With legs weak, the sickly stable boy became a mad regent.

Shen Nannan blinked, turned her face away, put the silver note away, cleared her throat (her voice was still a little hoarse),

"Who's crying? The wind is blowing."

There's no wind in the room.

"If I say it's there, then it's there."

"Yes, if Miss says so, then so be it."

She glared at him, and he lowered his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Shen Nannan looked at him, then suddenly reached out, grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him to sit down beside her.

"Ah Chao".

"Um."

"Consider this money a loan from me."

She looked into his eyes and said earnestly,

"Once the border matters are settled, I will repay you double."

He looked at her for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

His eyebrows curved, and the coldness in his eyes melted away, revealing a clean and innocent youthful spirit beneath.

"My things originally belonged to Miss."

"Whatever Miss wants, let alone a million taels of silver, I can even seize the entire world for you."

Shen Nannan's heart skipped a beat when he laughed.

Look away and pretend to sort through the banknotes.

He held her fingers gently, without any force, but she couldn't break free.

"Miss."

"what?"

"I don't want the money."

He leaned closer and spoke in a low voice.

"Change to something else."

Shen Nannan's heart started racing again: "Change to what?"

He stared at her, his gaze sliding from her eyes to her lips, pausing for a moment, then looking away.

"I'll owe you for now."

He released her hand, stood up, and a slight smile curved his lips.

"I'll come and ask for it again when Miss is ready."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Shen Nannan sat at the table, watching his back disappear through the door, her heart pounding, and it took her a long time to calm down.

Shen Nannan turned and went out the door.

Shen Run was pacing anxiously in the courtyard. He rushed over as soon as he saw her: "Nannan, news has come from the border. Father's side—"

"I see."

Shen Nannan interrupted him, "The money matter is settled."

Shen Run was taken aback: "You have money?"

"Yes." She nodded. "We've collected enough."

Shen Run opened his mouth, clearly wanting to ask where it came from, but seeing her confident gaze, he swallowed his words.

"The grain supplies—"

"Have someone take care of it tomorrow," Shen Nannan said calmly, looking into the distance. "The sooner the better."

Shen Run nodded, turned to leave, then stopped and looked back at her.

"My little girl."

"Um?"

"You've changed," he said, his voice carrying an indescribable quality.

"Much better than before."

Shen Nannan paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Brother," she called to him.

"Um?"

"You've changed too," she said. "You're much more reliable than before."

Shen Run scratched his head, unusually embarrassed: "Go away, when has your brother ever been unreliable?"

He turned and left, his steps light, as if he had unloaded a heavy burden.

Shen Nannan stood in the courtyard, watching his back, and suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

In my past life, my brother was the same way.

He's usually carefree and irresponsible, but when it really matters, he never lets you down.

In her past life, however, she was unable to help him.

This life is different now.

"Miss."

Ah Chao's voice came from behind me.

She turned around.

He stood under the eaves, holding a rabbit in his arms, his youthful features as clean as a figure in a painting.

"It's windy outside."

He said, "It's time to go back."

Shen Nannan looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Ah Chao".

"Um."

"You're standing there holding a rabbit, it looks like you're holding a gold ingot."

He looked down at the rabbit in his arms, a rare tenderness in his eyes.

"What this servant wants to hold is not it..."

The rabbit tilted its head back, its red eyes darting around, looking puzzled.

Shen Nannan's ears turned red, and she turned her face away.

She took two steps, then turned back and glared at him: "Stop laughing all the time."

Why?

"It's too dazzling."

He was stunned for a moment, and before he could say anything, she had already gone inside and closed the door.

Ah Chao stood under the eaves, looking at the closed door, and raised his hand to touch the corner of his mouth.

It's still bent.

He lowered his hand, leaned against the pillar, and looked up at the moon in the sky.

The moonlight was so bright that it stretched his shadow long, all the way to the threshold of the door.

He stared at it for a long time.

Inside the house, Shen Nannan leaned against the door, her heart pounding, and it took her a long time to calm down.

She walked to the table, sat down, spread out the paper, ground the ink, and picked up her pen to write a letter.

[To my dearest father: The war at the border is tense, but I am doing well in the capital, so please do not worry. I have taken over the management of the household affairs. Arrangements have been made for the provisions, and they will be shipped out soon...]

She stopped writing halfway through and looked out at the moonlight.

Ah Chao was still standing under the eaves, his shadow reflected on the window paper, quiet and still, like a landscape that would never leave.

She lowered her head and continued writing.

At the end of the letter, she added a line:

[My daughter has a man named A-Chao by her side. When Father returns, my daughter wishes to introduce him to you.]

After she finished writing, she looked at it again and felt embarrassed, so she wanted to cross out the last line.

But the pen tip hovered there, and after hesitating for a long time, it still didn't make a stroke.

She folded the letter, put it in the envelope, and pressed a red handprint on the seal.

"Qiuyu," she called out.

"Miss?" Qiu Yu pushed open the door and came in.

"Have Luo Fei deliver this letter to the border first thing tomorrow morning." She handed over the letter. "Urgent."

Qiu Yu took the letter and glanced at Shen Nannan. Shen Nannan had already turned around and sat down in front of the dressing table, taking off her hairpin in front of the bronze mirror. Her ears were red, as if she had done something shameful.

Qiu Yu wisely refrained from asking any questions and left with the letter in her pocket.

Shen Nannan sat in front of the dressing table and took off the hairpins one by one, putting them into the dressing box.

I blew out the light, lay down on the bed, and tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

My mind was a jumble of images. One moment I saw my father at the border, the next I saw Tong Shi lying on the ground, and then I saw A Chao standing under the eaves.

Moonlight filtered through the window screen, drawing a silvery-white line on the ground.

She turned over and buried her face in the pillow.

There was something hard under the pillow. She reached under and pulled out a piece of milk candy.

Wrapped in oil paper, it was small, just like the one from earlier that day. She stared at the candy for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

Just how many things did this person stuff under her pillow?

She popped the candy into her mouth; it was sweet and had a strong milky flavor, so sweet that it melted her heart.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep quickly this time.

Under the eaves, Ah Chao leaned against a pillar. Hearing the breathing inside the room become long and even, he slowly straightened up.

He walked to the window and peeked inside through the curtain.

Under the moonlight, she curled up on the bed, the blanket kicked to one side, revealing a pale white foot.

The corners of his mouth were still curved, as if he was having a sweet dream.

He unwrapped a piece of milk candy and popped it into his mouth; the sweetness melted on his tongue.

He remembered that many years ago, a girl had given him a piece of candy.

He had just escaped and was huddled in a street corner, covered in wounds.

A piece of candy rolled to his feet. He looked up and saw a little girl standing in front of him, wearing a pale yellow shirt, with two little pigtails, and her round face full of disdain.

"It's filthy," she said. "Here, eat it."

Then she turned and ran away, but after a few steps she came back and threw all the silver she had on her at him.

"Don't die here, you filthy!"

He leaned back against the pillar and looked up at the moon.

The matter of supplies will be settled tomorrow.

If Qian Mingyuan dares to obstruct things again at the Ministry of Revenue, he wouldn't mind killing another "old hen".