Returning to one's parents' home

Xu Qiu's wealth came from his job at the Eastern Depot, and Xu Shanhai would also give him some things as a separate reward, so he actually had a lot of money.

He used to be very extravagant with money, whether it was for his servants or for the things he liked.

He can only receive the meager salary of a sixth-rank official, and if this continues, he will definitely be unable to make ends meet.

However, he won't stay in this position for long.

"Madam." Xu Qiu had the steward bring over the account books and keys, and handed them to Gu Yu. "These are the account books for the household's finances and the keys to the treasury. I'll trouble you to take good care of them, Madam."

Gu Yu opened the booklet and glanced at it briefly. She thought to herself that Xu Qiu was actually quite wealthy, and the things in his treasury were rare and precious treasures, but she felt that their origins were not quite legitimate.

"Why does Lord Xu love buying clothes so much?" Gu Yu suppressed the corners of her lips, as if she were meeting him for the first time.

"Sigh..." Xu Qiu sighed, "Most people respect clothes before they respect people. If my clothes aren't good, how can I impress them?"

Xu Qiu's family background was too simple. Apart from the normal expenses of the mansion, only he and she knew how to use money. Gu Yu did not refuse to check the accounts from time to time.

She now owns many shops and estates, as well as a thousand acres of estate in Bianjing, which is what will cause people headaches.

"Your steward does a good job with the accounts. I wonder if I could borrow him for a while? I'd like him to teach Chunyue."

Xu Qiu glanced at the steward, who fell silent in fear.

"Of course, the people in the manor are at your disposal, Madam."

Upon hearing this, Chun Yue wore a bitter expression, glanced at Qiu Ju, and dared not refuse.

Although Chunyue is not very literate, she is quick-witted and young. If she were taught now, she might become a qualified manager.

Moreover, Gu Yu believed that loyalty was far more important than ability.

Rather than searching for someone to manage her assets now, Chunyue and Qiuju are more reassuring.

As for Qiuju, she is calm and collected, and Gu Yu wants her to stay by her side.

If she leaves Shengjing in the future, Qiuju will go with her, while Chunyue can stay in Shengjing.

Accompanied by Xu Qiu, Gu Yu gained a general understanding of the affairs of the mansion. In general, it wasn't too troublesome, since there were only the two of them as the masters of the mansion.

Time flies. In the past two days, Gu Yu has been arranging for her servants to inventory and calculate the contents of her dowry, while also taking the time to visit the shops under her name in Shengjing City.

Under Gu Yu's arrangement, Chun Yue gradually learned to keep accounts, calculate accounts, and review accounts. This was a very daunting task for her at the moment. Fortunately, Qiu Ju was also there to help her, which allowed her to grit her teeth and persevere.

On the day of her return to her parents' home, Gu Yu woke up earlier than usual, and Xu Qiu was also up when she woke up.

The small couch she had ordered to be made was not yet ready, so Gu Yu had to sleep on the same couch as Xu Qiu.

However, what bothered her was that she and Xu Qiu were completely separate before going to sleep, but when she woke up, she found herself rolling into Xu Qiu's arms, even though they were covered by two different blankets.

Fortunately, Gu Yu had been waking up early the past few days, and she had acted as if nothing had happened, sneaking out of bed. But today, Xu Qiu caught her red-handed.

Xu Qiu woke up earlier than Gu Yu. The person in his arms was still asleep. He remained motionless until Gu Yu slowly woke up and secretly looked at him, only to find that he was already awake.

Gu Yu was embarrassed for the first time. "Would you believe me if I said I'm a little sensitive to cold and that's why I unconsciously roll over to you when I sleep?"

Xu Qiu chuckled sullenly, the vibration of his chest reaching Gu Yu's palm. She belatedly realized what was happening and quickly withdrew her hand.

“I will believe whatever you say, Madam.”

Seeing that he was still holding her, Gu Yu immediately tried to push him away, but Xu Qiu grunted, "Madam, please don't move, let me catch my breath..."

Gu Yu immediately fell silent. After all, he had feelings for her, and it was only natural for him to have desires. It would be better for the two of them to sleep in separate beds.

Gu Yu nestled motionless against Xu Qiu's chest like a quail, only then noticing that his undergarment seemed to have come undone, revealing a thin layer of pink covering his fair chest.

She remembered how terrified he looked when she changed his dressing, and she almost laughed out loud.

"What are you laughing at, Madam?"

“I remember that time in prison, when you wouldn’t let me apply the medicine. Lord Xu was such a gentleman back then.”

