Youyi
In a short while, a servant lifted the thin gauze curtain for her. Gao Youyi was wearing a light crimson wide-sleeved dress, which was ethereal and graceful. A golden hairpin was placed in front of her forehead, which made a light sound with her steps, making her look even more outstanding.
Gao Youyi is twenty-six years old this year, five years younger than Lin Fu, but her face is radiant, and with her gorgeous clothes, she is more beautiful than flowers.
Lin Xu hurriedly stood up and bowed, but Gao Youyi pressed him down as soon as he bent down, saying, "I told you long ago, there's no need for such formalities in front of me."
Lin Xu glanced at his beautiful stepmother and said gently, "My mother is kind and gentle, but as a junior, I cannot disregard the rules and etiquette."
Kao Yu-yi's face showed approval, and her smile grew even wider as she said loudly:
"When you came to pay your respects that day, I found Xu'er to be extremely likable. To be honest, before we were married, I had heard some stories about Xu'er. At that time, I was even a little worried that I wouldn't be able to tame this little tyrant after I married into the family."
But after entering the Lin residence, I realized how much nonsense these outsiders could spout. Look at you, so polite and charming—you bear absolutely no resemblance to the spoiled and willful person the outside world describes. Therefore, I say, these people are merely spreading rumors.”
Gao Youyi was always quick-witted and outspoken, and her personality was very straightforward. Now, seeing her speak such a long string of words, the maids and servants around her were quite astonished.
This new stepmother is so blunt...
They glanced cautiously at Lin Xu, only to see that the young lady remained calm and composed.
Lin Xu had already heard about Gao Youyi's straightforwardness, and she still smiled. After all, what she said was true, and although Gao Youyi was a bit straightforward, she was honest and genuinely kind-hearted.
With her in the Lin family, it's unlikely that Qi's subtle scheming will be able to stir up trouble again.
After her father agreed to remarry, there were two suitable women from respectable families to choose from. The Gao family was just one of them.
The Vice Minister of Rites, Bai, who was also a pillar of the court, had a young daughter born out of wedlock. She was gentle and generous, and her family background was more distinguished than that of the Gao family.
But Lin Xu remembered that in his previous life, this Vice Minister Bai had been demoted to Yazhou in the sixteenth year of Yuanzhen for offending the emperor. Yazhou was remote, and although the officials sent out from the capital were mostly going out to gain experience, they would inevitably have another chance to be promoted in the future.
However, Old Master Bai was clearly indignant. He wrote several poems in Yazhou criticizing the current affairs. When the news reached Mujing, it further displeased Emperor Su, who demoted Bai Qiming by two ranks. Before half a year had passed, Old Master Bai died in depression.
Gao Yanbang, though only a sixth-rank official at the time, far from being comparable to the Vice Minister of Rites, according to his memories from his previous life, solved three major cases in a row within a few years, becoming famous throughout the country.
In the eighteenth year of Yuanzhen, just before the Lin family was executed, Gao Yanbang was promoted to Minister of Justice and officially entered the power vortex of the Mujing court.
Therefore, after she sent someone to inquire about the Gao family's background in detail, she then sent Zhiyuan to bribe the matchmaker and inadvertently mention Old Master Bai's power and factional connections in the court when arranging the marriage in front of Lin Fu.
Lin Fu, a man of integrity, avoided the complex factional struggles of the time. He frowned and pondered for a moment before choosing Gao Youyi from the two families.
Therefore, Gao Youyi's marriage into the Lin family was almost entirely facilitated by Lin Xu's secret efforts.
In this way, not only will the Lin family have a powerful legal wife to suppress Qi Shuang'er, but they can also rely on the future development of the Gao family to help the Lin family.
More importantly, in his previous life, his father coughed up blood before he died, but no one from the Lin family was there to see him off.
We must not allow the Lin family line to be cut off, and we must not repeat the same mistakes.
Gao Youyi looked around and saw the thick stack of books on Lin Xu's desk. She couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement: "Xu'er, are you not only busy going to the palace to study and rarely seen during the day, but you also bury yourself in your studies all day long at home?"
Qin Mama sighed with heartache, “Madam, you don’t know, our young lady studies hard every day, and even during her school days off, she stays home without slacking off! We servants see this every day and it really breaks our hearts.”
Gao Youyi looked at Lin Xu approvingly and smiled: "Good! I have never seen such a hardworking girl. It turns out that Xu'er is not only beautiful, but also has such a good character."
She paced back and forth in the hall, pondered for a moment, then clapped her hands with a smile and said:
"Since that's the case, then as her stepmother, I naturally can't stand idly by. I'll cook some nourishing soup for Xu'er to help her recover!"
Upon hearing this, Xin Tan, the head maid who had accompanied her in her dowry, couldn't help but tremble. Her mistress was clearly least skilled at cooking...
Back when we were still living in the Gao family, our master once excitedly stewed a wild pheasant soup for the whole family. The next day, Old Master Gao suffered from vomiting and diarrhea, his face turned blue and purple, and he even missed going to court.
And then there was that time when the master said he had finally bought the freshest beef intestines from the morning market, and said he was going to show off his skills by making a famous dish of soft, translucent beef intestines. He even refused to let the cooks interfere. As a result, not only were the beef intestines not cooked properly, leaving the master hungry for two hours and waiting in vain, but the master's hand was also injured by hot oil splattering, and he still has a scar now.
