The ancient house in H city of the Jiangnan water town, famous for its silk, Shen Xiaoman sat on the rattan chair in the middle of the waterside pavilion, feeding bread to the schools of red and white carp swimming beneath the lotus pond.
This season, the lotus flowers had already withered, and the leaves had faded, making the fish the only notable feature in the pond.
It was her tenth day away from Lei Zijia...
"Miss, Miss..."
Auntie Liu, the maid, had called several times before Shen Xiaoman came back to her senses and nodded at Auntie Liu with a smile, "Yes, Auntie Liu, do you need me for something?"
In the Jiang family, Shen Xiaoman was the young miss from outside the family, but she never got used to this title, often ignoring the servants' calls.
"The master and young master have returned and are waiting for you in the hall."
"Oh, alright!"
