Chapter 96

Chapter 96: Letter to My Wife (4)

It was not as lifeless as it was now. Instead, it carried a charm unique to a century ago.

A Republican-era Ancestral Residence, layered with old shadows.

Yet Jiang Shi Yue did not feel like she had time-traveled, because she heard someone calling her “Miss Xiu Xiu.”

And she could feel that her special ability was gone…

She had become Xiu Xiu!

Or, more accurately, she was being made to witness some long-buried past as Xiu Xiu.

Was this the Embroidered Shoemaster’s purpose?

At the door stood two men in front-fastening short jackets, with close-cropped hair, black cloth shoes, and cloth wraps around their calves. They looked brisk and capable.

One of them spotted Jiang Shi Yue and immediately hurried over with a bright smile. “Miss Xiu Xiu, is the bangle the Young Master ordered finished?”

Jiang Shi Yue let her gaze linger on his face for a moment. Her eyes shifted, and she broke into a smile. “Yes.”

The man tried to curry favor and added, “Miss Xiu Xiu, just think about it. Miss Zi Yu really has good luck, to have your honored father personally make a bangle for her.”

Jiang Shi Yue only smiled and said nothing more, walking through the open gate into the courtyard.

Honestly, the little wooden box in her hands was already exquisite. She could not imagine what the bangle inside looked like.

“Miss Xiu Xiu, you’re here!”

A round-faced little maid spotted Jiang Shi Yue and happily greeted her. “Is the bangle for Miss Zi Yu finished? Come with me to see the Young Master.”

Miss Zi Yu? The Young Master?

Jiang Shi Yue sighed as if it came straight from her heart. “Our Young Master Cheng really treats Miss Zi Yu well.”

“Of course! The Young Master and Miss Zi Yu are a match made in heaven – a perfect pair!” The round-faced maid clearly agreed with Jiang Shi Yue. She was young, so it was hard for her to hide the envy on her face.

So the bangle really was for his beloved.

Jiang Shi Yue nodded calmly. She followed behind the maid, but her eyes carefully swept over the scenery around her.

She had not expected the corridor to be so quiet and beautiful a hundred years ago. Long vines hung down from the eaves, dotted with tiny purple blossoms that swayed in the wind.

It seemed to have rained yesterday. The bluestone path under her feet still held a bit of dampness, but because the household maintained it carefully and cleaned it year-round, there was hardly a speck of dust. Instead, there was that fresh, wet smell.

After crossing the corridor, Jiang Shi Yue suddenly caught a faint lotus scent. She looked over along the carved railing and, sure enough, saw a pond of green water.

By the pond sat a pretty young lady.

She wore the most fashionable style of the day: a light-blue rounded-hem jacket embroidered with delicate patterns, and a dark long skirt.

A maid stood beside her, but that maid looked worried, as if she were thinking about something…

The young lady who was watching the pond seemed to notice someone coming. She turned her head.

Her hair was arranged with care, and her brows and eyes were graceful and lovely, like a jasmine bud just about to bloom.

Was this the Miss Zi Yu they were talking about?

But Jiang Shi Yue quickly dismissed the thought, because the round-faced maid beside her bowed respectfully and addressed her, “Miss.”

Tsk, then that had to be the Cheng Family’s Miss.

Miss Cheng smiled gently, but the smile carried a hint of forced strain.

She stood and walked over, slim and graceful.