Zhuang Hui had not emerged from the Upper Chamber for a long time, not because she intended to refuse to see Zhao Changting, nor was she deliberately making him wait. She was simply stunned, having never expected Zhao Changting to come openly to her small courtyard.
Before she could even regain her composure, she had been lying in bed and suddenly sat up, feeling a warm flow beneath her. Her monthly cycle, which had been delayed by two days, had arrived unexpectedly.
Given such circumstances, even if she had not initially planned to refuse Zhao Changting, she now felt compelled to do so.
Since her small courtyard was usually visited only by Zhuang Mingxiang and Zhao Jingzhi, she had always been casual about her appearance indoors. Today, having had a nightmare, she had remained in bed after waking from her midday nap.
Her clothes were unchanged, her hair uncombed, and her face unwashed.
This state was not only inappropriate for meeting an unrelated man in ancient times but would also be considered unsuitable even in modern times.
Moreover, with her sudden monthly cycle, going out would require additional time.
Thus, Zhuang Hui remained seated and asked Zhao Jingzhi, “What matter brings your elder brother here?”
Zhao Jingzhi smiled. “You’ll know once you see him.”
Having successfully completed the task Zhuang Hui had entrusted to her, Zhao Jingzhi was quite pleased. However, she wanted her elder brother to deliver the good news himself, as it was he who had agreed to it. After all, Sister Hui should thank him personally.
Zhuang Hui said, “I’m not very presentable. Could you go ask him what the matter is and come back to tell me?”
Zhao Jingzhi glanced at Zhuang Hui’s current appearance and understood her meaning but replied, “It’s fine. Just go freshen up and let elder brother wait a little longer.”
Zhuang Hui had no choice but to say, “My monthly cycle has just arrived unexpectedly.”
Zhao Jingzhi immediately asked with concern, “Is your stomach hurting again?”
Feeling guilty for deceiving the young girl, Zhuang Hui paused before shaking her head. “No, it just started. It doesn’t hurt yet.”
Zhao Jingzhi said, “Then take your time. I’ll go inform elder brother and ask him to wait a little longer.”
With that, she turned and ran out before Zhuang Hui could stop her.
Naturally, Zhao Jingzhi was not foolish enough to tell Zhao Changting about Zhuang Hui’s monthly cycle. Upon leaving the room, she noticed it was raining. She first glanced at the continuous autumn rain before approaching Zhao Changting. “Sister Hui needs to change clothes. It’ll be a moment.”
Zhao Changting asked, “It’s taking this long?”
Sensing a hint of dissatisfaction in her elder brother’s tone, Zhao Jingzhi looked at his face.
Zhao Changting lowered his gaze. “What?”
His expression revealed nothing. Perhaps she had misheard?
Upon reflection, her elder brother did not seem to treat Sister Hui poorly. First, he had saved her, then he had confined Tang Wanying to that small courtyard to vent his anger on Sister Hui’s behalf. Now, he had come to see her and even agreed to find her a maid skilled in martial arts…
All of this was no less than what he would do for his own sister.
Zhao Jingzhi felt reassured but still explained on Zhuang Hui’s behalf, “She had a nightmare during her midday nap and hasn’t gotten up since. So, not only does she need to change clothes, but she also has to freshen up. That’s why it’s taking a little longer.”
She hadn’t gotten up at all?
Had she truly been frightened that badly?
Zhao Changting paused before responding, “Mm.”
In reality, Zhuang Hui did not make Zhao Changting wait too long. She hurried to the washroom to change into clean undergarments and put on a menstrual pad. Afterward, she draped a long outer garment over herself. As an unmarried woman, she did not need to style her hair elaborately. She simply combed it smooth, tied it up casually, and rushed out without even washing her face.
The rain outside was still the same as before, not heavy, but each autumn rain brings a chill. As soon as Zhuang Hui stepped out of the Upper Chamber, she felt the moisture in the air mingling with waves of cold, and she shivered involuntarily from the chill.
