This was something Qin Yuan had never considered.

When Physician Liu and Physician Li were first assigned, smallpox was rampant. The arrangement was made simply for the convenience of consultations, since the servants' courtyard was next to the inner courtyard, and the patients' closed courtyard was also in the inner courtyard.

Now that it's been said this way, it seems we should indeed avoid saying it.

Brother Qi is neither too old nor too young. It would be somewhat inappropriate for him to remain in the inner courtyard after Kaifeng, but to move him to another courtyard so soon after his injuries have healed seems like they're kicking him out.

Qin Yuan: "..."

Hongye said, "Why don't we wait until Brother Qi recovers and let him take his mother back to his own home to recuperate? When Doctor Li comes to perform acupuncture and make a diagnosis, we can go directly to his home."

Brother Qi's mother is just blind, she's not unable to move.

Qin Yuan said, "Then let him rest for a few more days. We can't just kick him out while he's still weak."

Hongye said, "Miss, you can rest assured that I can handle things. People will only say that the Marquis's mansion is kind and benevolent, and has strict rules. There will never be anything wrong with it."

"Then you can arrange it as you see fit," Qin Yuan said casually, not wanting to bother with it anymore. She added, "See if Brother Qi can take good care of his mother. If not, send her directly to the Renhetang clinic to stay. It will be convenient for him to prepare medicine and give acupuncture."

Red Leaf cried out.

"Oh, didn't I tell you to let me handle the arrangements? Just leave it to me."

"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore. Send someone to the front yard to ask if the Marquis wants to come for a meal. If not, I'll go to the main room."

Hongye said, "Miss, I think you're still half asleep. The Marquis met with the ninth branch of the Gu family today, so naturally he'll go to the main room to let the twins meet with them."

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll use it at Wutong Garden."

She didn't want to get involved in this at all.

She was fine with whatever Lord Gu arranged, as long as she wasn't allowed to interfere.

Qin Yuan didn't ask anyone to inquire whether Gu Jinghui wanted to return to Wutong Garden for a meal. She simply waited a while until Cuiming returned from the sewing room, and then they started eating.

Just as Hongye had said, Lord Gu was talking with Gu Jingcheng and the old lady and others in the main room.

After inquiring about the health of Gu Jingcheng and his wife, and discussing some clan matters, Madam Gu finally brought up the topic of the twins.

"The father of the two children shielded Hui-ge from death. You know his character; he promised to treat them as his own children and take care of them, but unfortunately..."

Gu Jinghui hurriedly said, "Mother, I have already told my cousin the whole story. My cousin also thinks it is good, but he wants to see the two children first. I also promised them that they would make a decision after seeing them."

Madam Gu then ordered someone to summon the twins to meet her.

Zihe and Xiaohong accompanied Cheng Ge'er and Yu Jie'er into the hall, where they saw a middle-aged man in his forties, tall with clear features, a short mustache, and wearing boots favored by military officers, sitting in a grand chair.

They both knew then that this was the adoptive father their godfather had brought.

Brother Cheng pulled Sister Yu forward, bowed solemnly, and said, "Greetings, Godfather."

Gu Jinghui then had them greet Gu Jingcheng.

Seeing that the two children were tall and strong with distinct features, Gu Jingcheng took a liking to them and said, "Your godfather has mentioned you. Since this is our first meeting, I don't have much to give you, except for the dagger and jade pendant that I carry with me every day. I'll give them to you as a gift."

Gu Jinghui was quite pleased, which showed that Gu Jingcheng liked the two children.

Cheng Ge'er and Yu Jie'er stepped forward and took the dagger and jade pendant respectively. They thanked Gu Jingcheng, exchanged a few words, asked about daily life and other matters, and then had nothing more to say.

Madam Gu invited Gu Jingcheng to dine with her, but Gu Jingcheng quickly declined, saying, "Only my wife is at home, and I have to go back to keep her company, so I won't bother you, Auntie."

Madam Gu smiled and said, "You are quite considerate to your wife."

Gu Jingcheng said helplessly, "When I was young, I often stayed in the northern frontier and I would not see her for a year. After I was injured, I returned to the city and spent more time with her, so it got better. Now that I have no children, if I don't go back, she will feel lonely. When you have time in the future, I will ask her to come in and pay her respects."

Madam Gu smiled and nodded, "This is how we should live. We're having a banquet in the manor in a couple of days to get rid of bad luck. You and your niece-in-law must come."

Gu Jingcheng readily agreed.

He had no children and was the son of a concubine in the ninth branch of the family, making him extremely inconspicuous. If he could interact more with the Marquis's family, he might gain some influence in the clan in the future.

Gu Jingcheng smiled and said goodbye to the two children. The twins had been taught good manners these days, and their bows and words were just right.

Gu Jingcheng was even more satisfied, thinking only that it was their mother's fault that the two children were unable to gain a foothold in the Marquis's mansion.

Gu Jinghui escorted Gu Jingcheng to the outside of the mansion and said, "Cousin, what do you think of these two children?"

“Your sister-in-law and I have always been childless, so it would be good to have children to keep us company. Besides, living next to the Marquis’s mansion makes it easy to visit each other. But I don’t know if those two children are willing, and I also don’t know what your sister-in-law thinks.”

Gu Jinghui smiled and said, "I'll go back and ask Cheng-ge'er and Yu-jie'er. As for Madam, cousin, you don't need to worry. She listens to me."

Gu Jingcheng said enviously, "The Marquis is older, more imposing and handsome, so his young mistress is naturally obedient to him in everything he says, unlike your sister-in-law, who has ten things to say in return for every one thing I say."

“Hey,” Lord Gu couldn’t stop talking about this, “Cousin, I’m the head of the family, so naturally I make all the decisions. My wife is gentle and obedient, and we always talk about being one as husband and wife. She takes great care of my daily life. She takes care of my clothes and food. I must say, she’s a hundred times better than Gu Shiliu. There’s just one downside, though. She’s too clingy.”

Gu Jingcheng had already heard that Lord Gu cherished his young wife, so he nodded in agreement and sighed a couple of times.

In an instant, he became Lord Gu's close cousin.

When Lord Gu bid farewell, he looked very solemn and said, "Brother Tiantang must bring his wife. My wife is young and has only been married for a short time. She doesn't know many people. With her taking care of her and giving her guidance, I can worry less about her."

After returning home, Gu Jingcheng said to his wife, "I really didn't expect that after the Marquis got married, he was like a completely different person."

His wife, Madam Dai, asked, "What's wrong?"

Gu Jingcheng couldn't help but laugh and said, "I went to the Marquis's residence to see the twins, chatted with the Marquis in the study, and then went to the main room to see the old aunt. The twins were out for less than a quarter of an hour, which is about half an hour, maybe three quarters of an hour at most. But the Marquis and I chatted with the Marquis's wife and the way husband and wife get along for almost an hour."

Lady Dai couldn't help but cover her lips with her handkerchief and chuckled, "You really are... The Marquis is newly married, and they are deeply in love."