How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

"Haha, Lao Zheng, I'm late, but I hope I didn't cause any problems. Don't blame me."

Commander Guo walked in surrounded by a crowd, dressed in military uniform, exuding an imposing aura.

Zheng, the comprador, quickly went to greet him. "What are you saying? It's my fault for taking up your time. I'm overjoyed that you would personally visit my humble abode for a young lady like myself. Why would you blame me?"

"Please, Pei Lan, come and meet your Uncle Guo."

Zheng Peilan stepped forward and respectfully greeted, "Uncle Zheng."

General Guo looked her up and down several times. “Well done, Old Zheng. You have such a beautiful daughter but kept her hidden. Today we’ve finally seen her. It turns out that a daughter who has studied abroad has such a refined demeanor. She’s admirable. She’s much better than my good-for-nothing sons.”

Zheng, the comprador, couldn't stop smiling. "My daughter is no match for your son. She's just a little more educated. She's our only son, so we have to pamper her. It's her honor to receive your praise."

"Hahahaha," Commander Guo was also very happy. "Alright, let's leave the old folks here to talk. Peilan, you go and play with the girls from the Qiao family. They're all young girls, so I'm sure you'll get along well."

Zheng Peilan nodded in agreement, then walked towards the three daughters of the Qiao family, saying, "Miss Qiao, come this way, let's go play over there."

The girl in the lead looked a little older. She was wearing a loose-fitting light blue cheongsam, with a long black braid hanging down the back of her head. Her hair was tied with two red silk ribbons in the shape of bows. She was without makeup, her face was pale, and she looked very plain.

He curtsied to Zheng Peilan and said with a reserved expression, "Thank you for your trouble."

The other two Miss Qiao were dressed the same, only in slightly different colors: one navy blue and the other light purple.

Zheng Peilan felt a little strange, but said nothing. As the hostess, she dutifully led the people to the side, where various teas and snacks were laid out, attracting several young people.

As he walked over, he asked the eldest one, "Miss Qiao, may I ask your name?"

Miss Qiao said shyly, "A young lady's name should not be revealed to others lightly. Miss Zheng, you can just call me Qiao Da."

Zheng Peilan looked at the other two in surprise, and they answered in turn, "Qiao Er" and "Qiao San".

Slightly taken aback, Zheng Peilan nodded mechanically to indicate that she understood.

Many women still follow the old rules, never expecting to encounter them themselves.

Seeing the three Qiao sisters sitting calmly in the middle of the crowd, though somewhat reserved, Zheng Peilan knew they had received an education at home.

However, they might find such a Westernized ball somewhat uncomfortable. Therefore, it is said:

"Miss Qiao, I have some books and paintings in my room that I brought from abroad. They are quite different from the ancient Chinese texts and paintings. Why don't we go upstairs and take a look?"

Miss Qiao sat there and saw men and women dancing arm in arm on the dance floor. It was completely different from the family rule that "men and women should not touch each other" that she had been taught. Naturally, she was very uncomfortable with it. Just then, Zheng Peilan handed her a ladder, so she went down with it. "That's fine."

Zheng Peilan smiled and apologized to the other young men and women, then led the three young ladies of the Qiao family upstairs.

When Qingru saw this, she couldn't help but want to go and see, but remembering Guo Zixing's purpose in bringing her here, she held back and asked Liu Xiang, "Why does Miss Qiao look so strange?"

Liu Xiang, who was interested in the newly served desserts, replied casually, "It's not surprising that they live there. The Qiao family patriarch is a local gentry and he is very particular about old customs, so their daughters also adhere to the old customs. If it weren't for Mrs. Qiao's insistence, the sisters probably wouldn't have unbound their feet yet."

No wonder they walked in such an odd way. The other ladies were all wearing fashionable Western-style dresses or fitted cheongsams, and their feet were also wearing narrow high heels.

Only Miss Qiao was wearing a long, wide cheongsam that reached her ankles, and soft-soled cloth shoes; it was impossible to tell her size.

Qingru still found it strange and asked Liu Xiang, "Do you know anything about their family's private affairs? Has it spread far and wide?"

"Hey, don't you think about how many brothers and sisters I have? There are bound to be a few lovers. After a while, they found out, didn't they? But Mrs. Qiao's affair got to the ears of Commander Guo, so it spread."

"Then why are they still allowed to socialize today? Do they usually come out like this?"

"No, very rarely. Apart from when Grandma Guo celebrates her birthday, I've hardly ever seen them. Today is also a rare sight. By the way, why are you asking about them?"

Qingru chuckled and said, "Uh...Isn't it just curiosity?"

