As Gu Yaoniang entered the courtyard, she saw Madam Gu standing at the door, looking at her with a helpless expression.
Gu Yaoniang craned her neck, trying to see what was happening inside the room. Madam Gu shook her head helplessly and complained to Gu Yaoniang in a voice that could be heard inside, "Your father is getting more and more useless as he gets older. He just said he was going to go out for a stroll in the garden, but before he even stepped out of the room, he said he was tired. He's lying in there now!"
Gu Yaoniang couldn't help but worry: "Is Father feeling unwell?"
Having said that, she stepped inside. Madam Gu didn't stop her, but simply followed her with a smile, entering the room together.
Gu Yaoniang walked around the screen and saw Mr. Gu lying on his side on the couch, facing the wall, with only the back of his head visible to her.
But he lay upright, neatly tucking the pillow between his shoulders, his whole body perfectly straight, his back not relaxed, clearly he was holding his breath, his muscles tense and not relaxed.
He's not asleep at all; he's clearly hiding and refusing to see Wang Chengxian.
Gu Yaoniang looked at Madam Gu, her eyes asking, "Father, what are you up to?"
Madam Gu shook her head and mouthed "I don't know".
Mr. Gu has always been old-fashioned and adheres to etiquette. The fact that he could come up with the excuse of pretending to be asleep to refuse to see someone was already the limit of what he could do.
It seems he truly doesn't want to see Wang Chengxian.
Although Gu Yaoniang did not understand why, she still did not intend to force her elderly father, who had just been released from prison, to see someone he did not want to see.
She said loudly, "Since Father is not feeling well, I will go and invite Lord Wang back first."
Sure enough, Mr. Gu quietly turned his head slightly on the pillow so that he could hear more clearly.
Gu Yaoniang couldn't help but find it amusing.
After Gu Yaoniang left, Mr. Gu sat up abruptly on the couch and hurriedly asked Mrs. Gu, "Yaoniang didn't find anything, did she?"
Madam Gu rolled her eyes at him: "Even if I found out, I didn't expose you!"
Mr. Gu rubbed his slightly numb and swollen arm, which was pressed against his body: "I don't know how that Wang family brat still has the nerve to come and see me!"
Madam Gu sighed, sat down next to her husband, and said softly, "Hiding from him isn't a solution. He's still somewhat considerate..."
Mr. Gu glared at her. Seeing that her husband was about to retort again, Mrs. Gu quickly interrupted, "You should think about why you came to see him! I think Yao Niang and him are probably quite close."
Mr. Gu sneered, "Our Yaoniang is a good girl. He's already here, so she can't possibly send him away. She's naturally being very polite. How is that being intimate?"
Madam Gu sighed: "Do you think it's possible that Xingzhi told him? Did he come here just to clarify this matter with us?"
Yao Niang has been in Shuojing for three years. Although she has been writing letters constantly during these three years, they are only brief words, so how can one get a full picture of her life?
Moreover, Gu Yaoniang always reported good news and not bad news. In her letter, she said that she had made many friends in Shuojing, one of whom was Wang Chengxian's daughter.
Upon hearing this, Mr. Gu immediately stood up and paced around the room a few times. He, who had previously been reluctant to go out, could no longer sit still.
He turned his head and asked, "Do you think Yao Niang knows now?"
But he didn't really want an answer. Without waiting for Madam Gu to speak to him, he said decisively, "No! I have to see him!"
But then he saw Madam Gu looking at him with a strange expression behind her.
Upon seeing this, Mr. Gu turned around and looked back, only to be stunned.
He was facing inwards at that moment, but when he turned around to look back without moving, it looked somewhat comical. A middle-aged man with a round face stood in the doorway, smiling at him.
Mr. Gu narrowed his eyes, then turned around to examine the man in front of him more closely.
Gu Yaoniang stood behind Wang Chengxian, smiling awkwardly at her parents. She had just told Wang Chengxian that her father was unwell and resting. Wang Chengxian then showed great concern and, without needing anyone to lead the way, walked towards the backyard.
On one occasion, he even took the wrong turn, and it was Gu Yaoniang who called him back.
Gu Yaoniang was truly regretful after reminding Wang Chengxian! But whenever Wang Chengxian was about to take a wrong turn, for some unknown reason, Gu Yaoniang would always speak faster than she thought, reminding Wang Chengxian of the correct path, and then begin to regret it.
And so Wang Chengxian walked all the way here.
Mr. Gu stared blankly at Wang Chengxian's calm and collected face for a moment, then his expression turned cold. Without saying a word, he turned and walked into the room.
"Big brother!"
Wang Chengxian called out to Mr. Gu. He stepped forward excitedly, trying to pull Wang Chengxian back. His eyes held a complex mix of emotions, joy and unspeakable fear.
Gu Yaoniang looked at the two of them curiously. She respected Wang Chengxian as an elder, but she was also very curious about the entanglement between Wang Chengxian and her own father's generation.
She secretly hoped for a conversation between the two, her eyes keenly observing their interactions. But Madam Gu pulled her away, saying, "Never mind them. Yao Niang, take me for a walk around the courtyard."
Gu Yaoniang looked back reluctantly, only to see her father and Wang Chengxian staring at each other. Seeing that Madam Gu was about to pull Gu Yaoniang away, Mr. Gu hurriedly said, "Let's go, let's go!"
Gu Yaoniang had no choice but to leave with her mother.
Seeing that she seemed unhappy, Madam Gu smiled and said, "You know your father. He cares a lot about his reputation. With you there, he'll feel embarrassed to say anything. Once we leave, it will be easier for the men to talk to each other."
Gu Yaoniang gave a soft "Mmm," then smiled and said, "Mother, let's go to the garden."
She took Madam Gu's arm and walked over, asking questions incessantly—
"Mother, is there anything else that's bothering you?"
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