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"Don't worry, my lady. People have already been sent to search," Qiu Ling said. If she wasn't about to get married, she would have gone to search herself. Mentioning marriage reminded her of Qiu Chan stopping her at the door to ask about mutual affection.

"My lady, are you planning to arrange a marriage for Qiu Chan?" Qiu Ling asked.

"Qiu Chan is not young anymore. It's time for her to get married," Li Xia replied. Since her own life was good, she naturally hoped those around her would live well too.

"My lady, haven't you noticed? Jiang Chong has feelings for Qiu Chan," Qiu Ling's words made Li Xia think carefully, but she truly hadn't noticed.

"What's Jiang Chong's family situation like? Would his family accept Qiu Chan?" Li Xia didn't want Qiu Chan to go through years of struggle for family approval like Qiu Ling did. Qiu Chan was a straightforward girl who couldn't handle complicated relationships.

"Jiang Chong's father, Jiang Xia, works for the old Marquis. His mother passed away early, and there are no other relatives in the family," Qiu Ling had already inquired about Jiang Chong's situation.

Li Xia decided to ask Lu XuanNing for more details about Jiang Chong when he returned in the evening. She didn't want her maid to be mistreated.

As they were talking, Lu Xuanyu brought Lu Liucheng and Cao Dabao to the study. "Sister-in-law, are you here? I brought Chengcheng and Dabao to find some books to read."

"No need to be so formal at home. Come in," Li Xia invited the three in, pointing at the rows of bookshelves for the children to take books freely.

Lu Xuanyu noticed many rare editions among the books. Some were volumes he had always wanted to read but couldn't access due to their scarcity. He was surprised that the Mansion of Marquis of Pacifying the South had such an extensive collection.

Cao Dabao, not fond of reading, pestered Li Xia to teach him martial arts. Li Xia called Qiu Chan to instruct Dabao while she sat on a lounge chair in the corridor, eating fruit and watching Qiu Chan guide Cao Dabao.

Cao Dabao learned very seriously, not complaining once. As the sun came out and it got hotter, the servants around Cao Dabao felt sorry for their young master, but seeing that Li Xia hadn't said anything, they didn't dare speak up. In their hearts, they thought about quickly sending a message back to the Cao family to bring their young master home.

Qiu Kui brought over some snacks, "My lady, I made some new osmanthus cakes. Please try them."

Li Xia looked at the osmanthus cakes, not really wanting to reach for them.

"My lady, let me eat one for you to see," Qiu Kui took a cake and ate it, showing that the taste was indeed fine.

Li Xia picked up a piece and took a small bite. "Qiu Kui, your skills have improved greatly." Though not as good as Wu Auntie's, Qiu Kui's osmanthus cakes were above average among those Li Xia had tasted.

Receiving Li Xia's approval, Qiu Kui smiled, "Wu Auntie has taught me a lot these past few years, and I've also taken on a new teacher." As she said this, Qiu Kui showed a hint of shyness.

"A new teacher? Who?" Li Xia noticed Qiu Kui's expression and sensed there was more to the story.

"Luo Shan," Qiu Kui said, causing Li Xia to cough suddenly.

"My lady, have some tea," Qiu Kui brought tea to Li Xia. Li Xia took a sip to wash down the osmanthus cake in her mouth, and cleared her throat a couple of times to stop coughing.

"Auntie, I want osmanthus cake too," Cao Dabao, tired from practice, ran over.

Li Xia wiped Cao Dabao's sweat, removed the sweat-soaked towel from his back, and replaced it with a fresh one.

Cao Dabao sat nearby, eating osmanthus cakes heartily. Qiu Kui went to prepare some loquat syrup. After eating and drinking his fill, Cao Dabao began to feel drowsy. Li Xia asked Qiu Chan to carry Cao Dabao back to his room. She continued to listen to Qiu Kui's story.

Qiu Kui recounted how she met Luo Shan. Their first encounter was before Qiu Kui came to Li Xia's household. At that time, Qiu Kui was called Qing Zhi. Her father, a scholar, didn't engage in productive work, and the family's situation worsened daily. Seeing her mother worried about their livelihood, Qing Zhi wondered what she could do to help.

Luo Shan, injured from an assassination mission at the time, rented the house next door to Qing Zhi's family. Qing Zhi learned that Luo Shan needed to hire an old woman for cleaning.

Qing Zhi proactively offered to work for him at half the price. Luo Shan, injured and wary of outsiders, agreed.

Qing Zhi was decent at cleaning, but her cooking was truly terrible. Luo Shan didn't know how to describe the food she made. He initially wanted to replace her, but seeing Qing Zhi's teary eyes, Luo Shan's heart softened and he agreed to keep her on.

Eating strange-tasting meals, he stayed for a month until his injury healed. He left behind a tael of silver when he departed. Qing Zhi didn't want to take the silver, but her younger sister fell ill at the time, so she had to use it for medical treatment.

Later, when her family could no longer make ends meet, she sold herself into service and came to Li Xia's household as a maid.

She reunited with Luo Shan after coming to the Mansion of Marquis of Pacifying the South. One day, while running errands, Qiu Kui was targeted by some ruffians, and Luo Shan appeared to rescue her. Qiu Kui recognized Luo Shan and actively struck up a conversation. Qiu Kui had always remembered the silver tael and wanted to repay Luo Shan.

Luo Shan refused to accept it, and so began a back-and-forth of Qiu Kui trying to return the money and Luo Shan refusing. This led to further interactions between them.

Luo Shan was surprised to learn that Qiu Kui was in charge of the kitchen, given his experience with her cooking. He offered to teach Qiu Kui, and thus they spent more and more time together.

"Do you have feelings for him?" Li Xia asked directly.

"Yes, my lady," Qiu Kui admitted frankly.

"What's Luo Shan's attitude?"

"Luo Shan cares for me, but the nature of his work makes him hesitant." Qiu Kui now knew what Luo Shan did for a living. She could see the struggle in his heart.

"Are you afraid?" Li Xia didn't offer an opinion, but looked at Qiu Kui and asked.

"I'm not afraid. I'm just worried it might bring trouble to you, my lady," She wasn't afraid of being with Luo Shan. She only feared it might cause problems for the Mansion of Marquis of Pacifying the South.

"Then go for it. For the Mansion of Marquis of Pacifying the South and me, this isn't trouble," Li Xia said. She had handed over Luo Shan and the Tian Yi Pavilion to Li Hui years ago. Li Hui had managed to take control of the Tian Yi Pavilion and develop it well in just four years.

Li Xia didn't plan to take back control of the Tian Yi Pavilion's affairs. She trusted Li Hui to handle everything.

"My lady," Qiu Kui knelt before Li Xia, her voice choked with emotion, unable to speak further.

"Though Luo Shan's martial arts are good, he's not as skilled as your mistress. If he ever dares to bully you in the future, tell me. I'll stand up for you," Li Xia's words made Qiu Kui smile.

Qiu Kui got up and left. Lu Liucheng poked his head out from the room, "Mother, is Aunt Qiu Kui getting married?"

"You've learned to eavesdrop at such a young age," Li Xia flicked an almond at Lu Liucheng's forehead. The motion was gentle, and Lu Liucheng didn't feel any pain.

"Mother, you were talking at the door. I couldn't help but hear. It wasn't eavesdropping," Lu Liucheng covered his forehead and pounced into Li Xia's arms. In recent days, he had grown to love being close to Li Xia like this.

"My dear Chengcheng, your debating skills are improving," Li Xia said, embracing Lu Liucheng.