Mrs. Cui finally came to her senses and sighed, "I’m really all over the place today. Fortunately, you reminded me, or else my in-law might wonder why I came."

Yuan’er smiled and said, "Isn’t it simply because parents worry about their daughters."

Mrs. Cui took Yuan’er’s hand, gently patted it, and said, "You’re the sensible one. If it were that troublesome sister of yours, I don’t know what she’d say to upset me."

Yuan’er smiled and said nothing.

She wasn’t born from Mrs. Cui; she couldn’t compare to Qin Wan.

No matter what Qin Wan did, Mrs. Cui could forgive her, but not for Yuan’er.

The two went to the main room. Old Madam Gu was delighted to see Mrs. Cui, and several clan aunts in the room were very courteous, praising Yuan’er’s virtues.

Mrs. Cui felt her dignity enhanced, even less believing Qin Wan’s nonsense, and decided to discipline her son so he wouldn’t get involved with the Xu family.

After some pleasantries, Mrs. Cui asked, "Why haven’t I seen Seventh Miss today?"

Old Madam Gu smiled and said, "She can’t sit still. Who knows where she’s off to now."

Yuan’er remained silent.

Mrs. Cui said, "I heard Seventh Miss saved Si Yuan yesterday. I was planning to thank her in person."

Old Madam Gu laughed, "Dealing with some hooligans is nothing. Not to mention there were guards to help; even without them, she wouldn’t have a problem. Her third brother has been training her in martial arts lately; she’s probably even better now."

Mrs. Cui couldn’t help but click her tongue and later recounted the story as a marvel to Si Yuan’s mother back at Jiujie Mansion.

The second aunt eagerly said, "You should’ve taken me along to express our gratitude."

Mrs. Cui was embarrassed to explain and only said vaguely, "That wasn’t the main reason I went. It was only when Yuan’er mentioned it that I realized, and thanked my in-law. The most annoying thing is that these two kids kept silent, leaving us in the dark."

The second aunt immediately said, "Family becomes closer through interactions. When someone helps us, it’s proper to thank them properly. Brother Heng is still young, but Si Yuan is not, yet he still doesn’t understand the ways of the world. We’ve been lacking in etiquette, and Yuan’er’s position in the Marquis Mansion is also compromised."

Mrs. Cui nodded in agreement and added, "Yesterday, Si Yuan and Brother Heng already went to the Marquis Mansion to thank them in person. Today, I’ve thanked my in-law again, so etiquette has been observed."

After a pause, she sighed, "It’s the Lin Family that should be interacting more with the Qin Family, but look at them."

"To the Marquis Mansion, isn’t the Xu family the same? Every family has some troublesome relatives. We should just associate more with those we get along with and stay closer to them."

Mrs. Cui nodded and then instructed the old servant in the family to go to the Imperial College to fetch someone back.

After a long wait, the old servant had a young servant bring back a message, saying that the young master and his companions were playing kickball and weren’t stopping, their playfulness was unabated, and it might take a while.

Mrs. Cui was furious, "It’s true that the ears fail when you get old. I told him to fetch the boy back, regardless of whether he was playing kickball or not!"

The second aunt quickly said, "Brother Heng isn’t that young anymore. People need face just like trees need bark. You must give him some face outside."

Mrs. Cui, angry, said, "This brat, mixing with a bunch of unruly people. If he causes trouble one day, he’ll drag the whole family down. Today, I’ll give him this face for your sake, but I’ll deal with him properly when he’s back."

At this time, Qin Heng had no idea what kind of storm was awaiting him at home. He was engrossed in the kickball field, his whole spirit tied to the little leather ball flying back and forth, occasionally clenching his fists and screaming with excitement.

It wasn’t just him; everyone on the field let out tense and sharp cries, as if that was the only way to vent their inner emotions.

"Mr. Qin, the friend you brought is amazing with his legs, probably not much different from Xu Tang."

A dark-skinned young man took advantage of a penalty shot break to run over, gave Qin Heng a bright smile, and gave him a playful punch.

Qin Heng didn’t dodge, glanced towards the lithe Gu Baoshu in the distance, and laughed, "Naturally, let me tell you, my friend’s got incredible ball skills. Not just in kickball, but also in hitting balls."

Qin Heng gestured a thumbs-up and added, "Maybe even better than Xu Tang."

The dark-skinned young man laughed, "If that’s the case, we won’t always be beaten by them. Can he join the event held at the Capital Governor Mansion during Mid-Autumn Festival?"

Qin Heng didn’t dare make decisions and smiled, "Let’s ask Brother Qi together when we get off the field."

The dark-skinned young man said, "You have to help plead for us."

"Of course," Qin Heng said, patting his chest.

At this moment, Gu Baoshu leaped and deftly kicked in a ball. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The piercing cheers from the field and the stands blended together.

The dark-skinned young man hugged Qin Heng tightly, shouting, "My goodness, my goodness, he can even score that kind of goal! What can’t Qi Gu accomplish?"

Qin Heng mumbled, "Standing up to pee?"

The dark-skinned young man turned back and asked, "What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Qin Heng immediately denied it.

The dark-skinned young man, eager and fawning, said, "My gosh, if you can convince Qi Gu to join our team for the match, I’ll do anything you ask."

Qin Heng’s eyes lit up, "Are you serious?"

"Serious, truer than pearls from the East Sea."

Qin Heng said, "Then, in the Mid-Autumn event, I’ll play as an official member, not a substitute. Is that okay?"

The dark-skinned young man hesitated for a moment, and Qin Heng said, "You’ve seen what Qi Gu can do. He comes from a well-off family, pampered like a phoenix. He’s not someone easy to talk into things."

When Qi Gu first arrived, the dark-skinned young man noticed that this person had quite the background. If it weren’t for Qin Heng, they might never get to know someone like him. Without hesitation, he agreed, "Alright, it’s a deal."

Qin Heng laughed proudly, "Don’t worry, I won’t let you lose out. I may not be as strong as Qi Gu, but I can get my hands on plenty of good stuff. Especially in this weather, after running and sweating, everyone smells. I have exclusive deodorizing bath beans, useful for showering and repelling bugs and insect bites. I’ll tell you, these are from a friend’s shop, concocted secretly for pocket money. We’re all mates here, I’ll have him give you a big discount."

The dark-skinned young man immediately laughed, "Dear brother, everyone will owe you a favor. If you ever need anything from us, just speak up."

Qin Heng chuckled, "Of course, I get along well with everyone here. Otherwise, why would I bring such a big figure as Qi Gu to challenge the Xu Tang’s team? You know, I used to play with Xu Tang’s group."

The dark-skinned young man chuckled silently, not saying a word.

Qin Heng hadn’t been playing kickball for long. Xu Tang’s team was full of strong players, and Qin Heng hardly got a chance even as a substitute, let alone bargained his way into being a formal player with Qi Gu’s help.