Chapter 30: Timidity He seemed to be chatting casually, but his ears had already perked up...
When Jiang Tong walked into the kitchen, Su Guanqing was washing the pot in the kitchen. While washing, he started to stare blankly at the bamboo brush. Jiang Tong walked to his side, but he didn't react at all.
Jiang Tong didn't say anything, just looked at him with a suppressed smile.
He was clearly just doing housework in front of the stove, but Jiang Tong felt as if he was standing tall in front of the desk, holding a bamboo brush like a writing brush, pondering how to start writing.
Although it was daytime, the kitchen was poorly lit, casting a gloomy gray hue on everything. However, Su Guanqing was like a pearl falling among the rubble, emitting a jade-like light.
He was still wearing the same dark green suit, with the sleeves pulled up at the waistband, revealing two white arms. He had finally put on some weight these days, not as bony as when he first came back, but he was still thin and slender.
Jiang Tong reached out his hand as if possessed by a ghost and pinched his forearm.
Su Guanqing was so frightened that his hand loosened and the bamboo brush slid into the pot. "Who?"
Jiang Tong suddenly came back to his senses and cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Tongtong?" Su Guanqing was stunned. The remaining touch on his arm suddenly became hot. "Why are you pinching me?"
Jiang Tong couldn't answer, and she never expected that she would do such a frivolous thing.
She has a heart that has seen thousands of sails, but this young body has already given birth to its own selfish wishes.
Even her decades of rock-like composure could not suppress the new sprouts that were stirring beneath the stone.
It shouldn't be, it shouldn't be, it can't be.
Jiang Tong pinched her fingertips unconsciously, hoping to use the pain to cover up the feeling of the touch, but it was no use.
At this moment, she was almost glad that Su Guanqing couldn't see her.
Jiang Tong took a deep breath, using decades of experience to steady her voice. When she spoke again, her tone was righteous and confident: "Let me feel if you've gained weight. If you don't gain some weight, the next time Young Master Feng comes to see you, he'll say I treat you badly."
"No, no, if he says that, I, I will tell him." Su Guanqing's mind was in a mess, and almost all his attention was on the hot touch on his arm.
Jiang Tong cleared her throat again and forced her eyes away from his arm: "Are you still not well?"
——They agreed to go out after breakfast today.
"That's all. I'll just pour out the water."
Su Guanqing became even more panicked and hurriedly reached into the pot to retrieve his brush, completely forgetting that there was a fire in the stove that had not yet been extinguished.
When Jiang Tong saw that the hot water was still smoking, she quickly grabbed his hand and said, "Be careful, it's hot!"
When their skin touched, they both trembled and then quickly separated.
Jiang Tong spun to the wall like a whirlwind, took down the spatula hanging on the wall, and fished the brush out of the hot water: "I've fished out the brush. I'll be waiting for you at the door. Don't worry."
After saying that, he didn't even look at him and walked out without touching the ground.
She didn't wait long at the door. Su Guanqing quickly cleaned up the kitchen and came out. He put down his rolled-up sleeves and said,
"Tongtong, I'm done, let's go."
Jiang Tong reached out to pull him, but suddenly his eyes fixed: "Wait."
"What's wrong?" Su Guanqing stopped where he was, holding his bamboo stick. "Did you forget to take something?"
"You squat down."
Su Guanqing didn't understand what was going on, so he squatted down obediently as he was told. As soon as he squatted down, he felt a pair of hands undoing his hair.
"戈戈?"
"It's a little crooked, let me straighten it for you."
Su Guanqing was unable to look at himself in the mirror when combing his hair, so it was inevitable that his hair would not be combed neatly.
When he was in the music band, Feng Fuliu would remind him. Later, when he returned to the Jiang family, he didn't have to go out and see people. If he accidentally let a strand of hair fall down occasionally, no one at home would say anything.
To the extent that Su Guanqing once thought that his hair-tying skills had improved.
When Jiang Tong brought it up, he realized that he was often afraid of having his hair messy before, and felt embarrassed for a moment.
But soon, he felt Jiang Tong using her hands as a comb, stroking his head again and again, and he no longer cared about other emotions. All his senses followed Jiang Tong's movements.
At this moment, time seemed both long and short. He stood there like a stone statue, frozen in place, not daring to move.
Until Jiang Tong patted his shoulder and said, "It's done, get up."
She muttered to herself again, "Men's hairstyles are definitely more comfortable."
Su Guanqing's whole body was already sore from being stretched too tight, and he staggered when he stood up.
