High-class maid

Shan Tao looked down at the basket she was carrying, which was filled with fruit. These were the offerings she and Shen Xing'er were preparing to use when they went to pay respects to the Seventh Sister.

She pouted and said, "Alright then, let's finish paying our respects to Seventh Sister before we come to see."

The two followed the girls who were offering gifts, squeezing through the crowds to the Qiqiao Temple. Legend has it that on the Qixi Festival, unmarried women who come to worship the Seven Sisters will have a good marriage or good embroidery skills.

The two lined up, placed their offerings on the altar, bowed to Seventh Sister, and then left.

"Xing'er, what wish did you make to Seventh Sister?" Shan Tao asked gossipily.

"What did you wish for?" Xing'er asked Shan Tao, embarrassed to say what she wished for.

"As for me, of course I would ask Seventh Sister to grant me a good embroidery skill, so that I can take my embroidery out to sell and supplement the family income."

"I... I beg Seventh Sister to grant me a good marriage, not an arranged one, but one that truly respects and loves me," Shen Xing'er said shyly.

"Yes, it will definitely come true, and it will come true for me too! Seventh Sister will definitely hear it!" Shan Tao said confidently.

The two then came out of the temple onto the street. At that moment, fireworks were set off on the mountain, illuminating the area below as bright as day.

Meanwhile, Song Wenyang was on the street with the Second Prince, who was traveling incognito. As they walked down the street, they were drawn by a girl's bell-like laughter. Turning around, they saw the person they had only met twice, yet who had left a deep impression on them each time.

The girl stood by the roadside, her eyebrows curved, her smile as bright and radiant as a flower blooming in spring, even more dazzling than fireworks.

She watched the fireworks, while he watched her.

"Brother Song, don't you think those two are strange? Brother Song?" The Second Prince spoke to Song Wenyang, but saw him staring blankly into the distance.

The second prince followed his gaze and saw that Song Wenyang was looking at the two girls.

"Brother Song, you can be infatuated with girls too, huh?" the Second Prince teased.

Song Wenyang snapped out of his daze, a slightly embarrassed smile flashing across his face. He asked, "What did you just say, Brother Rong?"

"Look at those two, acting suspiciously. Are they bandit leaders?" the Second Prince asked.

"It shouldn't be. He's not that stupid. Rumor has it that that old thief Duan is burly and tall. This guy is at most his underling," Song Wenyang judged.

The second prince joked, "That woman ahead is quite pretty. Although she's wearing linen clothes, her beauty is still undeniable. She'll probably be even more stunning when she grows up."

Song Wenyang turned his head away awkwardly and said, "Brother Rong, why have you suddenly become so reckless, like a lecher? Be careful that Miss Xiao doesn't get angry with you."

When the Second Prince heard Song Wenyang call him a lecher, he was not angry at all. Instead, he laughed heartily, waved his fan, and walked towards the river.

After watching the fireworks, Shen Xing'er and Shan Tao decided to release lanterns by the river. Since they were busy working at the manor and didn't have time to make their own lanterns, they bought two lanterns first.

The two carried lanterns to the riverbank, and Song Wenyang, who was taller, spotted Shen Xing'er at a glance.

The girl smiled radiantly, placed a lit lotus lantern into the river, then clasped her hands together and made a wish.

Then, the girl next to her splashed water in her face, and she laughed and splashed water back at her. Then the two of them started chasing each other.

Song Wenyang's lips unconsciously curled into a smile; his mind was filled only with the image of the girl, nothing else mattered. The Second Prince, however, had already noticed Song Wenyang's unusual behavior.

"Old Song, since you've taken a liking to her, why don't you go and get to know her? What if she's interested in you too?" the Second Prince kindly suggested, trying to matchmake them.

But Song Wenyang shook his head and said, "My family is too complicated. There is no family affection, and it's all backstabbing and infighting. What right do I have to let a perfectly good girl follow me?"

“Old Song, don’t underestimate yourself. Your status is so much higher than hers. It’s her good fortune to marry you. If your stepmother knew, she would definitely support you,” the Second Prince said.

"Hmph, she'd love for me to marry someone of lower status so she can continue to control me," Song Wenyang said.

"Have you thought this through? If you don't take the initiative, you'll miss out. Don't wait until the beauty finds the talented man before you regret it," the Second Prince said, waving his fan.

Song Wenyang remained silent, his deep eyes revealing a cryptic expression.

After playing around, Shen Xing'er and Shan Tao decided to eat rolled fish noodles. The two went to the stall and each ordered a bowl of rolled fish noodles.

"Xing'er, let's go see the monkey show later. I haven't seen it since I was a child," Shan Tao said.

Shen Xing'er said, "Let's wait until next time. We should go back to the mountain. We need to go back before our master. If we go back too late, we won't be able to get out tomorrow."

"Alright then." In order to be able to come out again tomorrow, Shantao had no choice but to reluctantly give up watching her favorite monkey show.

Meanwhile, the Second Prince insisted on dragging Song Wenyang up the mountain as well. His stated purpose was to check for bandits and thieves, but his real intention was to bump into Xiao Luosheng.

Song Wenyang saw through it but didn't say anything, so he followed the Second Prince up the mountain. For some reason, he also wanted to see if he could run into that little girl.

Shan Tao and Shen Xing'er had already gone back up the mountain together. They returned early, as there weren't many people on the mountain, only a few young men and women having secret rendezvous.

"Xing'er, do you feel those two people following us?" Shan Tao asked, pulling on Shen Xing'er's hand in fear.

"Don't be afraid, what if they're from the same industry?" Shen Xing'er comforted her.

"Why don't we stop and wait for them to leave first? It's kind of creepy to have them following us," Yamamoto suggested.

"Alright then." So the two of them stopped by the roadside, wanting to wait for the two men to pass first.

"Young ladies, were you waiting for us brothers?" one of the men, with his pointed face and yellow teeth, said.

“Brother, what are you saying? This is clearly a young girl, how can you call her ‘little lady’?” said another man who was as fat as a pig.

"Yes, yes, little girl, come with us brothers, let us pamper you," said the man with the pointed mouth and monkey-like face.

Shen Xing'er and Shan Tao exchanged a glance and then ran away!

Enraged, the fat man cursed, "You bitch, you won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences! Brother, you go after them, I can't outrun you!"

The skinny guy glared at him, then ran after him.

The skinny guy was a skilled fighter; he often went up the mountain to catch wild rabbits and such, so chasing after the two girls was a piece of cake for him.

"Little girls, why are you running away? Come with me obediently, and I'll treat you well tonight." The skinny man smiled as he walked towards them.

Shen Xing'er and Shan Tao were already exhausted from running. Looking at the skinny man's lewd face, she felt disgusted.