Miss and farmhand

Huang Chu was about to agree.

What difficulty could Zhu Xiaoxu possibly have? If it weren't for their own business, Zhu Xiaoxu would often come over every few days even without being invited.

But I immediately realized something was wrong.

At this point, what else could they possibly want to say in private?

Even if they had something to say, why put Huang Chu in the middle? Zhu Xiaoxu had servants, and Luo San had people serving him at his aunt's place; it would be convenient for them to pass on a message.

She also told Huang Chu not to tell Zhu Xiaoxu that it was she who had come to him.

This cover-up doesn't seem like it's to keep it from others; rather, it seems like it's to lure Zhu Xiaoxu out.

Huang Chu suddenly remembered the words the man had warned her not long ago.

Don't meddle in their affairs. You don't know.

She had previously thought she knew. While it's always against social norms for men and women to secretly fall in love, the consequences can be minor or major. If it's kept secret and eventually leads to marriage, it's not a big deal, and it can even be a beautiful story to tell later.

But now, Huang Chu is uncertain.

She tentatively asked, "Aunt, has something happened between you and my senior brother?"

Luo San kept a straight face, revealing not a single clue that could be deduced.

But her nervousness was already a very obvious sign.

Huang Chu couldn't help but ask, "Was it my senior brother...?"

The only explanation is that something went wrong on Zhu Xiaoxu's side; in this kind of situation, only the young woman suffers.

Luo San clicked his tongue. "Don't ask anymore. Just invite him to the garden so I can have a few words with him alone. That shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"

She glanced at Huang Chu with a hint of bitterness, her voice low and tinged with self-deprecation.

"If you invite him, he will definitely come."

This was rather strange. Huang Chu had no idea that it was because in the two days since returning from the Zhu residence, Luo San and Shen Yurui had sent people several times to invite Zhu Xiaoxu, both in the name of Miss Luo San and in the name of Master Huang, but Zhu Xiaoxu's servant kept saying that his master was not at the academy and could not keep the appointment. Luo San and Shen Yurui were convinced that he was unwilling to come.

This is something even more terrifying than Madam Zhu's attitude towards her.

Shen Yurui was also troubled, "We've decided on a plan, what's the use if he doesn't come?"

This time, Luo San herself thought of asking Huang Chu for help. When she told Shen Yurui, Shen Yurui couldn't help but glance at her sideways.

Once a person is determined to burn their bridges and cut off all escape routes, they can be exceptionally cruel to themselves.

"How is it, Auntie?" Luo San urged, "My aunt hasn't asked you for anything, she just wants your help this time. There won't be any trouble. You just need to send a servant over now, and after a short while, the rest is none of your business."

After all, she was an elder, and her urgency was so compelling that Huang Chu was swayed by her words. Just as she was about to nod, she saw the man emerge from behind the artificial rock not far away and glance in their direction.

He must have seen Miss Luo coming to find Huang Chu, so he followed. He's the one who spends the most time in the garden now, as Huang Xingtong still has some matters to attend to at the academy.

Luo San followed Huang Chu's gaze and saw the man. He vaguely remembered that the man was someone who had influence with Zhu Xiaoxu, so he waved to him and called out, "Come here."

Huang Chu was startled and quickly grabbed Luo San, "Don't call him, he won't listen."

The man didn't come; it seemed he just came to show up briefly before turning around and leaving.

Luo San frowned. "Isn't he a servant?"

Huang Chu didn't want to go into details, so he only said, "Today was too rushed. Aunt, go back first and let me think of a solution. I will definitely help you."

Luo San panicked when he heard her say that it wouldn't work today.

"Why the rush? It's just to deliver a message—"

"Auntie, you don't know, although my senior brother is quite close to our family, the academy is not just his place or ours alone. There are many other students there, and I have never sent anyone from the inner quarters to the academy. The messengers there are all from Father's study, and the rules are very strict. But if Father finds out about this, it won't be good for you either."

Luo San was momentarily speechless. Huang Chu's words made perfect sense. Jianshan Academy, with someone like Master Huang in charge, had a rigorous academic atmosphere, unlike the free environment of their own garden. It was a place for studying Confucian classics and observing rules. Shen Yurui could send someone over under the pretext of finding Master Huang without overstepping the rules, but Zhu Xiaoxu refused to see anyone from their side, which was why he wanted to use Huang Chu's name.

