The young Master Fu, who was about to depart with his servant, turned back, looking at Xia Wanyu with confusion at her agitated words. Did he know the eldest daughter of the Xia family this well?

Xia Wanyu quickly added, "Brother Fu, it's Wanyu! We used to play together." As she spoke, Xia Wanyu looked at Young Master Fu with hopeful eyes, only to see his expression remain utterly bewildered. Instantly, she lowered her head, a shadow of sadness crossing her face. "Brother Fu must have forgotten me!"

Indeed, Young Master Fu looked puzzled, but his confusion stemmed not from not remembering Xia Wanyu, but from viewing their past interactions as mere childhood games. Years had passed, they were all grown now, and childhood matters shouldn't be brought up as if they were fresh. Yet, seeing Xia Wanyu’s mournful expression, he wondered if she had truly remembered him all this time.

Hearing Xia Wanyu’s words, Young Master Fu felt that denying remembrance would be untrue and might deeply hurt her. Thus, he said, "You are the eldest daughter of the Xia family, aren't you? I remember you."

At this, Xia Wanyu immediately looked up, excitement flooding her face. "So Brother Fu hasn't forgotten me; that's wonderful. Since Brother Fu remembers me, do you recall my promise to embroider a sachet for you? I finished it long ago and meant to give it to you the next time we met. But every time you came afterward, my mother sent a momo to take me away to learn etiquette, so I never got the chance to hand it to you personally. Could you wait a moment? I'll send my maid back to my room to fetch it for you—it would finally settle this matter that I’ve carried in my heart all these years."

With that, Xia Wanyu swiftly instructed her maid to retrieve a sachet kept in her jewelry box.

Young Master Fu felt a flicker of doubt regarding the veracity of her words. He genuinely couldn't recall ever asking her for a sachet. Moreover, even if such a promise had been made, they were both so young then. Could Xia Wanyu have been so steadfast, remembering a promise made in childhood?

Driven by an unknown impulse, Young Master Fu decided to wait a short while, curious to see the sachet Xia Wanyu had supposedly kept in mind for so many years. What he would do after seeing it, he hadn't yet considered.

Moments later, the maid returned with the sachet. Xia Wanyu took it and presented it to Young Master Fu with great solemnity. "This is the sachet I promised to make for you. Though many years late, it is finally in your hands."

Young Master Fu took the sachet and looked down. Embroidered on it was an orchid—it appeared rather crude and uneven, clearly the work of a beginner. Furthermore, the fabric looked aged, somewhat faded, indicating it was made a long time ago. At this, Young Master Fu's last shred of doubt vanished; he was now convinced that Xia Wanyu had made this in her childhood.

Seeing Young Master Fu intently studying the embroidered orchid, Xia Wanyu flushed with shyness. "I had just started learning needlework then, so the stitching isn't very good."

At this moment, Chunlan, Xia Wanyu’s attendant nearby, interjected, "Miss, didn't you make many sachets embroidered with orchids every year after that? Those were far more exquisite than this one. Why did you bring this one? Did Chan'er bring the wrong one?"

As soon as Chunlan finished speaking, Xia Wanyu sharply rebuked her, "Be quiet! When did I ever make those sachets? What nonsense are you spouting?"

Chunlan seemed unconvinced but obediently held her tongue.

Meanwhile, Young Master Fu, feeling he now understood the true situation, experienced a strange sensation. He hadn't expected this woman to carry the thought of giving him a sachet for so many years—it had been a good many years since they played together as children. What sort of conviction sustained her to begin embroidering such a sachet from such a young age, and to continue doing so every year afterward? Thinking of the countless sachets bearing the identical pattern as the one in his hand, Young Master Fu felt something immense and perhaps unbearable was about to break free. He quickly gripped the sachet and hurried away.

As Young Master Fu left, his servant naturally followed. However, before leaving, the servant glanced back at Xia Wanyu, thinking, She truly is a formidable character, daring to snatch the betrothal of my young master's legitimate sister. But it had nothing to do with him; he was simply earning his keep by doing what he was paid for. With that thought, the servant swiftly caught up to Young Master Fu, who was already walking ahead.

