He didn’t dare to think too much about what had just happened, nor could he dwell on it for fear of embarrassing himself. So, Zhao Jing began to eat the sweet pastry in a slow, deliberate manner.

The shop was quiet, with only the soft sound of two people chewing.

Next door, however, had a sudden influx of people, perhaps because it was time for lessons to begin.

One moment it was a young man, the next a middle-aged one, then a father and son arriving side-by-side.

But no matter who it was, as they passed by Chen Wanqing’s shop, they would all pretend to casually glance inside.

When they saw that the beautiful young woman was still there, joy bloomed in their hearts, and an irrepressible light shone in their eyes. But then, their gazes would shift to a handsome, striking young man sitting face-to-face with her, eating, and their brows would uncontrollably furrow into a knot.

’Who is this young man?’

’He looks to be about the same age as her. Is he her younger brother, or her fiancé?’

’He must be her brother.’

They’d heard that the young woman’s brother was close to her in age, exceptionally handsome, and a scholar. And this young man before them, aside from bearing no resemblance to her, seemed to fit Mrs. Zhu’s description perfectly.

Even knowing the young woman was betrothed and spoken for, upon seeing who they assumed was her brother, these men—young and old alike—all gave Zhao Jing a slight nod, a gesture of goodwill.

But, to their surprise, not only did the young man fail to nod back, he glared at them with an icy gaze, as if he wanted to kill them with his eyes.

’What’s that about?’

’So what if we took a few extra glances at his sister? It was just looking, that’s all. We didn’t disrespect the fair lady; in fact, we even proactively smiled at her brother to be friendly. Out of basic courtesy, shouldn’t he at least smile back?’

Zhao Jing couldn’t bring himself to smile. He was about to lose control of the anger simmering within him.

If he hadn’t heard a snippet about it from De’an yesterday afternoon, he wouldn’t have known that the shop next to Qingxiang House was recruiting umbrella-making apprentices.

The moment he’d heard, a bad feeling had washed over him, which was why he had come into town this morning. Otherwise, he had already arranged with Mr. Wang to have someone periodically deliver his assignments and pick up his finished work—he would pay for the service himself. Mr. Wang had just sent someone over yesterday. Thankfully, no one from the Chen family had paid much attention to this arrangement; otherwise, he wouldn’t have had a reasonable excuse for his trip today.

But thankfully, he had come.

He was so glad he had.

Otherwise, his sister might have been stolen away by someone else, and he wouldn’t have even known.

Zhao Jing made a decision. From now on, he would come over every few days to keep his sister company while she ran the shop.

Besides, he could study anywhere. As long as his mind was at peace, his surroundings didn’t affect him. But with him standing guard, he could ward off many of the undesirable suitors buzzing around his sister.

Zhao Jing quickly reined in his anger, burying it completely.

He finished the sweet pastry, took the oil paper from the counter, and went out to throw it away. When he returned, he sat down beside Chen Wanqing and began to read quietly.

Right next to him, Chen Wanqing was making a small purse, one stitch at a time.

As Zhao Jing watched her work on the purse, his restless heart finally grew completely still.

’What does it matter what those men outside are thinking? She has me in her heart. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so busy making a purse for me just because of a single comment I made.’

’As long as her heart is with me, everyone else’s efforts are a waste of time.’

Business that morning was merely average; they only sold a single serving of Dream Spirit Fragrance the entire time.

The shop was peaceful and quiet, which made both Chen Wanqing and Zhao Jing feel completely at ease.

Occasionally, when Zhao Jing grew tired of reading, he would look up to say a few words to her, or simply turn his head to watch the gentle arch of her brows as she embroidered. At those times, he felt as if his heart were being cleansed by the water of a hot spring—an incomparable feeling of comfort and peace.

Time seemed to slow to a leisurely pace, and Zhao Jing sincerely wished this moment could last a little longer, and then longer still.

But time is heartless, always arriving and departing in a rush.

The morning passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was time to go to the new house.

Chen Wanqing called to Zhao Jing, locked up the shop, and the two of them headed toward the new house together.

"Mother said you should wait for De’an at the entrance of his private school. Since you came here early, do you think he might still be waiting for you at the gate?"

"No, he won’t be. Before I came, I stopped by the gatehouse at the school and spoke with the gatekeeper. He said he’d pass the message to De’an for me. If the message didn’t get through, I’ll just run over there again in a bit."

"As long as you don’t find it a bother."

"It’s no bother. But I don’t think I’ll need to make that trip after all. Look ahead, Sister. Isn’t that De’an and Yao’an?"

Chen Wanqing looked up toward the mouth of the alley and, sure enough, saw the two boys. They had just turned the corner and, perhaps having spotted them from a distance, were now standing perfectly still.

From a distance, they looked silly and dazed, like two stunned geese.