Lu Huaihai’s inner thoughts were beyond Xie Miao’er’s comprehension.
She poked the back of his hand.
It felt like being scratched by a kitten. Lu Huaihai turned his head, knowing she had something to say. He tilted his head slightly, waiting for her to speak.
Xie Miao’er felt she ought to apologize for the earlier farce. After all, among those who conspired to frame him in court was her stepmother.
“About today’s matter…” She hadn’t finished when Lu Huaihai already guessed her intent and gently interrupted her.
“If it’s an apology, there’s no need for it,” he said.
Since he said this, Xie Miao’er didn’t insist on the topic.
Although the matter arose because of her, it wasn’t her fault.
A yamen was not a transportation service; naturally, they wouldn’t provide a return trip. Fortunately, the Su family had already sent someone to wait outside. By this time, a servant had returned to the Lu residence to report the outcome, and a carriage had arrived to take them back.
On the way back to the mansion, Xie Miao’er asked Lu Huaihai, “Shaoye, it seems to me you weren’t surprised by Madam Zhang’s accusation.”
Lu Huaihai, who was sitting across from her with his eyes closed for rest, slowly opened them upon hearing this and replied, “I had guessed it.”
Waiting passively for events to unfold wasn’t his style. Although Zhang Duan’s untimely death had caught him off guard, from the moment he learned of his death, Lu Huaihai had been paying close attention to Madam Zhang’s movements. When he discovered she had used bribes to lure Matron Wu, he knew she intended to use Xie Miao’er against him.
Madam Zhang’s schemes were all petty and unsophisticated. With just a slight maneuver, he could expose her tricks.
Xie Miao’er hesitated for a rare moment before saying, “I… Shaoye, if anything involving me comes up in the future, could you let me know as well?”
Lu Huaihai raised his eyes to look at her and remained silent for a long time before finally saying, “Alright.”
He thought to himself that, indeed, today had still caused her some fear and anxiety.
In the time she had spent with Lu Huaihai, Xie Miao’er could see that he was, in fact, a very “independent” person.
He acted alone, free of attachments. No one could influence his decisions, and he rarely shared his inner thoughts. Whatever plans he had, he carried them out on his own.
Changing him was easier said than done.
The fact that he had discussed enlisting in the army with her that day, even if only to seek a bit of affirmation from her, was already enough to make Xie Miao’er happy.
Now that he had agreed to her request, Xie Miao’er became even more elated.
He rarely promised anything to others, but once he did, he wouldn’t go back on his word.
—
The gates of the Lu residence were wide open, and in the front courtyard, Madam Su was pacing anxiously, like an ant on a hot pan. At long last, she saw Lu Huaihai and Xie Miao’er return.
Madam Su said, “Lady Xie, you may return first.”
It seemed she and her son had matters to discuss. Xie Miao’er curtsied and left.
Carrying her own concerns, Xie Miao’er walked slowly along the cobblestone path.
After Madam Du’s commotion today, five-year-old Xie Teng and three-year-old Xie Ying’er would likely have no one to care for them, which was a troublesome matter.
Speaking of which, Xie Jinfu and his first wife, Madam Sun, were not natives of the Zhejiang region. In Xie Miao’er’s memory, they had never spoken of their origins. So now, there were no relatives or elders to care for the two young children on their behalf.
Xie Miao’er, with her head lowered, was walking absentmindedly when she accidentally bumped into Madam Chen, who was strolling in the garden.
The main courtyard was home to the Old Madam of the Lu family, while the third branch, which was currently managing the household, lived in the east courtyard. The first and second branches shared the west courtyard, where Xie Miao’er’s small courtyard was also located. Thus, this was not her first encounter with Madam Chen.
Xie Miao’er took a small step back and said, “Madam.”
Madam Chen showed no intention of moving and continued standing in front of her. She scrutinized Xie Miao’er from head to toe with an incredulous expression. “All this fuss, just for a little girl like you?”
It seemed Madam Chen had more to say, but her daughter, Lu Hong, came running out from behind the flower bushes, holding a pair of pruning shears.
