Affection

The plump girl looked somewhat puzzled at the maid.

The maid, hesitating and lowering her head, whispered, “You haven’t mentioned what my miss can or cannot eat.”

Chu Qingzhi responded, “There are no restrictions. Eat whatever you want.”

The maid hesitated again, “But…”

“Don’t worry, just do as I said earlier.” The girl’s condition was caused by an illness, unrelated to her diet.

Reluctantly, the maid complied, “Yes, miss,” though she was inwardly reluctant.

After Chu Qingzhi and her party left, the maid immediately ordered the servant and coachman who came with them to thoroughly clean and arrange the old house. They didn’t use anything from the house, purchasing all necessities from the county town instead.

The nearest city to the capital was called Wan City. At this moment, in Wan

City, the governor’s house was in a mess.

The governor’s wife, clutching a handkerchief and wiping away tears, couldn’t help but complain after a while, “Wanwan has never left without a word like this. It’s all your fault. You wanted to find a husband for Wanwan, but in the end, it was for someone else. Is this how you act as a father?

Three days ago, a matchmaker brought a young master to propose marriage, initially for the governor’s daughter, Wanwan. However, on the way to the residence, the young master met the governor’s niece, Qingqing, and immediately changed his mind.

Qingqing was the daughter of the governor’s brother, visiting for a short stay.

The governor was headache-ridden, “I didn’t know he would take a fancy to Qingqing. How is that my fault? If you want to blame someone, blame Wanwan for being too fat. Which man would accept such a plump girl?”

The governor’s wife retorted, “So what if she’s fat? She’s still my daughter.

How could I let others trample on her? Besides, it’s not like she wanted to be

fat!”

Frustrated, the governor said, “Now’s not the time for this. We need to find our daughter first.”

At that moment, a maid ran in with a letter, “My lord, a letter left by the young miss.”

The governor immediately read the letter, “Dear parents, I’ve gone to find a way to slim down. Please don’t look for me. When I’ve slimmed down, I’ll come back on my own. Your daughter, Wanwan.”

The governor’s wife snatched the letter, reading it through tears, My daughter, Wanwan, where have you gone to find a way? Can’t we solve it as a family? Why leave a letter and run away? What if you encounter bad people?”

The governor called for the butler, “Send someone to search in the direction of the four city gates immediately. You don’t need to bring the miss back, just report back once you’ve found her.”

After years of trying everything at home with no effect, what if she meets someone who can cure her condition while she’s out?

The governor’s wife questioned, “How can we not bring her back? What if she encounters danger?”

The governor took a deep breath to calm his inner worry and impatience, “Madam, you also hope for our daughter to get better, right?”

Without thinking, the governor’s wife said, “Of course I want it. If it’s possible, I want to suffer for my daughter. She’s suffered too much.”

“Then why not let her try her luck outside?”

The governor’s wife calmed down a little. “What do you mean?”

The governor sighed. “We all know our daughter’s health. No one in Wan City can cure her. Why don’t we try somewhere else?”

The governor’s wife sat back in her chair and thought for a moment before saying, “What you said makes sense…”

At this moment, a guard came in and reported, “Sir, Young Master Ziqian is here.”

“Let him in!”

A young man walked in, in his early twenties, tall and slender, dressed simply but very handsome. With a refined appearance akin to bamboo, he could be described as a beautiful man.

His name was Zhuang Ziqian, the direct eldest grandson of the former retired Minister Situ, but publicly known as an adopted child. However, Minister Situ treated him better than anyone else.

The governor had always had a high opinion of refined young men. “Why has Ziqian come?”

Zhuang Ziqian greeted with a bow, “I heard Wanwan has disappeared, so I came to inquire about her situation.”

The governor handed him the letter Wanwan had left, “This is the letter from Wanwan.”

Zhuang Ziqian, a bit nervous, immediately read the letter. After reading, he said, “Uncle, I will go look for Wanwan.”

The governor was surprised, “You?”

Zhuang Ziqian pressed his lips together, revealing a secret he had kept for years, “To be honest with uncle, I have feelings for Wanwan and have always refrained from expressing them. Please allow me to pursue her.

“How could you have feelings for Wanwan?” The governor couldn’t believe it, knowing his daughter’s condition better than anyone. Zhuang Ziqian, with his handsome appearance, was the dream match of every girl in Wan City. How could he like his Wan Wan?

Zhuang Ziqian bowed his head, “I will explain to my uncle later, but I must find

Wanwan now.”

Thinking it over, the governor saw that Zhuang Ziqian, coming from a good family and genuinely not caring about his daughter’s weight, must be sincere. He promised, “Alright, if you find Wanwan and she does not object, I will fulfill your wish.”

ZhuangZiqian smiled, “Thankyou, uncle.”

He left with brisk steps, returned to his residence to gather people, and immediately set out to search for Wanwan.

The governor’s wife said, “Even though he’s not a biological child, he was raised by Minister Situ himself. He and our Wanwan would make a good match.”

The governor also felt satisfied, “Now it’s up to Wanwan.”

At this, both looked at each other, puzzled as to why he had a special affection for their Wanwan.

At the Chu Family Paper Mill.

In the paper-making room, the pulp was all scooped out, and Chu Qingxiang, Gao Zhenghui, and Sun Hongchuan added more pulp scraps and chemicals to continue making paper.

Chu Qingzhi entered, “How many sheets have been made?”

“About five hundred,” Chu Qingxiang replied.

There’s a small door leading to the drying room from the paper-making room. Chu Qingzhi headed there.

The drying room had a ground heating system like a kang and specially designed walls to generate airflow. Wet paper placed inside could dry in half an hour.

After giving some instructions, she left the room and went to the room where Li Changjiang made hard paper.

“How’s it going?” she asked.

“Almost done.”

This room’s layout was similar to her experimental room, with a door leading to the drying room, where paper was laid out to dry.

Chu Qingzhi inspected a dried sheet of paper, pleased with this batch. The hard paper was sturdy and lustrous, mixed with pearl powder for a slight shimmer, very appealing.

She folded the paper a few times and closed it along the crease. It was just enough to wrap an apple pie completely. It was exquisite everywhere.