Watching the receding figure of Young Master Fu, Xia Wanyu was filled with unconcealed delight. Though today brought no monumental progress with him, it seemed she had carved out a place in his heart. Beside her, Chunlan gazed at her mistress with undisguised admiration. My mistress is truly capable. If things continue like this, it might not be impossible for the Eldest Miss to claim the Second Miss's betrothal! Chunlan thought. Following the Eldest Miss was the right choice; with such a capable mistress, we maids will surely reap greater rewards.

Over there, Young Master Fu remained consumed by thoughts of Xia Wanyu and the sachet until he returned home. He looked at the sachet in his hand, the orchid stitched upon it. Despite the workmanship being far from exquisite—even crude—for some inexplicable reason, the sachet felt different to him. Furthermore, the orchid was incredibly familiar. Not only because his father had instructed him since childhood to use it as his moral standard, but also because his own name was Fu Lan.

Fu Lan's mother sensed a subtle shift in her son after his visit to the Xia residence. However, she couldn't pinpoint what it was and could only comfort herself by thinking she was overthinking things.

In the following days, Fu Lan constantly dwelled on Xia Wanyu and the sachet. An image repeatedly surfaced in his mind: a woman sitting on a couch, meticulously stitching a sachet, thread by painstaking thread. Upon closer inspection, the sachet was embroidered with an orchid—one she had been stitching for many years.

When thinking of Xia Wanyu, Fu Lan naturally thought of his fiancée as well. Compared to Xia Wanyu, Xia Wan-ting seemed to pale in comparison. It wasn't that Xia Wan-ting hadn't embroidered sachets for him over the years; rather, he felt certain she would never have silently worked on sachets for him for so many years without expecting anything in return, as Xia Wanyu supposedly had. After all, she couldn't know if she would ever encounter him. If he hadn't met her, wouldn't all those sachets she stitched have been wasted? Wouldn't she regret it?

For someone who had silently done so much for him without demanding recompense, even if Fu Lan didn't yet feel love for her, he felt she was unique, inspiring a measure of tenderness within him.

Meanwhile, Wang Qingchen was participating in the County Examination alongside many others from the county school. This exam was held every three years primarily to nominate candidates qualified for the Provincial Examination, also known as the Xiang Shi.

After more than a year of arduous study, Wang Qingchen felt quite confident about this County Examination, so the pressure on him wasn't significant. However, things were different for Li Yuntai and Liu Hao. They hadn't grasped their studies as quickly or as well as Wang Qingchen. Consequently, although they were also taking the County Examination, they lacked Wang Qingchen's ease, merely hoping to give it a try. In fact, the two of them were already prepared to fail to secure a nomination for the Xiang Shi this time around.

Wang Qingchen spent his days with Li Yuntai and Liu Hao and was well aware of their mindset. At this time, however, he found it difficult to persuade them further. He could only inject humor into their walks and meals, hoping to ease the tension in their strained nerves.

After returning to their lodging, Li Yuntai and Liu Hao immediately resumed their studies after finishing dinner. Wang Qingchen, instead, went first to tend to the few pots of flowers he kept.

These flower seeds had been sent by Steward Xu. After Wang Qingchen arrived in the county town, Steward Xu had moved there not long after and had delivered flowers a few times, including a packet of seeds once. When he delivered them, Steward Xu was quite apologetic, reasoning that since Wang Qingchen was now a scholar (Xiucai), he should prioritize his studies to advance further on the official path. Therefore, Wang Qingchen shouldn't be dealing with trivial matters unrelated to academics, like cultivating flowers for others.

However, Wang Qingchen did not behave as others expected; he accepted the items Steward Xu brought, which made the steward even more grateful, leading him to look after Wang Qingchen with even greater care.

When Wang Qingchen received the flower seeds, he intended to share some with Li Yuntai and Liu Hao. But they politely refused, being single-mindedly devoted to their studies and uninterested in anything else.

Later, Wang Qingchen remembered that Zhao Cheng's mother was also in the county town, so he gave a few seeds to Zhao Cheng. Zhao Cheng initially prepared to refuse, but Wang Qingchen explained that he often gave flower seeds to friends, so he shouldn't worry about it. He added that Zhao Cheng should just give the seeds to his mother to plant and ensure they were watered, minimizing the effort required. Moreover, he cautioned that it wasn't certain if the flowers would even sprout, so Zhao Cheng shouldn't be too concerned.