Before he knew it, this was already their third day at Watercloud Manor, the commandery governor's summer retreat. After lunch, Xueyi and Qiong Rong stood before the two luxuriant flowering trees in the courtyard and reported to Xing Yan what had happened when Auntie Wang from the Bai household summoned them that morning.
As the two sisters filled in each other's account, Xing Yan found it amusing, but for the first time, he also felt that their host, Bai Shijun, had acted rather abruptly. At least in name, he was still the two girls' master; courtesy demanded that he be informed first about something so important. After spending two or three days with this celebrated young talent, Xing Yan now realized that, unlike Nangong Qiuyu, the aristocratic young man he had met at Wondrous Radiance Palace, Yulin's youthful success story was not quite as sincere beneath his polished manners.
Of course, despite this vague impression, in an age of rigid social distinctions, it was already exceedingly rare for someone of Bai Shijun's standing to treat them so well. Thinking of this, Xing Yan felt all the more strongly that Ju Ying's ability to get along so comfortably with him for so long was truly an exception.
Just as he was thinking of Ju Ying, Qiong Rong suggested that they visit her again that day, because she very much wanted to go boating on the lake. At her suggestion, Xing Yan looked up at the sky. Banks of clouds hung low in the summer afternoon sky, and although they repeatedly screened the fierce sunlight, not a breath of wind stirred in the little courtyard, making it especially sultry.
On such a stifling afternoon, going to the lakeside for a cool breeze was certainly better than being cooped up in a tiny