[You watched Parasol Tree lower her head, her little face flushed, too shy to raise her eyes. A thought stirred in your mind.]
[Of all the Xie Clan's maids, Parasol Tree was undoubtedly the most striking. Her graceful figure and lovely face could hold their own even beside the Xie Clan's young ladies. She simply favored plain clothes and rarely dressed herself up.]
[After your mother passed away, Parasol Tree had always gone about her work cautiously. The lively sparkle a girl her age should have had was missing from her eyes.]
[But as you grew up and became a pillar of the household, Parasol Tree began to brighten. At fifteen or sixteen, she was at her most captivating, so delicate that anyone who saw her would want to protect her.]
[How many grooms and gardeners at Xie Manor had fallen for Parasol Tree and done everything they could to please her? She had never taken any of it to heart.]
[You looked at Parasol Tree and asked softly, "Come inside with me?"]
["Ah!"]
[Parasol Tree clearly had not expected you to say that. Her face and neck turned crimson at once.]
[She hurried to the courtyard gate and bolted it, as though afraid someone might see.]
[A bright moon rose into the sky, illuminating her slender figure.]
[After glancing around to make sure no one was there, she trotted inside.]
[Head lowered, she asked in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum, "Young master, your room or mine? Let's use mine. Dew Bud said the first time makes a mess everywhere, and it's hard to clean up..."]
[Her voice dwindled until she was staring at her toes.]
[You nodded. "That works too."]
[Parasol Tree stepped into her room and lit the red candle on its bronze stand. As