Moreover, the master has only recently entered the family. What if something goes wrong right after the wedding and offends this stepdaughter?
Seeing Xin Tan sweating with anxiety, Lin Xu guessed what was going on and said with a smile, "I appreciate Mother's kindness, but I'm not that delicate. I only read books in my spare time, and my body can handle it."
Qingwu smiled and said, "That's right. In the past, Aunt Qi would always make some soup for Miss every day to nourish her body, and she also went to great lengths to make a lot of sweets for Miss. But Miss is not like she used to be when she was growing up. First of all, young girls only want to be slender and are afraid of gaining weight. Secondly, eating too much nourishment every day will inevitably make her sleepy, which makes it difficult for Miss."
Upon hearing the name Qi, Gao Youyi's expression suddenly turned cold. She snorted and said with great displeasure:
"Speaking of this Aunt Qi, she is quite shrewd. On the second day after I entered the house, according to the rules, she was supposed to come and serve me tea. But she looked sickly and had no energy. She didn't sit for long before claiming illness and taking her leave."
Qi Shuang'er's long-planned path to becoming the official wife has been thwarted, and she still has to be outwardly respectful to this new bride. In her heart, she must be grinding her teeth in frustration, cursing herself and Gao Youyi thousands of times over. Simply maintaining the current peace must be quite an achievement for her.
Lin Xu smiled and said, "Aunt Qi has been feeling unwell for some time now. Not long ago, her personal maid contracted the plague, and she had to rest in the side room for quite a while. I suppose the root of the illness hasn't been cleared up yet."
Gao Youyi frowned her delicately drawn eyebrows, looking utterly displeased. She waved her hand, "How can she serve the master well when she's ill? I think she should stay in her room and rest properly, not go out. Otherwise, she might catch the illness from everyone else."
Zhi Yuan pressed her lips tightly together, trying her best to suppress her laughter.
Gao Youyi chatted with Lin Xu in the room for a while longer when a maid outside the door quietly announced that Lin Fu had returned from court. Gao Youyi's previously radiant expression vanished, and a blush instantly rose on her round face.
She had only been married into the family for a few days, yet she and Lin Fu treated each other with the utmost respect. Lin Fu was gentle and kind, yet his straightforward and outspoken nature also possessed a charming side.
Lin Xu saw this and smiled gently, "Since Father has returned, Mother should go and see him quickly. I have two calligraphy samples here; I will pay my respects to Father and Mother after I finish copying them."
Kao Yu-yi nodded somewhat shyly and then quickly left.
Zhiyuan watched as Madam Gao and her maidservants walked further and further away in the courtyard until they disappeared from sight, then turned back to Lin Xu with a smile and said:
"I never expected that such a bold and generous person as Madam could also have such a girlish side. It seems that she and Master are newly married and have a very harmonious relationship."
Zhiyuan hadn't been with Lin Xu as long as Qingwu, and she didn't know about Lin Xu's feelings for her birth mother, Liang Shuangyu. Qingwu glanced at Lin Xu's expression in a panic, worried that she might feel uneasy thinking about her birth mother.
Lin Xu just smiled and stood up to tease the two parrots in the carved birdcage hanging high in front of the window.
Little Red and Little Gray have grown up and their personalities have become more apparent. Little Gray remains as elegant and calm as it was when it was a chick, while Little Red is much noisier than when it was a chick, chirping incessantly every day. The tuft of red feathers on its head has also become more vibrant.
"Kao Yu-yi has a somewhat proud personality and is quick-witted. But she is also pure of heart and can bring comfort and peace of mind to my father. I am naturally happy about that."
No sooner had the words left her lips than Little Red, perched above her, mimicked them in a high-pitched voice:
"Don't worry—don't worry—"
Little Grey, already sleepy, closed its slightly narrowed eyes even tighter, burying its head into the thick, smooth feathers of its chest as if impatient.
Everyone was amused by the appearance of Little Red and Little Gray, and laughter filled the hall for a long time.
.
On the banks of the Weilong River.
A somewhat dilapidated wooden boat drifted along the river. Dou Yanxun, wearing a straw hat, leaned lazily against the deck, his fishing rod hanging high beside him, bobbing up and down in the rippling river.
Dou Yanxun showed no joy at having caught a fish, not even glancing at the ripples, instead lying calmly on his side. The luxurious brocade he wore was stained with dust from the ship's armor.
Not far from the river, there was a small boat. There was no one on the deck, but the faint sound of a woman's laughter could be heard coming from inside, carried by the clear waves.
Occasionally, a breeze would stir, causing ripples to spread across the river, making the small boat sway and rock even more. After a long while, the sounds of activity inside gradually faded into silence along with the laughter.
Dou Yanzhou straightened his clothes, coughed lightly, and lifted the curtain to step out of the boat. A woman in red gracefully emerged, her face slightly flushed, and followed behind Dou Yanzhou.
Dou Yanzhou's face radiated a triumphant air. As he straightened his slightly disheveled clothes, he glanced at the fishing rod swinging wildly on Dou Yanxun's small boat and chuckled:
"You've always loved sea fishing, and you used to be able to go out fishing all day long. Why have you lost interest today? Is it because the small fish and shrimp in the Weihe River don't catch your eye, Second Brother?"
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