A few days passed in a flash. Several issues of *Anecdotes of the Capital* featuring the story of the secret code in the mansion had caught the public's attention. For several days, it had remained a hot topic for people to chat about during their leisure time.
Having piqued the readers' curiosity, Cheng Xiran decided to halt the serialization for a couple of days to make the public eager. By then, *Anecdotes of the Capital* would sell even better, and she could also enjoy some leisure.
Just as Cheng Xiran was lying leisurely on a lounge chair in the yard, pruning the potted flowers, an old acquaintance suddenly came to visit.
When Zhuque came to announce the visitor, Cheng Xiran thought she had misheard the name and asked several times in succession, "Who did you say is here to visit me?"
Zhuque replied, "It's... Miss Xiao Qi of the Xiao family."
The scissors in Cheng Xiran's hand suddenly paused, and accidentally she cut off a flower in the pot. What did Xiao Qi want from her at this time? It must be no good.
Cheng Xiran was too lazy to deal with her, so she told Zhuque to send someone to invite Cheng Zhiyue. She always liked to mingle with these noble children, so it would be most appropriate for her to entertain the guest.
Not long after, the entrance of the yard suddenly became lively. Cheng Xiran looked up and saw a group of people crowding into the yard. It was none other than Xiao Qi.
Why couldn't she get rid of this woman?
After not seeing her for some time, Xiao Qi seemed to have become even more beautiful. She was wearing a cloud - embroidered silk dress and a pink hood. A pair of jadeite earrings set off her fair complexion, and her big eyes were so charming and endearing.
Others would surely praise her for her beauty and elegance. Cheng Xiran used to think so too. Xiao Qi never showed her anger in front of outsiders and always looked modest. But when it came to pushing the former owner of this body into the water, she didn't hesitate at all.
"Sister, Sister Xiao came to see you. Why didn't you receive her?" Cheng Zhiyue came in, arm in arm with Xiao Qi.
Only then did Cheng Xiran put down the scissors and walked over to greet them. Seeing this, Xiao Qi stepped forward affectionately, took her hand, and said gently, "I heard you were unwell, so I came to see you. Seeing you so energetic, I guess you've recovered."
Pretending to be ill was just a ploy to get Zhuque to send the visitor to Cheng Zhiyue. She didn't expect this woman to be so thick - skinned and still come looking for her. She probably saw that she didn't die and wanted to take another shot.
Cheng Xiran couldn't stand her act and withdrew her hand, saying, "Since I fell into the water last time, I've been busy with *Anecdotes of the Capital*, so I didn't send someone to inform you."
Seeing the two of them getting along so familiarly, Cheng Zhiyue was extremely jealous. She quickly told the servants to make tea. Zhuque led several servants to prepare the tea as instructed. However, a maid behind Xiao Qi blocked their way and said, "My lady can't get used to the tea made by others. You just prepare the tea for your own mistress."
As soon as she finished speaking, several other maids took out the food boxes they had brought and took out the tea sets to make tea for Xiao Qi.
Cheng Xiran couldn't help twitching the corner of her mouth. What a blatant show - off of wealth! It was just a cup of tea. Did she really need to bring her own tea set when going out?
When the maid presented the teacup to Cheng Xiran, she couldn't help but be amazed. The teacup was so transparent that through the light, one could faintly see the tea inside. The cup must be made of something even better than jade. If it were sold in modern times, it would earn more than all the newspapers she could write in a lifetime.
How she wished she could sell it!
There was even a hint of jealousy in Cheng Zhiyue's eyes. This was the set of glazed jade teacups bestowed by the emperor. There was only one set like this in the capital.
Looking at the looks in the eyes of the two Cheng sisters, Xiao Qi felt a great sense of vanity. She always liked to bring this set of glazed jade teacups wherever she went. It wasn't for anything else. Just the envious looks were enough.