There is a happy inn in the capital.

To everyone's surprise, Li Shuchen took out six taels of silver and handed it to her.

Chu Xia hesitated to take it, and asked softly, "Miss, what is this for?"

Li Shuchen stuffed the money directly into Chu Xia's hand and said, "Your mother needs medical treatment, so I've given you an advance on next month's wages. Take this first to pay for your mother's medical treatment, and let me know if it's not enough."

Chu Xia's eyes immediately welled up with tears. Her mistress still remembered her mother's illness; she had only mentioned it briefly, yet her mistress had taken it to heart. What had she done to deserve such a wonderful employer?

Chu Xia lifted her skirt and was about to kneel down before Li Shuchen, but Li Shuchen quickly helped her up, saying, "Alright, alright, this was originally your wages, I'm just giving it to you in advance."

Chu Xia looked at Li Shuchen solemnly and said, "Thank you, Miss. I will definitely work hard."

Li Shuchen nodded and replied, "Yes, I believe you."

Chu Xia went back to work, and Li Shuchen went upstairs to practice calligraphy. She'd been practicing for so long, but her handwriting was still terrible.

July has arrived before we know it, and the sweltering heat always makes people feel a bit restless.

Li Shuchen stayed in the Sanbao Hall, not wanting to write or practice martial arts, sitting at the Eight Immortals table drinking cold tea over and over again.

Everyone at the inn is bustling about, yet you seem quite relaxed.

Gu Ziying walked straight in and sat down next to Li Shuchen.

Li Shuchen poured Gu Ziying a glass of iced tea and said lazily, "It's hot, I don't feel like moving."

Gu Ziying smiled and said, "I've already booked the fruit and vegetable shop. Shu Chen, would you like to go take a look?"

Li Shuchen: "I definitely want to see it, but I can't go now. It's midday, the sun is scorching, and it's incredibly hot."

Gu Ziying glanced out the window: "Indeed, then let's go again this afternoon."

Li Shuchen: Okay

Li Shuchen noticed that Gu Ziying's dress looked exceptionally beautiful today; the fabric was light and airy, giving off a refreshing and breathable feeling.

She wasn't usually so keen on changing clothes; she wasn't particularly interested in them. But now, she's wearing new clothes every day and pays extra attention to her appearance.

Is this the woman who is about to fall in love?

Gu Ziying noticed that Li Shuchen had been staring at her, so she asked, "What's wrong? Shuchen, why are you staring at me?"

Li Shuchen asked, "Is this another new product from 'Huashang Pavilion'?"

Gu Ziying: "Yes, is it pretty?"

Li Shuchen raised an eyebrow and said, "Exceptionally beautiful."

Gu Ziying smiled.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was no longer so hot. Li Shuchen got into Gu Ziying's carriage and went to West Street to look at the shops.

Li Shuchen alighted from the carriage and glanced at Yaqing Pavilion, where it was bustling with noise and laughter.

Yes, the customer traffic remains as high as ever.

Li Shuchen stepped into the shop and looked around; it was a two-story building.

The first floor is about 50 square meters, which is definitely enough to sell fruits and vegetables.

Gu Ziying said, "Shu Chen, let's go upstairs and take a look."

Li Shuchen followed Gu Ziying upstairs. There was a room upstairs that could be used for sleeping, which would be perfect for watching over the shop. Her fruits were precious, so she definitely needed someone to watch over them.

Li Shuchen looked at it for a long time, then decided, she already had a plan in mind.

Li Shuchen turned to Gu Ziying and said, "Ziying, you chose a pretty good shop."

Gu Ziying nodded slightly: "Miss Li, you flatter me."

Li Shuchen: "Haha, I'll go to the fruit farm in a couple of days to check on the fruit. If it's selling well, we can discuss the future plans together."

Gu Ziying: "Alright, let's not rush the fruits and melons; the Qixi Festival is just around the corner."

