Chapter 36

The next morning, Su Mi’s eyes were slightly swollen and red from crying so hard the night before.

In the morning, Chun Mei boiled two eggs and applied them to Su Mi’s eyes for a while before the swelling went down.

Last night, Qin Yan unexpectedly came back at that time, which Su Mi had never expected. Otherwise, even if she had borrowed some courage, she wouldn’t have dared to cry so blatantly in front of him. Normally, seeing him would make her cry in fear, but for some reason, her grievances only deepened and couldn’t be stopped.

However, when Su Mi remembered what Qin Yan had said later, she felt sweet in her heart again. At least the Lord seemed to care about her a little bit.

“Miss, how long have you been writing the contract for the shopkeeper?” Chun Mei was sitting on a stone bench, sewing while biting the thread, and looking up at Su Mi.

I don’t know what’s wrong with Miss today. She was in a daze for a long time. Didn’t the Lord coax her well last night? Why is she still absent-minded?

Chun Mei’s crisp words interrupted the pink that was about to climb up to Su Mi’s ears.

“Oh, I’m still writing.” Su Mi covered the pearl on her hand and picked up the brush again.

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But why was she the only one invited and not Qin Yan? Su Mi couldn’t figure it out, so she asked Feng Bao, who happened to be staying at home, to take care of some courtyard matters.

“Madam, you don’t know. The invitation is not from the Chief Censor but from his wife. The red seal was intentionally used to show respect and honor to the invitee.”

Of course, that was the official explanation, but as Su Mi had suspected, it was probably just to please Qin Yan and seek his favor in the future.

Su Mi was from a merchant family and had never encountered this kind of official invitation before. She was afraid of causing trouble for Qin Yan if she went, but she was also afraid of offending him if she refused. So she decided to ask the Lord Qin for his opinion and sent Feng Bao to inquire.

“Madam, master said you should go,” Feng Bao reported back later that day.

This was unexpected. Su Mi had thought that Qin Yan wouldn’t like such occasions. “Just me?”

“Yes, master said they are only the wives of low-level officials and wouldn’t dare to bully you,” Feng Bao replied.

Feng Bao didn’t know what Qin Yan was thinking, but Su Mi didn’t think too much about it. Since she was told to go, she would go. She just had to be careful with her words and actions to avoid any trouble.

On the day of the event, Su Mi dressed up elegantly in a dark-colored brocade jacket before heading to the designated location. The Chief Censor’s wife led a group of women, all with charming smiles. They had arranged for more flowers than Su Mi had expected, and the garden scenery was not as dull as she had anticipated. They enjoyed the viewing for half a day, exchanging pleasantries that were polite but ultimately meaningless. But Su Mi’s mood was pleasant enough.

As the event ended, the wives of the low-level officials insisted on escorting Su Mi to the garden’s exit, despite her protests.

Chun Mei looked up at the sky and held up an umbrella. “Hey, miss, where is our carriage?”

Su Mi furrowed her brows and looked around. The coachman had parked the carriage here when they arrived, but it was nowhere to be seen this afternoon.

“Madam, if the carriage is gone, this humble woman can send you back,” said the wife of Zhan Shicheng, noticing the situation and quickly approaching with a flattering smile.

Su Mi smiled and was about to say, “Let’s look for it again,” but suddenly caught a glimpse of a tall figure standing next to the blue-covered carriage across the official road. It was Qin Yan, whom she was familiar with.

It was raining lightly, and the eaves of the brick tiles were a dull gray, with rain curtains in the distance.

Qin Yan was standing by the carriage, dressed in a black round-collared robe with wide sleeves, and he looked handsome. Perhaps he noticed Su Mi’s burning gaze; he turned to her and smiled.

“Come.”

Su Mi had seen many beautiful sights and flowers today, but now she thought of none other than Qin Yan. She had never known what kind of liking she had for him, but from last night to today, she suddenly understood that it was not just gratitude but a woman’s affection for a man.