Who understands? He traveled through time with a high-spec spatial ability.

Qiao Shilang's life has changed drastically since the family split up.

His father would beat him from time to time, and his two older sisters blamed him for offending their grandmother, which led to the family splitting up, leaving them to do all the housework themselves. His grandmother wasn't as kind to him as before. The village children didn't want to play with him anymore, saying he was impolite and ill-mannered, and that he had offended his older sister, Da Ya. At eight years old, he was gradually beginning to understand some things. At least now he understood that he couldn't be as willful as before.

Clutching the candy in his hand, he floated out of his uncle's yard, tears welling up and swirling in his eyes, one by one falling. He raised his elbow to wipe away his tears, then carefully put the candy in his mouth.

Aww, so sweet!

Madam Lin didn't hold a grudge against Qiao Shilang. She genuinely disliked the second wife's family, and even more so, the second wife and her husband. When a child isn't properly raised, the parents bear the brunt of the blame. She wouldn't bother arguing with an eight-year-old; after all, it was just a piece of candy—it didn't matter who she gave it to. Hopefully, this eight-year-old troublemaker could still be corrected.

Feng Pianpian happily sipped her hot milk tea, pestering Qiao Jingjing to tell her about the unusual items in her room. "The shop has a steady stream of regular customers, but it still needs to innovate regularly, doesn't it?"

It's easy to make money off the rich, but they're too picky. You have to offer something rare and outstanding every now and then for them to willingly open their wallets and spend money.

"Your sofa is really nice. It's more comfortable than a cold chair and more convenient than a tatami mat. And this cushion, what's it called? It's so soft. Just thinking about lying on it and relaxing by myself makes me feel so comfortable."

Now it's just the two of them in the room, and she's casually lounging on the sofa, doing all sorts of movements to experience its comfort.

"Which master made these? Quickly introduce them to me. I made a few in the VIP rooms of the shop, so customers can rest a bit after trying on clothes. There's also tea and milk tea if they're thirsty. With such excellent service, we're sure they'll come." Feng Pianpian lazily drank her hot milk tea and lay back on the soft sofa, holding another child in her arms, feeling particularly sleepy. Suddenly, she remembered something and felt it necessary to remind them.

"Be careful of Hu Qingbiao's brother-in-law lately. I heard he's recently been currying favor with the county magistrate's son, promising him a lot of benefits. That magistrate's son is said to be quite unruly, and he personally said he'd protect him. He might very well cause you trouble."

Qiao Jingjing was just using her divine sense to connect with the space to change the cartoon for Fa Cai when she heard "county magistrate" and suddenly came back to her senses.

"To be honest, I don't know much about the character of our Nanling County Magistrate. You should know some of the facts, right? Tell me, it might be helpful." She pulled up a small armchair next to Feng Pianpian and said to her while basking in the sun.

Feng Pianpian said lazily, "Our Magistrate Lu is not bad. He's been in Nanling for four years, and his reputation is alright."

"Tell me more!"

"He was a fairly honest official, and he judged cases fairly. Under his rule, the people of Nanling County lived in peace and prosperity. Moreover, he encouraged agriculture and sericulture, and promoted water conservancy projects. The irrigation canal in Maoyuan Town under Nanling was built under his initiative. My father told me that the county's agricultural tax revenue this year has doubled compared to four years ago." Feng Pianpian paused, then continued, "However, he also had a problem, which was that he particularly liked to drink. I heard that drinking has caused him to neglect many things."

Qiao Jingjing listened and nodded. It seemed that Magistrate Lu was indeed a good official. But if he was such a good official with such a good record, why wasn't he promoted in the Ministry of Personnel's triennial evaluation?

Having read some historical materials, Qiao Jingjing knew that in ancient times, the Ministry of Personnel had a system of performance evaluation every three years. This system regularly assessed officials, evaluating their character, abilities, and achievements. The results of these assessments served as an important basis for promotion, demotion, and rewards or punishments.

Qiao Jingjing asked the question that was puzzling.

"It's all because of his precious son, who's both playful and a good-for-nothing. Two years ago, he got into a fight with a classmate over a courtesan, and somehow the capital found out about it. It wasn't a big deal, but his classmate happens to be a relative of the Minister of Personnel. The court erased his achievements and gave him no reward or punishment, only a verbal warning to educate his own child. Actually, that's a very severe punishment."

Oh, right, about six months ago, this young master Lu fell and hit his head. He woke up behaving strangely ever since. I don't know the specifics; my father didn't mention it, and I didn't bother asking.

No one wants to be left out of a promotion. His path to advancement has been interrupted, and his previous achievements have been wiped out. Unless he makes an even greater contribution, his chances of being selected two years later are still very slim.

With this in mind, Qiao Jingjing decided to find an opportunity to visit Magistrate Lu and see if she could establish a good working relationship with him. Of course, before that, she still needed to deal with the trouble caused by Hu Qingbiao's brother-in-law.

Feng Pianpian arrived in a flurry with her entourage, only to leave listlessly. She boarded the carriage contentedly, clutching the blueprints for the six-piece bedding set given to her by Qiao Jingjing.

On her coming-of-age ceremony, Qiao Jingjing changed into a light purple double-layered Hanfu with a front opening, wearing a thin down vest underneath, which was neither cold nor bulky. Of course, she had already put on thermal underwear long ago; she was very thin now and didn't care if thermal underwear made her look fat.

She has a special fondness for Hanfu, with the front of her garment crossed at the chest and then tied with a ribbon. The lotus-colored overcoat features exquisite embroidery along the edges of the front and cuffs, incorporating embroidered balls.

The length of the skirt is designed just right, neither too long to hinder movement nor too short to lose the grandeur and fluidity of Hanfu. When the wearer moves, the skirt sways gently with each step, as if dancing in the wind, giving a light and graceful feeling.

She deliberately wore thick-soled embroidered shoes she had stocked up on at Modern Times. The milky-white shoes were embroidered with a rose, and the heels had an invisible 5cm thick sole. Wearing them not only made her posture more upright, but also made walking less tiring. She wore a pair of teardrop-shaped jade earrings, which matched the color of her coat.

Grandma Wang, the village head's wife, came over to comb Qiao Jingjing's hair and was about to put a hairpin in when she heard a hearty laugh from outside, "Qiao family girl, I've come uninvited, you won't blame me, will you?"

After quickly dressing and gracefully stepping out of her room, Qiao Jingjing saw Manager Yu and his entourage standing at the entrance of the main room. Her gaze swept over them, then she suddenly paused.

It's him?

Why is the young master I met in the mountains here?

Qiao Jingjing was unaware that while she was sizing up others, someone else was also casting their gaze upon her.

On this desolate, cold winter day, she wore a lotus-root-colored dress, its fabric light and soft, as if woven from clouds. The color of her dress complemented the winter season without being jarring, giving her a fresh and refined air. Her eyes were bright as stars, deep and mysterious, seemingly able to penetrate the soul. Her lips were painted with a delicate lip rouge, and the slightly upturned corners of her mouth revealed a gentle smile.

Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, gently brushing her cheeks and adding a touch of playfulness and cuteness. Her steps were light and elegant, each one full of confidence and charm.

At this moment, Qiao Jingjing appeared vivid and lively in Tantai Zhou's eyes, and he could not reconcile the person in front of him with the dark and thin face in his mind.

Is this... her?