When Xie Danqiu saw Gu Yaoniang turn around, he quickly stepped forward and took Gu Yaoniang's hand.
"It really is you!"
Her tone betrayed an undisguised delight.
Gu Yaoniang was also very happy to see her, and took her hand to look her up and down.
Xie Danqiu was now dressed as a married woman, her hair piled high in a bun, still dressed in red, looking extremely radiant and beautiful. She truly lived up to her reputation as the "Pearl of Shuojing."
Xie Danqiu smiled lightly, "I heard you're the owner of Jin Yu Lou now. You must be doing very well."
Gu Yaoniang smiled nonchalantly, gently shaking her hand: "Hey! Don't talk about me! How are you?"
She considered Qin Yuxiu's matter as a thing of the past and didn't care about the person. However, she always had a feeling that this person's character was sometimes good and sometimes bad, so she was very worried about how Xie Danqiu's married life would be.
She was terrified that Qin Yuxiu would treat Xie Danqiu badly. If Xie Danqiu became unhappy because of her concealment, she would truly feel guilty and want to die.
Xie Danqiu's smile faded slightly, but then she smiled again: "All is well, all is well!"
She glanced around at the bustling street scene: "We haven't seen each other in a long time, this isn't the place to talk."
Gu Yaoniang understood, and since they were still on Le Bao Street, she invited, "Let's go to Jin Yu Lou! Perfect timing, haven't you been there since I reopened?"
Xie Danqiu readily agreed, and the two of them looked extremely happy, completely forgetting about Gu Pingsheng standing to the side.
Gu Yaoniang genuinely didn't remember, while Xie Danqiu hadn't seen Gu Yaoniang for a long time, nor had she met Bizhu, Bishuang, or Gu Pingsheng. She assumed the three were just new attendants to Gu Yaoniang and didn't even consider the possibility of them being her younger brother, let alone care.
Seeing his two older sisters chatting and walking forward, completely forgetting about him, Gu Pingsheng quickly called out, "Sisters."
Xie Danqiu looked at Gu Yaoniang in surprise, but did not say anything.
Gu Yaoniang then remembered to introduce the two of them.
Xie Danqiu smiled at Gu Pingsheng and said to Yaoniang, "If you hadn't told me, I really wouldn't have known this was your younger brother. When did he arrive?"
She looked at the two of them with amusement. Actually, upon closer inspection, the two did share some similarities in their features. It was just that Gu Pingsheng was rather too dark-skinned.
"He's only been here a few days. He plans to study at Hualing Academy."
Xie Danqiu was slightly surprised upon hearing this: "Do we need to take the exam in the capital?"
"Yes! We studied at Hualing Academy, so we took the exam together."
When Gu Yaoniang talked about Gu Pingsheng, her originally delicate face showed a kind of "kindness" that seemed out of place for her age, which Xie Danqiu found quite amusing.
Xie Danqiu smiled lightly, "Okay, okay!"
She said to Gu Pingsheng, "I didn't expect to see you today, and I didn't prepare a gift. I wish you success in the imperial examination next year, and I will send you a gift and a congratulatory gift together to your residence then."
Gu Pingsheng's face lit up with joy, and he generously replied, "Thank you for your kind words, Sister Xie!"
Gu Yaoniang gave him a playful glare and said, "Alright, you and Bishuang go home first. Aqiu and I will go upstairs."
Gu Pingsheng held up the large and small bags in his hands, the implication quite obvious.
Gu Yaoniang chuckled: "Alright, alright! You all go back by carriage first, and then the driver will come to pick me up, okay?"
Gu Pingsheng then chuckled and agreed, returning to Jin Yu Lou with the two women.
Gu Yaoniang took only Bizhu with her and went upstairs with Xie Danqiu, while Gu Pingsheng waited downstairs for the coachman Lao Huang to bring Zhaocai over.
Once seated on the Fortune Tablet, Bitao looked at Gu Pingsheng with a complicated expression, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
Gu Pingsheng was a little confused and raised his hand to touch his hair: "What's wrong?"
Bitao sighed and asked, "Does the young master still remember the Xie family lady who was engaged to Lord Qin?"
Gu Pingsheng was stunned for a moment before realizing that Lord Qin was referring to Qin Yuxiu.
Then, recalling that the woman's surname was Xie, he blurted out, "Could it be her?"
Bitao nodded.
Gu Pingsheng was somewhat stunned: "Then why do my elder sister seem to be very close to her?"
Bitao sighed: "Madam Xie is a good person. She doesn't know about Lord Qin's past."
"Then isn't she pitiful?"
Gu Pingsheng thought of the woman's beautiful face from earlier and felt a pang of regret. The Gu family naturally didn't have a good impression of Qin Yuxiu. Even with extraordinary talent, if her character was questionable, she wouldn't be a good match.
As for Xie Danqiu... if she truly didn't know, now that this proud daughter of heaven has gotten married, it's all set in stone, which is truly a pity.
In the private room of Jin Yu Lou, Gu Yaoniang also exclaimed in surprise, "How could this be?"
They had already dismissed their attendants, and those around them had all retreated to the outside of the private room.
Xie Danqiu no longer possessed the vibrant spirit she displayed in the marketplace; a look of worry appeared on her face.
She smiled bitterly and sighed softly, "Yes... I never expected it to happen so quickly."
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