Under the bright sign of "Tea Residence", the shopkeeper greeted customers with a warm smile. He smiled and saw off the customer who followed the store staff into the store, then turned back to smile and gaze at the crowd. In the flow of people, he caught sight of Jin Yujian, who had come from afar, and his eyebrows were raised in surprise. Still, he rushed out to welcome the customer, speaking softly to the store staff, who quickly retreated into the store with a look of astonishment.

  Jiang Wanru followed the crowd to the entrance of Cha Ju Yi Pin, where she saw the enthusiastic smile of the shopkeeper. He greeted her with a laugh, saying: "Miss, it's been a while since we've seen you, and you look completely different! I almost didn't recognize you!" Jiang Wanru smiled back at him and nodded, turning to leave. Cha Ju Yi Pin was always a place that catered to the wealthy, and its prices were not something ordinary people could afford. In the past, Chu Xiao had paid for her, so she had been able to come and go as she pleased. Now that everything was out in the open, no one would be paying for her anymore.

  The shopkeeper looked at Jiang Wanru, thinking she wanted to leave, and he was a bit anxious. He glanced inside the store, unintentionally blocking her way. He softly said to Jiang Wanru: "Miss, I must thank you, my younger brother is very happy working in the bookstore." Jiang Wanru heard this and thought that with so many customers coming in, the shopkeeper shouldn't have so much free time to chat with her. She smiled and said: "Little second brother, you should attend to your customers. Xiao San is a down-to-earth person, he's doing well in the bookstore, I'm happy too."

  Jiang Wanmu tried to leave again, but the shopkeeper inadvertently blocked her way once more. The shopkeeper saw the person who came out of the store and relaxed his tense heart, thinking that he had made a good bet today and would still be able to get a heavy reward later. Chu Xiao's servant, Zhu Ge, walked out at this time and called out to Jiang Wanmu, who was about to leave: "Young Mistress Laziness, Master has invited you." Jiang Wanmu heard the voice, turned her head, and saw the tall figure of Chu Xiao, pointing to herself and saying: "Your master wants to invite me?"

  A smile appeared in Chu Mai's eyes. Looking at her, he bowed his head and said: "Miss, it's my master who invites you to dinner." Jiang Wanru's face turned red, feeling embarrassed by what she had just said. She followed Chu Mai upstairs, saw the guard standing at the door of the private room, turned around and asked Chu Mai: "Brother Mai, isn't Sister Yi here?" Chu Mai smiled and nodded: "Master has something to do today, so Mistress didn't come." Jiang Wanru stopped in her tracks upon hearing this and said: "Since Brother Yi is busy, I'll come visit him another time."

  Jiang Wanru was about to run away, but Chu Dui blocked her way. Chu Xiao's voice rang out: "You're here, yet you don't want to see me? How long do you plan on hiding from me? Come in." Jiang Wanru glanced at the tall and imposing figure of Chu Dui and said in a soft voice: "Dui ge, if Master gets angry later, it would be terrible. Can you please put in a good word for me?" Chu Dui looked at her and replied calmly: "Master has never been one to unjustly scold people, Master is strict with Miss because he cares about you. If you've done something wrong, just apologize sincerely to Master."

  Jiang Wanru took a deep breath after hearing this, her face showing the expression of "the wind is blowing gently, the water is cold, the brave warrior has gone and will not return". She stood up straight, pushed open the door of the private room, and saw Chu Xiao sitting at the table in a dark purple robe, his movements elegant. There was no one else in the room. Chu Xiao raised his eyes to look at Jiang Wanru standing in front of the private room door, her pink flower-patterned brocade dress making her small face shine brightly with a rosy complexion, showing the beauty of a young woman.

  Chu Xiao looked up at her hair, still seeing the simple hairstyle with only a silver pin on top. He gazed at the person by the door and thought of that little servant girl who had smiled brightly at him, saying: "Big brother, I learned all the characters you taught me last time. Can you teach me some more?" He liked the servant girl's eagerness to learn, and when they happened to meet, he would casually teach her to read and write. Later, he grew fond of her pure and innocent eyes, her simple desire for knowledge, and eventually thought about giving her a future by acknowledging her as his adopted younger sister.

  Chuxiao recalled the joy in her eyes at that time, and then the loss that floated in them later. Finally, she smiled and raised her eyes to say, "Alright, I'm willing to acknowledge you as my sworn brother. However, heroes don't ask about their origins, only where they're headed. You promise me this one thing, and I'll make a pact with you." Chuxiao understood the profound meaning behind her words from that moment he saw her in the Wang Manor. Chuxiao looked at the woman standing at the door, not daring to enter, and raised his eyes to say, "You've gotten into some kind of trouble outside, and now you don't dare face me?"

  Jiang Wanru heard him say this, and immediately walked in quickly, sitting directly in front of him, smiling and saying: "Brother Yi, I'm older now, and I won't go fighting with others anymore." Chu Dui heard this and smiled, lightly closing the door to the private room. Chu Xiao carefully looked Jiang Wanru up and down a few times, nodding slightly and saying: "Hmm, you finally look like a woman now." Jiang Wanru heard Chu Xiao say this, thinking to herself that having someone who has watched her grow up since childhood isn't always a good thing.

