The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 107 Zhi Wan's face flushed red.

Seeing the undisguised joy on the little girl's face, Lu Zhan paused, his cold expression softening slightly, and nodded slightly, "Cousin."

Zhiwan had many questions she wanted to ask him, but after seeing him, she didn't know how to start.

She stood hesitantly in the rain, holding an umbrella.

Lu Zhan noticed that her embroidered shoes were wet, frowned slightly, and said in a low voice, "It's raining heavily outside, come in and talk." After saying that, he turned and went into the courtyard.

Zhiwan hesitated for a moment before holding up her umbrella and following her inside.

Upon reaching the side hall, she closed her umbrella and leaned it against the wall. Just as she was about to go inside, she heard her cousin instructing Jiang Shi, "Go to the next courtyard and ask Shuang'er to fetch a pair of Miss Cousin's shoes and socks."

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan looked down at her shoes and realized that they were wet.

She felt a little embarrassed; she should have gone back to change her shoes before coming over.

Thinking it over, she stood by the door, hesitant to go inside.
Jiang Shi had already come out, opened his umbrella, and stepped into the rain.

When Chen Jiu came over, he saw that Zhi Wan was still standing by the door and was a little surprised. "Why haven't you come in yet, Miss? I just went to the kitchen and brought some breakfast for the young master. You probably haven't eaten yet either. Come in and eat with the young master."

Zhiwan hadn't noticed before, but now that she did, she felt it was impolite to go in with wet shoes, so she shook her head and said, "You go in first, I..."

"Come in!"

A deep, resonant voice drifted out from inside the hall.

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan could no longer hesitate. She lifted her skirt, stepped over the threshold, and went inside.

In the hall, Lu Zhan was already sitting at the table, brewing tea. Hearing her footsteps as she entered, he slightly lifted his eyelids and said, "Sit."

Zhi Wan sat down opposite him as instructed, her feet lightly touching the ground so as not to wet the carpet.

Lu Zhan was about to serve her tea when he suddenly remembered something, paused, and said gently, "I forgot to ask, are your injuries any better? Are you still taking your medicine?"

Zhiwan replied obediently, "I've finished the medicine that Doctor Wang prescribed last time, and my injuries are mostly healed..." Except for my back, which still hurts a bit when touched.

She didn't say the last sentence.

Firstly, she felt a little embarrassed to talk about this with her cousin; secondly, she felt that her injury had almost healed.

"Then having some tea shouldn't be a problem." Lu Zhan handed her the cup in his hand. "Try it."

"Mm." Zhiwan nodded and reached out to take the cup.

The aroma of tea wafts through the air, and steam rises gently.

Zhiwan took a sip and found the fragrance lingering on her lips and teeth, so she couldn't help but take another sip.

"Is it good?" A deep, pleasant voice suddenly rang out.

Zhiwan was taken aback and looked up.

The kettle on the red clay stove made a bubbling sound, and the steam rising from it somewhat blurred the man's face.

At that moment, her cousin's slightly blurred face gave Zhiwan a strange sense of familiarity.

"This tea was looted from passing merchant ships by those river pirates. I took a box of it yesterday when the men were counting the loot."

The man's deep voice interrupted Zhiwan's thoughts.

She composed herself and dismissed the absurd thought from her mind.

She looked down at the cup in her hand, a look of surprise on her face. "So, this tea is... stolen goods?"

It's unclear which word she uttered pleased Lu Zhan, but the usually dignified and unsmiling man chuckled softly, his dark eyes looking at her. "Scared?"

Zhiwan blinked her long, curled eyelashes and thought to herself: So my cousin can smile too.

She felt a strange sense of pleasure, put down the cup, and smiled. "If my cousin, an official of the imperial court, is not afraid, what do I, without any official rank, have to fear?"

Seeing the little girl tilting her head and making a funny face, Lu Zhan chuckled, "Since you're not afraid, then have a couple more cups." After saying that, he picked up the teapot and poured her some fresh tea. Perhaps to put her at ease, he added, "It's just a box of tea leaves, nothing serious, it doesn't constitute embezzlement."

