The sun rose in the east, spilling warm sunlight over the treetops.
The fenced courtyard was quiet, its doors and windows all shut. Only when sunlight filtered through the canopy and fell upon the windows did faint sounds stir in a side room.
On the wooden bed, Zhe Yunli sat up blearily and stretched her arms:
"Mmm~~ Hmm?"
Halfway through her stretch, Zhe Yunli suddenly realized how soundly she had slept. She had not even noticed when her master went out.
Thinking back, she seemed to have heard a cat meowing again in her drowsiness last night. She had barely raised her head before her master tapped her asleep...
Huh?
Fully awake now, Zhe Yunli felt something was wrong-hearing strange noises in Yanjing or an inn was one thing, but there were no other little animals around this fenced garden. How could she still hear them?
Suspicion surfaced in Zhe Yunli's eyes. She glanced toward the Main House, felt that the problem must lie with Hua Qingzhi, and quietly got up, slipped on her shoes, and opened the door.
At the sound of her door opening, rustling came from the Main Room, as though someone was putting on clothes.
Zhe Yunli hurriedly assumed a demure manner, walked to Miss Hua's door, and knocked.
Knock, knock~
"Miss Hua?"
No answer came from inside, but footsteps soon approached the door.
Thud, thud, thud...
The footsteps were heavy, sounding like someone with all four limbs in working order-and a man...
?
Zhe Yunli froze, then disbelief filled her eyes.
Creak~
Having just finished dressing, Ye Jingtang opened the door and saw Yunli standing outside in white nightclothes, her hands folded at her waist, her soft, full bosom swelling her clothes as she stared at him with wide eyes.
"Yunli, you're up early?"
"..."