The Duke of Wei and Second Master Xu were not in the manor, so Xie Jiang followed Xu Hengyi directly to the back residence.
More accurately, she headed straight for the Shou'an Courtyard, the residence of the Grand Madam Xu.
After all, in the eyes of the world, she was a man, and no household would tolerate her wandering freely in the back residence.
As they walked from the outer courtyard, Xie Jiang saw servants coming and going throughout the manor, their movements infused with a festive air.
"Isn't Xu Hengyan's wedding at the end of the year? Why are they already starting to prepare?"
"There's a lot to prepare for a wedding. It's obvious you've never been married."
"As if you have? You're a virgin who doesn't even know where to look when you go to a brothel..."
"..."
Xu Hengyi wanted to retort but couldn't. He had only been to brothels a few times with Xie Jiang; he himself had never gone for pleasure.
Xu Hengyi glared at Xie Jiang, his face turning red from suppressed frustration, but he couldn't deny being a virgin.
Many young nobles in the capital had ruined their health due to women at a young age, so his grandmother and mother were particularly strict with them in this regard.
"What do you know!" After a long pause, that was all he could manage.
"What don't I know?" Xie Jiang had been a workaholic in her past life, with little time for leisure and romance, but she possessed an unshakeable confidence, appearing like a seasoned veteran.
"..." Xu Hengyi's resentful gaze was now tinged with a hint of jealousy. "Our family has strict upbringing. My grandmother and mother don't allow it, and neither do my father or elder uncle!"
"I can understand worrying about you indulging in beauty at a young age, but isn't your family a bit too controlling? Not letting you have contact with women when you're blossoming, and then rushing your marriages when you're older?"
"I heard my elder brother once instructed that we should not have any contact with women before we come of age."
"Your elder brother, who has gone to cultivate immortality, still bothers with such trivial matters? He's waiting to ascend to heaven and yet he doesn't let you enjoy yourselves?"
Xie Jiang raised an eyebrow. Forcing the male members of the Xu family to stay away from women? This reminded her of Xu Hengdan's absurd dream.
Could it be that Xu Hengdan had truly had a dream, and it wasn't fabricated by the Duke of Wei's manor to eliminate dissent? If that were the case, it would be rather interesting.
Then, what exactly did Xu Hengdan dream about her that made him forbid the men in his family from touching women?
"My elder brother is no ordinary person. He probably calculated some heavenly secret and leaked a tiny bit of it..."
"Like a fortune teller at a roadside stall, calculating with his fingers?" Calculating what she would do to the Xu family? Besides, the sequence was wrong. If she hadn't harmed the Duke of Dingguo's manor first, would she have been so idle as to make an enemy of the Xu family?
"I always feel like you have a lot of malice towards my elder brother!"
"Be more confident. I do have a lot of malice towards your elder brother. Do you expect me to shower him with affection? I only have affection for your second brother."
"Affection, affection, affection..."
"Friendship affection. Why are you stuttering?"
"Ah? Oh... then what do you feel towards me?" Purely out of curiosity.
"What do I feel towards you?" Xie Jiang seemed to see Xu Fanglan, who poked her head out from a pavilion. Upon seeing Xie Jiang looking, the little head quickly retracted.
Such a cute little girl.
"You have malice towards my elder brother and affection towards my second brother, then... what about me?" Xu Hengyi felt a bit apprehensive.
"Why are you asking this? What answer are you expecting?"
"I'm just asking!" As if he cared that much. He didn't!
"We got sidetracked just now." Xu Hengyi pointed at a few maids who had just walked past. "The manor isn't busy with my second brother's wedding preparations; it's because my grandmother's birthday is approaching."
"Oh? When?"
"In half a month."
"Oh, no wonder Xu Hengyan said he had to return to the capital recently."
~
As the two entered the resting chamber, a piece of red bean cake was thrown at Xu Hengyi. He caught it with his hand and popped it into his mouth. "Grandmother, I've already eaten breakfast."
Grand Madam Xu said, "How dare you say that! Little Xie just returned to the capital, and you've been hanging around here, not coming home for two nights, and not letting Little Xie rest properly!"
Xu Hengyi shamelessly leaned in. "Grandmother, Xie Jiang and I are good friends! We haven't seen each other for so long, so we have to have a good chat. Besides, where does she need rest..."
After returning to the capital, she went straight to the gambling dens and brothels. Both he and the Fifth Prince, who were just mooching meals, returned to the Xie residence before Xie Jiang.
Besides a few close maids and servants, there were only Grand Madam Xu and Second Madam Xu in the room. Xie Jiang sweetly greeted the mother and daughter-in-law.
It wasn't about acting cute or coquettish; did she need to act cute or coquettish? She simply smiled at them and said a few pleasant words, and the mother and daughter-in-law were so delighted they didn't know what to do, almost forgetting about Xu Hengyi's existence.
Grand Madam Xu patted the seat beside her and motioned for Xie Jiang to sit next to her. She picked out the largest apple for Xie Jiang and stuffed a handful of dates into her hand.
Xu Hengyi could only sit on the side and watch. In the past, Xie Jiang's seat was his. Whatever delicious or fun things there were, his grandmother would always save them for him!
"I heard that Hao Wei, the one from the Hao family, right? He brought a large group of people to your place yesterday? Were you injured anywhere?"
"Hao Wei was the one injured. I've been fighting with people since I was a child, but I've never lost."
Xie Jiang took a bite of the large apple. It was sweet and crisp, very refreshing, with a hint of tartness amidst the sweetness. Grand Madam Xu remembered her taste.
Grand Madam Xu smiled and said, "It's good that you didn't suffer any losses. However, you should go to places like gambling dens less often. There are many places to have fun in the capital. If you want to have fun, have some healthy fun."
"It was also my first time going to a gambling den. I've never been to such places before. My friends said it was very fun, so I went to see it. It didn't seem that interesting."
Grand Madam Xu nodded continuously, thinking that it wasn't a bad thing for boys to gain more experience.
Xu Hengyi felt something was amiss. "Hey? Hey? Hey? You didn't say that to me back then! I wanted to gain some experience too, why didn't you let me go?"
"Are you the same as Little Xie?" Second Madam Song looked at her son in surprise. How could he compare himself to Little Xie?
Xu Hengyi was extremely indignant. "What's different between me and Xie Jiang? He's a boy and needs to gain more experience, am I not a boy? Don't I need to gain more experience?"
Grand Madam Xu said, "Little Xie is different from other children. Other children going to places like gambling dens and brothels are bound to be corrupted. Little Xie is so self-disciplined, so there's no need to worry. Our strictness with you is also for your own good..."
"I... I went to the gambling den and brothel with Xie Jiang, and I'm fine, I haven't been corrupted, have I?"
"That's because Little Xie was watching you, and Little Xie was your role model."
"...Role model? She's a role model? Going to a brothel or gambling den requires a role model?"
"We're not just talking about brothels and gambling dens. You only know about brothels and gambling dens, always thinking about having fun. We're talking about Little Xie's strengths..."
"Little Xie, with her own abilities, was conferred the title of Marquis of the South Sea at such a young age, bringing honor to the family! Isn't that a role model? Don't be unconvinced."
"I..."
Second Madam Xu also comforted him, "You don't need to be discouraged. Since you get along well with Little Xie, learn from her in everything you do, and you'll make progress."