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan found it somewhat amusing.

Her cousin, who had always been strict about rules and the law, one day actually took a box of tea from the stolen goods and then solemnly told her that a box of tea didn't constitute embezzlement. She suddenly felt that her cousin had become more down-to-earth and was no longer so unapproachable.

Zhiwan relaxed.

On a rainy day, amidst the aroma of tea, and with a relative who was like an older brother by her side, Zhiwan felt a sense of contentment. She realized that she was not entirely alone.

She has an aunt, a cousin, and an uncle.

They are all her family.

"Thank you, cousin." She held the cup, smiled, and said sincerely.

Lu Zhan didn't speak, but a hint of doting flashed in his eyes, "If the weather clears up tomorrow, I'll accompany you back to Jurong to sweep the tombs."

"Okay." Zhiwan nodded happily.

At this moment, Chen Jiu came over and reported, "Young Master, Miss, breakfast has been prepared."

"Okay." Lu Zhan replied, put down his cup, and looked at Zhiwan. "Let's go have breakfast."

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan glanced down at her shoes and shook her head. "Cousin, go ahead and eat. I'll change my shoes and socks and then go back."

Just as Lu Zhan was about to say something, he saw Jiang Shi return, followed by Shuang'er.

Seeing that Shuang'er was holding shoes and socks, Lu Zhan got up and went out.

Jiang Shi and Chen Jiu also left.

With no one else in the room, Zhiwan immediately took off her shoes and socks, and with Shuang'er's help, changed them back on.

“When the young master was away, Miss always missed him. Now that he has finally returned, Miss, please sit here a little longer. I’ll go back now.” After saying this, Shuang’er took the wet shoes and socks that Zhiwan had changed out of and ran out in a flash.

Zhiwan: "..."

Outside the door, Lu Zhan stood under the eaves, and the words spoken by the maid inside the room clearly reached his ears.

He paused for a moment and looked at Jiang Shi.

Jiang Shiyi was taken aback, but after following him for so many years, he immediately understood and nodded, "Yes, Miss Biao misses you very much. She keeps asking me when you're coming back. I've seen her not eating or sleeping well..."

"Old Jiang, did you sneak into Miss Cousin's room? Otherwise, how would you know she wasn't sleeping well?" Chen Jiu asked in astonishment.

"You're talking nonsense!" Jiang Shiyi kicked him and shouted angrily, "Don't ruin my reputation."

"What kind of reputation do you have? What you usually do is crawl under other people's beds and climb onto other people's roofs, don't you?" Chen Jiu mocked.

Jiang Shi's face cracked, and he clenched his fists. "I was doing a task assigned by my master."

"Yes, it's a job, but Miss Biao isn't one of those people you're supposed to be keeping an eye on," Chen Jiuyi said sternly.

"Why are you spouting nonsense?" Jiang Shi said angrily. "I guessed it myself because Miss Biao kept asking me about the young master."

Chen Jiu was about to say something more when he suddenly heard Lu Zhan instruct, "Since you're so free, go and investigate whether the Yangzhou prefect and the vice-prefect are colluding in private."

Chen Jiu paused for a moment, looked at Jiang Shi, and urged, "Go quickly."

Jiang Shi stood with his sword in his arms and said coldly, "The young master is summoning you."

Chen Jiu looked at Lu Zhan, "Young Master?"

"Go quickly!" Lu Zhan said in a deep voice.

Chen Jiu: "..."

Chen Jiu, who went out in the heavy rain, was very sad.

During this period of time, he had endured humiliation and hardship in order to suppress the bandits. He even pretended to be friendly with the bandit Liu Niang and almost lost his virginity to her. Unexpectedly, after the bandit suppression was completed, the prince not only did not feel sorry for him at all, but also kicked him out of the door.

Could there be a more miserable subordinate than him?
Zhiwan was unaware of the little incident outside the door. After she finished tidying up, she was about to go out when she saw her cousin walk in.

Seeing him, she belatedly realized that her cousin might have overheard what Shuang'er had said earlier...

(End of this chapter)