Lu Zhan looked up to see the smile on the girl's face quickly fade. She walked forward, looking anxious. "Cousin."
Lu Zhan's handsome brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. 'Am I that terrifying?'
With a cold and stern expression, he simply grunted in acknowledgment and stepped inside without another word.
Seeing this, Ouyang Zhenzhu hurriedly called out to stop him. "Mr. Lu!"
Lu Zhan glanced back at her, his voice cold and distant. "What is it?"
Ouyang Zhenzhu was taken aback. The joy she had felt upon seeing him vanished in an instant.
Before, she had been overjoyed at the thought of seeing him. But now, faced with his cold and distant gaze, she couldn't utter a single word.
"I... I..."
Lu Zhan said coolly, "I have other business to attend to. Excuse me."
Ouyang Zhenzhu felt utterly defeated as she watched him walk away.
Zhi Wan looked at her with some sympathy, but there was nothing she could do. She could only say, "Zhenzhu, let's go buy some candied hawthorns. They're really sweet."
Ouyang Zhenzhu nodded and followed her into the carriage.
Once inside, Ouyang Zhenzhu looked like she was on the verge of tears as she complained, "Your cousin is so cold."
"He's always like that, with everyone. He's not singling you out," Zhi Wan said.
At these words, Ouyang Zhenzhu's sadness dissipated. She looked at her friend sympathetically instead. "It must be so hard on you, having to live under the same roof as someone like him."
Zhi Wan blinked. 'It's not so bad. Lu Zhan and I barely interact.'
"Why... do you admire him so much?" Zhi Wan couldn't help but ask.
'In her eyes, her cousin was cold, a stickler for rules, stern, and hard to get along with. You'd have to be a glutton for punishment to want to live with someone like that.'
"He's incredibly handsome—widely considered the most beautiful man in the Capital. On top of that, he's exceptionally talented. He's already the head of the Ministry of Justice at such a young age! All the noble young ladies in the Capital admire him and want to marry him," Ouyang Zhenzhu said, ticking off Lu Zhan's virtues on her fingers.
'Her cousin was indeed handsome, and his capabilities were undeniable.'
Zhi Wan couldn't argue with that.
"It's not that I actually want to marry him," Ouyang Zhenzhu clarified. "It's like... an actor on stage. If they perform well, they'll naturally have many fans. I-I just admire Mr. Lu's skill in solving cases."
'An actor?'
Zhi Wan shot her an admiring glance.
'Ouyang Zhenzhu certainly had guts, comparing her cousin to an actor.'
When they reached the marketplace, the two of them left the carriage to walk.
The streets were bustling with people and bursting with energy.
Since moving into the Duke Dingguo Mansion, Zhi Wan had led a sheltered life and rarely went out. On the rare occasions she did, it was always with Lady Wei. But Lady Wei would never lead her into a crowd; their outings were confined to high-end establishments selling jewelry, fine clothing, and cosmetics.
She had almost never had an experience like this, just strolling through the streets.
She had, of course, strolled like this with her parents when she was a little girl.
But that was a very long time ago.
Ouyang Zhenzhu had none of the typical airs of a high-born lady. She pulled Zhi Wan by the hand to watch acrobats, play pitch-pot, and buy all sorts of tasty treats and fun trinkets.
Zhi Wan had a wonderful time, and the hands of the maids and servants trailing them were soon laden with purchases.
After they finished at the market, Ouyang Zhenzhu expertly led Zhi Wan to a bookshop.
Before they went in, she whispered mysteriously, "Wanwan, they have a lot of really *good* books in here. I'll pick a few out for you in a moment."
Zhi Wan didn't think much of it and nodded. "Alright."
Once inside the shop, Ouyang Zhenzhu pulled Zhi Wan to a bookshelf in the corner. She quickly plucked several books and a few illustrated albums from the shelf and thrust them into Zhi Wan's arms.
"This is so many, I'll never be able to read them all." Looking at the thick stack in her arms, Zhi Wan already felt a headache coming on.
