Ninety-five is waiting for me——

  It was a pair of water-red embroidered shoes, small in shape, and the butterfly embroidery and ornaments on the slightly pointed toe were very delicate and lovely.

  It's just that at first glance it looks like a half-old one, under the bright light, the gold and silver threads on it have already lost their luster, and there are also signs of wear and tear at the shoe mouth.

  Yang Guofeng's gaze fell on the shoe, and Ouyang Jing's face instantly turned red. She hastily bent down to pick it up, then said, "Uh... this isn't mine."

  But after finishing speaking, I realized how off the mark my words were, so I hastily added, "It's... it was picked up unintentionally, don't know... whose it is..."

  “……”

  "Originally... originally... I wanted to get rid of it, but just... just... didn't have the time..." But he didn't expect his master, who usually didn't like snooping on others, to be extremely interested in the embroidered shoe in his hand, staring at it intently, so he could only say again.

  Although he said he wanted to get rid of it, his hands moved in the opposite direction, not only did he not throw it away, but instead carefully tucked it into his pocket.

  He certainly knew that this was very improper, and if things went wrong, his beloved master might have had ideas about himself, but he couldn't care too much.

  He will never lose this embroidered shoe...

  Until the embroidered shoe was completely out of sight, Yang Guofeng withdrew his gaze, lowered his head to drink with a calm face, but in a place where no one noticed, a hint of strangeness floated up in his deep and clear eyes.

  If he wasn't mistaken, he had seen those butterfly-embroidered shoes before, because the owner of the feet had sat in the same carriage with him twice, and her small feet in embroidered shoes had been placed so awkwardly in front of him.

  Because it's inconvenient, he avoids facing her directly, and sometimes his gaze would fall on those small feet, back and forth, unknowingly leaving an impression in his heart.

  But I just don't know how Ouyang Jing got her embroidered shoes?

  "I wonder what Jingdi is thinking? If it were before, he wouldn't stay in the palace if he didn't want to, and I wouldn't think much of it. After all, we're both people who don't like these tedious formalities. But now...now that things are not going well with the Wen family, he still doesn't stay in the palace, and instead wants to move into the Wen household. He's afraid of being treated coldly, and yet he comes to ask me to help him save face. What is he thinking? It's really puzzling... Suddenly, a remark made by the Fourth Prince, Ouyang Rui, two days ago popped up in his mind."

  Thinking of this, Yang Guofeng inexplicably felt a great discomfort in his heart, and the gaze he cast at Ouyang Jing also became solemn.

  "Jing Er..." He fell silent for a moment before suddenly calling out to Ouyang Jing, who was pouring himself a drink.

  "Oh?"

  "Tomorrow is already the 20th, it's time to head back." He said with a serious tone.

  Ouyang Jing was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yeah, I'll pack up tomorrow and head back the day after!"

  He nodded in response. Yang Guofeng didn't say a word, but took the dragon and phoenix patterned jug again to refill his cup with wine...

  ……

  "What a nuisance, really annoying..."

  "What's wrong, tenth sister? Is there something improper at your maternal grandparents' home?"

  A string of complaints from across the way made Jiu Si'er put down her needlework and look up at the beautiful source of the sound - Shi Si'er, who had just returned from visiting her relatives with the Jiang family.

  "There's nothing wrong, what could be wrong? Ninth sister, I'm not here for this."

  "Why is that?"

  "Why... humph, it's those aunts and elder sisters again. Every time they see me, they say the same thing: 'Ten little brothers have passed New Year's and are now fourteen, all grown up.'"

  "What's wrong with that? Indeed, after the New Year we'll both be fourteen." Jiuniang naturally heard the underlying tone, but deliberately pretended to be confused in order to tease this little girl.

  " Ninth sister..." Tenth sister was anxious and immediately said, "How can you not understand the meaning behind their words? They're saying... saying we've reached... the age of marriage..." After finishing speaking, the little girl's face had already turned completely red.

  But after finishing speaking, I felt that something was off, especially when looking at the bright and smiling eyes of Shang Jiu's daughter. The little girl suddenly realized she had been deceived.

  "Alright, Ninth Sister, you actually dare to tease me. Let's see how I won't properly punish you..." The little girl scolded tenderly while reaching out her hand to pinch Ninth Sister.

  "Hehe... Sister, spare me... spare me..." Jiū Jiě then dodged while smiling and apologizing.

  The tenth sister was afraid of ruining the royal embroidery in her hands, so she finally stopped and just glared at her with a scowl. "Hmph, you think you're so great as an older sister? You'll be married off first, I'm waiting to see who your ninth brother-in-law will be."

