“What normal person looks this good?”
Shi Youlan’s voice was muffled, trembling faintly.
Shi Huai was both amused and helpless. “Second Sister, I am a normal person. I just happen to have a normal face.”
“You’re lying!” Shi Youlan lifted her head, her eyes red-rimmed and tears shimmering in them. “If that’s what you call a normal face, then no one on the street has a face at all.”
Shi Huai opened his mouth, only to find himself unable to argue. He had no choice but to change the subject. “Second Sister, why did you come looking for me?”
Shi Youlan stood up and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. It took several deep breaths before she managed to calm her racing heart.
“My mother asked you to go see her. She said she has something to discuss with you.”
Shi Huai’s brows drew together slightly. Madam Liu wanted to see him?
That was unusual. Ever since he had moved to Shou’an Hall, Madam Liu had never summoned him alone.
“What is it about?”
“I don’t know. Mother didn’t say.”
Shi Youlan shook her head. She still didn’t dare look at Shi Huai, keeping her eyes fixed on the tips of her shoes.
Shi Huai thought for a moment, then nodded.
“All right. I’ll go now. Qinghe, come with me.”
Qinghe answered and followed him.
Shi Youlan suddenly reached out and caught hold of Shi Huai’s sleeve. “Little Brother, if my mother says anything unpleasant, don’t take it to heart. That’s just the way she is.”
Shi Huai turned around and looked at Shi Youlan’s reddened eyes and tightly pressed lips.
“Second Sister, don’t worry. I won’t hold it against her.” He reached out and patted the back of Shi Youlan’s hand. The gesture was so natural that he seemed like an older brother comforting his younger sister.
The touch made Shi Youlan’s heart race all over again. She released his sleeve and turned to run.
Madam Liu’s courtyard lay to the east. It was called Qingzhi Courtyard, and apart from the front compound and Shou’an Hall, it was the largest courtyard in the entire Marquis’s residence.
When Shi Huai entered, Madam Liu was seated on a couch, drinking tea. Several plates of pastries sat on the table before her.
She wore a dark purple beizi jacket, and a gold hairpin decorated with pearls swayed in her hair. Her well-maintained face showed few signs of age.
Still, Shi Huai noticed that the fine lines at the corners of her eyes had deepened since half a year ago, and the lines beside her mouth had become more pronounced as well.
“Madam.” Shi Huai stood at the doorway and bowed with perfect propriety.
Madam Liu set down her teacup and raised her eyes to look at him. Her gaze lingered on his face for a moment.
In that instant, Shi Huai clearly saw the fingers gripping the teacup tighten abruptly, the knuckles turning white.
“Come in and sit.”
Shi Huai walked inside and sat down in the chair opposite her. His back was straight, his hands resting on his knees, his posture impeccable.
Madam Liu looked at him again. A complicated emotion flickered through her eyes, as though there were something she wanted to say but could not bring herself to speak.
“How old are you this year?” Madam Liu suddenly asked, stating the obvious.
“Answering the madam, I’m nine.”
“Nine. In the blink of an eye, you’ve grown so big.” Madam Liu lifted her teacup and took another sip. “When you first came to the marquis’s residence, you were only this big, lying in Qinghe’s arms. You were as ugly as a little old man.”
Shi Huai said nothing, listening quietly.
Madam Liu set down her teacup and turned to look at him. An inscrutable smile curved her lips.
“Who would have thought that the ugly little thing from back then would grow into this?”
“Life truly is unfair. Some people fight desperately for the things they want and still can’t have them, while others do nothing and end up with everything.”
Behind Shi Huai, Qinghe clenched the corner of her clothing tightly.
Shi Huai’s expression did not change in the slightest. He continued to wear a faint smile.
“Madam, why did you ask me to come?”
Madam Liu was silent for a while. Then she took a letter from her sleeve, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Shi Huai.
“Your eldest sister sent someone to deliver a letter. She says she hasn’t been doing well in the Shen residence and wants you to go see her.”
Shi Huai picked up the letter and unfolded it, scanning the contents at a glance.
The handwriting was graceful and neat, and the tone was gentle and proper. Between the lines ran the warmth and concern of an elder sister toward her younger brother.
But Shi Huai saw something else hidden beneath those beautiful words.
Shi Lingyi wrote that she had been dreaming constantly of late—dreaming of things from their childhood, dreaming of the way Shi Huai had smiled in the Grand Madam’s arms. She said she missed him so much that she could not sleep.
The words appeared tender and affectionate, but Shi Huai knew that Shi Lingyi had never been someone who missed home.
Besides, he had no memory of any of those things.
There was no way Shi Lingyi had written to summon him to the Shen residence simply to reminisce.
“Madam, Eldest Sister didn’t explain what happened in the letter.” Shi Huai folded it and placed it back on the table.
Madam Liu raised her teacup and took another sip, her voice indifferent. “She only wants you to go see her and keep her company. She’s unfamiliar with the Shen residence and doesn’t even have anyone to talk to.”
“All right. I’ll go tomorrow.” Shi Huai nodded.
Madam Liu glanced at him. Her lips moved as though she wanted to say something, but she swallowed the words. In the end, she merely waved her hand.
“That will be all. You may go.”
Shi Huai rose, bowed, and turned to leave Qingzhi Courtyard.
Qinghe followed him. Only after they had left the courtyard did she dare speak.
“Young Master, are you really going to the Shen residence?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
Shi Huai did not slow his steps. “Eldest Sister has sent me a letter. If I don’t even go, it wouldn’t look good once word got out.”
Qinghe opened her mouth. She wanted to say, Aren’t you afraid the eldest miss will harm you? But after glancing around, she swallowed the words.
When they returned to Shou’an Hall, Shi Huai placed the letter on the table.
Nanny Zhou entered carrying a bowl of tremella soup and set it before him. “Young Master, what did Eldest Miss say in her letter?”
“She said a great deal, but in the end, she said nothing at all.” Shi Huai picked up the bowl and took a sip of the soup. It was perfectly sweet.
“She only wants me to go see her and keep her company.”
Nanny Zhou’s brows furrowed, and she lowered her voice to a whisper. “Eldest Miss wouldn’t summon you to the Shen residence for no reason. There must be something going on.”
“I know.” Shi Huai set down the bowl and lightly tapped his fingers against the table.
“Nanny Zhou, please look into whether anything has happened recently at the Shen residence—especially anything related to Eldest Sister.”
Nanny Zhou nodded and turned to leave.
Early the next morning, Shi Huai changed into a new outfit.
As Qinghe straightened his collar, her hands trembled so badly that she struggled to fasten the buttons.
“Qinghe, if you’re this nervous, I can do it myself.” Shi Huai took the collar from her and fixed it neatly in just a few movements.
“Young Master, I…I’m just worried.” Qinghe’s eyes reddened, and her voice carried a sob. “Eldest Miss seems gentle and soft-spoken, but something about her makes me uneasy.”
Shi Huai reached out and patted her shoulder. His voice was as gentle as a spring breeze.
“Qinghe, do you trust me?”
Qinghe looked up at him. Seeing his eyes, brighter than the stars, she suddenly felt her heart settle.
“I do. Of course I trust you, Young Master.”