Pulling her collar tighter, she walked up to Zhao Changting and bowed. “Young Master.”
Zhao Jingzhi frowned slightly. Why was Sister Hui being so formal? It made their relationship seem distant.
Zhao Changting, however, was used to Zhuang Hui addressing him this way and nodded in acknowledgment. “Mm.”
He stood under the eaves outside the door and had actually seen Zhuang Hui before she noticed him. It had only been a noon apart, but her face, which had been flushed and glowing with sweat on her forehead and nose in the morning—a picture of health—was now pale and wan. To him, it didn’t look like she was frightened but rather as if she had fallen ill.
Seeing Zhuang Hui like this, even though he had initially assumed she, like Zhuang Mingxiang, was skilled at acting and coaxing others, he couldn’t in good conscience claim she was putting on a show now.
“Are you unwell?” he asked first.
Zhuang Hui didn’t want to engage with him too much, so she immediately shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”
Her face was almost devoid of color, and she claimed she was fine?
For some reason, Zhao Changting suddenly felt displeased, and his tone turned colder. “A Zhi mentioned you wanted a maid or an older servant skilled in martial arts?”
“Ah?” Zhuang Hui had been keeping her head down, avoiding Zhao Changting’s gaze, but upon hearing this, she couldn’t help but look up in surprise. Had Zhao Jingzhi betrayed her? Instead of telling the Old Madam, she had told Zhao Changting?
Zhao Changting said, “Grandmother has entrusted this matter to me. I’ll arrange it for you as soon as possible.”
Zhuang Hui grew anxious. “Ah, no, I…”
Could she say she hadn’t asked for it?
The reason she wanted a maid or servant skilled in martial arts wasn’t just because she had been frightened by Tang Wei today and wanted protection. More importantly, she hoped such a person could keep Zhao Changting at bay!
If he was the one arranging it, how could that person possibly stop him?
It would likely be someone loyal to him!
But Zhao Jingzhi was standing right beside her. If she denied it now, wouldn’t she be exposing herself in an instant?
Besides, from what Zhao Changting said, it seemed the Old Madam already knew.
Zhao Changting asked, “What is it?”
Zhao Jingzhi linked arms with Zhuang Hui and said cheerfully, “Sister Hui, are you so overjoyed you don’t know how to thank Big Brother? It’s fine. Between family, there’s no need to be so polite.”
She added, “Don’t worry, Big Brother is a great general. He’ll definitely find someone for us soon!”
What else could Zhuang Hui say? She could only curtsy again. “Thank you, Young Master.”
Zhao Jingzhi tugged at her sleeve. “Sister Hui, just call him Big Brother. Don’t be so formal.”
Zhuang Hui: “…”
If she weren’t afraid Zhao Jingzhi might cry out in pain, Zhuang Hui would have pinched the flesh on her arm hard.
Fortunately, Zhao Changting spoke up quickly. “Mm, I’ll arrange it as soon as possible. You two go inside.”
Zhao Jingzhi replied cheerfully, “Alright, Big Brother, we’ll go in now.”
Zhuang Hui didn’t want to say anything more and immediately turned to leave with Zhao Jingzhi.
Walking side by side, Zhuang Hui was taller than Zhao Jingzhi but much thinner. Their linked arms made Zhao Jingzhi’s appear almost twice as thick as Zhuang Hui’s.
Zhao Changting was satisfied with his sister’s robust health—at least she was sturdy and strong. Besides, she would grow into her figure as she got older.
But as for Zhuang Hui, his brows gradually furrowed.
Today’s incident was indeed quite frightening for a girl, but it shouldn’t have been frightening to this extent.
Perhaps it was because she was too weak—not only physically but also mentally—which made her unable to bear it.
The rain was still falling, but Zhao Changting intended to leave. It wasn’t appropriate for him to stay here any longer.
Just as he stepped down from the porch, the maid who had earlier invited him to take shelter under the eaves hurried over with an umbrella: “Young Master, the rain is quite heavy. The young lady instructed me to bring you an umbrella.”
