Upon hearing this, Shen Xiyan quickly asked, “Master, do you have another plan?”
Yin Zhuo nodded. “First, return home for your coming-of-age ceremony. As for Shen Mingshu, I’ll find a way to take her away. Once the necessary arrangements are made, I’ll send someone to fetch you.”
Shen Xiyan was overjoyed. “Then Yan’er will pack her things and return home, awaiting Master’s good news!”
She swiftly gathered her belongings. As she descended the stairs, she noticed Shen Mingshu and her group still seated at the corner table, now joined by a plump woman who was chatting and laughing with Shen Mingshu.
The strikingly handsome young man was gazing at Shen Mingshu with a smile in his dark eyes, an unmistakably improper look!
Damn it! How could a country bumpkin like Shen Mingshu earn such special attention from such a good-looking gentleman?
It must be the same cheap, seductive nature she inherited from her birth mother, luring men in!
Her mother had said that back then, her father had been seduced away by that wretched woman. Otherwise, why would her mother have had to become a second wife, and she a stepdaughter brought into the household?
The more Shen Xiyan thought about it, the angrier she became. She turned and stormed back upstairs.
Seizing the moment when no one was around, she quietly slipped into Shen Mingshu’s room.
…
On the day Liu Xingde died, Fan Fangfang had someone dig a pit and hastily bury him without even preparing a coffin.
With a maid dead and the peach tree turning into a spirit, she was so terrified that she fled overnight with Liu Cheng back to Huaiyang Town, not even having time to sell off the Liu Family Clinic.
Just moments ago, she had been out shopping when Shen Mingshu unexpectedly called out to her from the window.
Fan Fangfang asked curiously, “Yun Niang, what are you all doing here? Shopping for supplies?”
Yun Niang smiled and shook her head. “No, we’re heading to the capital.”
“To the capital?” Fan Fangfang glanced at Pei Jingheng and Leng Feng beside them. “With them?”
Shen Mingshu replied with a smile, “Yes, I want to take my mother to the capital to seek opportunities. They have connections there.”
Fan Fangfang pulled Shen Mingshu aside and whispered, “Mingshu, I know you’re capable, but you’ve only just met these two. Are you really going to follow them to the capital? Aren’t you afraid of being deceived?”
Shen Mingshu turned to look and met Pei Jingheng’s gaze.
His narrow phoenix eyes were fixed on her, the heat in his gaze making her quickly avert her own.
Shen Mingshu whispered, “Aunt Fan, don’t worry. They’re good people. Remember, I can read fortunes.”
Fan Fangfang didn’t press further. Once they sat back down, she warmly invited, “Since we’ve run into each other, Yun Niang, why stay at an inn? Come stay at my place.”
Yun Niang hesitated, looking to Shen Mingshu for a decision.
Shen Mingshu immediately agreed. “That sounds perfect. There’s actually something I’d like to discuss with you in detail, Aunt Fan.”
She had previously divined that she and Fan Fangfang still had some fate left to unfold, she just hadn’t expected it to come so soon.
Moreover, Fan Fangfang had just shown genuine concern for her, marking this as a positive connection.
“What is it you wanted to talk to me about, Mingshu?” Fan Fangfang asked with a smile, her plump face radiating kindness and warmth.
Shen Mingshu’s expression suddenly turned serious, her phoenix eyes sharp and cold. “Aunt Fan, do you have a sister in your family, one who’s exceptionally beautiful?”
Fan Fangfang immediately nodded, proudly boasting, “I have a younger sister, so stunning she could outshine the moon and put flowers to shame! Not a single girl in all of Huaiyang Town could compare to her!”
“She’s not your mother’s child, is she?”
“Right…” Fan Fangfang grew a bit nervous seeing her serious expression. “Mingshu, why are you asking about these things?”
Shen Mingshu slightly curved her lips and raised an eyebrow. “If I hadn’t run into Aunt Fan today, it would’ve been one thing. But since we’ve met, I must help you resolve your troubles.”
Fan Fangfang: “My troubles?”
At that moment, a group of people came down the stairs, their footsteps pounding loudly on the wooden steps.
Shen Mingshu turned to look and saw Shen Xiyan leading the group down from upstairs, casting an arrogant glance her way.
Their eyes met, and in Shen Xiyan’s gaze was undisguised loathing and envy.
Shen Mingshu raised a brow slightly, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips.
Was she jealous that she had sat with Pei Jingheng?
Or did she recognize her as Shen Mingshu and hated her for it?
Shen Xiyan stared at that flawlessly beautiful face, devoid of makeup yet radiant, and snorted in anger before lifting her skirt and striding out of the inn.
After tonight, let’s see how you’ll use that face to seduce men!
Hearing the neighing of horses, Shen Mingshu frowned slightly. Where was Yin Zhuo? Why wasn’t he with her?
Fan Fangfang waved a hand in front of her eyes. “What are you looking at? Admiring her pretty dress? This afternoon, Auntie will take you to the tailor’s shop and buy you a few new outfits.”
Shen Mingshu snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head with a smile. “No, let’s hurry to your house instead.”
“By the way, what did you mean earlier about my troubles?” Fan Fangfang pressed.
Shen Mingshu wagged a finger solemnly. “The time isn’t right yet. Heaven’s secrets must not be revealed.”
“You little rascal, saying things like that makes you sound like a swindling charlatan.”
Fan Fangfang then affectionately pulled Yun Niang up. “Yun Niang, hurry upstairs and pack your things. We can still make it for lunch at my place!”
As Shen Mingshu passed by Pei Jingheng, she said, “Young Master Pei, you can continue staying at the inn. I need to go to the Fan residence.”
“I want to be with you.” Pei Jingheng reached out and grasped her wrist, his dark eyes fixed on her.
“I, you…” Shen Mingshu was at a loss for words at his statement.
Pei Jingheng stood up, looking down at her, his voice low and gentle. “What I mean is, we’re being watched. It might be dangerous to separate. You’ll be safer with me.”
Shen Mingshu’s lashes fluttered as she gently pushed his hand away, avoiding his gaze. “Understood!”
Nearby, Fan Fangfang and Yun Niang were whispering to each other, their eyes filled with knowing amusement.
Shen Mingshu hurried upstairs. Even though it was the dead of winter, her cheeks burned as if on fire.
Just as she reached her door and was about to push it open, a shadowy figure landed beside her.
Shen Mingshu flicked a spark of flame between her fingers, ready to strike, but then recognized Yue Ying’s face. “Oh, it’s you. Why are you so elusive…”
“I’ve trained in qinggong since childhood,” Yue Ying said seriously. “Miss Shen, earlier, Shen Xiyan entered your room.”
Shen Mingshu’s eyes darkened. “Did she go into Pei Jingheng’s room?”
“No.”
“Good, I understand.” The moment she finished speaking, the shadow before her vanished, Yue Ying was gone.
She glanced around and spotted Yue Ying perched on a pillar at the end of the corridor, nearly invisible unless one looked closely.
Yue Ying met her gaze, blinking in disbelief.
Had his hiding spot been so easily discovered?
Shen Mingshu stopped Yun Niang and Fan Fangfang who were about to enter. “Wait, there might be something unclean inside. Let me check first.”
Fan Fangfang immediately tightened her grip on Yun Niang’s hand and said nervously, “Then we won’t go in.”