Chapter 240 Jealousy
The two talked for a while, and Qin Xiaoning saw Shen Qingshu out. When she reached the gate, she happened to meet Zhao Yuan who had just returned from outside.

Shen Qingshu was the prefect of Qianzhou, so Zhao Yuan naturally recognized him.

Shen Qingshu is an honest official with a decent style. He has great prestige and reputation in Qianzhou. The common people love him. Zhao Yuan also had a good impression of him in the past, but now, seeing him walking with Qin Xiaoning, Zhao Yuan just felt very upset.

"Sir Shen." Zhao Yuan called out as he hurried towards the two of them. "What business have you come to my humble abode for?"

Shen Qingshu was walking out while talking in a low voice with Qin Xiaoning. It was not until he heard Zhao Yuan's call that he raised his eyes and looked towards Zhao Yuan.

Although Zhao Yuan, who was coming towards him, maintained a normal expression on his face, his eyes were filled with undisguised displeasure.

Shen Qingshu paused, raised his hand and saluted politely: "Mr. Zhao"

Zhao Yuan took two more steps towards the two of them, then stopped and saluted, asking again, "Master Shen, thank you for visiting my humble abode, but..."

The man was handsome and elegant, and the girl was gentle and demure. Standing beside the man, Zhao Yuan felt that it was very dazzling. He was halfway through his words and then cleared his throat: "Lord Shen, why didn't you send someone to inform Zhao when you came to my humble home, but came to see my women rashly."

Logically speaking, Qin Xiaoning should be considered a guest of the Zhao family. Now that Zhao Yuan referred to her as a female member, it was not because he was deliberately being angry, but an unconscious subconscious reaction.

In his subconscious, Qin Xiaoning is their family.

Men understand men best. Shen Qingshu saw Zhao Yuan's admiration for Qin Xiaoning. He smiled and replied seriously, "Mr. Zhao, you misunderstood. I am not here on business. I came here specifically to look for Miss Qin. Mr. Zhao may not know that Miss Qin and I are old friends."

An old friend?

After Zhao Yuan heard what Shen Qingshu said, his expression paused, and then he looked at Qin Xiaoning, as if seeking confirmation from her.

Qin Xiaoning said truthfully: "Mr. Shen and I are indeed old acquaintances."

Zhao Yuan paused, and said coldly, "I haven't heard you mention it before."

What's going on with these people? She has only been staying at the Zhao family for about a month, and the number of times she has met Mr. Zhao can be counted on one hand. The words they have spoken are even fewer, just polite greetings when they meet.

Now hearing what he said, it seemed as if they were very familiar with each other.

Qin Xiaoning smiled helplessly, not knowing how to respond, and just said, "Master Shen, I'll take you out."

Shen Qingshu looked at Qin Xiaoning, smiled and said yes, and when he passed by Zhao Yuan, he stopped again and said in a cold tone: "Shen thanks the Zhao family for taking care of Ah Ning recently."

Zhao Yuan turned to look at Shen Qingshu, his eyes were sharp and his tone was cold: "Master Shen, what are you talking about? Miss Qin has come all the way to my Zhao family, and we should take care of her."

Shen Qingshu curled the corner of his mouth, stopped arguing, bowed to Zhao Yuan, and walked out of the Zhao family's door.

After seeing Shen Qingshu off, Qin Xiaoning was about to go back to her own yard when she was stopped by Zhao Yuan.

"Miss Qin."

He followed Qin Xiaoning and called her over. After they stood still, he stopped not too far from her. Qin Xiaoning looked at Zhao Yuan and saw that he hadn't spoken for a long time. She asked, "Mr. Zhao, is there something wrong?"

Zhao Yuan frowned and hesitated for a long time before speaking with difficulty: "It's nothing serious, but I heard that you are in a hurry to find a house recently." Qin Xiaoning nodded: "I looked at a few, but I was not satisfied with any of them."

Before Qin Xiaoning finished speaking, Zhao Yuan said anxiously, "Why are you in such a hurry to move out?"

As soon as he said this, he realized his rashness, so he cleared his throat, tried to stay calm, and explained awkwardly: "I mean, you just came to Shuwang and you are unfamiliar with the place. Besides, it is always unsafe for you, a girl, to live outside alone. Although my Zhao family is not a wealthy family, we have enough houses and courtyards. You can stay here."

He said all this in one breath, but still felt something was wrong, so he hurriedly added: "I don't mean anything else, I just hope you can be safe."

Before Qin Xiaoning could answer, Juxian came in from outside. She saw the two of them talking from afar and walked over quickly.

"It's so hot, why are you standing here talking? Aren't you afraid of the sun?"

This girl has a simple personality and is not used to hiding her emotions. When she said this, her round face was wooden and her tone was full of sourness.

Qin Xiaoning knew that Juxian was interested in the young master of the Zhao family, so she explained to her truthfully: "An old friend came to visit me today, and I just saw him off, and I happened to run into Young Master Zhao."

Juxian still pouted when she heard this and looked straight at Zhao Yuan. Zhao Yuan frowned and said in a low voice: "Jumei, you go back first. I have something to say to Miss Qin."

His tone was calm, with a hint of coaxing, but it was definitely not the doting that comes from a romantic relationship; it was just brotherly indulgence.

Seeing Juxian's grievance, Qin Xiaoning said directly: "Juxian is not an outsider, Mr. Zhao, if you have anything to say, just say it."

Zhao Yuan frowned. Seeing that Juxian had no intention of leaving, he sighed helplessly and said, "Forget it. Let's talk about it another day."

Broke up unhappily.

When they returned to their residence, Songzhi gossiped: "Where does this Miss Juxian come from? I see that she has deep feelings for the young master of the Zhao family."

Qin Xiaoning said: "Let's not meddle in other people's affairs."

He then instructed Songzhi, "Let's pack our luggage later."

Songzhi was surprised: "The house hasn't been settled yet, and you are in a hurry to clean it up."

Qin Xiaoning replied, "When Lord Shen came over just now, he recommended an official residence. I think it's quite reliable. When he is free one day, we can go and take a look. If it's okay, we can decide on it right away."

"It's better to move out of here as soon as possible." Qin Xiaoning murmured.

Hearing Qin Xiaoning mention Shen Qingshu, Song Zhi's eyes lit up: "Is this Mr. Shen married now?"

Qin Xiaoning was stunned by the question. After she came to her senses, she rolled her eyes at the little maid and said, "Don't think about it."

Songzhi curled his lips and said, "I see that he cares about you so much, he must have you in his heart. When we were in the mansion, I saw that he had a good impression of you. Now that you are free, just wait and see, this Shen Qingshu will definitely catch up with you."

The little maid said with satisfaction: "This Shen Qingshu is handsome, an official, talented, and has a simple family background. He is a rare and good match."

Qin Xiaoning was about to retort when she felt a sudden discomfort in her stomach and she couldn't help but dry-heave again.