  The little girl was no longer angry and instead had a mischievous grin on her face, "Ninth sister, let me guess, what kind of person will Ninth brother-in-law be..."

  This time it was Jiu's turn to blush, and she quickly covered her mouth, "Alright, alright, the maids are all outside."

  The tenth sister finally stopped laughing, and the beautiful little face gradually became serious. "Ninth sister, I'm really fed up with this marriage thing. If it's always like this, what a wonderful day it would be!"

  Jiuer heard this and her face gradually calmed down, looking at her and nodding lightly.

  Yes, such days are great, but unfortunately they can't last forever!

  Actually, the one who should be worried at this moment is her. Several of her elder sisters have already gotten married, so it's naturally her turn now.

  But what is waiting for her? What should she do and where should she go from now on?

  Jiang should also be struggling, after all her identity is special, it's certain that she will have a hard time getting married.

  During this period, Jiang's actions were seen by her, and in fact, she had not been idle for her, rushing to attend various gatherings amidst her busy schedule.

  The tenth sister's affairs have nothing to do with these things, the two official daughters of Old Lady Jiang are busy making arrangements, and it is said that the target has already been locked in.

  This made Jiang worried about his daughter!

  Alas...

  No matter how lovely or glamorous, after all, she is just a concubine's daughter. The dowry was paid by the Jiang family with great reluctance. She can't marry into a good family, and now that the Wen family has declined, her choices should be even more limited...

  The two sisters chatted and laughed for a while, then when it got dark, Tenth Sister went back inside.

  After the tenth sister left, the ninth sister had dinner first, then went to Jiang's place for a while, and after returning, she read books for a while, embroidered for a while, and the night gradually deepened, so she prepared to go to bed.

  "It's really soon, tomorrow is the 21st and Chinese New Year is just around the corner." Qing An suddenly sighed as she entered with a basin of water to help her wash up.

  "Oh..."

  She was taken aback, twenty-one already, and a sense of relief floated up in her heart. It meant that tomorrow she would be free, no longer having to lock herself in the house in a way that was almost self-torture, because Ouyang Jing would return to Fengdu tomorrow.

  She couldn't help but feel a little happy, had washed up and even let Qing An bring over some melon seeds to crack for a while, before rinsing her mouth again and preparing to go to sleep in the western wing.

  "Miss, I'll go make your bed!" Qing Xiang rushed in ahead of her, but after a long time, she still didn't come out, and all sorts of sounds seemed to have vanished instantly, leaving an eerie feeling.

  "Qing Xing..." Standing at the door curtain, she couldn't help but feel a wave of panic and softly called out.

  But no one answered her.

  She was frightened, turned around and wanted to run out, but at this time she only heard a low call, "Cousin——" Then the door curtain was lifted, and Ouyang Jing, wearing a black python sleeve, stood in front of her.

  Jiujie was startled at first, then annoyed, and coldly asked the young man whose greedy gaze lingered on her body, "Brother-in-law, what are you trying to do? Where is my maid?"

  "Cousin, don't worry, your daughter is fine!" Ouyang Jing hastily pointed to one side, "She's just asleep."

  The ninth sister turned her head and looked over, and indeed saw the green apricot lying on the edge of the bed, apparently having been knocked out by someone's sleep-inducing acupoint.

  She wanted to go forward and support Qing An, but her eyes wandered between Qing An, the door, and the young man in front of her, but ultimately she stood still without moving.

  Although it seems that Ou Yang Jing doesn't dare to do anything to her, she also doesn't dare to let herself fall into his sphere of influence and give up the geographical advantage of escaping through the door.

  Ouyang Jing had already seen through her defensive vigilance, and a faint hint of hurt flashed in those dark golden eyes.

  "Cousin, don't worry, I won't do anything. I came today just...just to ask you something." Ouyang Jing said after taking a deep breath.

  "Hmph..." Ninth Sister sneered, "Elder Brother's way of asking questions is indeed special."

  Ouyang Jing's face turned red upon hearing this and he muttered, "I'm also...also had no choice..."

  If it weren't for the difficulty of meeting her being harder than climbing to heaven, why would he resort to such a tactic? Tomorrow he will be leaving, and today he has been searching for an opportunity, wandering in the biting wind after the snow, just wanting to see her once, but unfortunately she had closed her doors tightly all day.

  In the end, he had no choice but to come up with this move, foolishly crouching outside her window until his hands and feet were numb, before finally getting the chance to sneak in and see her.

