That night, Su Ye Lin fried a plate of pumpkin seeds and sat on the railing, eating the seeds and playing with her junior sister, Chan Yi.

Chanyi saw Suye Lin stay silent for a long time, engrossed in his thoughts, and playfully joked, "Hey, what's on your mind?"

"Linger, elder sister, is thinking about which admirer. Come, let me hear it, little sister."

Su Yelin gently patted Chanyi's back and said,

"You always like to talk nonsense. Where is there such a thing as a lover?"

Chanyi asked, "Why is Sister so quiet tonight compared to usual?"

Su Yelin sighed and said,

I can't understand men nowadays. They clearly say they don't like it, so why do they keep pestering?

Cicada Clothing laughed and said, "

"They are just too smug, thinking that as long as they cling on and refuse to let go, we have no choice but to give in to them. But the truth is, when dealing with this kind of situation, being gentle doesn't work. We must take a tough approach and teach them a lesson!"

Su Yelin shook her head and said:

I sprinkled salt on his wound, but he acted as if nothing had happened, and he still spent all day thinking of ways to come over.

Shan Yi finally understood. Su Yelin was indirectly referring to that person, Yin Lian. She couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, saying,

Everyone in Zhengxin Hall knows that Yin Lian is pursuing you.

"They all know?" Su Yelin exclaimed in surprise.

Chanyi said: '

"Sister, you are too focused on the matters of Zhengxin Hall. Don't you even want to listen to the idle chatter of your junior brothers and sisters?"

"Idle gossip, what's so interesting about it?" Su Yelin pouted.

Xuanchan exclaimed, "Yin Lian is really good to people, but there are many people outside who say he's terrible."

"He's definitely pretending to treat you well."

"But he looks quite handsome, especially charming when he smiles. Sister, why not give it a try with him first," Chanyi said as she touched the jade bracelet on her wrist.

Su Yelin saw through it in a glance. She raised her hand under her cicada-like clothes, revealing a dazzling new bracelet. With a hint of annoyance, she said,

"He gave you a bracelet, that's why you're speaking up for him, right?"

Seeing through my disguise, Chan Yi laughed and said,

"Don't blame me, sister. What I said has nothing to do with him giving me gifts."

Su Yelin let go of the cicada robe and hmphed, saying,

"He bribed all of you, and then made you speak well of him, just so that I would marry him. How ridiculous!"

Chan Yi, however, said, "Master will eventually have Sister married off. If that happens, it's possible that I won't be able to stay at Zhengxin Hall for the rest of my life. If Sister doesn't seek someone she truly likes now, she'll still have to hastily choose someone to marry in a year or two."

Su Yelin sighed, neither confirming nor denying.

"Does Older Sister like him?" Chan Yi asked as she peeled a melon seed.

"Who?" Su Yelin pretended to be ignorant.

"Who else is there? The one who comes every day."

"Don't like it."

"Why didn't you return his fan since Sister doesn't like him?" Chanyi knew that Yilan had dropped a folding fan on her first day at Zhengxin Hall, which was then picked up by Su Yelin.

Su Yelin's face immediately turned crimson. After a long pause, she finally said:

He likes me, but I don't want this kind of person. He's untrustworthy.

Chanyi understood that Suye Lin was afraid that Yin Lian was merely amusing herself with the girl for fun, and would soon grow tired of her after they became a couple. Such things were common between men and women.

"Jiejie cannot continue observing him like this for her entire life," Chan Yi said after careful consideration.

"Sujia is an ordinary family, and I am an ordinary girl. I don't want to pursue relationships with high-class households. As long as I can marry an upright and good young man, I will be content to dedicate my life to Zhengxin Hall," Su Yelian said calmly.

The insects in the courtyard chirped peacefully, echoing the quietness in Su Yelin's heart at this moment.

Cicada Clothes suddenly thought of something and said,

"That Yin Lian is quite suitable for my sister."

"Where would be suitable?"

"He was born with an iron rice bowl, appointed by the emperor to be the guardian of General Ling's tomb, and everyone called him 'Young Master Lian, the guardian appointed by imperial decree'. He was an ordinary young master who would return to the Zhengxin Hall after guarding the tomb every day to accompany his sister. On festive occasions, he would even bring back offerings from the cemetery that others had left to pay respects to his father-in-law, Su Yue..."

Su Yelin was irritated upon hearing this. She pinched the sleeve of her cicada robe and scolded,

"Haha, so now you dare to make fun of me? What kind of promising future does he have? He's just been ordered to guard the tomb, while others can be ordered to sweep the streets, clean the dung, or do hard labor by order. It sounds good, but it's all just empty words! Besides, the meager salary he gets each month is not enough to cover what he's spent in the past two days!"

Sister despises him for being unable to support his wife and children as a gravekeeper. But sister can support him, right? What if he becomes completely obedient and dare not go out fooling around?" Shanyi pulled his hand back and burst into laughter, with his feet hanging over the edge of the platform, kicking and making a "pu pu" sound.

"Boring, I am not an easily intimidated woman. I definitely wouldn't let my husband become cowardly," Su Yeling said earnestly.

Chanyi and Su Ye Lin finished eating a plate of pumpkin seeds, and drowsiness suddenly struck. They both went back to their respective rooms.

Sitting by the window, Su Yelin quietly watched as the folded fan in her hand dropped to the ground. In reality, she had intended to return it every time but always forgot. Eventually, she decided to leave the fan behind, fearing it would be noticed by the mischievous girl, Chan Yi, and create a misunderstanding tonight.

However, her face did turn red, and even she herself couldn't understand why.

Su Yelin skillfully opened the folding fan. On one side of the fan was a solemn and majestic general's mausoleum, while on the other side was a painting titled "General Wei's Western Expedition". This ink painting was so magnificent and lifelike that even those who knew little about art couldn't help but be impressed and show their respect.

Su Yelin has not only touched this fan once, but also looked at it more than once. Every time she looks at it, she feels a sense of respect welling up inside her, completely contrasting with Yin Lian's carefree image. It must be a precious artistic treasure, a unique heirloom. She decides to return the folding fan to him tomorrow.