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Li Xia instructed, "Qiu Ling, quickly take Qiu Chan to change clothes. Qiu Shui, have Qiu Kui brew some ginger soup for Qiu Chan to drink." If Qiu Chan caught a cold, it would be a hassle. Qiu Shui went to find Qiu Kui.

The next day was Li Xin\'s coming-of-age ceremony. As Mrs. Lu\'s only biological daughter, she naturally hoped for a grand ceremony. Many guests were invited to witness the occasion.

Li Xia arrived early at Li Xin\'s courtyard, presenting her gift. Opening the box revealed a set of chess manuals from the previous dynasty, which was exactly what Li Xin loved. "Xia Xia, I love this gift so much!"

"When I received this at the bookshop, I knew you would definitely like it," Li Xia said. It was a coincidence that on that day, she had an unusual whim to visit the bookstore.

The bookstore had started a new business of buying used books. Unexpectedly, the first person to come was a short, sturdy man. This man was not a scholar, but his ancestors had produced a few. The books were handed down from his ancestors. In his generation, no one in the family was educated, and they made a living doing odd jobs. Keeping the books was pointless, so when he heard the bookstore was buying used books, he decided to inquire about the price.

Apart from the set of chess manuals, the other few books were just ordinary works, not worth much. The bookshop owner offered a decent price for the chess manuals.

Li Xia did not like chess manuals herself, but since Li Xin did, she asked to keep them. She carved a beautiful box to hold the manuals.

Li Shan entered and noticed the exquisite box on the table, along with some old books beside it. Without a doubt, it was a gift from Li Xia. Pursing her lips, she thought to herself that Li Xia would only send useless trinkets.

"Elder Sister, I personally designed a set of clothes for you," she said, glancing at Cuihong. Cuihong stepped forward, holding a box, and opened it.

The clothes Li Shan sent were stylish, but the fabric was ordinary. Li Shan had originally thought her designed clothes would be popular, but unexpectedly, someone else was better at designing and making clothes, overshadowing her shop.

Unable to openly criticize the person due to their high status, Li Shan felt frustrated, as nothing had gone her way since arriving in the Capital City.

"Thank you, Third Sister. Cuihong, put them away," Li Xin called her maid to take the clothes.

Li Shan looked smugly at Li Xia, who pretended not to notice. It was just a set of clothes; what was there to be proud of?

Li Shan could not stand Li Xia\'s indifferent attitude towards her. Inadvertently, she touched a teacup and burned herself. Turning, she slapped Cuihong, "Trying to scald me to death? Clumsy fool!"

Cuihong covered her face and remained silent, feeling the scars with her fingers. Qiu Kui had given her high-quality scar-removal medication, and the scars had faded significantly. Usually, Cuihong used powder to conceal them, but they were still visible. A deep hatred for Li Shan flickered in Cuihong\'s downcast eyes.

"Third Sister, today is Elder Sister\'s coming-of-age ceremony," Li Xia reminded Li Shan when she saw her still scolding Cuihong.

Li Shan gritted her teeth and sat down, saying nothing more.

At the appointed time, the three went to Mrs. Lu\'s courtyard and joined her for breakfast. Mrs. Lu instructed Li Xia and Li Shan to entertain the guests properly and not disappoint her.

After breakfast, the guests arrived one by one. Uncle Lu and the eldest cousin could not attend due to work.

Old Madam Lu brought the female relatives from their family. The Beining Marquis Manor sent gifts but did not attend. A few other ladies with whom Mrs. Lu was well-acquainted also came, accompanied by their daughters. Two of them even brought their sons.

An\'an arrived early with Cao Fugui to see Mrs. Lu and Li Xin, presenting gifts for the coming-of-age ceremony. Using the excuse of having matters to attend to, they left soon after, as Mrs. Lu understood Cao Fugui\'s reluctance to be seen by outsiders. Li Xia did not insist they stay longer, telling An\'an to visit again in a couple of days and keep her company at the Lu Manor.

An\'an readily agreed and left by carriage.

Mrs. Liu brought An\'an, Cao Fugui, and an unfamiliar young master. Upon arrival, An\'an immediately clung to Li Xin, chatting with her. Cao Fugui introduced the young master he brought to Li Hui, calling him the Fourth Young Master.

From Cao Fugui\'s manner, Li Hui could tell this Fourth Young Master was no ordinary person, so he received him courteously.

After conversing with Li Xin for a while, An\'an was called away to prepare. She then approached Li Xia, following her gaze to the Fourth Young Master.

"Xia Sister, have you taken a liking to my Fourth Brother?" An\'an teased.

Li Xia laughed, "An\'an, your Fourth Brother is quite extraordinary." In that short time, Li Xia had noticed his flirtations with two young ladies, shamelessly selling his charm to achieve his goals.

An\'an, having grown up around such schemers, understood her brother must have done something underhanded.

"It\'s hard to survive being too simple," An\'an remarked. She had tried living simply in the past, avoiding tricks, but ended up nearly being kidnapped by human traffickers. Recalling her former naivety, An\'an felt her current self was too cynical.

An\'an had unintentionally voiced her thoughts aloud. Li Xia reached out and pinched her chubby cheeks, "An\'an, there\'s a saying: \'One who does not seek for oneself will be destroyed by Heaven.\'"

Startled, An\'an exclaimed, "Xia Sister, how can you pinch my face?"

The soft, plump sensation felt good, tempting Li Xia to pinch again. However, An\'an covered her face with both hands, refusing to let her pinch.

"You can pinch my face," Li Xia\'s words made An\'an\'s heart flutter, but she feared being pinched again in retaliation if she did so herself. After hesitating for a while, she sat back down beside Li Xia, "I won\'t pinch you, and you won\'t pinch me either."

"Alright, no pinching," Li Xia chuckled at An\'an\'s cautious demeanor. This little girl was too adorable.

"Xia Sister, I didn\'t expect you to be such a tease," An\'an laughed as well, her previous discomfort vanishing. Although she did not reveal her identity, her noble bearing made Li Xin subconsciously cautious around her.

But not Li Xia. An\'an felt that Li Xia treated her as an equal, like a younger sister, without regard for her status. She enjoyed this sense of equality and rapport, free from the constraints of rank.

Li Xia\'s hearty laughter drew the attention of many young ladies in the courtyard, especially Mrs. Liu, who was surprised by An\'an\'s close relationship with a concubine-born daughter of the Lu family. She sighed inwardly at Li Xia\'s unfortunate status as a concubine-born child.

As the ceremonial hairstyle ritual began, the servants guided Mrs. Lu and the young ladies to take their seats and observe. Mrs. Lu had specially invited Ms. Liu as the honored guest, while Li Xia was originally designated as the praiser. However, Old Madam Lu later approached Mrs. Lu and suggested that Third Miss Lu should be the praiser instead.

Li Xin felt somewhat reluctant in her heart, as she had hoped for Li Xia to be the praiser. But since Mrs. Lu had agreed, Li Xin could not object.

Third Miss Lu appeared as the praiser. After not seeing her for some time, although Third Miss Lu tried her best to maintain a good countenance, one could still discern a hint of restlessness in her demeanor.