This amount of rain meant nothing to Zhao Changting, but with an umbrella, there was no need to get wet.
He took the umbrella, opened it, and left a brief remark: “Thank her for me.”
Yingtáo respectfully acknowledged his words.
But when she turned back, she didn’t head toward the Upper Chamber at all. This wasn’t something the young lady had ordered—the young lady hadn’t even thought of it.
In the Upper Chamber, after stepping outside, Zhuang Hui felt as if the cold had seeped into the very marrow of her bones. As soon as she entered, she hurried straight to her bed and quickly wrapped herself in the quilt, still fully clothed.
But she didn’t forget to ask Zhao Jingzhi, who had followed her inside: “A Zhi, how did your elder brother find out about me wanting maids and older women who know martial arts?”
Zhao Jingzhi was still feeling cheerful: “Because when I mentioned it to Grandmother, Elder Brother happened to be there too.”
Zhuang Hui: “You…”
Zhao Jingzhi blinked: “What’s wrong? Was I not supposed to tell Elder Brother? But you only said not to tell Mother…”
You didn’t say I couldn’t tell Elder Brother.
Right, this was indeed her fault.
“It’s fine,” Zhuang Hui sighed, then quickly added, “A Zhi, promise me one thing: from now on, when your elder brother is around, don’t tell me to call him ‘Elder Brother,’ and don’t encourage me to get close to him.”
“Why?” Zhao Jingzhi was puzzled.
Having an elder brother like hers was wonderful—why would Sister Hui not want that?
Zhuang Hui: “Because I’m afraid of him. I don’t want to get close to him, and he clearly prefers that I call him ‘Young Master.’ A Zhi, don’t forget why he ran away from home seven years ago.”
“Even though he’s grown up now and isn’t as resistant to my mother as before, that doesn’t necessarily mean he can accept me.”
“If you say too much, he won’t mind you because you’re his biological sister, but what if he starts to dislike me?”
Zhao Jingzhi was taken aback by the question and fell silent for a moment before replying: “…But Elder Brother agreed to find them for you…”
Zhuang Hui: “That was out of consideration for you and Grandmother, and also because today’s incident happened partly because of him. He probably doesn’t want to owe me a favor. A Zhi, such things are fine once or twice, but if they happen too often, they become annoying. You wouldn’t want him to dislike me and then forbid you from coming to play with me, would you?”
“Of course not!” Zhao Jingzhi immediately replied.
Zhuang Hui continued: “So don’t say such things anymore. Besides, when he ran away from home all those years ago, he was only a year older than you are now—still just a half-grown child. He must have suffered a lot, and these years haven’t been easy for him either.”
“A Zhi, you’re his biological sister. You should be on his side.”
Zhuang Hui genuinely felt that Zhao Changting was somewhat pitiable. When he ran away from home all those years ago, he was just a child, and he went to Mobei all by himself.
It was easy to imagine how difficult the journey must have been. Moreover, as a half-grown child, his mother had passed away, and his father might have felt like a betrayal in his heart. He endured both physical and emotional hardships.
Returning after seven years, she not only had a stepmother but also a younger brother born to that stepmother, with another sibling on the way. Even A Zhi was close to her and her mother. Putting herself in their shoes, if she were in such a situation, she might not even want this family anymore.
Even though she didn’t think her mother or her siblings were at fault, Marquis Changping certainly was.
Not toward her mother and her children, but toward Zhao Changting. To Zhao Changting, he was far from a good father.
Zhao Jingzhi was on the verge of tears. Yes, it seemed she had only thought of Sister Hui and hadn’t considered her eldest brother.
But then again, Sister Hui was so considerate, kind, and good-hearted—it was only natural for her to think of her.
As for her eldest brother, he always made her study and often criticized her, so she… well, she would try to care more about him in the future. He really did have it tough.
