An Hao returned home, still seething with anger, and the first thing she did was to take the maple leaf out of her bag.
She called Qin Jian and asked, "Have you received any more maple leaves since you arrived here?"
"I have," he replied.
"Where?" she pressed.
"In the drawer by the bedside," Qin Jian answered, "What are you suddenly looking for these for?"
"I've made an important discovery!" An Hao, suppressing the anger inside her, told Qin Jian, "Come back! I have something to tell you!"
An Hao laid out all the maple leaves together, noting how similar they were in size, vein patterns, and shape.
She had previously noticed that the maple leaves sent by Cheng Yu were all roughly the same size and shape, presumably carefully selected.
An Hao realized that when she ate, she would deliberately place her chopsticks neatly, and when six dishes were served on the table, they were also neatly arranged in three rows; she had found it somewhat surprising at the time.