She simply refused to consider the subtle dynamics of the situation. She always suspected that Huang Chu was just making excuses for her and wasn't genuinely willing to help.

"It's just a message, why is it so complicated..." she seemed to be talking to herself.

Huang Chu sighed, "Men come and go as they please. We didn't notice it before, but now that they don't show themselves, we realize how inconvenient it is for us in the inner quarters."

"Then... if that's the case, then there's absolutely no way to help me. How else can you possibly help me...?"

"Aunt, don't worry, let me think. There must be a way. My senior brother won't stay away from my house forever."

Luo San seemed startled by the word "forever" in Huang Chu's words, and even shivered.

She left, dejected and heartbroken.

Huang Chu felt sorry for her. She was confused and didn't understand why a simple marriage, with no obstacles, neither of them married, and both in love, had become so complicated.

She had no one to talk to. It's best not to delay this matter; Luo San is so anxious, if it's not resolved quickly, she'll definitely feel bad.

She didn't expect Luo San to be so anxious that he couldn't wait for her solution and went to find Zhu Xiaoxu himself.

It was still night.

The next morning, when Shen Yurui didn't see Luo San get up, she went to her room and found it empty, with no one in sight, not even the bedding touched. Terrified, she frantically searched everywhere for her. Finding her missing, she led a group to Shen Xuying, asking if she had seen Miss Luo San.

Shen Xuying, of course, didn't see her either. Losing her daughter was a serious matter, so she didn't dare to be negligent. She immediately called for people to search the house and garden to see where Xu had stayed yesterday and hadn't gotten up yet. It was possible that she had spent the night outdoors after the weather got warmer.

However, Luo San was not seen in the garden or at home.

Huang Chu had already realized what Luo San might have done, and was too frightened to speak by her audacity.

She hesitated whether to voice her guess. Luo San might be at the academy. She herself had told Luo San that the back gate of the garden led to the academy, which was located halfway up the mountain. It was a gate for gentlemen, never locked. The house had servants on patrol at night, but given how large the house was and how few people lived there, it would have been easy for Luo San, a woman, to slip past the servants through the back gate.

She was so disappointed with Huang Chu yesterday, and clearly didn't believe Huang Chu could really help her. Did she go straight back to her aunt's house after she left? She might have just been wandering around the garden the whole time, and didn't actually go back; they just mistakenly thought she did. And since her aunt didn't see her for dinner, they might have assumed she stayed for dinner.

Luo San's mental state is so poor; could she be getting stuck in a rut? Xu, in her anxiety, didn't bother to inform anyone and went directly to the academy to find Zhu Xiaoxu and get some answers. This was typical of Luo San's personality; she's always been straightforward.

If Luo San didn't come back last night, he must have stayed with Zhu Xiaoxu, right?

There's no other explanation.

Huang Chu wasn't worried about Luo San's safety, but he was very dissatisfied with Zhu Xiaoxu. Even if they were mutually attracted and had been dating in private for so long, it was really inappropriate for him to leave a woman overnight without urging her to send someone to escort her home. He never expected his senior brother to be this kind of person.

Therefore, his expression became extremely awkward.

"Mother, you're close to your aunt, do you know where she might be? Is she perhaps napping in some secret corner of the garden that you two discovered? If so, you must tell me, this is no joke," Shen Xuying said anxiously. "If we still have no clue, we'll have to report it to the authorities. A young lady's safety cannot be delayed."

Upon hearing that the authorities had been notified, Huang Chu realized what was happening.

Reporting this to the authorities would expose Luo San's reputation. It would be better to tell his family, even if word got out in the academy, the women might offer some protection.

She then truthfully recounted what she knew about Zhu Xiaoxu and Luo San.

Shen Xuying was naturally extremely shocked. But regardless of when Zhu Xiaoxu and Luo San had developed feelings for each other, and what her mother should do, she knew what was important and what was urgent. She quickly sent someone to the academy to find the master and ask him to inquire whether Zhu Xiaoxu's cousin was with him.

Before long, Huang Xingtong and Zhu Xiaoxu returned in a hurry.

Shen Xuying looked behind them, but Luo San was not there.

"What happened? Zhirong, where is Miss Biao?"

Huang Xingtong said with a stern face, "Miss Biao is not in the academy."

Everyone was shocked, even Shen Yurui was stunned.