The He Family’s guest courtyard was very quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Qin Yao had already left, unnoticed by anyone.

Fortunately, Liu Ji hadn’t fallen to his death.

He lay on the bed, looking at the beam she had once hung from, with a face full of reluctant melancholy.

If he could, he would want to go back to the inn with her right now, to wash clothes, cook, and warm the bed for her!

But that was just wishful thinking; he couldn’t climb over the He Family’s courtyard walls.

Remembering something, Liu Ji turned over and felt the hard large silver ingot inside the bed, hugged it and gave it big kisses on the side of his mouth, feeling immensely reassured.

Before she left, his wife said she would be staying in the Prefecture for several days. With his wise and heroic wife holding the fort, just see how he’d deal with those two dogs now!

That night, Liu Ji tossed and turned in excitement, unable to sleep.

Finally enduring until dawn, he specially tidied up his attire, sent someone to inform his teacher, and then went out.

At this time, Qin Yao was still asleep in her guesthouse room.

Song Yu, on the other hand, had already gotten up early, wrote an invitation, called the waiter, gave him fifty cents as a running fee, and asked the waiter to help deliver the letter to the Fulong Trading Company.

While waiting for a reply, Song Yu had breakfast in the hall. Seeing that the hour was about right, he was about to ask the inn staff to take breakfast to Qin Yao’s room when he saw a man dressed in a moon-white scholar’s robe, with an extraordinary appearance, emerging from the kitchen with something in hand, heading to the guest room on the second floor.

Song Yu shook his head abruptly, looked carefully again, and aside from that clean and elegant aura, wasn’t that moon-white robed man his own master!

Song Yu was slightly taken aback, never expecting his master to be so handsome when tidied up.

Then he revealed a knowing smile, waved his hand, signaling the staff to stand down, no need to send breakfast.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The room door was knocked, and lying on the bed, Qin Yao immediately opened her drowsy eyes, still a bit bleary with sleep.

But soon, they became clear, and she asked hoarsely, "Who is it?"

"My lady, I’ve brought you breakfast."

Liu Ji’s voice came from outside the door, and Qin Yao raised her eyebrows, somewhat surprised.

But on second thought, she just gave him twenty taels of silver yesterday, and today’s performance was still considered sensible.

"Come in, the door’s not locked." Qin Yao got out of bed, dressed up, picked up a wooden comb to smooth her long hair, twisted it into a neat and simple bun, inserted the snake hairpin, wearing a pink and white dress that she wore with a heroic and sassy air.

Liu Ji pushed the door open, placed the tray on the table, muttering, "Sleeping without locking the door won’t do. What if a thief comes in? Remember to lock the doors and windows next time."

Qin Yao, having finished washing up, sat at the table with a grand presence, casually responding, curious about what breakfast he had prepared.

It was a bowl of minced meat and vegetable congee, with two side dishes, a plate of spicy and sour cucumber sticks, and a plate of dried plum vegetables.

They seemed like ordinary things, but in fact, there was a touch of the unusual.

Liu Ji sat across from her, helping serve the congee while saying, "Don’t just look at these two side dishes. This spicy and sour cucumber, I got the master chef at the Dengyun Building’s back kitchen to make it."

"And this plate of dried plum vegetables, I pickled it myself, it’s unbeatable with congee!"

Qin Yao gave him a curious look, "You pickle dried plum vegetables?"

Liu Ji nodded, "Isn’t it to save some silver? Dried plum vegetables with congee let me eat a few more meals."

Qin Yao didn’t believe he’d starve himself, most likely aiming to sustain his "poverty and hardship" image as a scholar.

"Where are you planning to wander?" Qin Yao asked, sipping the congee.

Clearly, Liu Ji’s ’poor’ outfit wasn’t for her to see.

Liu Ji chuckled, "Nothing escapes your eyes, my lady. I’m preparing to deal with those dogs."

"But I’m still worried you won’t get used to the food in the Prefecture, so I especially came to prepare breakfast for you before leaving, to see you eat before I go."

Qin Yao drank the bowl of congee in one go and placed the empty bowl down, "Alright, I’ve eaten, you can go."

Outside, Song Yu’s footsteps approached, indicating there was a response from the Fulong Trading Company.

So, she had to go out and attend to her business too.

Liu Ji, unable to hear so keenly, just felt Qin Yao was dismissing him, glaring at her resentfully, "Can I go now?"

Qin Yao nodded, "Get lost."

"Wait!" She suddenly called him back.

Liu Ji was delighted, "Miss me, my lady? Actually, staying a while longer doesn’t hurt, those dogs haven’t left their kennel yet."

Qin Yao stared at him silently, warning, "I advise you not to go too far."

Liu Ji’s smile vanished instantly, and he retorted with displeasure, "My lady, you’re looking down on me too much. Am I that petty?"

Qin Yao raised an eyebrow: Aren’t you?

Liu Ji pouted, catching a glimpse of Song Yu, who had somehow already stood at the doorway, responding with an ’oh,’ and turned to leave in a huff.

Only as he turned away, did his face regain its intense fierceness and gloom.

Song Yu inadvertently caught a glimpse, his heart skipped a beat, causing him some confusion.

That moon-white robed man walking away, was he really his master?

Turning to look inside the room, the lady was eating the breakfast sent by the master, so maybe, probably, he was indeed their master.

Song Yu entered the room, tentatively asking, "Madam, the master he..."

"Don’t mind him, what is it?" Qin Yao asked with a smile.

Song Yu paused, realizing and curbing his curiosity, presenting the reply from the Fulong Trading Company he held.

Qin Yao took a look and saw Jiang Wen had arranged to meet her in the evening at the Dengyun Building.

"Going to Dengyun Building... that’s quite high standard." Qin Yao shrugged, putting down the reply.

Usually, they just dined at other taverns, indicating that today’s host wasn’t Jiang Wen, but likely his boss Qiu Yan.

It worked perfectly since she could directly discuss with Qiu Yan about the Lady’s Box, making it more efficient.

But now, it’s still early, so after finishing the meat and vegetable congee before her, she led Song Yu to meet Manager Fang, who supplied raw materials to the stationery factory.

After identifying each other, they began negotiating the price for the next batch of goods, but Manager Fang pleaded poverty and asked for a price increase, which Qin Yao did not agree to, leading to an unpleasant discussion.

After leaving Manager Fang, Song Yu asked puzzledly, "Why doesn’t the lady find other timber merchants?"

Qin Yao gave a bitter smile, "Manager Fang is the least shrewd among all the timber merchants." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Song Yu, upon hearing this, recognized it as a foolish question and considered suggesting, "If we increase the purchase volume, perhaps Manager Fang will agree not to raise the price."

Qin Yao glanced at the Lady’s Box she held, wrapped in a grey cloth bag, recalling how Manager Fang had tried various times to peek under the cloth to see what it was, only to be discreetly thwarted by her.

When Manager Fang asked, she simply said it was a new gadget from the factory.

Because of this, the price negotiation didn’t break down completely but remained unresolved.

Qin Yao said calmly, "Now it depends on whether the Fulong Trading Company’s boss Qiu Yan values this new product."