When Su Shijun returned to Qingqiu Mansion, it was already deep into the night.
A silent stillness seeped into every corner of Beta Town. The tranquil Qingqiu Mansion lay veiled in a thin layer of Gothic black gauze, looking very much like an aristocratic young lady draped in a voluminous black robe, seated beneath the moon and contemplating the distance between morality and the Starry Sky.
Most of the mansion's servants had already retired.
Su Shijun had no intention of disturbing them again.
Like a green butterfly, she drifted soundlessly through the garden, courtyard, entry hall, and corridors. Only when she reached the study door did she suddenly stop—she had originally planned to handle some experimental reports that had just come back that evening, but now she changed her mind and turned toward the dining room.
She simply sat silently in the darkness, slowly flipping through the materials in her hand by moonlight.
At some point, the mansion's Head Maid appeared at the dining room entrance. She looked worriedly at her mistress, hesitated as if she wanted to speak, but ultimately said nothing. She merely served her hot tea and several small pastries in silence.
"—Is Dongdong asleep?"
Su Shijun put down the experimental report in her hand and suddenly asked.
Su Man lowered her head. Her voice was soft, but her reply came very quickly. "She has already gone to rest. Today, Miss Su Yi, Miss Su Shuang, and Miss Su Shan took Miss Dongdong to play in the garden for a long time. It seemed they held a wedding for a Flower Sprite and a Grass Sprite, so she went to bed earlier than usual. She drank warm goat's milk before bed... Um, she didn't finish tracing the hundred talisman slips you assigned before falling asleep on the