"At this critical juncture, who cares what he thinks? Your health is the most important thing! You don't want to become weak and frail after giving birth, turning into a sickly beauty who has to catch her breath even when reading a book, do you?"
Gu Yaoniang was both angry and amused.
That's Qin Yuxiu's child. Xie Danqiu is trying to take good care of him, and he should be grateful. Even if he's not grateful for the Xie family's help, if he still has other thoughts, then he's truly hopeless. What he thinks is no longer important.
Xie Danqiu was amused by Gu Yaoniang's words.
Gu Yaoniang gripped Xie Danqiu's hand tightly: "Don't worry about that now. A-Qiu, you're the most important thing! Remember that!"
"Okay, okay!"
Xie Danqiu's worried expression disappeared, replaced by an irrepressible smile.
Gu Yaoniang blushed slightly, but was still worried: "You must find a reliable cook! Preferably one who can cook your favorite dishes. If not..."
She thought for a moment and then said, "If you trust me, I'll give you a cook."
Xie Danqiu shook her hand and chuckled, "Okay! Don't worry, I would never wrong myself." She pursed her lips, but then looked worried, "Yao Niang..."
"Just say what you want to say."
"My husband said my mother-in-law will come to the capital to take care of me, and I'm a little scared. You're all from Qingyun County, and I heard you knew each other before. Yaoniang, is she... alright?"
A faint worry appeared in Xie Danqiu's heroic eyes.
Even the most favored daughters of heaven will feel uneasy about the delicate relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
Gu Yaoniang sighed inwardly.
Aunt Qin is greedy for small gains, but extremely protective of her own. Whether she treats Xie Danqiu well or not depends on whether she treats Xie Danqiu as her own child.
“Aunt Qin is very protective of her own. If you can win her over and make her treat you like one of her own, she will be an extremely good person.”
Xie Danqiu was stunned for a moment, then tightened her grip on Gu Yaoniang's hands.
Gu Yaoniang winced slightly in pain, but said nothing, simply staying quietly by the side of the bewildered woman.
After a long while, Xie Danqiu finally let out a soft breath.
Only then did she realize that she had used too much force, squeezing Gu Yaoniang's palm until it turned white, and hurriedly withdrew her hand.
She then scolded playfully, "You too! Doesn't it hurt?"
She carefully touched the back of Gu Yaoniang's hand with her fingers.
Gu Yaoniang casually tucked her hands into her sleeves. The two looked at each other and smiled, everything understood without a word.
The news of Xie Danqiu's pregnancy was known only to a few close friends and was not widely publicized.
Princess Ruining and Wang Zhilan were very concerned and visited him several times.
Gu Yaoniang, though very concerned, never visited Qin Yuxiu's home.
Gu Pingsheng entered Hualing Academy to study, and Gu Xingzhi and Gu Yaoniang bought him a small house not far from the Gu family mansion.
Once the official documents were issued, Gu Pingsheng could be considered a resident of the capital.
The Gu family did not publicize this matter, and Gu Pingsheng always returned to the mansion in Yongyangfang after returning home from the academy.
The newly purchased house was just sitting idle anyway. It was only bought to transfer her household registration to Shuojing, not to settle down. So Gu Yaoniang took it upon herself to make some minor repairs to the small house and then rent it out.
The money from renting out the house was returned to the Gu family's public funds. After the money used to buy the house was used to replenish the funds, the rent became Gu Pingsheng's pocket money.
The business between the Gu and Lu families grew larger and larger, and the money was settled monthly, amounting to a considerable sum each month.
Carts laden with silver were quite conspicuous on the street. Each time she transported the silver, Gu Yaoniang always carefully disguised herself, drawing Lu Zhaoan's mockery: "Why be so nervous? What villains in Shuojing City would dare rob my, Lu Zhaoan's, silver?"
Lu Zhaoan was quite dismissive of Gu Yaoniang's caution, but Gu Yaoniang continued to do as she pleased.
Princess Ruining is getting busier and busier. It seems that the Emperor is valuing her more and more, and now that she has entered the Ministry of Revenue to observe politics, she has not seen Lu Zhaoan and Gu Yaoniang for a long time.
The emperor did not treat the two children differently, and Prince Qing was also appointed to the Ministry of Revenue to observe government affairs. This move did somewhat quell the rumors sparked by the previous controversy surrounding the conferment of the title of prince.
Unlike Princess Ruining, Prince Qing was not so busy that he practically lived in the government office every day.
He went to and from the government office very regularly every day, and when he had nothing to do, he would come to Jinyulou to contribute some income. He was already considered a regular customer at Jinyulou.
As he visited more often, he became quite familiar with Gu Yaoniang.
Gu Yaoniang then saw another side of the only prince of this dynasty. His skin was darker because he was skilled in riding and archery and spent a lot of time in the training ground as a boy, getting tanned from the sun every day.
He usually seemed extremely unapproachable, but it wasn't directed at anyone or that he looked down on anyone. Rather, it was the pride of a member of the imperial family, a self-importance stemming from his status.
As he visited Jinyulou more often, he would occasionally bring Gu Yaoniang some novel and fun trinkets.
After a while, Gu Yaoniang finally realized what was going on.
She couldn't help but chuckle.
Prince Qing seemed interested in her at their first meeting. However, Princess Ruining intervened, and nothing came of it.
In their subsequent meetings, Gu Yaoniang noticed that Prince Qing was always exceptionally gentle with women, regardless of their status, as if every woman was his good sister.
In this way, Gu Yaoniang would not be presumptuous and think that Prince Qing had any designs on her, and she always treated him generously.
Now she has no choice but to think about it more.
Recently, Prince Qing's intentions have become increasingly clear.
Especially after discovering that Gu Yaoniang seemed to be intentionally avoiding him, Prince Qing's overtures became even more blatant.
Gu Yaoniang couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
This day was the first day of the traditional winter break in the Dacheng Dynasty.
Zhao Cai had already replaced the heavy cotton-padded curtains to protect against the winter winds of Shuojing City.
Gu Yaoniang wrapped herself up tightly, her small face buried in a snow-white fox fur cloak, giving her a delicate and exquisite appearance.
Her cloak and hood were pulled high, almost obscuring her face. Gu Yaoniang tucked the hot water bottle in her arms, and with Bizhu's help, carefully jumped off the carriage and walked towards the Golden Jade Pavilion.
As the weather gets colder, Jin Yu Lou has launched a new mutton hot pot, which is perfect for winter. It's both warming and nourishing, and it helps to ward off the chill outside.
After a few months, the guests have become familiar with the new routines and pricing at Jin Yu Lou.
The mutton hot pot is incredibly delicious. The small copper pot is placed on a cast iron rack, with delicate, smokeless silver charcoal underneath. It's served together while you eat, and it's still heating up.
It's a rare hot dish that doesn't get cold in winter, and diners love it.
Despite the biting cold, Jin Yu Lou was still bustling with guests.
As soon as Gu Yaoniang stepped into the Jin Yu Lou, Manager Su came up to her and whispered something in her ear.
A bitter smile involuntarily appeared on Gu Yaoniang's lips.
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