Li Shuchen tilted his head slightly and asked, "The Qixi Festival?"

Gu Ziying: "Yes, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the Qiqiao Festival. Girls would wear new clothes and pray to the Seventh Sister for wisdom and skill in the courtyard. However, Shu Chen has never participated before, so it's normal that he doesn't know."

Li Shuchen crossed his arms and said, "I'm going to have a great time this time, see everything from beginning to end. But, do lovers really confess their feelings to each other on Qixi Festival?"

Gu Ziying blushed, as if she had thought of something, and replied, "Of course there are."

Li Shuchen noticed Gu Ziying blushing. Something was wrong with her. So what if she was blushing?

Li Shuchen returned to the Sanbao Hall, pondered the words, and then began to write the invitation:

On this joyous and beautiful Qixi Festival, I cordially invite my beloved to join me. I wonder if she would do me the honor of spending this wonderful evening with me?

—Li Shuchen

Okay, that's all for now.

Li Shuchen wrote a total of three documents.

Gu Ziying

One copy of Princess Changning

Liang Yuying

After packing the three portions, Li Shuchen happily had someone deliver them to the three women's residences.

This will be Li Shuchen's first holiday, and she wonders if any girls will be willing to spend it with her.

That night, Li Shuchen stayed up all night to study the Qixi Festival customs of the Zixing Dynasty, noting down several things to prepare: Qiaoguo (巧果), which he had to make himself; Sutang (酥糖), which he could buy; Fresh fruits and vegetables, which he had to check at the orchard to see if they were ripe; and Yunmian (云面), a type of pasta made with dew, which he had to collect himself.

Li Shuchen prepared twenty large bowls, arranging them in two rows to collect dew. She started collecting tonight, unsure if it would be enough.

After much anticipation, the day finally arrived: July 7th.

After waking up, Li Shuchen quickly put on some clothes, rented a horse-drawn carriage, and hurried towards the orchard.

Li Shuchen searched the entire orchard thoroughly before finally finding the following ripe fruit.

Six cantaloupes, two bunches of grapes, sixteen oranges, eight sweet pears, and one watermelon.

These fruits and vegetables should be ready to sell in a few days.

After collecting the fruits, we rushed back to the inn, then took the grapes to the Flower Robe Pavilion, which was so crowded we could barely get in.

For the Qixi Festival, everyone in the family wears new clothes, including Grape. Li Shuchen bought herself the latest style, similar to Gu Ziying's, just in a different color.

The orange-green fairy dress is so beautiful, Li Shuchen likes it very much.

On the way back to the guesthouse, she bought some shortbread, and there was a long queue; she almost missed out.

It was already late when Li Shuchen arrived at the inn. After washing his hands, he went to the kitchen and made Qiaoguo (a type of pastry) with Chef Wang and the others.

The ingredients are simply flour, sesame seeds, sugar, water, and oil.

Cook Wang is very skillful; she made many different shapes of qiaoguo (a type of pastry), including peaches, tigers, lions, piglets, and roosters.

The five of them worked for a total of one hour, making a large pile of Qiaoguo (a type of pastry). Li Shuchen picked out the most exquisite and delicate Qiaoguo to save for plating later.

The rest were distributed among the guests and the staff working at the inn; each person received a bag.

Li Shuchen also packed some fruits, pastries, and sweets, and had them delivered to her home along with her clothes. Her parents wouldn't know how to make these, and she guessed Xiao'er probably wouldn't either.

The last item, cloud powder, Li Shuchen collected for many days and only managed to gather two bowls of water, but that was enough.

After Li Shuchen finished cooking

I went upstairs to get ready, took a quick shower, put on new clothes, and started grooming myself: drawing my eyebrows, applying powder, and putting on lipstick.

Then wait for someone at the entrance of the inn.

The three of them arrived around 7 PM.

The four of them went to an open space in the backyard and set up a large table.