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“What? It’s just a silver lock. I have a drawer full of them.” She had received one from each of her numerous aunts and other relatives during her childhood birthdays, to the point where her drawer was almost overflowing.

Ming Jing smiled: “A silver lock with engraved words.”

“In the shade, spring mist falls; On cold rocks, summer snow lingers, At the sunny pass, autumn dawns rise, As winter sends its cold rain.” The girl’s gentle voice dissipated the cold wind that brushed against their faces.

Liu Muxue touched her chin: “These are the inscription lines for the Four Seasons Landscape paintings by the Song Dynasty artist Wu Dai. Why did you suddenly think of this?”

Ming Jing leisurely walked along the side of the road; her skirt brushing against the night, bringing warmth to the winter evening.

“The craftsmanship of that silver lock is exquisite, unlike the common styles found on the market. I seem to have seen it somewhere before.” Her tone was questioning, yet certain.

Where had she seen it? Ming Jing raised her head to look at the distant horizon beneath the neon lights.

The bright moon remained the same, but the world had long since changed.

——

The banquet ended, and everyone left the scene.

Huai Qing informed Bai Ziyu that Qin Qiuxi had already left, and Bai Ziyu’s face darkened before he strode away.

Bai Ziyan patted Song Yinzhang’s shoulder: “My sister-in-law is truly good at stirring up trouble. So, when do you and Ming Jing plan to return to Jiangzhou?”

Song Yinzhang replied, “Tomorrow’s noon flight.”

“Alright, I’ll see you two off tomorrow.”

Xu Shuhua walked past the two, hearing the conversation, and raised her eyebrows.

Ji Rou’en pulled Ye Qingxing aside, “You can’t rush eating hot tofu; we’ll go about it slowly. Granny Bo is always on guard. If she finds out, I won’t be able to handle it.”

Ye Qingxing bit her lip: “Cousin, I heard that my second brother has someone he likes. Is it true?”

Ji Rou’en glared at her: “That’s old news. Why bring it up now? Granny Bo personally broke them up, as she didn’t think the girl was good enough. Though your family can’t compare to the Bos, you’re not too far behind in Jingzhou. There’ll be opportunities soon.”

“But Second Brother doesn’t even pay attention to me.”

“You both work at the hospital, which already gives you an advantage. You just need to seize the opportunities.”

“Sister-in-law, what are you two talking about?” Bo Yujiang walked over with a smile.

“No…nothing. Have all the female guests left? A Jiang, you’ve worked hard today.”

Bo Yujiang’s gaze swept across Ye Qingxing’s face, and her subtle oppression made Ye Qingxing nervous, “Cousin, A Jiang, it’s getting late. I should go home. Let’s hang out together sometime.”

Ye Qingxing bowed her head and walked away quickly.

“A Jiang, you handled the Qin Qiuxi incident beautifully today. As your sister-in-law, I’m proud of you.” Ji Rou’en naturally linked her arm with Bo Yujiang’s.

Bo Yujiang smiled gently, “It’s just my duty as a daughter of the Bo family. Speaking of which, your cousin has grown more and more beautiful. I almost didn’t recognize her.”

Ji Rou’en’s smile was somewhat awkward, “Compared to A Jiang, she has a long way to go. Everyone in Jingzhou knows that our Miss Bo is not only incredibly beautiful but also highly talented.”

Bo Yujiang lifted her chin slightly, revealing her elegant demeanor while exuding an air of arrogance.

Ji Rou’en secretly sneered but maintained her smile, “People say the Jiang sisters are so beautiful, but they were nothing compared to A Jiang today. Our A Jiang is just low-key. Otherwise, the Jiang sisters wouldn’t even deserve a mention.”

Bo Yujiang’s lips curled into a slight smile, “Sister-in-law, you mustn’t say such things. The Jiang sisters have a well-deserved reputation in Jingzhou. Don’t say such things again in the future. If someone with ulterior motives hears it, it could invite trouble.”

Bo Yujiang walked around the screen and saw Bo Yuxun pushing a wheelchair into Granny Bo’s room from afar.

Soon, Huai Qing entered the room with a tray of tea and closed the door.

Bo Yujiang squinted her eyes and casually plucked a plum branch, “Sister-in-law, has Huai Qing been with the family for many years?”

Ji Rou’en wondered why she suddenly asked about Huai Qing, “She was already here when I married into the family. I heard some of the old servants say that she was an orphan picked up by my father-in-law in Yunzhou when she was three or four. She has been raised like a lady of the house, and Huai Qing is known for her honesty and intelligence. Granny Bo wanted to adopt her as a goddaughter, but she refused. That girl has quite a backbone. Before you came back, Granny Bo relied on Huai Qing to help her through the pain of missing her daughter.”

The plum branch snapped in her hand.

Ji Rou’en was surprised, “You’re bleeding.”

Bo Yujiang’s lips twisted into an eerie smile as she whispered, “She’s thirty now, right? Why hasn’t she married?”

“Who knows? Maybe she wants to stay with Granny Bo for the rest of her life.” A thought crossed Ji Rou’en’s mind, and she glanced around slyly before lowering her voice: “The year you came back, Madam Zhang’s son pursued her relentlessly. He wasn’t bad, but Huai Qing refused his advances, and the matter eventually faded away. She would be more suited to becoming a nun.”

Bo Yujiang discarded the broken plum branch and put her bleeding finger in her mouth.

An idea suddenly struck her, and she froze. Huai Qing was steady and never made mistakes—how could she have spilled water on Qin Qiuxi? She couldn’t have made such a basic error.

There was also that scene she saw at the door of the room—Huai Qing kneeling on the ground, trembling. Huai Qing was not a common servant, as Granny Bo was from a scholarly family and had personally raised her. No matter how one looked at it, she had the air of a well-bred young lady. How could she behave like that?

Qin Qiuxi’s reaction at the time was also quite intriguing. Everything about this event seemed rather extraordinary.

What kind of a game were they playing?

——

“Sis, you finally picked up the phone.” Qin Qiuxi stepped out of the car.

The taxi driver yelled out, “You haven’t paid yet!”

Qin Qiuxi threw him an earring irritably, “It’s a gemstone one. It’s worth a year’s worth of taxi fares.”

Without looking back, she walked into the residential area.

“I was in a meeting just now. What do you need?” A gentle and tranquil voice came from the phone.

“It’s an emergency, and yet you still have the nerve to hold a meeting?”

“Did you cause trouble again?”

“Sis, in your eyes, do I always cause trouble? Let me tell you, this time it’s a real emergency.”

Qin Qiuxi held the silver lock up to the moonlight and let it glimmer.

“I found that bitch’s silver lock in Bo Yuxun’s room. Does she know the truth?”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.