  She ran into Chu Xiao for the second time when she was having a rare outburst of feminine rage. While strolling down East Street, she accidentally bumped into a young servant, and after retreating, the youngster felt particularly dissatisfied, pulled in his companions, and the two of them pounced on her without warning. Having endured many days of humiliation at the Jiang's household, she didn't expect to be bullied while out shopping. Her anger flared up fiercely, and she counterattacked with all her might, using every limb and tooth, taking on the two of them alone. It was Chu Xiao who intervened, separating the three of them, and the two youngsters burst into tears on the spot, just because she stood her ground stubbornly.

  Jiang Wanru's face turned red as she thought of the past. After that, she met Chu Xiao again and again, and found that he didn't have the usual arrogant attitude of a nobleman. So, she plucked up her courage, picked up a twig, and wrote on the ground to ask him for guidance. Chu Xiao was willing to give her the opportunity to learn, and they gradually became closer. Later, they agreed to meet again at a certain time. It would be more accurate to say that he played the role of her life mentor most of the time, rather than just being her brother. Looking at Chu Xiao's calm demeanor, she thought for a moment before speaking: "Brother, I'm sorry, I hid..."

  Chu Xiao shook his head and said, "This is not your fault. We had agreed earlier not to mention each other's family backgrounds. When you got married, we mentioned your family background only because we were worried that if something happened to you, we wouldn't know where to find you." Chu Xiao stopped here, smiled as he looked at Jiang Wan, and continued, "This is the second time I've seen you wear silk clothes, and you look quite good in them, like a proper lady. In the past, when your sister-in-law and I mentioned the stupid Miss of the Jiang family in front of you, you reacted as if we were talking about someone else."

  "So we two privately guessed your family background, and never thought in that direction. We thought your family was ordinary, and you were an illegitimate daughter who wasn't valued at home. Your sister-in-law even told me yesterday that your life must be better than Jiang's third miss." Jiang Wanmu looked at Chu Xiao with a surprised gaze, knowing they were deeply in love, so it shouldn't be that Chu Xiao would hide the truth from Chu Yangshi. Chu Xiao naturally saw Jiang Wanmu's gaze and said to her: "When you're in the Wang Manor for one day, don't reveal your true identity as Jiang's stupid miss when you see your sister-in-law."

  Your sister-in-law has always been good to you, and if someone mentions your shortcomings in front of her after knowing the truth, she will not be able to help but speak up for you. If you have other ideas, let her help you like this, it might even be counterproductive. Your marriage with Lianhao, is it really only three years as rumored outside? Chu Xiao asked, unable to help but seek the truth. Jiang Wanyu saw the curiosity in his eyes and couldn't help but laugh, nodding and saying: "Yes, and more than a year, I can leave the Wang Fu."

  Chu Xiao's face didn't look so good after hearing Jiang Wan's words, and he coldly said: "They're doing this to ruin your life. In three years' time, you can remarry, but the number of people you can choose from won't be that many. Moreover, with the King's household pressing down on you, everything you do will be under scrutiny. If the person you marry in the future has a weak temperament, your days won't be easy. The Jiang family is being too overbearing, treating you like one of their own, when in fact they're treating you like an arch-nemesis."

  Looking at the angry face in front of her, she lowered her head and looked at her own hands, thinking that it was good that there were still a few people in this world who were truly thinking of her. She raised her head and smiled lightly: "Brother Yi, don't be angry. I used three years to repay the great kindness of the Jiang family, and I think this account is not a loss. After leaving the Wang Fu, I will be free, and the world is so big that I can live in the capital city all my life. When I feel like it, I'll go to warm places to take a walk and see how people outside are living."

  Chu Xiao listened to Jiang Wanru's words, looking at her slender figure, and shook his head: "Little lazy, outside places, everywhere needs silver. And you are a woman, if you carry too much silver on your body, it won't be safe. Those places may not be better than the capital city. You'd better stay in the capital, Jiang's family doesn't bother you, I and your sister-in-law will find a stable place to settle you when we return. After a few years, when the rumors have faded away and no one notices you, my sister-in-law and I will help you find a good man with all our hearts, then you can live a peaceful life."

  Jiang Wanru shook her head slightly, looking at Chu Xiao and saying seriously: "Brother, I can take care of myself, thank you for your kindness. After entering the Wang Manor, my Jiang family will have nothing to do with me again. In the future when I leave the Wang Manor, the Wang Manor will also have nothing to do with me. However, those people may not like it if I live a better life than they imagine in front of everyone, and I don't want to implicate you all. I've thought about it, these years I've always felt uncomfortable, I want to indulge myself, go out and broaden my horizons, when I come back to the capital, I think they won't have the heart to pay attention to me either."

  Jiang Wanmu gazed at Chu Xiao's concerned eyes, thinking of what he had taught her before: "Little lazy one, evil will never prevail over good. In the future, you must plan your actions well and not act impulsively. Also, don't argue with others recklessly, and where reason can be used, don't resort to violence." Her eyes reddened as she knew that Chu Xiao had always treated her like a young son, hoping she would become an upright person and stand proudly in front of others in the future. After her true identity as a woman was revealed, Chu Yangshi had been cultivating her into a gentle and elegant lady. The couple had always treated her with deep affection.

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  Hard study