Chapter 54 The Prodigal Son
"I'll sleep on the floor. It's hot now and the ground isn't too cold." Chen Zhi took the initiative.

When he said that, Xu Shuhe felt a little embarrassed.

Originally, she didn't let Chen Zhi touch her because she lied. Chen Zhi respected and cared for her so much, but she still let him sleep on the floor. She really felt guilty.

Especially in the summer, the bedding is very thin and feels hard to sleep on the floor. The weather is hot, but the floor is still cold at night. She would be embarrassed if someone caught a cold while sleeping.

Turning around to look at the bed, it was quite spacious and could accommodate four people, so Xu Shuhe suggested.

"Just sleep on the couch. The ground is still very cold at night. Let's spread out two quilts and cover each of us."

Anyway, on the wedding night, Chen Zhi got drunk, and the two of them slept together.

When Chen Zhi heard her say this, thinking that she cared about him, he felt somewhat happy and nodded.

Naturally, he could accept it much better than Xu Shuhe. After all, to Chen Zhi, Xu Shuhe was his legally married wife, and it was perfectly normal for him to sleep in the same bed with his wife.

But thinking about it in your mind is one thing, and actually lying together is another.

In the end, Xu Shuhe was more sympathetic and fell asleep soon after lying down. As for Chen Zhi, he was always thinking about the person next to him, so he was restless and tossed and turned until late at night before falling asleep.

When I got up the next day, I actually felt that it was more comfortable for him to sleep separately.

Xu Shuhe slept soundly as usual and separated from Chen Zhi after breakfast.

She wanted to pay her respects to Old Mrs. Zhou.

Chen Zhi also has arrangements here, saying that he wants to go and help his uncle Zhou Yiqing.

The two of them had their own places to go, so they didn't disturb each other.

Of course, aunt Lin Hui was present to pay respects to Old Madam Zhou. Cousin Zhou Ling was also there, as well as the wives of Zhou's two cousins.

But mostly it was Lin Hui, Zhou Ling and Xu Shu who talked to the old lady. The two cousins-in-law looked gentle and didn't like to talk, but they behaved well. Even though they were sitting there as a foil, they didn't make people feel uncomfortable.

Xu Shuhe had just arrived in the capital, and the old lady had a lot to say, so she sat here all morning.

When it was time for lunch, we just ate at the old lady's place with everyone else.

"Cousin, let's go to the market this afternoon. You have good taste. I haven't bought any new clothes or jewelry this summer. Mother is busy all day and has no time to accompany me. I don't like to ask those people to come to my house to measure my size. They only bring materials that they think are beautiful. It's better for me to go to the store and choose by myself."

Zhou Ling sat next to Xu Shuhe and put some food into her bowl as she talked.

"You girl, it's hot outside now, take your cousin's wife out to bask in the sun, or she will catch a heat stroke." Lin Hui scolded softly.

"It's a rare occasion for my cousin to come over. She accompanied me to the market. I'll invite her to have tea at Yu Lu Zhai!" Zhou Ling was not afraid at all. She turned around and looked at Xu Shuhe with a smile. "The snacks at Yu Lu Zhai are the best in Beijing. Wouldn't you like to try some?"

Seeing her granddaughter's lively demeanor, Old Lady Zhou joked, "You're going to host a party, so you must bring enough money this time. Otherwise, when you eat, you won't have enough money to pay the bill and have to ask your mother to redeem you!"

When the old lady said this, Zhou Ling's face turned red.

"Grandma, we agreed not to talk about this again!"

"What interesting thing is there that I don't know about that makes Sister Ling'er so embarrassed and angry?" Xu Shuhe teased with a smile.

Lin Hui also covered her lips, "It was because she was celebrating her birthday and wanted to treat her friends to tea, but she ordered too much and didn't bring enough silver, so she sent someone back to get more."

"I brought enough this time!" Zhou Ling said hurriedly, and pulled Xu Shuhe's hand again, "Don't worry, cousin, I've saved up for a long time!"

