Perhaps They Could Work Together?

Therefore, it's best for her and Zhao Ruxi to keep to themselves and live their own lives. She should marry Fu Yunlang properly, while Zhao Ruxi should live her own life.

No, if Zhao Ruxi is reborn, or knows the future of the Marquis of Suiping's Residence, then they have another common goal: to prevent the tragedy from happening to the mansion.

No matter where they marry, their maternal family will always be a woman's strongest support. If the Marquis of Suiping's Residence is raided, even if they are not implicated, they will not fare much better. Therefore, in this life, they must never let the Marquis's mansion be involved in the struggle for the throne.

With that in mind, Zhao Ruyu decided to test Xu Xi when the time was right.

"Yunlang." She raised her eyes. "My sister is a daughter of the Marquis's family. Because my mother switched the babies, she was relegated to the countryside and suffered for so many years. It can be said that it was all because of me. Now that she has returned to the manor, she hasn't done anything to me. The reason I was sad recently was simply because I am not of the Marquis's bloodline, and I was worried that your mother would not approve of our marriage. This has nothing to do with my sister."

She shook her head. "So, please don't do anything to Zhao Ruxi because of me. If people find out, who knows what they'll say about me. It doesn't matter if my reputation is ruined, but we probably can never be together again. Your mother will never allow you to marry a woman with a bad reputation."

She paused, then added, "Of course, I don't want you to make things difficult for her, but I also don't want you to help her. After all, my relationship with her is complicated. If you get involved, it's easy for unpleasant things to happen. You should keep your distance from her."

"Sigh." Fu Yunlang sighed, his eyes filled with love as he looked at Zhao Ruyu. "Ruyu, you're always so kind and considerate. Okay, I know what to do."

Zhao Ruyu smiled shyly and said nothing more.

Xu Xi had already returned to the Marquis's residence by this time. She had dinner with the old lady and also met with the first lady. The first lady did not mention the midwife, and Xu Xi did not ask either. She told the two elders about her affairs in the North Academy, then returned to the Tea Tasting Residence, drew a few jewelry design sketches, practiced calligraphy for a while, and then went to bed.

Perhaps because she was dining with the old lady, Lady Wei was hesitant and didn't send any more dishes over.

Over the next few days, Xu Xi's life returned to normal. Nothing unusual happened at either the academy or the Marquis's residence. Apart from the fact that she found the teachers who taught the Four Books and Five Classics to be quite good and that she had benefited greatly from them, and that the zither and needlework lessons were also very interesting, there was nothing else worth mentioning.

As for the Xu Family's business, Xu Xi heard from Xu Xue that Xu Yongyi had been running around the markets in the capital these past few days, dealing with people from all walks of life, planning to promote the cold dishes to the capital and major restaurants.

Xu Xi listened and then let it go, not intending to ask any further questions.

Everyone has different ideas. Xu Yongyi has her own life plans and thoughts. She shouldn't take herself too seriously and interfere in other people's lives. She has already provided the recipe for the cold dish and analyzed the market, which is enough. As for what path Xu Yongyi to take, that's his own business.

Xu Yongyi, on the other hand, often couldn't make up his mind and would always ask Xu Xue to ask her.

"My uncle has been in business all his life and has a lot of experience. I don't know anything about it, so I wouldn't dare to give him any advice. He should make his own decisions, and if all else fails, he can always consult with my aunt."

Xu Xi and Xu Xue were talking, walking towards the pavilion not far from the classroom, someone called out to her, "Miss Xi."

She turned her head and saw that Madam Xiao's maid Xiaoru Ru, was coming this way.

"Sister Xiaoru, is it because Master Xiao wants to see me?" Xu Xi asked.

"Indeed, my wife would like the two young ladies to come over for some refreshments to discuss some matters."

"Okay. Sister Xiaoru, go back first, we'll be there in a bit," Xu Xi replied. Her design drawings were still in the North Academy.

Xu Xue instinctively wanted to decline. "Maybe I shouldn't go?"

Madam Xiao wanted to discuss opening a silver shop and designing jewelry with Xu Xi, so why was Xu Xi constantly following along and calculating?

"Xiaoxue, if you want to write good stories, you need to interact with more people and observe life. You can't close your eyes and ears and only interact with a few classmates," Xu Xi said seriously.

She discovered that Xu Xue was actually quite insecure at heart. Most of her classmates came from wealthier families than her, and she was always worried that others would look down on her. She never took the initiative to interact with people and always waited for others to show her kindness first.

Therefore, she wanted to introduce Xu Xue to more people. As she met more people and gained more experience, she would realize that she was no less capable than others, and her self-confidence would be built up.

Upon hearing Xu Xi's words, Xu Xue said nothing more.

This girl's desire to earn her own money for education had outweighed her pitiful inferiority complex. To support herself and ease her parents' burden, she was willing to take that step.

The two first went to the classroom in the North Academy to retrieve the design drafts before heading to the room where Madam Xiao was resting.

Seeing the painting tube in Xu Xi's hand, Madam Xiao's eyes lit up. She stood up and took the tube from him. "Have you painted a few more?"

As she spoke, she raised an eyebrow at Xu Xi: "Miss Xu, do you know that you've become a celebrity in the art world? Your husband, Master Kang, is showing off your paintings everywhere."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but burst into laughter. "When everyone saw the portrait you drew, their expressions were truly indescribable. They all secretly said, 'Of all people to draw, why did you have to draw Master Kang? Master Kang's dignified appearance requires everyone to carefully examine it and meticulously describe your drawing technique. It's really too difficult for people!'"

Xu Xi laughed too.

Since Master Kang hasn't taught her these past few days, Xu Xi hasn't seen him and naturally doesn't know about these things.

"There was no other way. I was only dealing with women at the time, and it wouldn't be respectful to paint anyone else. Only Master Kang could do it."

"You are such a considerate young lady," Madam Xiao remarked.

Others wouldn't care about a servant's reputation. Xu Xi risked offending Master Kang by not painting her own maid or the maids in Master Kang's household, which showed her great care and consideration for the servants. This is something many people wouldn't do. However, Xu Xi's actions were probably related to her past experiences.

Thinking this, Madam Xiao opened the design draft in her hand to take a look.

"Are these gold and silver jewelry pieces?" She looked at them one by one, still wanting more after finishing. "Why are there only five?" She looked up at Xu Xi with a reproachful expression. "Couldn't you have drawn a few more for me?"

Before Xu Xi could speak, she continued, "I took your suggestion and transferred a seasoned manager over. He said your suggestion was excellent. However, if you can draw some novel jewelry designs, it would be best to draw several for me to keep on file; otherwise, I'm not entirely confident."