Lu Hong was now fourteen years old. Though young, she was already the tallest among the three women present, with a strong and valiant demeanor in her brows and eyes.
Seeing her mother speaking carelessly again, Lu Hong threw the pruning shears onto the ground and said to her, “Mother! What nonsense are you spouting now?”
Faced with her daughter’s anger, Madam Chen quickly said, “My little ancestor, I won’t say anything more, alright?”
Xie Miao’er wasn’t particularly adept at social niceties, but the disdain in Madam Chen’s earlier words was unmistakable. Before she could respond, she was stunned by the peculiar dynamic between the mother and daughter in front of her.
Why did it seem like Madam Chen was afraid of her own daughter?
After calming her mother, Lu Hong turned to Xie Miao’er and said, “Mistress Xie, my mother has this sort of temperament. Please don’t take offense.”
Suppressing her curiosity, Xie Miao’er replied, “It’s nothing.”
Lu Hong smiled at her, picked up the pruning shears, and pulled Madam Chen aside to make way for her.
As Xie Miao’er walked a few steps away, she could hear Lu Hong “lecturing” Madam Chen behind her.
“Why offend someone for no reason? Wouldn’t your time be better spent…”
Xie Miao’er felt dazed.
Had it just been too long since she’d been someone’s daughter?
Was it possible for mothers and daughters to interact like that?
When she returned to her small courtyard, Xie Miao’er put aside the jumble of thoughts in her mind. Sitting by the window, she spread out a sheet of white paper and listed potential arrangements for taking care of her younger siblings, hoping to pick a reasonable option.
In the end, she circled the word “Cheng.”
Xie Miao’er sighed by the window. It seemed she would have to trouble Cheng Yuandao again.
She wanted to find two suitable maids to care for her younger brother and sister but worried that she wouldn’t be able to oversee everything in the deep inner courtyard. She hoped Cheng Yuandao’s wife could help with the arrangements.
Still, Xie Miao’er thought, Cheng Yuandao had just received dividends from the cloth workshop. For something that didn’t require much effort, he should be willing to help.
When she was deep in thought, she liked to gaze at the lush green leaves and daydream.
Xie Miao’er was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice someone had walked up beside her.
“Are the leaves that fascinating?” Lu Huaihai asked.
His sudden appearance startled Xie Miao’er so much that she jumped, dropping the brush in her hand. A large blot of ink spread across the paper.
Instinctively, she blurted out, “Shaoye, you scared me to death!”
Only after speaking did she realize her tone carried an unintentional familiarity, one even she hadn’t noticed.
Lu Huaihai raised his brows as he looked at her.
Ordinary people naturally held a fear of the yamen, but she, though flustered at first when faced with the matter, had calmed down quickly and hadn’t seemed frightened at all.
“You’re quite brave. Even the yamen didn’t scare you. How could I have startled you?”
Xie Miao’er simply put down her brush, crumpled the ink-stained paper into a ball, and tossed it away.
When she saw so many people earlier, she had indeed panicked. But then, she comforted herself—how high a rank could a county magistrate be? When she was young, her mother had carried her into the palace many times; what kind of nobility hadn’t she seen?
Of course, this wasn’t something she could tell Lu Huaihai. Smiling cheekily, Xie Miao’er said, “Young Master, you walk without making a sound. Of course, I’d be startled.”
But Lu Huaihai didn’t let her change the topic. Instead, he pressed further, saying, “Xie Miao, you don’t look like an ordinary merchant’s daughter at all.”
His words came so abruptly that Xie Miao’er felt a bit flustered.
Was he… complimenting her?
Xie Miao’er couldn’t quite figure it out, so she decided to use her old trick of muddling through and diverting attention.
— When she was young, Madam Xie wouldn’t let her read too much. Late at night, she would sneak books under the covers to read. Whenever she got caught, she’d often use this tactic to escape punishment.
Her bright eyes darted mischievously, glancing toward the window without meeting Lu Huaihai’s gaze directly.
“I’m not afraid, of course, because you’re here.”