Chapter 5

Chapter 5

He Qingxiao stood up.

“Lady Shen.”

His face flushed red again, and he seemed a bit at a loss for what to do with his hands.

I was a little confused.

After spending time together these past few days, he had already reached the point where he would blush the moment he saw me.

Could it be-ah! I forgot my makeup today!

It was all Pei Ling’an’s fault, insisting that a servant come and talk to me about some birthday gift, making me forget to even put on my face!

I took two steps back, turning my face away so he wouldn’t see my appearance. “I suddenly remembered…”

“Lady Shen,” he suddenly interrupted me, his voice tinged with urgency. “It was my lack of manners. It is simply that today, you are like a lotus blossom rising from clear ripples, which caused me to lose myself.”

I turned back, stunned.

My pupils trembled.

What did he mean?

I spent an hour every single morning and evening meticulously applying subtle makeup, yet in his eyes, it wasn’t as good as no makeup at all?!

“I… I do not mean to say you were lacking these past few days, young lady. It is just that today, you possess a different kind of grace.”

Seeing my expression change, He Qingxiao became even more flustered. After speaking, a look of regret crossed his face. He took a step back and gave a deep bow. “To presumptuously comment on a young lady’s appearance-I have been most impolite.”

“…It is fine.”

I abandoned the idea of going back to fix my makeup.

This look was originally for He Qingxiao’s benefit anyway. Since he had said as much, I wouldn’t bother with the extra effort next time.

I stepped into the stone niche. It wasn’t as cold inside as I had imagined.

The rock walls blocked the wind and snow, and there was even a simple stove made of stones on the ground. Old pine roots served as fuel, and the scorched scent of resin mingled with the rising heat.

He Qingxiao gave me the warmest spot. After a few half-hearted polite refusals, I sat down close to the fire.

“Why is Master He here?”

“It was stifling inside the house. I kept falling asleep while reading. I remembered you mentioning that the scenery on the mountain is pleasant, so I decided to come here to study instead.”

He Qingxiao sat on the other side, poking at the pine roots in the stove with a wooden branch. The jumping flames reflected in his eyes, making them look even more gentle.

I admired him for a moment before lowering my eyes in disappointment.

“I see. And here I thought…”

He paused, the branch making a light crackling sound in the fire.

“It… it wasn’t entirely for that reason. You go down the mountain to the market every day to buy fresh vegetables and fruit. Now that the weather is cold, I can buy what you need when I go. That way, you won’t have to travel through the wind and snow.”

I was stunned.

Did this mean he would be here reading every day?

Buying groceries was, of course, just an excuse to see him.

But this way, I really wouldn’t have to brave the snow to go down the mountain.

I had always been sensitive to the cold.

“Thank you, Master He!”

My smile was at least three parts more sincere.

He Qingxiao’s hand tightened around the wooden branch. He turned his head and gave a soft “mm.”

His ears were red again.

Outside the stone niche, the wind and snow grew more intense, thudding against the cliff face, yet it only made the interior of the niche feel more peaceful.

He Qingxiao read his book, and I pulled out an account ledger.

A significant portion of my father’s private assets had been swallowed up by the clan. These few shops were ones I had managed to snatch back by using Pei Ling’an’s influence. Pei Ling’an had once caught me looking at the accounts; he had snatched them from my hand, glanced at them once, and tossed them out the window.

“If the Shen Family truly doesn’t even have a capable manager, you can just tell me. I’ll assign a few useful people to you. You are the future Young Mistress of the Pei Clan; how can you soil your hands with such mundane matters?”

I didn’t argue.

I simply gave my maid a look to have her put the ledger away and smiled in agreement. “It was my lack of consideration.”

I didn’t tell Pei Ling’an that when my father passed away, those ‘capable managers’ were the first to defect. There were a few who were loyal to my father, but they were soon driven away by my eldest uncle under various pretexts.

My mother understood nothing of business affairs. She could only watch helplessly as the remaining shops declined day by day, until we were eventually reduced to living off the meager stipends provided by the clan.

At that time, I realized that relying on anyone was never as good as relying on oneself.

Pei Ling’an was born into the Pei Clan of Hedong, raised amidst heaps of luxury and wealth. He wouldn’t understand that the things he had within easy reach were heights many people spent their entire lives struggling to achieve.

He wouldn’t understand these things.

And I didn’t need him to.