She did enjoy some light reading in her spare time, but she was a slow reader. Being handed so many at once was overwhelming.
Seeing her look so alarmed, Ouyang Zhenzhu said with an amused laugh, "They're just light reading to pass the time, not textbooks for studying. Trust me, take them all. I guarantee you'll end up wishing you had more."
Zhi Wan gave her a skeptical look, then flipped open one of the illustrated albums.
Upon seeing the steamy images inside, her face flushed hot, and she hastily snapped the album shut.
Her heart began to pound. THUMP-THUMP.
'The men in that album... it looked like they were all... unclothed.'
Zhi Wan's face burned. Only then did it dawn on her what kind of "good books" Ouyang Zhenzhu had been talking about.
She felt a mix of shame and nervousness, but beneath it all, an indescribable thrill.
'Thankfully, she was wearing a veiled hat and didn't have to worry about being recognized.'
Ouyang Zhenzhu selected a few more books herself, then pulled Zhi Wan over to pay.
Zhi Wan hesitated for a moment, but in the end, her curiosity overcame her reason.
As she left the bookshop clutching the books, her face was still burning, but she felt a prickle of curiosity, eager to get back and examine them more closely.
Apparently, Ouyang Zhenzhu was thinking the same thing.
She pulled Zhi Wan into the carriage, dropped her off at the Duke Dingguo Mansion, and then departed in a great hurry.
The moment she returned to Yaoguang Pavilion, Zhi Wan shoved all the books and albums under her bedding. She took a moment to calm her racing heart before starting to sort through her other purchases.
She had bought gifts for Lady Wei, Duke Dingguo, and Lu Zhan.
She had bought a purple silk shawl for Lady Wei, a jar of Autumn Dew White wine for Duke Dingguo, and a fine purple-hair brush for Lu Zhan. None of them were cheap; Zhi Wan had spent nearly all the silver Lady Wei gave her on these items.
"Take this wine and this brush to my uncle and cousin. Make sure you don't mix them up," Zhi Wan instructed Shuang'er.
"I understand, Miss. I won't mix them up, you can rest assured," Shuang'er replied with a smile.
"You can go, then." Zhi Wan placed the items in her hands.
Once Shuang'er had left, she took the shawl she'd bought for Lady Wei and headed to Lan Courtyard herself.
Since Shuang'er was off delivering the other gifts, a different maid, Dongxiang, accompanied Zhi Wan this time.
Dongxiang was a maid from the Duke Dingguo Mansion whom Lady Wei had assigned to Zhi Wan. She was generally quite diligent in her service.
"You are so thoughtful, Miss. The lady will surely be pleased," Dongxiang said with a compliment.
Zhi Wan smiled. "My aunt dotes on me, so it is only right that I show my appreciation."
「Vermilion Bird Hall.」
Lu Zhenbei was in the middle of a game of chess with his younger brother, Lu Jingsi.
Just then, a young servant named Zhao Changping came in, carrying a wine jar.
Lu Zhenbei saw it and asked casually, "Who is that from?"
"My Lord," Zhao Changping replied respectfully, "the Miss had her maid deliver it. She said she was out today and brought this Autumn Dew White back especially for you."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhenbei's expression softened. "The child is very thoughtful. Set it aside for now. Since the Second Master is here, we can share a few cups later."
Lu Jingsi's eyes flickered as he looked at the wine jar. He smiled and said, "That child, Zhi Wan, is certainly a grateful one. But from what I've seen, Eldest Sister-in-Law has truly treated her like her own daughter over the years."
Lu Zhenbei nodded. "My wife and I have no daughter of our own, and Zhi Wan is such a well-behaved, sensible child. If she were willing to become our daughter, nothing would make us happier."
Hearing this, Lu Jingsi's smile faltered slightly. But he quickly adopted a joking tone again. "What are you saying, Big Brother? My Xin'er has always respected you and Eldest Sister-in-Law. If you'd like, I could have her acknowledge you as her parents and serve you filially. After all, Zhi Wan is the last of the Zhi family. She needs to carry on their line. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to be adopted by you."