“Alright, I won’t say it again. But Sister Hui, I’ll protect you too,” Zhao Jingzhi promised.
As the true daughter of the marquis’ household, she certainly had the ability to protect her. Zhuang Hui smiled and agreed.
Once under the covers, she felt less cold, but her head grew somewhat heavy. After finishing this conversation, Zhuang Hui said, “A Zhi, I didn’t sleep well during my nap and want to rest a bit more. Are you going to sleep too?”
But Zhao Jingzhi was no longer sleepy. She shook her head and said, “Then you sleep. I’ll go play with Yingtáo and the others.”
…
After Zhao Changting left Lanyuan, since it was slightly closer to his outer study in the outer courtyard, he went directly there and summoned Jiang Lai to see him.
Jiang Lai hurried over. Already aware of what had happened at the Tang Family that day, he didn’t wait for Zhao Changting to speak before asking with concern, “Sir, how is the young lady? Was she frightened?”
Zhao Changting’s gaze shot toward him like an arrow.
Jiang Lai was taken aback and quickly explained, “Sir, don’t misunderstand. I meant nothing by it. It’s just that I’ve been eating the food the young lady personally prepared for so long, so I was concerned.”
Zhao Changting thought about it. Liu Mama had been sending him food prepared by Zhuang Hui for nearly a month now.
And he hadn’t eaten any of it—it had all gone into Jiang Lai’s stomach.
Before, he hadn’t paid much attention to this, knowing it couldn’t possibly have been made by Zhuang Hui herself.
But now, with Jiang Lai’s question, he finally realized it was inappropriate. After all, Jiang Lai was an unrelated man. Even if it wasn’t made by Zhuang Hui herself, it was still sent in her name—improper.
Next time Liu Mama sent something, he would say something to stop it.
“She’s fine,” Zhao Changting replied briefly before instructing, “Find two maids or older women who know martial arts—ones who are obedient and understand proper etiquette—to serve the two young ladies.”
It seemed the incident at the Tang Family had frightened the young ladies, prompting the heir’s concern.
Jiang Lai nodded and asked, “When do you need them?”
Zhao Changting: “The sooner, the better.”
Jiang Lai said, “Alright, I’ll go now.”
Zhao Changting nodded, but just as Jiang Lai reached the door, the image of Zhuang Hui and Zhao Jingzhi walking side by side suddenly flashed before his eyes—Zhuang Hui’s arm even thinner than A Zhi’s. Without thinking, he blurted out, “Wait a moment.”
Jiang Lai stopped.
Zhao Changting: “Besides those two, find a female martial arts instructor as well.”
Jiang Lai was surprised. “Do you want the young ladies to learn martial arts too?”
Although the words were spoken impulsively, after careful consideration, Zhao Changting felt it was a good idea: “Well, we don’t expect them to master it perfectly, but at the very least, it will strengthen their bodies and help them run faster in case of danger.”
Jiang Lai: “But under normal circumstances, there shouldn’t be any danger, right?”
After all, families like the Tang Family were exceedingly rare, and when young ladies went out, they were always accompanied by servants. They were already planning to hire maids and older women skilled in martial arts—did the young ladies themselves also need to learn martial arts?
Zhao Changting: “There’s no harm in learning it.”
That’s true!
Jiang Lai nodded in agreement, but inwardly, he felt a pang of sympathy for the two young ladies of the household.
The eldest young lady was delicate and pampered—could she endure the hardships of learning martial arts? The second young lady was still a child, already burdened with learning etiquette, and now she had to learn martial arts too. Would she be willing?
Jiang Lai couldn’t help but think: How utterly pitiful!
Author’s Note: And just like that, 2025 has come to an end. How has this year been for you?
If it’s been good, I wish you an equally good or even better 2026.
If it hasn’t, I wish you a better 2026.
·
Take a look at my upcoming projects—there are historical romances, urban stories, and even GL (girls’ love) works. If you’re interested, please add them to your collection. The one that reaches 200 collections will be prioritized for release.