"Auntie, is the cake ready?"
Xu Lanyin smiled and gave him a small biscuit. "Today, Auntie made you some thumb-sized biscuits that you've never tasted before." She put her index finger to her lips and said, "Be quiet. Second Wife and Uncle Ting are still resting."
Xuyuan nodded, finished the biscuit in two bites, stretched out his chubby hand and whispered, "It's delicious. I want more."
Xu Lanyin gave him two more and whispered, "Go to the Gu family and tell Gu Wangchen that I have something to talk to him about. Let's meet at the small road behind the village. Tell him, and then come back and eat as much as you want. Auntie will give you a big bowl to eat slowly with your sister at home." Her voice became even softer. "This is a secret between us, don't tell anyone else."
Although Xiao Xuyuan is small, he is smart and can still complete the task. After hearing this, he quickly covered his mouth with his chubby hands.
Xu Lanyin smiled and tugged at his little hair. After repeating what he had said, she asked him to repeat it again and said, "Go ahead."
Xuyuan ran away with his short legs making a "thump-thump" sound.
Half a minute later, Xu Yuan ran back and whispered with his hands covering his mouth, "Aunt, Gu Wangchen agreed and said he would see her in a quarter of an hour." He glanced at Xu Lanyin and warned, "Aunt, don't be silly and don't give him money."
Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "No, I just want to say a few words to him."
She took Xuyuan to the eaves and sat him on a small bench. She took a small bowl of biscuits and put them in his hands, letting him eat them slowly. She took an umbrella, put on her clogs, walked out of the courtyard and turned left.
She didn't go to the right, where she would have met Xu Lanzhou who was carrying water home.
The villages and mountains, shrouded in mist and rain, were as beautiful as a water-black landscape painting, but the road beneath my feet was extremely muddy. The thick soles of my wooden clogs sank into the mud, and pulling them out made walking difficult, even the hems of my trousers were stained with mud.
When we arrived at the village, Gu Wangchen was already there. He stood in front of a few bamboo poles, wearing a lake-blue gown, a square scarf on his head, and holding a brown oil-paper umbrella. He looked as clean and upright as the bamboo behind him...
Gu Wangchen also saw Xu Lanyin and smiled happily, as if nothing unpleasant had ever happened between them.
After Xu Lanyin walked in, Gu Wangchen looked at him affectionately for a few times and said, "In the blink of an eye, the little sister has grown into a big girl." He cleared his throat and recited in a low voice, "The quiet girl is so beautiful, waiting for me at the corner of the city. I love her but cannot see her, scratching my head and hesitating..."
This look is exactly like the ancient male supporting role described in the book, except that he is looking at the heroine Su with this kind of eyes, and the poem is also recited for the heroine Su.
Xu Lan was startled. It seemed that the author was not writing nonsense. Gu Wangchen really had this problem.
She quickly stopped him and said, "Take these things and read them to Miss Su. I don't understand them."
Gu Wangchen thought to himself, "The little girl is really jealous of Miss Su, using retreat as a pretext to gain an advantage" and "You two are so different in status, how can you be worthy of this?"
His smile became even more charming. He coughed softly and continued, "My sister, you misunderstood. I've said it countless times: Miss Su and I are innocent. We met by chance. She twisted her ankle on the side of the road, and her maid wasn't around, so I helped her find one. We were childhood sweethearts, and we're in love. I only have eyes for you... I have a woman to accompany me, as beautiful as Shunying. She's about to soar, adorned with jade. That beautiful Meng Jiang, her virtues will never be forgotten..."
He was already extremely impatient. In order to appease this naive country girl, he had to play the lute to a deaf ear.
There were small puddles on the ground, and the shoes they wore were clogs. Xu Lanyin heard everything Gu Wangchen was thinking.
Even though he compared himself to a cow, Xu Lanyin was still amused. This ancient male supporting character's method of picking up girls was indeed unique.
Xu Lanyin said with a half-smile, "You must have thought I came here to make peace with you and to present the gift that the county magistrate's wife sent to my family, right?"
Gu Wangchen really thought so before. He didn't want to believe that the foolish girl who had been stupid for eight years would suddenly change her temperament and heart.
Having his secrets exposed, Gu Wangchen was a little annoyed, but he suppressed his emotions and said, "Sister Yin, you used to be virtuous, gentle, and considerate. How come you've become so sharp and unreasonable in just over a month since I went to the provincial capital?" He paused, then gazed at her affectionately and said, "Sister Yin, I still like you as you were before."
Hearing him mention the original owner, the mockery in Xu Lanyin's eyes turned cold, and she said, "The silly girl who was fooled by you and whose heart and eyes were full of you is gone. Now I understand life." She added, "You don't need to look at me like that. It disgusts me. Go look at the girls from rich families. They will like it."
Gu Wangchen thought again, that's what he said, that silly girl has been stupid for eight years, how could she suddenly change her heart? She's just jealous, playing hard to get, trying to get me. Today, I must subdue this silly girl and make her behave. She can't go out and talk nonsense, and she's not allowed to do that in front of the county magistrate's family...
He smiled, thinking it was even more charming, and said, "Yin'er, stop making trouble. I spoke to Miss Su a few more times, just to get to know her father and brother through her, which would be beneficial to my future career. If I am well, you and your family will also be well. The betrothal gifts are ready, and I have rented a small courtyard in the county town. We will be married there at the end of the year. I know you have been thinking about that day for many years, and I will give it to you..."
After saying this, he looked at Xu Lanyin even more affectionately.
But in my heart, I thought, marrying you is impossible. Forgive me for having to find a reason to break off the engagement. I come from the countryside. If I want to have a smooth career and become a superior person, I must marry a girl from a powerful family...
Xu Lanyin raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Gu Wangchen, do you think I'm jealous and playing hard to get with you? Do you think that Miss Su and I are like clouds in the sky and mud on the ground, and I'm not even worthy of jealousy? Haha, let me tell you, I won't be jealous of you, and you don't deserve my tricks. I also know that you have dirty thoughts and lofty goals. Before the day of marriage, you will make trouble and ruin my reputation, and your family members will come forward to cancel the engagement for you. In this way, you, Gu Juren, will still be the sentimental and nostalgic Gu Juren, with a clean reputation and everyone's sympathy... But have you ever thought about me? I will be doomed. Of course, in order to achieve your good reputation, you wish me dead, so why would you care about my doom?"
Gu Wangchen's eyes narrowed. How could this silly girl know what he was thinking? When did she become so smart? The girl in front of him didn't look like Xu Lanyin at all.
He frowned slightly and said stubbornly, "Sister Yin, don't speculate on other people's thoughts. Don't judge others' concerns based on your own mind."
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