Xixi stood still in front of the gate of a small courtyard, the simple home where she had grown up. Beneath the shade of the old tree in front of the house, memories of her happy childhood began to swirl in her mind, filling her thoughts.
However, everything changed when her father fell ill. In desperation and poverty, her parents were forced to sell Xixi to work as a servant in General Hu's residence. At that time, Xixi was only 10 years old. She felt sad, but she never blamed them. She knew the decision was made with broken hearts, to save her father's life.
Every time Xixi visited her family, they always greeted her warmly. But Xixi could see the guilt in their eyes, feeling that she was the victim of their inability to do more for her.
Every month, Xixi sent part of her earnings to her parents to make sure they didn't lack anything. This only added to their guilt. But, they could breathe a little easier knowing that Xixi had a kind master like Hu Lihua.
Xixi pushed the door open, and the creaking sound of the old gate broke the midday silence. As they entered, they saw Aunt Hui, Xixi's mother, sweeping the courtyard.
Aunt Hui turned and froze when she saw the two handsome young men entering her house. She thought one of them looked familiar, but she hesitated to ask, "Are you two young masters looking for something?"
"Mother, it's me!" Xixi smiled and walked towards Aunt Hui.
Aunt Hui was surprised, quickly putting down the broom and holding Xixi's hand. "Xixi, what's going on? Why are you disguised like this? What if your master finds out?"
Xixi gently patted her mother's hand and smiled reassuringly. "Mother, don't worry. My miss is here with me!"
Aunt Hui's eyes widened in shock. She looked toward the beautiful young man standing behind Xixi. "Miss… Miss, I'm sorry, our house is very messy." She hurriedly tidied her hair and clothes, feeling embarrassed to meet Hu Lihua in such a disheveled state.
"Aunt, don't worry about it. I'm sorry for dropping by suddenly," Hu Lihua said with a warm smile.
Aunt Hui was stunned. She had seen Hu Lihua from a distance when she saw Xixi and Hu Lihua walking together. But she hadn't dared to greet them. At that time, she thought she had never seen a girl as beautiful as Hu Lihua in her life. Now, even though Hu Lihua was dressed in men's clothes, her noble aura and beauty couldn't be hidden.
"Ah, Miss, please come in." Aunt Hui quickly snapped out of her thoughts and invited Hu Lihua inside.
Hu Lihua entered without any hesitation, following Xixi.
"Miss, I'm sorry, we don't have anything fancy to offer," Aunt Hui said, handing Hu Lihua a cup of warm water, looking very embarrassed.
"Aunt Hui, you don't need to worry. I won't stay long," Hu Lihua replied, trying to reassure Aunt Hui. She then conveyed her request, "Aunt Hui, may I borrow your storage room for a week? I need to store some plant seeds."
Aunt Hui was once again surprised. She didn't expect Hu Lihua to ask for her help. Of course, she wouldn't refuse. If she could help, she would. She just hoped that Hu Lihua would always treat her daughter well. "Miss, of course! Please wait a moment, I'll tidy up the storage room."
"Let me help," Hu Lihua said, standing up.
"No!" Xixi and Aunt Hui both rejected her offer at the same time.
"Miss, you must be tired after walking around for so long. Please sit down and rest for a moment," Xixi said, followed by a nod from Aunt Hui.
Before Hu Lihua could respond, the voice of a young boy was heard as the door opened from the outside. "Mother, I heard Sister's voice. Has she come home?"
The three people inside the room looked toward the two men, one young and one old, who were staring back at them in confusion.
"I thought I heard Sister's voice, am I mistaken?" asked the boy, who appeared to be around 10 years old.
"Xiao Kun, did you just come back?" Xixi smiled as she greeted the two people at the door.
"Sister?" Lei Kun was surprised when he saw Xixi, dressed as a boy, and so was Uncle Lei, who stood behind him.
Uncle Lei and Lei Kun worked as waiters at a restaurant and usually came home for lunch.
Wait. Lunch?
Xixi quickly turned to Hu Lihua and whispered in a panic, "Miss, this is bad! It's already time for lunch. What if Madam is looking for us?"
Hu Lihua also realized. It seemed like they had been out for more than two hours. They had to hurry back.
Xixi immediately explained the situation to her family and asked them to tidy up the storage room.
Hu Lihua also hurriedly left two silver taels on the table. "Uncle, Aunt, please accept this as the rent for one week."
"Miss, how can we accept this? You don't need to give us money!" Uncle Lei quickly refused, glancing at Aunt Hui.
Aunt Hui understood. She took the two silver taels and was about to return them to Hu Lihua, but it was too late. Hu Lihua and Xixi had already run out of the house.
"Uncle, Aunt, please just keep it! I'll visit again next time! Thank you!" As Hu Lihua finished speaking, their figures had already disappeared beyond the gate.
Aunt Hui stared at the silver coins in her hand, confused.
Uncle Lei sighed lightly and said, "Just keep it for now. When Xixi returns, we'll have her give it back to First Miss Hu."
Aunt Hui nodded and went into her bedroom to secure the money. She came out and said to Uncle Lei, "Husband, you and Xiao Kun eat. I'll tidy up the storage room first."
"Alright," Uncle Lei replied. "We'll help you after we eat." He sighed helplessly, "That mischievous girl! How could she act so recklessly? How could she disguise herself as a boy with her miss like that?"
Aunt Hui smiled to comfort him. "Husband, it seems their relationship is good. I can see that First Miss Hu treats our Xi'er well. I feel relieved."
Uncle Lei also smiled and said softly, "Yes... at least my guilt has lessened a bit."
On the other side, Hu Lihua and Xixi ran back to the Hu Residence. Although they were almost out of breath, they managed to get back in smoothly.
The two hurried back to the Yufeng Pavilion, quickly freshening up and changing their clothes.
Just as they finished, they heard the voice of Yuyu, a second-level maid responsible for cleaning the Yufeng Pavilion, from outside the door, "Miss, Tao'er has come and wants to see you."