In front of the gate stood two gatekeepers, one tall and one short. Seeing that Brian Clark had arrived by carriage, they naturally became more cautious. After scrutinizing Brian Clark's attire and bearing, the tall gatekeeper smiled and said, “Young master, your timing is unfortunate—my master has just gone out. If it’s urgent, I can go inform the head steward; if not, you can leave a letter.”

“It’s nothing urgent.” Brian Clark hadn’t planned to meet anyone today anyway, so upon learning that the person he was looking for wasn’t in, he actually felt it was just as well. He smiled, pulled a letter from his sleeve, and handed it over. “Please, brother, deliver this letter to Mr. Sullivan, and tell him it’s from Brian Clark, with my utmost respect.”

After saying this, Brian Clark nodded slightly, turned, and walked toward the carriage. Just as he was about to get in, he suddenly called out without looking back, “Sixth King, what are you dawdling for? We still have proper business to attend to at the Yingtian Prefecture office!”

Sixth King looked on in confusion at the scene, glanced at the tall gatekeeper who was frowning in thought, then turned to look at his own young master. He hesitated for a moment before quickly turning to catch up, then busily helped Brian Clark into the carriage. After a bit of fuss, he immediately cracked the whip and set off. As soon as the carriage left, the short gatekeeper—who had been silent in front of the The Sullivan Family gate—finally came over, stared at the characters on the envelope for a long while, but, unable to read, nudged the tall gatekeeper with his elbow.

“Hey, brother, why does this young master’s name sound so familiar to me?”

“No wonder it sounds familiar!” The tall gatekeeper looked at the letter in his hand, his face showing deep disgust. “He’s that good-for-nothing who got engaged to the young lady!”

“What, that useless fellow!” The short gatekeeper exploded, rolling up his sleeves. “He’s got some nerve, daring to come here to see the master. He should take a good look at himself in the—”

Before he could finish, he heard a heavy cough beside him. Startled, he cut himself off, and when he looked over, he immediately put on a beaming smile. “Ah, it’s Ruby Lane girl! What brings you outside in this cold weather? Did the young lady send you on an errand or to buy something? Just leave it to us brothers—we’ll make sure nothing goes wrong…”

The one called Ruby Lane girl was a young maiden of about thirteen or fourteen, her hair styled in two buns. Her features bore the delicate grace typical of Jiangnan women. She wore a crab-shell blue, cross-collared, right-lapped silk jacket, with an apricot-colored cotton skirt below, and a pair of pearl lilac earrings peeking from her ears. At this moment, her cheeks were slightly puffed, making her look even more charming and cute. She gave the short gatekeeper a cold look, snorted through her nose, and stretched out her hand to the tall gatekeeper: “Hand it over!”

“Ruby Lane girl, this isn’t according to the rules…”

“The master isn’t here. Besides the young lady, who else can make decisions about letters delivered here?” Before the tall gatekeeper could come up with another excuse, she smiled sweetly and added, “What, Big Brother Young, are you not even going to listen to the young lady now?”

“Ruby Lane girl, you must be joking—I wouldn’t dare!” Elder Young hurriedly handed over the letter with both hands. Seeing Ruby Lane triumphantly tuck it into her bosom, he couldn’t help but remind her, “Though that boy is detestable, it’s only a few days more. If there’s anything improper written in the letter, please do advise the young lady…”

“The young lady isn’t one of those girls who just mope about lovesick—she’s not so easily upset by the likes of him!” Ruby Lane said with a smirk, then suddenly remembered something important. She stomped her foot in annoyance. “You two distracted me so much I forgot my real business. Both of you, come inside and talk!”

Ruby Lane called the two gatekeepers into a small room on the right inside the gate. After a while, she lifted the curtain and went inside along the corridor. She walked off cheerfully, but the two brothers who followed her out couldn’t help but exchange glances. After a long moment, the short gatekeeper sighed, “Brother, it’s this business again—how long do we have to keep worrying?”

“You dare talk? If it weren’t for you and your damned antics last time, and the young lady catching you red-handed, would I have to get involved in this mess? Stop looking so glum—let’s just take it one step at a time. Why worry so much?”

Having completed the important errand assigned by the young lady, and having intercepted a letter from that Clark's Son outside, Ruby Lane was naturally quite pleased with herself. But halfway along, she pressed her chest and suddenly recalled the tall gatekeeper’s warning, and her heart skipped a beat. If that boy really wrote something improper in the letter and she gave it to the young lady, wouldn’t that make the young lady angry? And if those two at the gate let something slip and rumors spread about her passing letters in private, she’d be in big trouble!

Thinking of this, she stood there pondering for a while, then finally turned and headed straight for the front courtyard, delivering the letter to Butler Lane. She had hoped to take the chance to see what was written inside, but Butler Lane didn’t give her the opportunity at all—he simply waved her off, and she had to leave, disappointed.