The next day, the two of them had breakfast together, and Wen Ningxuan went to the shop early. Lin He had intended to take Ziqing to pay respects to the Old Madam, but before she could go, Yuchen, a maid by the Old Madam's side, came with a message. She said the Old Madam had gone to Xiangshan Temple in the neighboring town at dawn to return blessings, and that she might stay there for half a month, so there was no need to call on her during this time.

After sending Yuchen away, Lin He felt a surge of happiness, secretly wishing the Old Madam would stay away longer, as the daily visits for greetings were dreadfully tedious.

However, Lin He couldn't quite fathom why the Old Madam would suddenly leave at this time. Logically, with Old Master Wen absent, the Old Madam should be presiding over the household affairs, especially given the recent multitude of matters within the manor.

Though she couldn't fully grasp the reason, Lin He didn't wish to spend time dwelling on it; it had little bearing on her own life anyway.

Beside her, Ziyu, seeing Yuchen depart, followed Lin He into the main room, poured a cup of tea, and set it before her, saying cheerfully, "Young Mistress, if only we had known the Old Madam was leaving today, we wouldn't have returned from the East Family's place yesterday. Now that the Old Madam is gone, there’s nothing for us to do in the courtyard."

"Ziyu, what nonsense are you speaking? If you're worried about having nothing to do, go clean the courtyard now," Ziqing immediately rebuked Ziyu sternly as soon as she finished speaking.

She then turned to Lin He and added, "Young Mistress, please don't listen to that girl Ziyu's ramblings. We only just returned from the East Family yesterday, and we've discussed everything necessary. If there's anything important, we can just send Shunzhu to send word. Even though the Old Madam is away, we must still adhere to the rules we are supposed to keep."

Lin He smiled and shook her head, looking at the serious expression on Ziqing’s face, and deliberately said, "Ziqing, don't scold Ziyu. I actually think Ziyu has a point. It is quite dull in the courtyard; we might as well..."

Before Lin He could finish, Ziqing grew anxious and interrupted, "Young Mistress, you just returned to your maiden home yesterday. You certainly cannot go back today. Don't think that because the Old Madam is absent, no one is watching. The Wen family is filled with the Old Madam's people everywhere, and Madam Wen is still at home. If we go back again today, people will surely gossip about the Young Mistress not knowing the rules and running off to her parents' home too frequently."

Seeing Ziqing’s worried demeanor, Lin He stopped teasing her and said with a faint smile, "Ziqing, when did you become as impatient as Ziyu? When did I say I was going back to my maiden home? I only meant that it's boring, and perhaps we should find something to do in the courtyard. I understand what you mean—you’re essentially saying that since I am married, I cannot constantly visit my parents' home, right? Just say so directly; why the need to beat around the bush like this?" After speaking, Lin He gave Ziqing a playful, chiding look.

Hearing this, Ziqing managed an embarrassed smile and said, "Young Mistress, I was too anxious. But I am relieved that the Young Mistress thinks this way."

Lin He smiled helplessly. Did this girl truly view her as someone so unable to sit still? However, Ziqing was right; even if the Old Madam was gone, others remained, and caution was necessary in all actions.

But the weather today was truly beautiful. If she could go out for a walk, that would be best. Yet, with Ziqing's sharp eyes watching, it seemed going out was out of the question. She might as well find something to occupy her time within the courtyard.

Lin He walked around the courtyard with Ziqing and Ziyu. Upon reaching the small flowerbed, she noticed the flowers blooming in vibrant reds and purples, looking stunningly beautiful. Lin He suddenly recalled that it had been a long time since her ointment workshop had launched any new products. Since her engagement, she hadn't had the time to focus on these things. Perhaps she should take advantage of this period to create some new items.

Right, Lin He remembered the set of scented balms she had presented to the Old Madam at her wedding. That rascal Wen Ningxuan had mentioned those balms to her more than once, saying it would be very profitable to create more of them to sell in the shop if she had the time. Lin He had agreed back then but had been too busy after the marriage and almost forgot.

This season was perfect for making those balms. The flowerbed contained several varieties of flowers, and those blooming this month were quite lovely. She might as well make some to surprise that rascal Wen Ningxuan.

Having decided, she immediately put the plan into action. Lin He told Ziqing and Ziyu her thoughts, and the two maids became extremely excited, immediately bustling about and urging Lin He to take them to the ointment workshop.

Lin He smiled, realizing that to make the ointments, preparations were needed first. This was her first time preparing them here. Although she had brought some raw materials from home, many other things were missing and needed to be purchased first. Lin He instructed Ziyu to call for Shunzhu, and Lin He drew up a list, asking Shunzhu to go out and buy the necessary items. Shunzhu was delighted to hear the Young Mistress would personally make the balms and immediately called Shun Cai to go shopping with him.

Lin He led Ziqing and Ziyu to the ointment workshop behind the main building. This was only the second time Lin He had been to this workshop. Aside from the initial glance she took with Wen Ningxuan on the day she first arrived after marriage, she hadn't entered since.

Upon entering and examining the workshop closely, Lin He realized it was much more spacious than she remembered. Including the main area, there were three rooms in total, with two small side chambers attached to the dedicated ointment preparation room. One side chamber contained some wooden shelves, presumably for storing the finished balms, while the other room was empty, likely intended for miscellaneous supplies.

The provisions in the workshop were also quite complete, and the area was vast—at least two or three times larger than her previous workshop at home. Her old small workshop could barely accommodate four or five people turning around, but this room could easily hold several more tables.

Ziqing and Ziyu were seeing the ointment workshop for the first time. Ziyu stepped inside and couldn't help but exclaim, "Young Mistress, is this the workshop the Young Master set up for you? It’s too big! I think twenty or thirty people could work in here simultaneously, and there are several stoves ready. It will be much more convenient for us to work; no need to take turns anymore." After speaking, Ziyu excitedly looked around and touched things here and there.

Ziqing entered a moment later and was also slightly surprised by the workshop, but unlike Ziyu, Ziqing smiled and said, "You silly girl, do you think we'll be working day and night on these things like we did at home? This workshop is merely prepared for the Young Mistress to pass the time. Do you think the Young Master would still let the Young Mistress toil like before?"

"That's right, look at me, I almost forgot. The Second Young Master treasures the Young Mistress like a jewel, afraid of tiring her out. How could he bear to let the Young Mistress overwork herself? It seems this huge ointment workshop might not be of much use after all," Ziyu added, then made a gesture of shaking her head.