Gu Yaoniang found it somewhat amusing, but kept a cold expression and continued, "Secondly, why did you try to smooth things over after Qin Yuxiu was so rude?"
No matter how much she thought about it, she was still furious! Didn't Lu Zhaoan claim to be her friend? At a time like this, instead of standing up for him, he just gave Qin Yuxiu a perfunctory warning about her words and left?
He just left like that!
Even when she's in bed at night, she'll still be angry.
Lu Zhaoan was at a loss: "Shouldn't women like the feeling of being protected?"
He believed she was trying to help Gu Yaoniang out of a difficult situation.
Gu Yaoniang pouted. See? See? I'm not afraid of having no one to back me up, I'm afraid of someone backing me up recklessly.
"Are you protecting me or holding me back? He implied that I'm not a faithful wife, and you're dragging me away?"
Lu Zhaoan pursed his lips, but finally nodded: "It won't happen again next time."
Gu Yaoniang looked at him and found it amusing. He clearly didn't understand why, and might even feel that he was being pretentious, yet he readily agreed.
Do you think I'm making a fuss?
Lu Zhaoan seemed startled, straightened up, and categorically denied it: "No!"
Seeing that Gu Yaoniang still didn't believe him, he could only say, "I just don't quite understand. But I feel that I've already explained it clearly. If I still don't understand, it's my problem. Since you're not happy, then I won't do it again in the future."
"Don't you really think I'm making a fuss?"
Gu Yaoniang looked up at him with a half-smile, watching his expression gradually change from panic to calm.
"Really! How could I complain that you're making a fuss? Woman... Everyone has different ideas. Since you mind, I won't do such things again."
Gu Yaoniang found it particularly amusing and couldn't help but say, "If you don't think I'm troublesome, it means you really think I'm troublesome, but you don't mind because of politeness. Right?"
Lu Zhaoan's breath caught in his throat.
Why does she talk like this so differently from usual? But this provocative way of speaking, he even finds it kind of...cute?
-
Since Gu Yaoniang was the only woman there, and it was the Lu family's estate, it was inconvenient for her to stay overnight. After dinner, Gu Yaoniang returned to the city.
Just as before, Lu Zhaoan rode alongside Gu Yaoniang, escorting her home with his men.
Gu Yaoniang sat in the carriage, her body swaying slightly as Zhaocai moved forward.
Bizhu carefully lifted a corner of the curtain and saw that Lu Zhaoan was sitting on one side at a distance, not too close, before she carefully sat back down.
She deliberately lowered her voice, intending to complain: "Madam, it was Young Master Lu who pushed the boat away today, which is why I couldn't keep up with you."
It wasn't that she wasn't doing her job properly, but things just happened so fast that she didn't have time to react.
After the awning boat left, she and Lu Jing'an stared at each other on the shore. Finally, Lu Jing'an said he would take her to pick up his wife, and she left the small dock at the Lu family's back lake. Naturally, she never found anyone, and then she couldn't find another boat to meet up with Gu Yaoniang.
When Gu Yaoniang returned, she and Lu Zhaoan had come back on their own.
The atmosphere between the two seemed different, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Gu Yaoniang smiled and said, "It's alright, I know everything."
Seeing that she wasn't angry, Bizhu felt relieved and quickly assured her, "Don't worry, my wife, I'll be extra careful next time."
Gu Yaoniang raised her head, and Bizhu then noticed that her eyebrows were curved, and she truly did not look angry at all. So she mustered up her courage and asked, "My lady, did you enjoy your trip today?"
Gu Yaoniang curled the corners of her lips: "We almost had a fight."
Bizhu's eyes widened. How could she still be laughing so heartily?
Gu Yaoniang had no interest in talking to her in detail. She was lost in thought about what had happened that day, biting her lips lightly and smiling without saying a word.
-
The palace rewards arrived quickly. A few days after the summer break ended, the plaque and the rewards were delivered to the Gu family.
The reward was delivered directly to the Gu family mansion in Yongyangfang on the day it was bestowed.
Gu Xingzhi and Gu Yaoniang were not in the mansion, and Qiaoniang was the only one she could talk to. She hurriedly sent someone to the shop to invite the uncle and nephew back, served them some snacks and fruits, and ordered someone to bring a heavy purse to personally hand to the angel.
The angel, with a pale, beardless face, casually stroked his nonexistent goatee, subtly weighed his purse, and his smile deepened. He showed no impatience while waiting for the Gu family uncle and nephew.
Gu Yaoniang and Gu Xingzhi hurriedly returned to the manor, washed and changed, received the imperial decree, and then each gave the angel a heavy purse. The angel, with his robes no longer fluttering in the wind, left the Gu family satisfied.
Gu Yaoniang carefully stroked the plaque that had been bestowed upon her. It was a rosewood plaque with auspicious cloud patterns, and inlaid with three large characters in the middle: "First Merchant".
The three characters were written in a magnificent, flowing style, and according to the angel who delivered the decree, they were written by the saint himself, gleaming with golden light.
She reached out to touch it, saying, "Second Uncle, am I sick? Why does this word look like it's glowing?"
Gu Xingzhi slapped her hand away: "Look at you, so unsophisticated! This is gold!"
He pretended to be disgusted, but at the same time he was all smiles, his eyes practically disappearing into his grin.
Seeing this, Qiaoniang shook her head reproachfully.
There were also many gold and silver artifacts and tribute silks on the side, all of which were the most fashionable in the capital.
Gu Yaoniang affectionately took Qiaoniang's hand and let Qiaoniang choose what she liked first so she could make clothes.
"Someone come here! Bring the plaque here..."
Gu Xingzhi looked at Yao Niang, and seeing that Yao Niang was also looking at her, he discussed with her, "Should we put it in the shop?"
Gu Yaoniang shook her head: "Put it in Jinyulou."
Qiao Niang couldn't stand it any longer: "Why not place it in the main hall of the mansion?"
The uncle and nephew, who were arguing about whether to keep or discard the plaque, both exclaimed in unison upon hearing this, "No way!"
Why?
Qiao Niang really didn't understand. Since they could never reach a consensus on keeping it outside the house, why couldn't they keep it inside?
Gu Yaoniang puffed out her cheeks as she looked at Gu Xingzhi. Gu Xingzhi was a little embarrassed. Seeing that Gu Yaoniang was only looking at him without saying anything, he awkwardly said, "If we keep it at home, then no one will be able to see it, right?"
Qiaoniang was speechless: "Then from now on, you should invite people to the main hall of your house to discuss matters."
Gu Yaoniang's eyes lit up, and without waiting for Gu Xingzhi to make a decision, she immediately said, "Let's do it this way!"
Gu Xingzhi glared at him, and Gu Yaoniang made a face at him: "Second Uncle, stop glaring like that. If you keep doing that, you'll get old just like my father!"
Ultimately, the plaque bearing the inscription "Number One Merchant" was placed in the main hall of the Gu family home. It was hung high in the hall and meticulously maintained and wiped clean daily. From then on, the main hall of the Gu family became the meeting place for all members of the family.
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