  Jiuer's gaze swept over the young man in front of her, his nose red from the cold, and the thick frost on the hem of his clothes. She finally stopped teasing him and said in a low voice, "Brother wants to ask me something, please hurry up, it's already late at night."

  But the person who said they had something to ask remained silent, gazing at the candlelight, then out the window, then at Jiu's daughter, and finally down at their own toes on the floor, remaining stunned for a long time without speaking.

  "Does Big Brother still ask or not? If he doesn't ask, then forget it." Ninth Sister urged him impatiently.

  Heavenly timing, geographical advantage and human harmony - a perfect setup for an illicit affair. If discovered, it would be a disaster of epic proportions.

  This was also the reason why she knew there were maids outside but didn't dare to shout, hoping to get rid of this stupid tyrant as soon as possible so that she could settle down.

  Maybe it's an age thing, maybe he's always lived in a smooth environment, he'll never understand to consider others, and always push her into this scorching torture...

  "I want to ask... I want to ask, I want to ask my cousin's sister, do you... do you like me?" Ouyang Jing stuttered for half a day before finally saying these words with a flushed face.

  It was just that his question was not easy to answer, but Jiu Jie answered it quite easily, "I don't like it!"

  The moment her words fell, she clearly saw the fleeting sparkle in the boy's eyes dimming, and she suddenly felt that she was a bit cruel.

  But what if it's not cruel? She wasn't the type of person who liked to play ambiguous games, and in her past life in that free and open world, she never played with emotions. In this life, her circumstances didn't allow her to take a wrong step either.

  This is an attitude towards life and also a means of self-protection!

  "For... why? Is it... is it because I bullied you when we were young? At that time... at that time I didn't know better, cousin. I hope... I hope you won't hold it against me. I... I was spoiled by my family when I was young..."

  After a long silence, Ouyang Jing spoke again. His black-gold eyes were filled with embarrassment and unwillingness, but more so with sincerity and pleading.

  Her eyes stared straight into the young man's complex eyes, and Jiu's heart couldn't help but flutter slightly. After a long silence, she finally spoke in a low voice, "I don't like you, because I don't like being a human dowry; I don't like you, because I don't like being someone's concubine!"

  "Older brother, this... you understand?" He added another sentence under Ouyang Jing's astonished gaze.

  "Cousin brother, please go back, it's impossible between us, no matter in the past or in the future. I'm from a humble background, while you're a dragon among men. And yet, this lowly person doesn't want to be a subordinate to anyone, so please don't make things difficult for me again." Ninth sister said.

  But for some reason, under the boy's gaze, she inexplicably felt like crying. She could only widen her eyes as much as possible, forcing back the tears in her eye sockets, and put on a calm expression.

  "Qing Xing... Qing Xing Jie..."

  Just as the two were confronting each other, a low call suddenly came from the corridor outside.

  It should be Qingtuo, probably forgot to put something somewhere again, ready to ask Qing Xing.

  "Big Brother, please leave quickly..." Jiuniang urged.

  Looking at her as if she were a formidable enemy, Ouyang Jing only then realized that he might bring trouble to her, so he was also a bit flustered.

  "Ah!" He hastily nodded and quickly ran to the side window that was half open.

  "Be careful, brother!" The Ninth Sister couldn't help but secretly let out a sigh of relief, and finally got rid of him.

  But what she didn't expect was——

  "Cousin, wait for me, I will definitely come to marry you as my legitimate wife!" Ouyang Jing's long leg stepped out of the window, but he didn't rush to jump out. Instead, he turned his head and stared at her with a straight gaze, making a promise.

  Jiujie'er was taken aback for a moment, and naturally thought of saying words of refusal again, but at this time the sound of Qingtao's voice outside grew even closer, and should have already reached the door.

  "This... let's talk about it later, Brother Biao, please hurry up!" Jiujier was anxious.

  But Ou Yang Jing remained still, looking at her with a few hints of persistence and sincerity in his dark golden eyes, as well as a hint of cunning, continuing to say, "Wait for me, okay, cousin?"

  The ninth sister seemed to have already heard the sound of Qing Tao pushing the door outside, and her anxious heart was about to jump out. So she could only nod, "Okay, okay, you can go quickly!"

  Seeing her nod, Ouyang Jing smiled with satisfaction, his bright eyes lingering on her face again before he disappeared into the night.

  Jiujie quickly ran over to close the window, and only when she had blocked out the cold air outside did her heart feel at ease.

  This stupid turtle king!

  Jiujier originally wanted to curse, but suddenly a hint of smile slipped across the corner of her delicate lips...

  ……

  Digression

  Next chapter should be about the arranged marriage, hehe...