"Okay, okay, this time I'm in for a treat." Xu Shuhe stopped joking and nodded in agreement.

After lunch, everyone drank some digestive tea before leaving.

When the sun was at its hottest, it was not advisable to go out in the sun, so Xu Shuhe went to Zhou Ling's yard to kill some time before going out.

Last night, I went to the night market in Beijing and felt it was bustling. Today, I went out during the day and saw the bustling crowds, which made me feel more lively. Zhou Ling was familiar with this area. After getting off the carriage, he led her to shuttle between the shops.

There are shops selling silk threads, silk handkerchiefs, cloth garments, rouge and powder, hairpins, rings, jewelry, various sachets, pendants, round fans, folding fans, and so on.

Although there are places selling it in Qizhou City, it is really different in the capital.

While accompanying Zhou Ling shopping, Xu Shuhe was also quickly observing the market in the capital, taking the essence and discarding the dross, so that she could use it when she returned to Qizhou City.

"Sister-in-law, do you think I look good in this hairpin?"

Zhou Ling's voice brought Xu Shuhe back to his senses.

Turning around, he saw a butterfly hairpin with gold filigree diamond patterns and red agate inlaid in Zhou Ling's hair.

Today she was wearing a goose yellow square-necked skirt, which made her look bright and lovely. With the hairpin in her hair, she looked like a porcelain white doll with a red mole on her forehead. The noble and steady air of the gold and red agate was reduced, and Zhou Ling looked even more charming.

"It looks good. It really suits you." Xu Shuhe praised.

Zhou Ling pursed her lips and smiled, "The shopkeeper picked it for me, and I like it very much. The shopkeeper has a really good taste!"

The middle-aged shopkeeper smiled when he was praised. He was about to say something when a man's voice suddenly came from the door.

"Having good taste is one thing, but if the girl didn't have such a beautiful face, she wouldn't look so stunning wearing this hairpin."

Several people in the store looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young man in a silver crown and purple clothes walking in with a smile on his face. Although the man had a good appearance, he had an uncomfortable frivolous air about him. He also pretended to be a gentleman scholar and waved a folding fan in his hand, which made people feel even more hypocritical.

Xu Shuhe frowned, silently protected Zhou Ling behind him, and gave orders in a deep voice.

"Meixiang, now that you have chosen what you like, please pay the money. We still have to go shopping somewhere else."

"Yes." Meixiang nodded and went there immediately.

Zhou Ling also didn't have a good impression of the man in purple who had just entered the store, so she remained alert at the moment, but when she heard Xu Shuhe wanted to pay for her, she hurried to stop him.

Then he instructed his personal maid, "How can you let your sister-in-law spend money? Qingwei, go and pay the bill."

Hearing this, Qingwei was about to go, but the man in purple had already approached and raised his hand to stop them.

"Hey, young lady, don't be in a hurry to leave. Your gaze is full of meaning. It seems as if we have met in our previous life. Today, I saw you and felt quite familiar with you. I wonder if we were destined to meet in our previous life, so we meet again in this life. Since you like this hairpin, I will buy it for you."

When he said this, the purple-clothed man stared at Zhou Ling with his eyes, which made people feel sick.

Even if Zhou Ling had been a playful person in the past, she was still a fifteen-year-old girl after all. How could she have ever met such a playboy? After hearing these words, she looked annoyed and ashamed.

He started to curse immediately.

However, Xu Shuhe took the lead and spoke first.

"My sister is young, so I don't deserve such praise from you. We have never met before, so I dare not accept such a precious gift from you. I thank you for your kindness on my behalf."

After saying this, he pulled Zhou Ling up and prepared to leave.

There are many powerful people in the capital, and they are only two weak women at the moment. In order to avoid being at a disadvantage, it is better to endure it for a while and avoid conflict.

It won’t be too late to make plans after I go back and carefully investigate this man’s background.

However, he did not expect that even though Xu Shuhe had endured this, the man still refused to give up and immediately ordered the servant to stop the two men.

"No, it's just a small amount of money, it's nothing, you should just accept it, young lady."

(End of this chapter)