Chapter 9: Who Asked Her to Meet Tonight

Right now, Qin Yuyu is showing weakness to her simply because she hasn't grown strong yet and lacks any leverage.

Du Wan turned around and left.

Talking to this woman was less important than taking a leak.

Afterward, she washed her hands and returned to the carriage.

"Miss, it's time to eat," Chun Tao reminded her.

Du Wan immediately sat up straight. "Bring it in; I want to eat inside the carriage."

"Very well, Miss, please wait a moment."

Chun Tao was very efficient. Before long, she brought in one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a large flatbread. The flatbread was made entirely of flour, fragrant and soft.

Du Wan ate with gusto, feeling incredibly satisfied.

Before she transmigrated, she wouldn't have even glanced at such food.

But then again, she had been starving for over half a month...

After eating and drinking her fill, Du Wan patted her little belly and lay sprawled out. In a moment of happiness, she couldn't help but hum a little tune she didn't even recognize herself, her two little feet swaying back and forth.

Listening from behind the carriage curtain, Chun Tao couldn't help but smile; she was still just a little girl, after all.

Just because Du Wan didn't go out didn't mean no one would disturb her.

Chun Tao had only stepped away for a moment when someone secretly delivered a note.

There was only one line of text on the note.

Heh, she couldn't read it! She really couldn't read it!

Du Wan originally wanted to ignore it, but she still snuck out of the carriage and slipped over to Hu San.

It wasn't that she didn't want to find Mu Si'an, but she felt that Mu Si'an was an old fox and difficult to get along with.

Hu San was more honest and put her at ease.

Hu San scratched the back of his head. "What do you need me for?"

"I found a note. Can you tell me what it means?" Du Wan leaned in, whispering mysteriously.

Hu San was infected by her demeanor and seemed to become nervous himself. "What note?"

Du Wan took it out.

Hu San glanced at it a few times. "At the third quarter of the Xu hour, under the banyan tree east of the village, be there or be square."

Who was this? Asking to meet her at night?

Du Wan leaned her head in again, secretly counting the characters on the paper and comparing them to the words in Hu San's speech—not one character more, not one character less.

So, this person who asked to meet her didn't even leave a signature?

Pfft!

Sneaky and underhanded!

As if she would go to see you.

Hu San spoke honestly, "Should we hand the note over to the Heir?"

"Hand it over? Why bother the Heir with such a small matter?"

Du Wan snatched the note back.

It had thirteen characters; she had to take it back and study it, hehe.

Du Wan didn't know who this person asking to meet her was, but Hu San recognized it at a glance.

Young Master Xie the Seventh!

Aside from the handwriting, it was the paper itself!

When Young Master Xie the Seventh had written the IOU, he had used this exact type of paper, which emitted a faint scent of sandalwood.

Du Wan slipped back into the carriage.

She studied it character by character.

At the very least, she had been a straight-A student during her school days. So, it didn't take her long to memorize the thirteen characters and write them out from memory. Once she had them memorized, she tossed the note aside, told Chun Tao not to disturb her, and began to practice her skills.

At this moment, Du Wan didn't know that the contents of the little note had already reached Pei Hao.

Mu Si'an and Hu San watched Pei Hao's expression.

The two of them tried very hard to avoid letting their eyes drift toward the Heir's head.

A patch of green, oh!

Poor Heir, clearly a man of talent and appearance, why didn't Miss Du like him?

Pei Hao glanced at them sideways. "What are you doing standing here? Get lost."

"Heir, should we keep an eye on Miss Du?" Hu San couldn't help but ask.

Pei Hao was very calm. "No need to watch her. Let her be."

Mu Si'an and Hu San were puzzled but didn't ask any further.

The two walked away from the carriage, and Hu San whispered, "Do we really not need to have someone watch her? What if something happens?"

"If the Heir says no, then no."

Mu Si'an sometimes couldn't fathom Pei Hao's thoughts. "Why do you think she brought the note to you to read?"

"I'm curious about that too." Hu San was equally puzzled.

Don't think that just because Hu San was honest, he was a brute.

In reality, he was a person who appeared simple on the outside but was very meticulous on the inside.

Sometimes, when Mu Si'an overlooked things, Hu San would point them out at the right time.

Although Pei Hao had ordered them not to send anyone to watch, Mu Si'an and Hu San still kept an eye on Du Wan's carriage from time to time.

The Xu hour arrived.

A quarter passed.

Another quarter passed!

The third quarter of the Xu hour finally arrived!

Where was the carriage?

No movement! No one got out!

Huh, still silent?!

After a while longer, the carriage curtain still hadn't moved.

Mu Si'an secretly summoned Chun Tao and confirmed that the eldest Miss Du was still in the carriage.

Hu San left for a moment, then came back and shuffled over, whispering, "I went to check the east side of the village. Young Master Xie the Seventh is waiting there."

Mu Si'an asked with interest, "Alone?"

"Heh, alone." Hu San chuckled.

Mu Si'an chuckled along. "Are there a lot of mosquitoes under that tree?"

"A whole lot."

"That's quite interesting."

"Yeah, quite interesting."

The famous Young Master Xie the Seventh of the capital had been stood up.

Mu Si'an patted Hu San on the shoulder and laughed, "You stay here and watch. Such an interesting thing, I have to go tell the Heir."

Hu San: "..."

This blockhead, isn't he afraid of getting slashed?!

Mu Si'an didn't think that far ahead; he put on a serious face and went to report the situation.

Pei Hao just raised an eyebrow when he heard it.

And then?

There was no "and then." He went back to doing what he was doing.

Mu Si'an felt it was boring and went back to Hu San to follow the progress.

And so, the night passed.

Other than asking for tea once, there was no movement from Du Wan.

Young Master Xie, however, spent the night feeding mosquitoes under the banyan tree.

By the time Pei Hao's caravan set off, the corner of the carriage window was lifted, and Pei Hao saw Young Master Xie the Seventh slowly walking toward the village.

As for Du Wan?

She had woken up early, eaten something, and curled back up in the carriage. She hadn't even thought about the fact that someone had waited for her all night.

They traveled for another half day.

In the afternoon, they arrived at a small town.

Because everyone hadn't rested well the night before, Pei Hao decided to book the only inn in the small town, allowing everyone to get a good rest before setting off again the next morning.

Du Wan stepped off the carriage, looking full of energy.

Taking Chun Tao with her, she excitedly wandered around the inn.

It was as if a king had come to inspect the mountains!

Pei Hao, whose bones were aching from the bumpy carriage ride:...

Am I already getting old?

They went up to the second floor.

Du Wan chose a guest room where she could see the street from the window.

The first thing she did was ask for hot water, saying she wanted to bathe.

After a comfortable hot bath, she felt her whole body relax. If Chun Tao hadn't been calling her from outside for dinner, Du Wan wouldn't have wanted to leave the tub.

She changed into a set of clothes Chun Tao had brought.

A light green silk dress, suitable for a young girl, with exquisite craftsmanship.

No girl could dislike new clothes, and Du Wan was no exception. She happily finished dressing, turned around, and threw away her old clothes, fully embodying the trait of being fickle and loving the new.

Chun Tao brought the meal to the room.

Du Wan specifically stepped out of the room to look at the lobby downstairs.

The caravan members were all eating in the lobby, including Mu Si'an and Hu San, but she didn't see Pei Hao.

~

(End of chapter)