Gu Yu tilted her head slightly, looking at his handsome features with a teasing look in her eyes.

"Back then, we weren't husband and wife yet..."

Xu Qiu lowered his head.

Gu Yu seemed completely unaware of the situation and even dared to tease him. He felt that his patience was somewhat ridiculous and lowered his head in a nasty manner.

"So... Madam should treat me better..."

He lowered his head and touched her lips, and just as she was about to refuse, he slipped into her mouth and sucked on her tongue.

His kiss was tentative and tinged with awkwardness.

Gu Yu wanted to bite his wandering tongue to stop this kiss that crossed the line, but he nimbly dodged it, as if he knew what she was thinking.

As their lips met, Gu Yu somewhat forgot her original thoughts.

Seeing that she was a little dizzy, Xu Qiu let her go and kissed her forehead again.

“I told you, Madam, not to bother me.”

He stared intently at her lips, which were red from being sucked.

"Where did I move? How can you be so unreasonable? I clearly didn't move at all!" Gu Yu complained bitterly.

"Madam...didn't you already speak?"

Seeing her embarrassed and annoyed expression, his heart softened.

Gu Yu did not resist his kiss, which made him overjoyed, as if fireworks had set off in his heart.

So he didn't want to scare her. Since Gu Yu had given him an opportunity, he naturally wanted to take advantage of it and climb higher.

"Wait a moment longer, Madam, don't move." Xu Qiu released her, trying to calm himself down.

“Actually…” Gu Yu thought for a moment and suggested, “As long as you don’t let anyone come to me, it’s not impossible for you to take a concubine, but it will have to be a while later.”

Moreover, as long as he takes a concubine, she will have a legitimate reason to divorce him in the future.

Xu Qiu's heart sank instantly, as if he were in an ice cellar. He then pulled Gu Yu back to his side and buried his head in her neck.

She carried the sweet scent of osmanthus, which was comforting to smell.

Gu Yu's words startled him, making him lose all interest in anything else. He hated that she pushed him away, especially to a strange woman.

"Madam has such a cold heart. I admire you, but you only think of pushing me away."

Gu Yu looked up at him; he seemed very aggrieved, with slightly reddened eyes.

"I only want Madam. If Madam is unwilling, I will not touch Madam. Haven't I been doing very well these past few days? Madam should believe me. I haven't hidden anything from Madam."

"Just give me a little something sweet, madam... If there are other people involved between us, aren't you afraid of creating more complications?"

Gu Yu felt a headache coming on when she heard him say that; Xu Qiu did have some truth to it.

When do we set off for Shaanxi?

"Roughly at the end of the month."

Seeing that she was no longer talking about taking a concubine, Xu Qiu breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Gu Yu in his arms even tighter.

Gu Yu felt that her earlier thought was correct; the girl who was liked by Xu Qiu was unlucky.

He doesn't seem as content as he said before; he's clearly a greedy guy. If you get entangled with him, you'll have a terrible headache.

"Let go of me first, I can't breathe."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qiu released her. "I like you, whether you are Gu Yu or Tang Qingning, so..."

He reached out and took her hand in his palm, pressing it against his cheek. "Don't push me to someone else. I'm not an object; I have the right to choose what I want."

The skin beneath his hands was delicate, with a beautiful pinkish hue, and for the first time, his dark eyes revealed such outward emotion.

Gu Yu finally sighed. Once things are out of control, they can't be brought back. Fortunately, the impact wasn't too great.

"I understand. Let go of my hand first, as you still have to accompany me to my parents' home today, Lord Xu."

After Xu Qiu's outburst, Gu Yu finished washing up and eating breakfast, and it was already late morning.

Xu Qiu changed into a magnificent crimson brocade robe, and a jade pendant hung from his waist, making him look even more luxurious than usual.

Gu Yu looked at her own clothes, then at his, and seemed to realize that he had deliberately changed the color. Today, the two of them were indeed dressed like a married couple.

The two carried many things back to the Duke of Ying's mansion. Gu Jin was waiting for them in front of the mansion gate early in the morning. When he saw that they were late, his face was not very happy.

Gu Jin approached Xu Qiu, his face full of reproach, "My little sister is weak, you can't be so reckless."

Xu Qiu remained expressionless and repeatedly apologized, "It's my fault, it's my fault."

He glanced at Gu Yu and promised, "I will take good care of her health and won't let anything happen to her."

Standing beside her, Gu Yu saw the two whispering to each other without any curiosity. She sent someone to deliver the items to the storeroom and then strolled around the mansion with Xu Qiu.

