I'm dressed up as the timid eldest daughter, and the whole family has to listen to me!

Just as Su Songchuan was in a daze, he suddenly heard a girl's exclamation.

"Hey! There's someone over there! Come quick, it looks like a man!"

Then he heard a rustling sound. Su Songchuan looked closely and saw that several maids were walking in his direction.

Startled, Su Songchuan turned to run away, but instead bumped into a soft, yielding embrace.

"Oh, Young Master Su, what are you doing here?"

The moment Su Songchuan opened his eyes, he was met with Li Shuer's confused expression. Now, even if he had a reason, he couldn't explain himself.

Just then, the maids from the garden came running this way.

"Young Miss, the Second Miss was bathing in the garden just now when she saw what looked like a figure moving around here, so she sent us over to take a look. Did you see that person?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shuer's eyes widened as she looked at Apple, who looked utterly panicked.

Su Songchuan then looked at Tomato in a pleading manner.

"Shu'er, I, I just wanted to go into the garden for a stroll, but, but your garden is too big, I, I took the wrong path and just passed by here. Don't worry, I, I was just passing by."

Seeing that Su Songchuan didn't seem to be deceiving her, and that she was willing to believe in his character, Li Shuer instructed the maids:

“Go and tell your young lady that there were no other outsiders, that my friend and I were just passing by while strolling in the garden, and that she need not worry. We’re leaving now.”

The maids looked up at Su Songchuan, then at Li Shuer, and then bowed to Li Shuer.

"Yes, Miss, we understand."

After saying that, the maids glanced at Su Songchuan again and went into the garden.

Seeing that the matter had been resolved so easily, Su Songchuan felt grateful to Li Shuer and quickly bowed to her.

"Thank you so much, Shu'er, for getting me out of this predicament today. Actually, I came into the garden to talk to you, but I couldn't find you after wandering around. Your garden is so big, I don't know which path I got lost on and ended up here."

As he spoke, Su Songchuan scratched his head sheepishly.

Seeing Su Songchuan's shy expression, Li Shuer couldn't help but find it amusing.

"What does Young Master Su wish to say to me?"

When Su Songchuan saw that Li Shu'er had asked him so directly, his face flushed red, and he stammered, "..."

"I, I, I wanted to ask Shuer if you like those candied hawthorns. They were made by my niece. If you like them, I'll bring them to you every day."

Upon hearing this, Li Shuer couldn't help but chuckle softly again.

"Young Master Su is really joking. What girl can eat candied hawthorn every day? Candied hawthorn is just something to eat occasionally to satisfy a craving. If she ate it every day, how could she stand it?"

Seeing Li Shuer say this, Su Songchuan couldn't help but smile and scratch his head again.

"Yes, I was being presumptuous. I was thinking that if you like it, I would bring it to you every day. In the future, just tell me what you like to eat, and I will make it and bring it to you. I guarantee it will be different every day."

Li Shuer looked at Su Songchuan with some surprise.

"You can cook too?"

Su Songchuan gave another awkward laugh.

"I'm not very good at cooking, but if you don't mind, Shu'er, I can learn to cook for you."

Upon hearing this, Li Shuer's eyes lit up as she looked at Su Songchuan, paused for a moment, and then burst out laughing.

“I appreciate your kindness, Young Master Su, but we have a cook at home, so there’s no need for you to worry about cooking. If you’re interested, please focus on your studies. My parents have said that if I were to get married in the future, I would definitely choose someone with talent and learning.”

Upon hearing this, Su Songchuan couldn't help but chuckle a few times.

"Yes, yes, Miss Shu'er is right. I will definitely devote myself to my studies in the future and will not let Miss Shu'er down."

As the two were talking, a servant boy came running over.

"Oh, Young Master Su, I've been looking for you for ages! The banquet has started ahead, please come with me to eat. Our master specifically instructed that we should take you there."

When Su Songchuan saw the servant coming to find him, he didn't dare to linger, so he quickly bowed to Tomato.

"Miss Shu'er, I'll go ahead and have my meal now. See you next time."

Li Shuer glanced at Su Songchuan, seemingly reluctant, and then took a step forward.

"I don't have anything else to do anyway, so why don't we go to the front hall for a meal together? It'll be more lively with more people, and I can eat more."

Seeing that Li Shu'er was truly devoted to him and was even reluctant to part with him, Su Songchuan felt confident. He believed that as long as he won Li Shu'er's heart, the marriage was practically guaranteed.

So he nodded and smiled:

"Alright, let's go together then."

After arriving at the front hall, the group found their respective seats and sat down.

Because Li Shuer arrived later, she was arranged to sit next to Master Li.

Master Li originally didn't want his daughter to attend this literary gathering banquet, since the banquet was mostly attended by men, and it was really inappropriate for a young lady to show herself in such a way.

But now that his daughter was sitting next to him, he couldn't say anything more. This Master Li had always doted on his daughter and daughter-in-law, and always tried his best to accommodate them.

So at this moment, Master Li only wanted his daughter to sit next to him, so that she could personally select the talented young men present. Each of them was exceptionally talented, and among them, Su Songchuan was the least presentable.

Thinking this, Master Li began to introduce the scholars present to his daughter in a low voice. He picked out a few he liked and introduced them in detail, but unfortunately, Li Shuer had no interest in listening. She either buried her head in her food or looked up in the direction where Su Songchuan was sitting.

Master Li patiently introduced a whole bunch of things, then asked his daughter which one she liked later.

His daughter didn't listen to a word he said. She just stared blankly at Master Li for a moment, then picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork from the table and put it in Master Li's bowl.

"Dad, you should try it. Our cook really showed his skills today. This sweet and sour pork tastes better than usual. I really like the sweet and sour flavor. Ask him to make this dish more often in the future."

Seeing his daughter's attitude, Master Li gave up on introducing her to anything else. He simply picked up his chopsticks and shoved the sweet and sour pork in the bowl into his mouth, chewing it with resentment. He didn't think the sweet and sour pork was anything special at all...