Jiang Tong hurriedly supported him: "Why didn't you tell me your feet were numb?"
Su Guanqing was just hesitating about how to answer when he heard a cough behind him.
Before Jiang Tong could react, her hands were empty and Su Guanqing had already bounced away.
Jiang Tong turned around in surprise and saw Zhong Wanci standing behind them. She didn't know how long she had been standing there, and her expression... wasn't very good.
"Mom? What's wrong?"
Zhong Wanci forced a smile and said, "It's okay. Remember to buy me some rouge when you go out."
"Rouge? I remember I still have some in my room..."
"You still say that! The rouge in your room is all moldy! I smell a smell when I open it!" Zhong Wanci said angrily.
Jiang Tong rubbed the bottom of his nose: "Really? I didn't even notice."
"You," Zhong Wanci couldn't help but nag, "I know you were worried about family matters before and had no time to dress up, but as a girl, you still have to dress up."
As she spoke, she reached out to help Jiang Tong comb her hair: "I know you can comb Guan Qing's hair, but you can't do your own hair properly. This hairstyle is too simple. Mom will help you comb it again..."
Jiang Tong hurriedly pulled her hand down, grabbed Su Guanqing's wrist and slipped out: "We are in a hurry to go out, let's talk when we come back."
They had a lot to do on this trip.
First, he went to the fields outside the city according to the location marked on the land deed and met with the farmers, so that they could recognize the new owner.
Then they returned to the city. After eating a bowl of noodle soup at a street stall, they bought the rouge and powder that Zhong Wanci wanted, and then went to the clinic to buy medicine for Su Guanqing.
In the clinic, Jiang Tong chased the doctor and asked how long it would take for Su Guanqing to regain his sight.
What the doctor meant was that the patient had stopped taking the medicine for too long, and it would take more than three to five months to see results in clearing the blockage. Anyway, he took the patient's pulse now, and although the condition had improved slightly, it was not much better. He couldn't say how long the patient had to take the medicine.
When Su Guanqing heard this, he felt that his body was a bottomless pit, and even the doctor didn't know how much medicine he would have to throw in to fill it up.
So he suggested that they could actually switch to a cheaper medicine and he didn't mind waiting a little longer.
The prescription was originally written by the imperial physician. It was prescribed for the son of the Prime Minister, so naturally the cost would be ignored. Now he is still taking it that way, and he feels uneasy.
Jiang Tong earned thirty-six taels of silver by repairing the "Taegetu" painting. This money was enough to feed his family of five for two years, and they could also eat meat every day.
But if we buy him medicine, he won’t last more than half a year.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Tong suppressed him rudely as soon as he started to speak.
Jiang Tong didn't allow him to say anything more. She simply bought him a month's worth of medicine and took him away.
Su Guanqing was obediently pulled by her, but his heart was already beating fast. He didn't know how to describe his feelings. He just felt that Tongtong was so good to him that it would be worth it even if he died immediately.
Just when he was feeling excited, he suddenly heard Jiang Tong's voice, her tone quite inquiring: "Guan Qing, why do I feel that something is not right with you lately?"
"What's wrong with me?" Su Guanqing was a little confused.
"Lately, you've either been sitting there with a smile on your face, as if you've secretly eaten some honey, or you've been frowning, looking like you have a lot on your mind."
Su Guanqing felt awkward for a moment. Since he couldn't see other people's expressions, he always forgot that others could see him, and his mood was written all over his face.
"I, I, I didn't actually... I just..." He stuttered, not knowing how to explain.
“Hey, we’re here!”
Just when he was at a loss, Jiang Tong suddenly pulled him towards a shop on the street.
"Watch the threshold."
"Yeah." Seeing that Jiang Tong stopped asking questions, Su Guanqing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Gentlemen, do you want to make clothes or buy cloth?" The shopkeeper came forward.
"Make clothes for him," Jiang Tong said, pulling Su Guanqing aside. "Do you have the right fabric?"
Su Guanqing was startled and whispered to Jiang Tong, "I have clothes to wear, no need to make new ones."
"You always wear the same two sets of clothes, and they belong to my father. They are so ugly." Jiang Tong tugged at Su Guanqing's clothes with a look of disgust.
"We've already spent a lot of money on medicine, so let's not spend that money." Su Guanqing advised carefully.
"Oh! Sir, it's summer now, you can't keep wearing such thick clothes." The shopkeeper advised.
