"All right, all right, I'll listen to you."
Lin Xiangyin patted Chu Youning's hand, unable to hide the delight in her eyes.
The whole family had lunch together, and smiles returned to the faces of everyone in the Jiang Family.
Some things seemed to have changed, yet in that moment, it felt as though nothing had changed at all.
Chu Youning's coaxing soothed the ache of losing her precious darling, and Lin Xiangyin finally remembered to pick up the imperial edict and read it carefully:
"Oh my, the Emperor truly has an eye for pearls! Just look~
He praised me for having the bearing of a great household's matriarch. How embarrassing~"
"And he even said our Rong'er is a model for all the well-bred young ladies in the capital. He really does have impeccable judgment..."
Once Lin Xiangyin cheered up, the household returned to its usual rhythm.
Watching everyone enjoying themselves, Jiang He hesitated for a long time before finally addressing Chu Youning:
"Ningning."
"Hmm?"
Chu Youning looked up.
Jiang He smiled gently. "Will you take a walk with me? Help our lunch settle?"
"Sure."
Chu Youning nodded.
The two wandered through the Jiang Family estate, so familiar that they could have found their way with their eyes closed.
"Ningning, I'm sorry. If I hadn't pulled that Red String from your hand back then, none of this..."
Jiang He's eyes were thick with guilt.
Last night, he had lain on the roof in the wind, drinking all night long. Yet he had only grown more clearheaded, and the pain in his heart had only deepened.
"Second Brother, what are you saying?" Chu Youning gave him a smiling glare. "I was never a daughter of the Jiang Family to begin with. All this has done is put things back in their