Gu Qiaoqiao pondered absentmindedly while she finished her washing up.

It was already so late, there was no time to say anything to her family, so she could only go to bed early.

For Gu Qiaoqiao, there weren’t any holidays at the moment, and besides, she didn’t really need them. After all, this year, it seemed like she had more time off than working days.

So the next morning, she went to Yubao Square as usual.

Nowadays, under the guidance of Zhang Yi, Gu Muran was already able to smoothly manage the daily operations of Yubao Square.

However, in terms of antique appraisal, he was still very, very far behind.

So far behind that Gu Muran felt as if there was no hope.

After all, he was different from Gu Qiaoqiao. Gu Qiaoqiao had it in her nature and was quite adept, which is why she could become one of the big shots in the antique appraisal world in such a short time.

But his time in this industry was really too short, so even if he was talented, it was impossible for him to master the vast knowledge involved.

So he was working hard. Although the results were minimal, he had still made considerable progress compared to before.

Qiaoqiao saw Gu Muran and greeted him with a smile, then stood by his side watching him study with a vase in his hand.

All the necessary equipment was there: the magnifying glass, gloves, and reference booklets.

Beside him, Zhang Yi was patiently offering guidance.

Learning never ends, and Qiaoqiao was also listening intently.

Before she could finish listening, her phone rang.

Qiaoqiao quickly walked over to pick up the phone, then smiled, "Ah Ze..."

It was Qin Yize’s call.

As she walked towards the backyard of Yubao Square, she talked with Qin Yize.

"Qiaoqiao, where are you?"

"I’m in the backyard of Yubao Square. What’s up?" Qiaoqiao sensed that Qin Yize’s tone seemed somewhat serious.

"Drive over to Great Grandfather’s courtyard; I just tried calling but no one answered. If you see him, ask him to call me back, I have something to discuss with him."

"Alright, I’m heading there now." Qiaoqiao agreed readily, knowing Qin Yize definitely had something urgent, and she couldn’t delay, so she quickly walked toward the reception hall.

"Qiaoqiao, drive safely. I have something to do here; I’ll talk to you later." Qin Yize’s voice was a bit hoarse on the other end, sounding quite tired. Qiaoqiao felt a pang of heartache, replying, "Okay, wait for my call."

With that, Qiaoqiao hung up the phone, put it in her satchel, and after talking to Zhang Yi and Gu Muran, she drove towards the Qin Family’s Courtyard.

The distance from Yubao Square to the courtyard was about an hour’s drive, and since it was past the morning rush hour, the road wasn’t congested, and an hour later, Qiaoqiao found herself smoothly at the gates of the Qin Family’s Courtyard.

The security guard saw it was Qiaoqiao’s car and promptly let her through.

Qiaoqiao drove into the large courtyard but suddenly stopped again. She opened her car door and asked loudly toward the gate security, "Uncle Wang, is Great Grandfather at home? No one answered his phone."

"He’s at home, the Old Grand Master didn’t go out today. I started my shift at five this morning; I can vouch for it."

Uncle Wang responded confidently.

Qiaoqiao felt reassured, "Thank you, Uncle Wang."

She then closed the car door and drove towards the parking area of the courtyard.

The place was large.

Yet the population was sparse.

Other than a few security personnel, there were just a few old family members handling daily affairs.

Uncle Wang was the third son of Grandpa Wang, taking over his duty, responsible for the entire courtyard’s security.

He was straightforward, yet very loyal.

The gate wasn’t far from the parking area, but the main road, paved with bluestone slabs, was lined with ginkgo trees.

At this moment, golden leaves hung densely on the branches.

When the wind blew, some leaves reluctantly left the branches, floating in the air before finally drifting to the bluestone road.

As Qiaoqiao’s car drove past, the golden fallen leaves danced and swirled again.

Qiaoqiao got out of the car; the courtyard in early September was truly beautiful, with golden ginkgo trees, lush green pines, and neatly trimmed shrubs along the roads, making the courtyard resemble a beautiful estate.

Qiaoqiao knew that eventually, one day, she would move in here with Qin Yize.

However, she really liked it here.

It was quite similar to Gu Garden.

Although smaller than Gu Garden, in such a location, it might not be found again for many years to come.

Qiaoqiao knew that the Old Grand Master was certainly not inside, so she asked Uncle Fan, who was clearing leaves, and found out that Great Grandfather was in the back room tinkering with old books and newspapers. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Qiaoqiao couldn’t help but smile; the Old Grand Master was becoming more nostalgic by the day.

Remembering Qin Yize’s instructions, Qiaoqiao walked briskly towards the back room.

There was a one-meter-wide path and a long corridor, turning past the Moon Gate led to the back room.

Exiting the Moon Gate, Qiaoqiao saw the Old Grand Master of the Qin sunning books and newspapers at a glance.

To speak of which, this Old Grand Master Qin was much more laid-back compared to her own Great Grandfather.

"Great Grandfather," Qiaoqiao called out crisply, "Ah Ze just called you, but no one answered. He seems to have something urgent."

Qiaoqiao got straight to the point without exchanging pleasantries.

The Old Grand Master straightened up, and seeing Qiaoqiao was about to use that brick-sized phone, he quickly waved, "Qiaoqiao, Great Grandfather doesn’t like using that thing, too cumbersome and hard to hear clearly, let’s go inside and call him back."

Then he instructed Xiao Yuan, "Xiao Yuan, take those books out and air them, be careful..."

"Okay, Old Grand Master," Xiao Yuan readily agreed, glancing at Qiaoqiao with a smile, "Sister Qiaoqiao, are you leaving at noon? If not, I’ll go buy some groceries..."

This rascal, always thinking about food.

However, it was almost noon, and since coming back to the country, this was her first time at the Old Grand Master’s place. Qiaoqiao grinned and nodded, "Go ahead, I’ll have lunch here."

Xiao Yuan happily put down the books in his hands, looked at the Old Grand Master, "Old Grand Master, is it okay if I go get groceries now?"

The Old Grand Master gave one knowing look at the glutton Xiao Yuan but agreed nonetheless.

Xiao Yuan skipped through the Moon Gate, happily off to buy groceries.

The Qin Family’s Courtyard had always been quiet, with only Grandpa Wang, Uncle Fan, three security guards, and Grandma Wang who cooked for them.

Grandma Wang was getting on in years and had gone to live with her eldest son, so the cooking duties fell to Uncle Fan.

They lived here.

However, their family members weren’t here—they had homes outside, leading quite comfortable lives.

Sometimes, the Old Grand Master could be quite eccentric; he was open to discussion on everything except hiring maids, on which the homes of several grandsons expressed firm stances.