Chapter 53 The Roof is Squishy

"Stepmother, why did Tingting break off the engagement?"

Gu Xiyue pretended to be ignorant even though he knew the truth, just wanting Madam Yan to speak for herself.

"Alas!" Madam Yan couldn't help but slap her hand on the table. "This child, ever since she met your husband, she's become a completely different person. When I was resting this afternoon, she came to me, crying, saying that the husband she had arranged for her wasn't gentle and couldn't cook, and she wanted to find someone like your husband."

"Tell me, how can you find another man like your husband? Isn't that nonsense?"

After saying this, Mrs. Yan was still not satisfied. She stood up and paced back and forth excitedly.

Gu Xiyue breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as you don’t want Xiao Heng to take a concubine, it’s fine.

Now, hearing Mrs. Yan's words that there is no other man like her, I feel inexplicably comfortable.

Her man is unique in this dynasty, and almost no one can compare to him.

It's normal for a girl to like him.

"Foster mother, Tingting is still young after all. When she suddenly sees a man like the virtuous prince, it's inevitable that she'll make comparisons. After all, she's just been engaged, so it's normal for her to have some small thoughts. After we return, she'll slowly forget about the virtuous prince. By then, when she sees that all the men around her are like him, her mentality will gradually balance out."

Madam Yan nodded. "I thought so too. I just kept you here because I have something else to tell you."

Gu Xiyue was still a little surprised, wondering what else she had to say to him besides Yan Tingting's matter.

"Xiyue, don't worry about Tingting for now. She'll be fine in a few days. I'm worried about you now. The virtuous king is a man after all. He might do some things once or twice, or for a year or two, but over time, and with your passion fading, he might change his mind. You have to be aware of this."

As she spoke, she reached out and tapped Gu Xiyue on the forehead.

Seeing that she was worried about herself, Gu Xiyue was a little touched and smiled with certainty, "Don't worry, stepmother, I know what's going on. Besides, we can't think too far ahead about some things. Let's just wait and see. If he really has other ideas in a few years and we can't live together anymore, then we can divorce and live another way. Although he is a man and I am a woman, we are both raised by our parents. We women can still live without men."

"At least at this stage, we are sweet, stepmother, don't you think? There are some things that you can't think too much about. You may not live that long."

Hearing this, Mrs. Yan reached out and patted her gently.

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

But he was also deeply shocked by her words.

She was even more certain that Gu Xiyue was completely different from the woman she knew. Some of her ideas were bold and novel. They sounded outrageous at first, but upon closer examination, they were unreasonable to refute.

The two talked for a while, and most of the talk was done by Gu Xiyue. Madam Yan nodded as she listened. She held Gu Xiyue's hand and was reluctant to let go. She liked this adopted daughter from the bottom of her heart.

It was not until it was getting late that Mrs. Yan let Gu Xiyue leave.

Gu Xiyue went out and just turned out of the yard when Xiao Heng appeared.

"Didn't you go back to your room?"

Gu Xiyue was a little surprised.

"No, I'll wait for you to go back together. I asked Meixiang and Weilin to go back and rest first. They've been standing behind us for almost the entire day and they must be exhausted."

When Meixiang and Wei Lin were in the Southern Wilderness, they ate with them and usually did not make them stand and serve.

But doing so outside is always a bit unconventional, so it is better to adapt to local customs and follow the rules outside.

"What did Madam Yan want to tell you?"

After walking for a while and seeing that there was no one around, Xiao Heng asked her in a low voice.

Gu Xiyue looked at him strangely, and suddenly took two steps forward angrily.

Xiao Heng didn't understand what was going on and followed closely.

"What happened?"

Looking at Gu Xiyue's expression, he always felt that something was wrong.

Gu Xiyue kept silent, sizing up the people as she walked, and finally said quietly, "Your Highness is really good-looking. No matter where you go, you can attract a lot of people."

Xiao Heng looked at her innocently, not knowing what he had done wrong.

Gu Xiyue sighed again and threw the bag to him. "My adoptive mother's daughter wants to break off the engagement. This matter has something to do with you. What did you do to her that she wants to break off the engagement now?"

After saying that, Gu Xiyue deliberately put on a stern face, looking as if he didn't want to pay attention to anyone, and walked forward quickly.

