He also thought of slowly providing his younger sister with some things so she could someday marry into a good family.
In his haste, Ye Wenzheng failed to see, and as a result, he knocked over a young lady.
Quickly, Ye Wenzheng wanted to crouch down to help her, but he was concerned about the impropriety between men and women and how being seen might tarnish the young lady’s reputation, so in the end, he could only awkwardly stand there without making a move.
"You, you’ve knocked me down and can’t even say sorry, how utterly rude," the young lady pouted with cherry lips and looked up at Ye Wenzheng with large, reproachful eyes.
"Sor...sorry!" Ye Wenzheng, who was of proper age to discuss marriage yet had never interacted with girls, was overwhelmed by being scolded by such a beautiful young lady and at a loss for words.
As she spoke, the young lady slowly got up from the ground by herself, but she was not quite steady and almost fell again.
Fortunately, this time Ye Wenzheng reacted quickly, steadying the young lady before she could fall.
Feeling the softness in his hand and the delicate scent of the lady drifting into his nose, Ye Wenzheng’s face turned red and red again, and he quickly let go of her hand.
"Oh dear, I’ve sprained my ankle, what am I to do?" the young lady lamented, frowning and speaking helplessly.
"That... May I know where the young lady lives? Perhaps, perhaps I could have someone send you back?" Ye Wenzheng thought it over, feeling responsible since he was the one who had bumped into her.
At these words, the young lady cried out in surprise, "Ah, are you not the owner of that ice shop? My home is just ahead, only a few stores away from here. I was also coming to buy ice, but now I’ve hurt my foot..."
The young lady’s tone was somewhat downcast, which made Ye Wenzheng feel even more embarrassed.
"I’m truly sorry, I didn’t see you and therefore bumped into you," Ye Wenzheng explained, and to avoid any misunderstanding, he added, "But the young lady is mistaken, I merely help out in the shop; it is actually my cousin’s."
When talking about Ye Jiu, Ye Wenzheng’s face showed a faint hint of pride, as if he was speaking of himself.
"Your cousin? Is she the young lady who came here wearing a veil during the ice shop’s opening? She is so capable! To have started a shop at such a young age! But why does she hide her head under a veil?" the young lady asked curiously, her large eyes wide with wonder.
"That I do not know, but my cousin is indeed quite impressive," Ye Wenzheng assured her, obviously aware of the reason why Ye Jiu covered her head, but not foolish enough to disclose it so readily.
Ye Jiu had only just returned home when Prince Jing followed up.
When he saw Ye Jiu, he reproached her, "You girl, why did you leave without saying a word, causing me to search for a long time? In the end, it was from a guard that I learned you’d left the Royal Residence."
"I will be leaving the capital city tomorrow, so I wanted to come back and pack up in advance. Seeing that the Prince was so busy, I didn’t notify you," Ye Jiu explained.
Prince Jing looked at her skeptically, "Really... it’s not because you’re mad at me?"
"No, the Prince only asked me to go to the Royal Residence, and I haven’t lost anything, so there’s nothing to be upset about!" Ye Jiu replied considerately.
However, the more considerate Ye Jiu was, the more Prince Jing felt something was off.
Ye Jiu’s compliance at the moment had lost her usual liveliness, which left Prince Jing with an odd feeling in his heart.