Madam Yu personally escorted Miss Xiao to the carriage.
"Mother-in-law, do visit our house more often in the future," she reminded warmly.
Miss Xiao smiled and nodded, bringing Hanqing onto the carriage as they departed.
"Hey, you're not personally seeing her off?" Zhu Zan said to Miss Jun, "Even if you're just staying at your family's home for a while, no one would say anything."
"Who cares what others say?" Madam Yu frowned as she glared at Zhu Zan, then looked at Miss Jun with a smile, "Staying here is safer; safer than getting bitten by a dog out there."
Miss Jun chuckled lightly.
"I was just about to tell you, Madam, that I need to take my leave," she said, "It's time for me to return to Jiuling Hall."
Return?
Madam Yu looked slightly surprised; Zhu Zan appeared rather alert.
"Madam, there's no need to worry. I can take care of myself," Miss Jun continued, "Although I won't be living here, the title of Heir's Wife remains unchanged. No one can harm me easily."
"That's true, Mother. Miss Jun is highly capable. Even before she had this title, no one could do anything to her," Zhu Zan hastily added.
Madam Yu gave him a sideways glare and took Miss Jun's hand.
"Alright, you're a straightforward girl. Since you said so, I believe you must have a reason for your decision. I will respect your choice," she said.
Miss Jun smiled softly and nodded.
"Please don't worry, Madam," she reassured.
Watching Miss Jun's carriage depart, Madam Yu sighed wistfully.
"The house feels suddenly quieter," she said.
"Mother, it's just one less person," Zhu Zan said, grinning.
"That one person could keep me company for conversation," Madam Yu replied irritably.
"I'm still here!" Zhu Zan said, hooking his arm around hers, "Mother, I have so many stories I've yet to share with you."
Madam Yu brushed him off.
"Another day," she said, "I'm exhausted right now and need to rest."
Although she used to never get tired of hearing him talk, Zhu Zan looked incredibly aggrieved as he watched her walk away.
........
........
"I'm back!"
"Did you all properly handle your tasks?"
Liu'er's voice echoed through Jiuling Hall.
Seventh Chen rubbed his ears.
"It's just two more people, yet it feels so lively already," he muttered.
"You'll get used to it," Fang Jinxiu said, glancing at Miss Jun, "Your room remains untouched; we didn't dare disturb it."
"We've been cleaning it daily, especially after knowing you were returning," Seventh Chen smiled, "Just yesterday, we aired out your bedding again."
Fang Jinxiu flushed slightly with embarrassment and glared at him.
Miss Jun smiled warmly.
"I understand. I'll handle it myself," she said hurriedly, walking into the room without even uttering a thank-you.
"She's probably embarrassed," Seventh Chen said to Fang Jinxiu with a smirk.
Fang Jinxiu glared at him again.
"You're so clever," she said.
Seventh Chen chuckled sheepishly.
"Both you sisters may appear cold externally, but internally warm. That's why conversations between you can quickly become a bit awkward," he teased.
"I'm not like Zhao Hanqing, calling 'sister' all day long," Fang Jinxiu responded, "I'm busy."
With that, she turned and walked away.
"Aren't you the same age as Zhao Hanqing?" Seventh Chen teased, "Are you jealous of her?"
Fang Jinxiu turned back sharply.
"What reason do I have to be jealous of her?" she said, "Tell me, what is it about her that would make me envious?"
Though Seventh Chen wasn't as smooth-tongued as Fang Chengyu, he knew better than to answer such difficult questions.
"Speaking of Zhao Hanqing, that reminds me of an important matter." He composed himself and said seriously, "That Jinyiwei still harbors ill intentions toward Miss Jun. Now that they surely know of her return, they're bound to stir up something. We should quickly hire more experts. Anyway, if push comes to shove, we can fight them off. Killing even the Jinyiwei would mean nothing to us now."
As he spoke, he made a motion to leave, but suddenly, someone lifted the curtain and entered the room, their towering figure blocking the sunlight and casting a shadow.
Seeing who it was, Fang Jinxiu smiled faintly.
"No need to go looking for people now," she said to Seventh Chen, "With Lord Heir here, no demon nor god would dare approach."
Seventh Chen had already begun smiling and bowing toward Zhu Zan.
"Lord Heir, you've arrived," he said. Without waiting for Zhu Zan to respond, he quickly pointed inward, "Miss Jun just went in."
Zhu Zan let out a curt "hmm" and strode inside with a stoic face, saying nothing further.
Seventh Chen immediately stood beside Fang Jinxiu grinning again.
"Doesn't this feel like a wife sulking and returning to her maiden home, only for the husband to come and sweet-talk her back home?" he whispered playfully.
"Not at all," Fang Jinxiu replied bluntly.
.......
........
"I've already told you, whether or not you have the title of Heir's Wife, I'll keep you safe," Zhu Zan said, leaning against the door and watching Miss Jun, who stood examining her room. "Even living here, it's the same. I'll follow along regardless."
Miss Jun replied with a simple "Oh," then opened her medicine chest, pulling out strands of gold and silver thread one by one.
"Hey, hey, I'm talking to you!" Zhu Zan frowned, "Can't you show a little effort here? This isn't my mother telling me to tag along. I know you're capable—you'd probably give your last name to someone else just to lure them to their doom."
As he spoke, he straightened up.
"But can you, as a woman, think things through a bit more? Don't act recklessly—"
Miss Jun turned to look at him.
"Alright," she replied with a smile, "I understand."
"Understand what exactly? Don't get the wrong idea; it's not because I care about you," Zhu Zan clarified.
Miss Jun took out something from her medicine chest and tossed it over.
Zhu Zan instinctively caught it—only to see it was a small crossbow.
"Install this by the window," Miss Jun instructed. She then ignored him and resumed sorting her threads.
Such tasks were familiar from their journeys together. Although it initially seemed amusing to assign Zhu Zan night watch duty, it was never meant as a literal, round-the-clock job.
Zhu Zan grumbled something under his breath before heading to the window. He leaned forward, grabbed the windowsill, and looked outside.
......….
......….
The next morning, Jiuling Hall became lively once more—primarily thanks to Liu'er's constant chatter. She directed the workers, checked the quality of the dishes, and kept going from early morning into the afternoon.
Seventh Chen sought some peace and remained in the front hall.
When Fang Jinxiu emerged, she saw him standing cautiously by the window, peering outside.
"What are you looking at?" Fang Jinxiu asked.
"I'm checking for Jinyiwei," Seventh Chen replied, "It's been all morning, and I haven't seen any signs of them. Could it be they're still unaware of the news?"
Fang Jinxiu pursed her lips dismissively and walked straight out the door. Just as she stepped outside, someone came from the side of the wall and entered abruptly, almost causing them to bump into each other.
Fang Jinxiu took a quick step back, her expression turning odd as she recognized who it was.
"You again, Noble Son Ning?" she said.
The young man before her exuded the refined air of a scholar. Dressed in a dark-blue fine cotton robe, he smiled in response to her remark.
"Is this another coincidence?" he replied with a grin.
************************
To be continued