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"Miss, I don't have any particular thoughts. I just want to stay by your side and serve you for a lifetime," Qiu Shui said sincerely. Qiu Kui nodded beside her, "Miss, I feel the same way."

Qiu Ling also chimed in, "Me too."

"Serving me doesn't prevent you from getting married," Li Xia was unsatisfied with this answer. She hadn't even considered the idea of never marrying, yet these girls seemed to have decided to stay by her side forever.

Seeing that the three still appeared determined not to marry, she said, "Go back and think it over carefully. If you have someone you fancy, come and tell me."

After the three withdrew, Li Xia sighed, leaned back in her chair, and stared blankly. This matter was truly difficult. She got up and went to Fuqing Courtyard to talk with Li Xin.

Seeing Li Xia's troubled expression, Li Xin reached out to massage her head. "Xia Xia has really grown up, even thinking about the maids' marriages now."

"I never imagined that I'd have to worry about the maids' lifelong affairs," Li Xia had never paid attention to such matters before.

"Leave this matter to me," Li Xin said. The maids in her courtyard were also of marriageable age.

"How will you handle it?" Li Xia looked up at Li Xin.

"It's not difficult," Li Xin went to discuss the matter with Mrs. Lu. They made a list of eligible maids and young men in the household.

First, they would ask the maids if they had anyone they fancied. If there was mutual interest, they would arrange the marriage. For those who had no one in mind and were willing to let their masters decide, the masters would consider all factors and arrange suitable matches. For those who were truly unwilling, they would postpone the matter and revisit it when appropriate in the future.

After this round, over a dozen couples were matched. In Li Xin's courtyard, Dan Mo and Dan Hong had their marriages arranged. Dan Mo and Zhang Hu had taken a liking to each other and were betrothed. Dan Hong was matched with House Steward Zhao's son.

In the Orchid Courtyard, none of the four "Qiu" girls had their marriages arranged. Qiu Shui insisted she would rather become a nun than marry, leaving Li Xia at a loss. Qiu Kui remained silent but prepared special dishes for Li Xia every day. Li Xia, tired of her cooking, agreed to let her have her way.

Qiu Ling was honest about her relationship with Xiao Changyou. She had doubts about him and wanted to wait two more years to see if they were compatible. As for Qiu Chan, no one dared to marry her. Her immense strength was well-known, and no man in the household was her match.

Meeting with Lu XuanNing, Li Xia expressed her frustration that after all her efforts, none of the maids had married.

Lu XuanNing poured tea and offered snacks to Li Xia. "Everyone has their own fate. Their time hasn't come yet."

"By the way, what are Xiao Changyou's intentions?" Li Xia had asked to meet Lu XuanNing for a reason.

Lu XuanNing had only learned from Li Xia's letter that his good friend Xiao Changyou had fallen out with his family and was now selling aphrodisiacs with Zhou Heng.

"The Xiao family is a medical dynasty with strict rules," Lu XuanNing's words didn't satisfy Li Xia.

"So they look down on Qiu Ling, don't they?" Li Xia had a poor impression of the Xiao family. In her view, her people were perfect in every way. Qiu Ling was even too good for Xiao Changyou.

"Changyou very much wants to marry Qiu Ling," Lu XuanNing defended his good friend.

"Tell Xiao Changyou that if he can't resolve the issues with his family, I won't allow Qiu Ling to marry him," Li Xia had heard from Li Xin about many cases where poor relationships between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law led to unhappy marriages.

"Alright, I'll tell him," Lu XuanNing picked up a snack and offered it to Li Xia. Instead of taking it with her hand, Li Xia bit it directly from his fingers. Lu XuanNing's face turned red again.

Li Xia's eyes twinkled with amusement at Lu XuanNing's blushing face. She enjoyed seeing him flustered because of her.

Aware of Li Xia's playfulness, Lu XuanNing leaned forward and gently bit her lip. "I can fight back too."

Li Xia was startled. In this life and her previous one, no one had ever treated her like this.

Lu XuanNing sat back in his seat and took a large gulp of tea. Suddenly, his expression changed as the tea was too hot. Not wanting to lose face, he swallowed the scalding tea and opened his mouth to cool it down.

Li Xia burst into laughter, and hearing her, Lu XuanNing laughed too. The two laughed heartily, while the servants outside the door exchanged glances, curious about what could be so amusing.

That night, Li Xia went to Tian Yi Pavilion to get burn medicine from Zhou Heng.

"You're burned? Where are you hurt?" Zhou Heng moved to check her pulse.

"It's Lu XuanNing who's burned," Li Xia stepped back, avoiding Zhou Heng's hand.

Zhou Heng retracted his concern, uttered an "oh," and turned to sit down and drink tea.

"The burn medicine," Li Xia held out her hand.

Zhou Heng put down his teacup, grunted, then got up to hand the burn medicine to Li Xia. As she left, he couldn't help but mutter, "Girls grow up so fast, they slip away."

At the Mansion of Marquis of Pacifying the South, Lu XuanNing was reading when he heard a knock on the window. He got up, opened the window, and saw Li Xia standing outside.

"Come in quickly. Why are you here? It's getting cold," he said, taking her hand.

"I came to bring you medicine," Li Xia produced the burn ointment.

"I'm fine," Lu XuanNing said, but his sore tongue made his speech noticeably different from usual.

"Do you want me to apply it for you?" Li Xia held up the medicine box. Lu XuanNing took the box and walked to the mirror to apply the medicine. Li Xia turned to the desk and saw that Lu XuanNing was reading the travelogue she had sent him.

There was also a small booklet beside it, recording the places mentioned in the travelogue where delicious food could be found. Lu XuanNing remembered his promise to Li Xia to take her to visit these places after they married.

After applying the medicine, Lu XuanNing turned and saw Li Xia looking at his little booklet.

"For now, I've just noted down the locations. Later, I'll plan out the routes. After we're married, we can follow these routes on our travels," Lu XuanNing had planned a lot for their married life.

"Lu XuanNing, I suddenly want to marry you sooner," Li Xia's spontaneous words caused Lu XuanNing to stumble, not watching where he was going. The servants outside heard the noise and came to the door. "My Lord, is everything alright?"

"It's nothing, withdraw," Lu XuanNing ordered the people outside. They retreated.

With Li Xia's help, Lu XuanNing stood up. "From now on, call me XuanNing, and I'll call you Xia'er."

The next morning, Li Xia woke up to Qiu Shui's calls and heard that Li Yao had come early. "What is he here for?" she asked.

"Miss, the Second Young Master, Third Young Master, and Fourth Young Master are returning home for the county and provincial examinations," Qiu Shui reminded her, and Li Xia remembered.

After washing up, she came to the hall and saw Li Yao pacing back and forth. Li Xia deliberately made her footsteps heavier. Li Yao turned to see her entering the room and stepped forward, "Sister."

Li Xia sat down and gestured for Li Yao to sit as well, asking, "Don't you need to go to the academy today?"

"No need. I'm leaving for my hometown tomorrow," Li Yao explained, hesitating as he didn't know how to continue.

Li Xia signaled for the others to leave. With only the two of them in the room, Li Yao stood up and moved closer to Li Xia. "Sister, I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"I studied for over ten years before but never passed the exam. This time, I'm worried that I..." Li Yao couldn't finish his sentence.

"Don't dwell on the past; focus on the future. The past has already happened and can't be changed, but the future hasn't arrived yet and can be shaped," Li Xia said, unusually talkative as she looked at Li Yao standing obediently before her.