Liu Xiang didn't think much of it and continued eating the new dessert, this time a strawberry cake.

"Ha! Strawberries are here this season! I wonder how they preserve them. I must try them and see if they taste good."

Before Qingru could stop her, Liu Xiang had already stuffed it into her mouth.

"Pah, it's sour, what is this?"

Qingru couldn't help but turn around and chuckle to herself.

"This beautiful lady, would you do me the honor of dancing for me?"

In the blink of an eye, a young man appeared in front of Qingru. He was wearing a light brown suit, with his hair slicked back and shiny. He was tall and slender, and his posture of bending over and reaching out was that of a gentleman, but his eyes were wide and round.

Qingru forced an awkward smile. "Thank you, but no need. I need to stay with my sister. You can go invite someone else."

The man paused for a moment, then gave a wicked smile. "Of course I'll find someone to take care of your sister. Look, I have a whole bunch of brothers."

He whistled, and several young men immediately responded, waving and greeting him.

Qingru wanted to disappear into the ground, but she stiffly waved her hand and said, "We have something to do, so we'll be leaving now."

Liu Xiang also put down her dessert and obediently followed Qingru, reaching out to link arms with her and secretly scratching her palm. Qingru immediately felt that these people were not simple.

Fearing that leaving like this might cause future trouble, Qingru turned back and smiled:

"We haven't had a proper meal since we got here. Let's fill our stomachs first before coming to the dance floor. If we're lucky, I'll ask you to dance later. I wonder if I'd be so honored?"

This man was naturally more than happy to have her. Among the women present, Qingru was exceptionally beautiful. If she weren't so timid, she would definitely be the most dazzling star here.

"I can never refuse a beautiful woman's request. My name is Huang Qian, the Qian of 'not modest at all,' so don't forget me."

His eyes blinked, accompanied by what he thought was a handsome smile.

Qingru practically fled, while Liu Xiang pursed her lips.

The two slipped into the garden again. Qingru breathed a sigh of relief, while Liu Xiang was quite dismissive.

"What's wrong? I thought you were telling me to run. Is there something else going on?"

Seeing that no one was around, Liu Xiang sat down casually in the pavilion and said indifferently:

"No, it's just that these guys are quite promiscuous. You should stay away from them; it's not good for your reputation. It's one thing if it's a man, but if it's us, we can't reason with them."

Qingru opened her mouth but didn't say anything. She didn't care and hadn't planned to have anything to do with them anyway; it was just a casual remark.

Once Lü's father is cleared of his name, the whole family will definitely leave Sifang City.

Before the two could have a moment of peace, Guo Zixing came over. He had a cold expression on his face, but when he saw Liu Xiang beside him, he put on a warm and sunny smile.

"So you've been here all along! I've been looking for you for ages."

Liu Xiang leaned on the railing, showing no intention of getting up, and said with a smile, "Young Master Guo, weren't you dancing with Sister Peilan? What brings you here?"

Guo Zixing shook his head. "I'm not familiar with Miss Zheng, and besides, my dancing skills are clumsy. I'd better not embarrass myself."

This candor earned Liu Xiang's high regard. "Oh, I see. How about this, let's go to the dance floor, I'll teach you how to dance, I'm a really good dancer."

"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey."

Qingru remained silent, and when faced with Guo Zixing's questioning gaze, she secretly shook her head, unsure whether he understood.

Guo Zixing asked, "You two are quite good at shirking your responsibilities; you disappear somewhere in no time."

"It's all because of Huang Qian. If he hadn't flirted with Sister Cui'er, we wouldn't have had to hide in the garden."

Guo Zixing asked in surprise, "Huang Qian?"

Seemingly aware of the other party's reputation for frequenting brothels, he frowned and asked Qingru, "Did he harass you?" His tone was quite annoyed.

Qingru said, "No, it wasn't that. They just invited me to dance."

Guo Zixing finally relaxed his brow. "Fine then. I'll stay with you two. I doubt he'll be ungrateful."

Liu Xiang covered her mouth and laughed, looking innocent and cute. "That's great. I don't know why, but I feel a sense of kinship with you all as soon as I see you. We hit it off as if we were old friends who have known each other for many years."

Qingru also sincerely replied, "Yes, it's all because you're so cute."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but gently pinch her chubby cheeks.

As Liu Xiang dodged, she said, "Hey, you're really pushing your luck. Well, I'll pinch you too." But her hand went towards Qingru's waist.

Qingru dodged while laughing and scolding, "Okay, I was wrong, you show-off."

The two were laughing and joking, while Guo Zixing stood to the side, looking completely calm and lost in thought.