She took out a piece of moon-white cloth from a wooden rack and said, "I see that you are fair-skinned, and this color suits you best. What do you think of this material, young lady?"
"Not bad," Jiang Tong pulled out a piece of cloth and gestured on Su Guanqing's body, "It's much better looking than the pattern on you."
Jiang Tong said, and then added: "Light colors still suit you. The old man's clothes are so ugly. I'll make new ones later, and don't wear his anymore."
When Su Guanqing heard that she didn't like it, he didn't dare to object. He just stood there obediently and let her wrap all kinds of cloth around him.
"Boss, do you have any azure material?"
"Yes, girl, try it."
"This one looks good too. Let me take a look at that one..."
After trying on more than a dozen kinds of fabrics, Jiang Tong was confused. It seemed that all fabrics looked good on him.
"Young master has a good appearance, so he looks good in any color." The shopkeeper smiled with his eyes narrowed.
When Jiang Tong heard this, he felt a little proud for no reason.
"Tongtong, I can wear ordinary coarse cloth. Don't buy something so expensive." Su Guanqing tried to give some advice. He felt that the clothes Jiang Tong touched on his body were all slippery and icy. They must be very expensive.
The opinion was immediately rejected.
"Who asked you that? If you were wearing coarse cloth, wouldn't it hurt my hand when I pulled you?"
Su Guanqing interrupted Jiang Tong and couldn't think of any more words to object. He just responded softly, but the corners of his mouth kept curling up.
The shopkeeper, watching from the side, smiled even more broadly, clapping his hands and saying, "Young lady and young master are truly a perfect match, truly enviable."
Su Guanqing frantically tried to explain, his ears turning red: "Boss, don't misunderstand, we are not..."
"Not what? Not husband and wife? They haven't gotten married yet, right? Have you set a good date?" The shopkeeper became more gossipy.
Jiang Tong pursed her lips and smiled: "Soon."
Su Guanqing was thinking about how to explain, and was stunned for a moment when he heard this. He couldn't utter a word until they left.
Jiang Tong was no longer constrained by anyone, and he ordered all the clothes for him, from innerwear to outerwear, from spring to winter, a total of twelve sets.
On the way back, Su Guanqing couldn't help but ask, "Tongtong, why did you just say that our good days are coming soon?"
Although he seemed to be chatting casually, his ears had already pricked up, anxiously waiting for Jiang Tong's response.
"Oh, well, why bother explaining so much to an outsider? Let her think whatever she wants." Jiang Tong's tone was somewhat indifferent.
Su Guanqing's ears, which had been erected, drooped with a "click".
Yeah, how can Tongtong explain it?
They said they had already broken off their engagement, and now they were just master and servant?
But in this world, how could a lady from a master's family order clothes for a servant?
Jiang Tong saw that Su Guanqing was in a low mood and wanted to say something, but when the words came to his lips, he didn't say anything in the end.
She didn't say anything, and Su Guanqing also remained silent. The atmosphere was a little stagnant for a moment.
The two walked in silence, the setting sun casting long shadows behind them.
…
After returning home, Jiang Tong went to the study, and Su Guanqing went to the kitchen. As soon as he entered the kitchen, he heard the crackling sound of fire coming from the stove. Su Guanqing asked tentatively, "Quesheng?"
"Master!" Zhao Quesheng dropped the fire stick and ran over.
Su Guanqing felt someone coming to help him, and quickly made a gesture to indicate that he didn't need it:
"Didn't I tell you I'd come back to do it? Have you finished your homework? Your teacher will be checking it."
Zhao Quesheng said timidly, "My uncle is here."
Su Guanqing understood immediately.
Zhao Ji already knew that Zhao Quesheng was learning restoration from Jiang Tong.
He kept Zhao Quesheng with the intention of building a good relationship with Jiang Tong. Now that his niece could become Jiang Tong's founding disciple, he couldn't contain his joy.
He secretly inquired about Zhao Quesheng's academic performance and realized that Jiang Tong was really cultivating his niece and was not just being polite to him.
Because of this, he treated his niece at home much more affectionately than before, and no longer ordered her to do this or that.
But when I came here today, I saw her practicing alone in the study, so I kicked her to the kitchen.
Are you kidding? There is no apprentice who does nothing but waits for the master to cook for her.
As for Jiang Tong, just as he was about to enter the study, he heard Zhao Ji's voice.
"Miss Jiang, good news!"
Jiang Tong looked up and saw Zhao Ji walking towards her with a big belly and a smile on his face.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