It was obvious that Xiao Heng had done something wrong. If he hadn't said anything to the other party, why would they cancel the engagement?

Xiao Heng followed her closely with a bewildered look on his face. His mind raced, trying to figure out how he had offended Madam Yan's daughter. However, after much thought, he couldn't even remember what she looked like, let alone what he had said to her.

Oh, yes, I did talk to two or three women, but they were cooks in the kitchen, and they were around 30 or 40 years old.

Xiao Heng was completely puzzled and didn't know what was wrong with Madam Yan's daughter.

He quickly explained to Gu Xiyue who he had talked to today, carefully and without missing a single word.

Gu Xiyue had a stern face, but was laughing like crazy in her heart.

This idiot, it's really hard to believe that he was once a prince. There were so many beauties in the palace, but they didn't affect him. He looked handsome and dignified, but turned out to be a straight man.

Oh! I feel a little embarrassed for teasing him so much.

At this time, the sky was already hazy, and people's appearances could not be seen clearly from more than ten meters away.

Gu Xiyue held on for a while, but when he saw that the person was still explaining, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Oh, I was just teasing you. Look at you, why are you so easily teased? Madam Yan is looking for me...ah!"

Before he could finish his words, Gu Xiyue felt a tightness around her waist, and the next second she was picked up, her feet lifted off the ground, and she flew up. After a few ups and downs and a dizzy spell, she arrived at the roof of the house where they lived.

It was dark and there was nowhere to step. Gu Xiyue was so scared that she hugged the man tightly and hung herself on him, fearing that she would fall if he let go.

Xiao Heng deliberately let go of his hand until he stood firmly on the roof, but Gu Xiyue stepped on the palm-wide roof ridge below and did not dare to let go at all.

The man had a stern face at the moment and didn't say anything. He just looked at her quietly.

No one in the yard below or at the connection with the hanging flower gate outside noticed that there was someone on the roof.

Gu Xiyue didn't dare to say anything, fearing that someone would vaguely see her embarrassing appearance.

Seeing that the man seemed a little angry, Gu Xiyue smiled inwardly and began to coax him.

"Husband, Madam Yan came to me and told me that her daughter wanted to break off the engagement, and the reason was indeed because of you. She said that her daughter saw that you can cook and are gentle, so she wanted to find someone like you."

After saying that, he still had a stern face when he met people, so Gu Xiyue continued to coax him patiently.

"I'm very happy that my husband is loved like this, but I'm also a little jealous and feel very insecure. So I want to hide you from now on so that only I can see you. I don't want other women to see you, so that no one will snatch you from me."

Gu Xiyue looked guilty when she said this.

In this feudal era, she said in front of the former prince that she was jealous of others and hid them only for herself.

What kind of domineering statement is this?

The gender is wrong.

Isn't this what a man should say to a woman?

What came out of my mouth today sounded so righteous and there was not a trace of incongruity.

It's hard to put it into words.

Seeing Xiao Heng's eyebrows twitch, Gu Xiyue felt a little uneasy. She quickly hugged his neck and said, "Actually, I know that my husband is very capable. He is just willing to help a clown like me. No matter what I do, I know that my husband is behind me to cover for me, so I am particularly lawless."

As soon as he finished speaking, his waist was circled.

Gu Xiyue felt herself being pushed forward, pressed tightly against him. He leaned his head over and lowered it slightly, whispering in her ear, "Are you jealous today?"

Gu Xiyue: “…”

What is going on?

She was clearly telling him how important he was to her and was comforting his wounded heart.

As a result, people are still stuck on the previous part, the part that made her feel jealous.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Xiao Heng tightened his arms again, hugged her tightly with joy, and asked again, "You want to hide me and only see you?"

Gu Xiyue's face turned red instantly.

His voice was low and very magnetic, whispering in her ears at this moment. She had thought that the words were normal just now, but now when he repeated them like this, she suddenly had a completely different feeling.

Her legs went limp instantly, her mind went haywire, and her whole body went as soft as noodles, clinging to him bonelessly, relying solely on his hands to hold her.

Fortunately, it was dark and Xiao Heng couldn't see her expression. Otherwise, if he saw her face which looked like a monkey's butt, she would be so embarrassed that she would die.

But even so, she still felt uncomfortable. She pushed her face into his neck, wanting to bury her face completely in his neck.

