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She held one in each hand and lifted them up for Jun Wuxian to see, "I want these two."

Jun Wuxian looked down at the two clay figurines in her hands, one male and one female, and complimented, "You’ve chosen well."

Xun Qingqing’s eyebrows and eyes curved into a smile at his words.

Jun Wuxian pulled out some silver pieces and handed them to the old man, "No need for change."

The old man looked at the silver pieces in his palm; he couldn’t earn this much even by selling clay figurines for a whole year.

When the old man raised his head, Jun Wuxian and Xun Qingqing had already walked far away.

Jun Wuxian glanced at the clay figurines in her hand, then turned to Xun Qingqing, "Do you like them?"

Xun Qingqing nodded vigorously, "I like them."

Jun Wuxian said, "That’s good, I have had little contact with women and don’t know much about what girls like, but Xiao Jiu said that most girls will like the things she likes."

Xun Qingqing felt her brain wasn’t quite up to speed and didn’t fully grasp the meaning of Jun Wuxian’s words, but she could tell that Jun Wuxian doted on his sister and remembered what his sister liked.

Meanwhile, the Emperor, escorting the Empress and their two treasures, had strolled for quite some time. Calculating the time, he decided to take the two little ones back to the palace.

The two little ones, probably leaving the palace for the first time, had too much fun and were somewhat reluctant to leave.

The Emperor promised that he would take them out for fun again next Mid-Autumn Festival.

Back in the East Palace, Susu took the things she bought that evening to look for Chu Lingfeng.

When Chun Xi saw that Susu was heading out without taking a bath, she followed her and asked, "Susu, where are you going?"

Susu replied seriously, "I’m going to see Little Gugu and give him the snacks."

Chun Xi smiled and said, "It’ll be the same if you send them tomorrow."

Susu insisted, "I want to send them now."

Seeing Susu so determined, Chun Xi agreed, "I will take you there."

With her eyes smilingly curved, Susu held Chun Xi’s hand and walked out.

They arrived at Chu Lingfeng’s door, where Chun Xi raised her hand and knocked.

Chu Lingfeng was about to rest when he heard the knock, came to open the door, and was momentarily stunned to see Susu standing there.

"Does the young princess need something?"

Susu held up a small package in her hands, smiling sweetly, "I’ve come to give Little Gugu some snacks to eat."

Chun Xi explained, "Young Master Chu, His Majesty took the young masters out of the palace this evening to play. They bought some snacks and trinkets from outside the palace, and the young princess couldn’t wait to bring them over to you."

Chu Lingfeng lowered his head to look at the bulging package in her hands, quite large for such a small person to carry.

"Thank you, young princess," Chu Lingfeng said, taking the package from her hands.

Once Susu had handed over the items, she smiled, dimples showing, "Little Gugu, good night."

Chu Lingfeng replied, "Mhm, young princess, good night."

Chun Xi led Susu away.

Chu Lingfeng stood at the door, watching Susu’s retreating figure until it disappeared into the night, before he lowered his gaze to the package in his hands and opened it to see various candies and pastries.

There was also a clay figurine that had been squeezed out of shape and was unrecognizable.

He gingerly took out the clay figurine, feeling a bit regretful, unsure of which one Susu had chosen for him.

*

This past month, today was the happiest day for Xun Qingqing.

Xun Qingqing and Jun Wuxian walked slowly back to the military residence.

The moon hung high, casting their elongated shadows.

The guard at the gate opened the door immediately upon seeing the lady’s return.

Xun Qingqing and Jun Wuxian stepped inside.

Xun Changfeng saw his sister returning from a distance and turned to run to the eastern chamber.

"Mother, Qingqing is back."

The general’s wife, upon learning that Jun Wuxian intended to marry her daughter, was both excited and nervous, fearing that the arrangement might fall through.

Hearing her son’s call, she left the room with the help of her maids, following him to see.

The guest quarters for Jun Wuxian had been kept ready, tended daily in case he should make a sudden visit and need a place to rest.

The path was silent.

When they reached a fork in the road, Xun Qingqing suddenly stopped and said, "Jun Wuxian, I have something for you. Please wait here for a moment."

Xun Qingqing didn’t wait for Jun Wuxian to speak and turned to run towards her chamber.

Jun Wuxian, fanning himself, watched Xun Qingqing sprinting off and laughed.

It didn’t take long for Xun Qingqing to return. Panting slightly, she handed over a sachet she had embroidered over the past few days to Jun Wuxian, her face behind her veil flushing with shyness.

"For you," she said.

Jun Wuxian, borrowing the moonlight, could faintly see the sachet in her hand. He closed his fan, took the sachet, and brought it close to his nose for a sniff. The fragrance was very subtle.

Xun Qingqing watched Jun Wuxian without blinking, worried he might not like it, due to Cai Xia telling her that her embroidery skills were not very good, and fearful he might disapprove.

Xun Qingqing, normally so confident, always felt insecure in front of Jun Wuxian.

Jun Wuxian, holding the sachet, looked up into Xun Qingqing’s eyes, a smile in his gaze, "As the saying goes, ’A courtesy given deserves a courtesy returned.’ I also have something for you."

Xun Qingqing had never expected Jun Wuxian to give her a gift on this day, so she was quite surprised and felt a thrill of excitement.

"What are you going to give me?" she asked.

Jun Wuxian tucked the sachet into his chest and then took out a beautifully delicate box from his sleeve and offered it to her.

"For you."

"Then I won’t be polite," Xun Qingqing replied eagerly, taking the exquisite box from his hand. Opening it, she discovered a hairpin inside. Under the moonlight, it emitted a soft halo.

This entire exchange was witnessed by Chu Zhao and Cai Xia from not far away.

Cai Xia couldn’t help but say, "That sachet is what our Miss spent over a month embroidering; she even pricked her hand until it bled."

Chu Zhao clicked his tongue, "What’s that compared to what my master has brought out as a betrothal gift?"