An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

The eldest lady raised the corners of her lips slightly, and a gentle smile was etched on the corners of her eyes and eyebrows. Her almond-shaped eyes were filled with a doting look like the warm spring sun.

She gently took Jing Chunxi's hand, her fingertips warm and soft: "Let's go, let's go to the private room my sister booked." Her voice was like a clear mountain spring, with a reassuring rhythm, "I'm treating you today, and I'm doing my best to be a good host." As she spoke, her slender fingers gently pinched Jing Chunxi's palm, as if to pass on this friendship as well.

Jing Chunxi felt a warm current spread from their touching fingertips to her heart. This young lady from an official family, whom she had only just met for the second time, felt like an old friend. She pursed her lips, her long eyelashes casting a shadow under her eyes, and finally nodded.

The stairs were covered with indigo woven carpet, which was soft and silent when stepped on. She followed the eldest lady and smelled the faint scent of jasmine in her hair.

Xiaoman and the others looked at each other, and then looked at Uncle Kuaijiao at the same time.

Uncle Kuaijiao also frowned slightly at this moment, not understanding why the young lady would meet such a young lady from an official family in such a strange place.

But after exchanging a glance with the maid in the lilac bodice behind the young lady, she nodded imperceptibly. The two maids, instantly relieved, lifted their skirts and trotted after her, their embroidered shoes making a creaking sound on the wooden stairs.

The waiter had already run to the counter, but a moment later, a fat shopkeeper wearing a brown silk shirt with floral patterns came up panting.

His round face was full of smiles, and beads of sweat on his forehead sparkled in the candlelight: "Miss, why didn't you say hello when you came?" He wiped the sweat off his face and bowed, and the copper keys hanging on his waist jingled. "I have already made a private room for the guests next door. I will take you there right away." As he said this, he glanced at the group of people behind Jing Chunxi.

Except for the two maids, the rest of the people were dressed in ordinary clothes, but there was a faint aura on each of their faces, unlike ordinary people. His Adam's apple rolled unconsciously.

The eldest lady just nodded slightly, and the gentle smile on her face now froze into frost and snow, and she did not give him a good look.

After the shopkeeper hunched over and exited the room, she suddenly slammed the teacup down, the celadon making a crisp sound. "I can tell the private room was reserved in advance," she said, her eyebrows raised, her voice lowered to a whisper, as if afraid of being overheard. "Maybe he's waiting for some distinguished guest! What a bastard!"

After saying this, she suddenly realized her loss of composure and quickly covered her mouth with a silk handkerchief. She gave Jing Chunxi an apologetic smile, still as gentle as ever. It was as if the sharpness just now was not hers.

The sound of children playing outside the window softened the young lady's gaze. "My father has been transferred to the capital. The official documents have been sent, and he will be leaving soon," she said as she poured tea for Jing Chunxi, the white jade bracelet on her wrist swaying gently with her movements. "The food here is authentic, and I wanted to come back to eat it with my brothers and sisters before I leave."

The tea drew an amber arc in the air. "I didn't expect that today is worse than tomorrow. I can actually meet Sister Chunxi." Before she finished speaking, she suddenly cried out "Ouch!" It turned out that the tea overflowed from the edge of the cup, staining her slender fingertips with a hint of light red.

A maid with twin buns hurried forward to wipe the mess, while another, wearing an apricot-colored bodice, quietly left the room. The eldest daughter waved her hand nonchalantly and continued, "My younger siblings are very naughty. They just came in and ran into their playmates from the neighborhood and disappeared in a flash."

As she spoke, she began to laugh, with tiny wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes. "But they have very sharp noses, and will come when they smell the aroma of food." When she talked about her brother and sister-in-law, there seemed to be stars twinkling in her eyes, and her whole face became lively, without any of the sharpness she had when she scolded the shopkeeper just now.

Jing Chunxi smiled unconsciously, but his eyes drifted towards the carved door: "Brother and sister haven't arrived yet?" Before he finished speaking, he heard a silver bell-like laughter from downstairs, mixed with the call of "Sister, sister".

"Listen, isn't she coming?" The eldest lady's skirt spread out like petals when she stood up. She walked to the window and waved down, "Run slower, be careful not to fall!" When she turned around, a gold and jade hairpin in her hair was still swaying gently, reflecting tiny spots of light in the sunlight.

The waiter then brought in four plates of exquisite dim sum. The eldest lady personally pushed a plate of steamed yogurt with osmanthus sugar towards Jing Chunxi. "Sister Chunxi, are you going to Yamen Village again?" She tapped the edge of the celadon plate with her fingertips. "Has it been a while since you've been here?"

"Hmm!" Jing Chunxi picked up a piece of pastry, the sweet aroma wafting in her face. "I haven't seen Grandpa, Grandma, and my uncles in two years. I miss them terribly." She nibbled at the pastry, the pastry falling to pieces. "Mother asked me to bring them something." She had never met the eldest daughter before, and they weren't close friends. Naturally, she couldn't say she was going to Leizhou. She was definitely going to Yamen Village, so it wouldn't be a lie.

The eldest lady propped up her chin and looked at her, then suddenly asked, "When will you return to the capital? Where should I go to find you when I get there?"

Jing Chunxi's fingertips trembled, and half a piece of cheese fell onto her skirt, breaking into pieces. Silently, she picked up the broken pieces bit by bit, and after a long moment, she whispered, "My mother and brother and I have moved to the manor. It's a bit far from the capital."

The sunlight filtered through the carved window lattices, casting mottled shadows on her face, making it difficult to discern her expression. She was certain the young lady was a good person, but the county magistrate wasn't so sure. All she could say was, "May we meet again someday!" She couldn't reveal the specific address at this point.

"Father said that General Jing's mansion was wrongly accused," the eldest daughter suddenly leaned forward, the tassels of the pearl hairpin in her hair swaying gently. "There will be a day when I will return." Her voice was soft, but every word was clear. As if afraid that the other party might not understand, she added: "Feng Jiaojiao, Chunxi can call me Sister Jiaojiao from now on."

Suddenly, there was a commotion downstairs. Someone wondered what had happened. Amidst the clamor, Feng Jiaojiao's voice was remarkably firm. "Father has been transferred to the Dali Temple, serving as its Shaoqing. He's been told the Emperor will grant him a house. We don't know where he'll live yet, but I hope we can see each other again in the future."

Jing Chunxi narrowed his eyes and nodded.

The Dali Temple's Shaoqing, a fourth-rank official, held the power over the life and death of criminals. She recalled the day she left Beijing, the wounds covering her grandfather's body as he lay on the bed, and her heart ached.

But she still replied calmly: "Yes, we will meet again if we are lucky, Sister Jiaojiao."

She heard her own voice drifting far away, "If the Jing family still has a chance to overturn the verdict, we will definitely meet again in the future."

Although I said this, another voice suddenly arose in my heart: I hope we won’t become enemies in the future!