After the three of them had lunch together, Gu Jin left because of some matters in the camp.

"Is Madam returning to the manor today?"

As dusk approached, Gu Yu was still tending to the flowers and plants she had planted earlier in the yard.

"Come and take a look."

Gu Yu didn't answer his question. Instead, she pulled on her clothes and made him squat down with her.

Xu Qiu's brocade robes were stained with mud, but he wasn't annoyed. He simply followed Gu Yu's gaze and looked ahead.

"This is taro, the grain that my brother brought back from the Northern Di last time. It was something that the Northern Di bought at a high price in trade with the West."

“The Northern Di people are not good at farming, so only wealthy families can afford to eat this kind of food. Some soldiers confiscated it from those families.”

"The soldiers thought it tasted good, so my father specially asked my brother to bring some to me. I liked it so I thought I would save it as seeds. The sprouts appeared in March or April, and I planted them in mid-April. Some grew in two months, some in three months, and these have grown for four months."

"Um......"

Xu Qiu enjoyed listening to Gu Yu talk, especially when she was earnestly muttering something.

"Why are you staring at me?" Gu Yu noticed Xu Qiu's gaze and frowned, oblivious to his charm. "I'm talking about serious matters."

"Okay, please continue."

"This type of grain is very easy to grow. Once it sprouts, just bury it in the soil and many will survive and produce a lot of fruit."

"The problem is that it doesn't need much water, it's cold-resistant and drought-resistant, and Shaanxi is short of grain. Transporting grain is only a last resort. Why not try this grain?"

Gu Yu pondered seriously, "Although it grows well in my little courtyard, I can't say for sure if it will grow elsewhere. We'll just have to try it when it gets there. However, I saved some of the taro I harvested earlier as seed. I'm wondering if the taro that grew in February will also bear fruit in February if planted later..."

Xu Qiu stared at her, looking at her as if she were some rare treasure. "Madam is very thoughtful. I haven't even taken office yet, and you've already started planning for me."

His heart was overflowing with emotion.

However, Gu Yu was unaware of this; she simply picked up a small hoe and began digging for taro.

He was puzzled, thinking that Xu Qiu was always good at patting himself on the back.

Xu Qiu rolled up his sleeves to help. The taro planted underground was indeed producing a lot of large and abundant fruit, and his eyes sparkled.

But she still asked, "Hasn't Madam told me whether she wants to return to the manor?"

Gu Yu remembered what happened this morning and felt a little embarrassed, so she didn't want to share a bed with him.

He could go back by himself tonight, but he has to go to the Hanlin Academy tomorrow, and he didn't take his official robes or anything, so he definitely has to go back.

"It's late today, and I'm a little sleepy. I'd like to stay here overnight and go back tomorrow morning."

Gu Yu washed the mud off her hands and dried them with a handkerchief.

"Lord Xu, you must be going to the Hanlin Academy tomorrow, why don't you go back first?"

Xu Qiu reached out and helped her smooth the sweat-dampened strands of hair on her cheek. "I'll send someone to fetch your official robes. We'll set off directly from here tomorrow; it'll be closer to the Hanwen Academy."

Gu Yu's fingertips trembled slightly, but she still smiled and said, "That's fine too."

"I'm going to Mufangxuan for a bath today. Husband, you don't need to wait for me. Go to sleep first."

Gu Yu was covered in sweat today and just wanted to take a good shower.

"I also wish to bathe and cleanse myself today; why don't we do it together, madam?"

Gu Yu had a headache. During her three-day holiday, Xu Qiu followed her everywhere she went, as if they had no time to spare. Now, they even had to take a bath together, something as private as bathing.

"Don't joke around, my bathtub isn't big, it can only fit one person." Gu Yu whispered in his ear, gritting her teeth, "Xu Qiu, don't push your luck."

Xu Qiu noticed Gu Yu's embarrassment and took a step back. "I'll go ask my brother. Surely we don't have to fight over a bathtub with Madam."

He suppressed the smile in his eyes and left triumphantly, leaving Gu Yu quite angry as she watched him depart.

But then she thought,

Although Xu Qiu was a bit of a jerk, he was generally well-behaved and never forced her. Gu Yu thought about it and decided to go along with him.

Since they don't want outsiders to know, sharing a bed is definitely necessary.

What happened in the morning was awkward, but he had to go to the Hanlin Academy before dawn, and she was the kind of person who liked to slack off, so it was unlikely that they would run into each other again.