As the young woman looked around in amazement, her gaze slowly swept across the entire courtyard.
She still hadn't found the source of the plum blossom fragrance...
That was the main reason she had come here.
The young woman met someone's gaze.
The other woman looked at her with suspicion and wariness. The young woman: ...
Fortunately, she hadn't done anything.
The young woman greeted the other woman quite openly.
"Thank you."
The sincere compliment softened Madam Xiao's expression a little.
She smiled.
Her courtyard really was beautiful.
"...It smells like plum blossoms."
The young woman looked at Madam Xiao.
Madam Xiao's heart gave a slight lurch.
Plum blossoms...
She unconsciously glanced at the Plum Blossom Tree beside her.
The young woman immediately noticed.
She looked toward the tree beside them.
Its branches were bare.
With her scant knowledge of plants, she couldn't tell what kind of plant it was at all.
But based on their conversation, she had a guess.
"Is this a plum tree?"
Madam Xiao's heart skipped a beat.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she nodded.
"Mm."
There was no point in telling a lie that would be so easy to expose.
The tree was right there.
The young woman could take a photo and find out what it was.
Wouldn't lying only make it seem even more suspicious?
The young woman looked at the Plum Blossom Tree.
There were no flowers on its bare branches.
Then...
She tried hard to sniff.
Strange...
The fragrance in the courtyard didn't seem as strong as the one she'd smelled in the alley earlier.
"I smelled a really strong plum blossom fragrance earlier."
The young woman looked at Madam Xiao.
"It was especially fragrant."
"I couldn't help following the scent here."