lady’s hands are precious. Don’t touch it,” she said, then turned to instruct Qi Yubai, “You do it.”
“How could that be appropriate…” Lanyin frowned, but Qi Yubai had already stood up with his usual composed expression. He gave a light acknowledgment and, without the slightest hint of reluctance, rolled up his sleeves and moved to the side, skillfully wrapping the rice dumplings.
There were plenty of ingredients on the table.
Aside from various fillings, there were also special zongye (bamboo leaves for wrapping dumplings) and cotton twine.
Lanyin watched as Qi Yubai’s hands, which were usually engaged in scholarly pursuits and solving cases, moved deftly—picking up two or three bamboo leaves, layering and folding them into a small funnel shape, then adding the fillings. With so many ingredients available, the first ones he chose were her favorites—red beans and candied jujubes mixed with glutinous rice.
“I told you last time, when he has time, he’ll let you try his cooking. Today, cooking might be too much, but he can at least wrap a few dumplings for us,” the elderly lady beside her said.
Hearing this, Lanyin snapped out of her daze. She quickly averted her gaze from Qi Yubai’s long and capable fingers and, feeling a bit embarrassed, turned to Old Madam Qi and hesitantly said, “That wouldn’t be proper…”
“There’s nothing improper about it.”
Old Madam Qi laughed and said, “This is simply how it’s always been in our family. When his father was alive, he took care of his mother in the same way.”
But as soon as she mentioned the past, her laughter slowly faded, and a trace of sorrow appeared on her face. This sudden sadness, however, effectively shifted the conversation away from what she had just said. Lanyin didn’t pursue the matter further, but she also didn’t know how to offer comfort, so she simply held the elderly woman’s hand and looked at her.
Seeing the care and concern in Lanyin’s gaze, the sadness in Old Madam Qi’s heart gradually dissipated.
She looked at Lanyin, thinking that if her son and daughter-in-law were watching from the heavens, they would surely be happy to see that Yuer had found such a good match. Smiling, she chose not to dwell on past sorrows. “Come, let’s go play Leaf Cards.”
She pulled Lanyin up.
Lanyin followed, but hesitated slightly as she glanced back at Qi Yubai.
Qi Yubai had been looking at her as well. When their eyes met, he gave her a slight nod. “Go on.”
Only then did Lanyin stop hesitating and followed Old Madam Qi to another table. The servants quickly brought out the deck of cards. Lanyin looked at Nanny Wei and Qi Yubai’s personal maid, Qiuran, who were seated beside her. She was a little surprised that Yanhuan, who usually attended to Old Madam Qi, was absent today. However, she didn’t ask and simply assumed she had other matters to attend to.
Leaf Cards were easy to play, and everyone present was familiar with the game. The first dealer was Qiuran. After saying a few customary words, they began the first round.
But no one had expected that when Lanyin initially said she “wasn’t very good at this,” she hadn’t been modest—she truly wasn’t good at it…
Out of ten rounds, she didn’t win a single one.
Just as Old Madam Qi was hesitating over whether to go easy on Lanyin, she suddenly saw her grandson walking over.
He stood behind Lanyin, his gaze lowered as he looked at the cards in her hands.
Everyone except Lanyin noticed him. Qiuran was just about to rise and pay her respects to Qi Yubai, but Nanny Wei pressed down on her arm, stopping her. Lanyin remained unaware, still seated in her chair, studying the cards in her hands. Though she had only intended to play for fun with the elderly lady and hadn’t expected to win, she also didn’t want to keep losing. Especially since both Nanny Wei and Qiuran had each won twice, while she had lost every single round—this was just too humiliating…
So, this time, Lanyin carefully considered how best to play her hand.
Strangely enough, even though she was normally quite good at calculations, every time she played cards, her mind seemed to go blank, and no matter how she played, it always felt wrong.
As she examined the cards that had already been played on the table, trying to decide on her next move, she suddenly noticed a slender, elegant hand reach over and pause above her stack of cards.
Without hesitation, he picked out two cards from her hand and placed them onto the table with absolute confidence.
Lanyin froze for a moment.
Only belatedly did she realize and turn her head, catching sight of Qi Yubai standing behind her.
His deep, lacquer-dark eyes rested on her face. Their gazes met, and Lanyin heard him say, “I’ll win it back for you.”
His voice was as cool and clear as ever, but at that moment, Lanyin’s heart skipped a beat.