But the man's neck was extremely sensitive, and when it was rubbed by her face and soft lips, his whole body was ignited in an instant.

Furthermore, her slight panting sound sprayed on his neck, and he couldn't help but hum softly.

The voice seemed to be suppressed to the extreme. When Gu Xiyue heard it, it was as if the top of his head was hit, and a feeling in his heart instantly exploded.

She swore never to tease him again.

He just spoke a few words to her calmly, and she wanted to throw herself up to him.

It's simply unbearable to watch.

No matter how clear and logical she appeared in front of others, once she fell into his arms, he would tease her a little and say a few words, and she would surrender.

What a loser.

But even if she was a loser, she couldn't bear to leave his arms on her own initiative, and just hung on him, showing her nature of being a face-watcher for a moment.

Finally, Xiao Heng couldn't stand it anymore and kissed her on the cheek. He whispered, "I saw the plan you made this afternoon. Are you planning to promote cotton planting in the northern counties of Ganzhou?"

As soon as the plan was mentioned, Gu Xiyue instantly became more sober. She leaned on his shoulder and whispered softly about her plan blueprint.

"As the prefect said, there are many people in northern Ganzhou who grow cotton. However, the number of people who grow cotton is small and sparse. Most people grow cotton to meet their own needs. They are self-sufficient in their quilts and cotton jackets. The excess cotton is sold at the market, but it basically doesn't make much money. When everyone grows cotton in large quantities, things will be different."

Xiao Heng said at the right moment, "How is it different?"

As he said this, he pushed the person away a little.

Gu Xiyue didn't notice him pushing her, and leaned forward, continuing, "If we plant a lot, we can build a scale. The large amount of cotton picked every year will have a lot of uses. When the time comes, we can build textile mills in those counties. The cotton can be woven into cloth, clothes, shoes, bed sheets, quilts, etc. If we don't sell our cotton, we can use it all to make things."

"Can you use it all up?"

Xiao Heng was a little skeptical.

“I’m sure we won’t be able to use it all up!”

Gu Xiyue pinched his waist casually. Although she did it when he was relaxed, she didn't pinch any soft flesh, but rather something hard.

"That's good stuff. Besides enough for Ganzhou's own use, the rest must be sold. Selling cotton alone won't fetch much, but after the textile mill processes it, the price of the finished product will be different."

Xiao Heng was amused by her actions and reached out to pinch her waist lightly. Although there was clothing between them, the soft and boneless skin made his heart tighten.

What's worse is that when he pinched her like this, the person in his arms almost couldn't stand up from laughing, and she threw herself directly into his arms, her body shaking with laughter.

Miscalculated!

I finally managed to push the person away a little, but now all my efforts were wasted.

“Who will find the seller then?”

Xiao Heng quickly started to talk back at her.

Gu Xiyue smiled and said, "Of course it's your wife, you can come with me then!"

"If I'm not mistaken, you also built the textile factory?"

"Yes, that's fine!"

"You collect the cotton from the common people, recruit women to work in the textile mill, pay them wages, and then you ship the cotton out and sell it for money?"

"That's right, my husband is the smartest!"

"Wouldn't you make a lot of money this way? Is there another way to get the people involved in building the factory so they can make more money?"

"My dear, ordinary people like to live a stable life. When it comes to making money, you have to make sure they don't feel any pressure. Only when they can see the cash will they be stable. My model is the most suitable for them. Besides!"

Gu Xiyue leaned comfortably in Xiao Heng's arms and said coquettishly: "Even if I make money, after deducting the capital, I will take out half to build Ganzhou. The people will also benefit. You can rest assured."

Xiao Heng simply held the person gently in his arms and no longer tried to push her away.

"There are nine counties in Ganzhou, divided by the Gan River. There are five counties in the north. You have arranged the north, but what are you doing with the south?"

Xiao Heng was also present at the afternoon meeting, and Gu Xiyue didn't believe that he didn't listen.

Now I am asking myself one by one, it must be intentional.

But the atmosphere was very good at this time. Standing on the roof like this, she couldn't stand steadily. It was a good time to snuggle into his arms. Since he wanted to ask, she might as well say it again.

As they were talking, they suddenly heard screams coming from the yard in the darkness.

Gu Xiyue also reacted instantly.

The voice was none other than Meixiang.