After these days, Gu Yaoniang's heart had actually begun to soften.
As the two walked into the garden, Gu Yaoniang casually asked, "Is your mother feeling any better now?"
Speaking of his mother, Lu Zhaoan relaxed considerably. He smiled and said, "She's much better lately. Now, Mother can stand up and walk around the yard for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. She's also much more lucid these days."
Gu Yaoniang smiled and said, "That's good. You're free now, your family is alive and well, everything is fine."
Lu Zhaoan sighed softly, "I've let my mother down. If it weren't for me, she wouldn't be like this now."
Gu Yaoniang hesitated for a long time before gently placing her hand on Lu Zhaoan's shoulder: "She never blamed you."
A mother's heart is both soft and firm.
A woman like Madam Lin, whose own child was still alive, could treat Lu Zhao'an as her own son, and had loved the child with unwavering affection for so many years. She would never resent Lu Zhao'an for this.
"She should only be thankful that she ran fast enough to catch you and prevent you from falling directly to the ground."
Lu Zhaoan's expression was complex, filled with emotion, sorrow, and a warm feeling welling up in his eyes: "If I were her biological son, I wouldn't feel so guilty. Yao Niang, you should understand me."
He should understand that he always felt he had taken away the blessings of his elder brother and gained his mother's loving heart, but had caused his mother to be bedridden for many years.
As for him, his mother often made mistakes, which sometimes made him feel a little upset. But when he calmed down, he would despise himself.
Why should he be upset?
Gu Yaoniang nodded: "I understand."
Lu Zhao'an's heart skipped a beat. She understood him! He reached out and pressed down on Gu Yaoniang's soft little hand that was supporting his shoulder.
Gu Yaoniang stiffened, but did not break free; she simply looked at him. Lu Zhaoan, on the other hand, reacted first and hurriedly withdrew his hand.
Seeing that Gu Yaoniang was neither angry nor upset, but just smiling at him, he became quite flustered.
Then, as if suddenly awakened, he exclaimed with overjoyed, "Yao Niang?"
"Yes, I'm here."
Gu Yaoniang replied, her tone calm, gentle, and serene.
Lu Zhaoan asked incredulously, "Are you...?"
But are you willing?
Gu Yaoniang gently closed her eyes at him. Lu Zhaoan was overjoyed and reached out to hold Gu Yaoniang's hands, but she deftly avoided him, scolding, "How can you do this?"
Lu Zhaoan chuckled foolishly.
No wonder he was so happy he was practically delirious. Ever since he confessed his feelings to her and Gu Yaoniang rejected him, she had remained indifferent. Every time they met, she would laugh and joke as usual, but she always resisted his advances.
His sudden and unintentional approach to her did not displease him; on the contrary, it made Lu Zhaoan somewhat flustered.
Gu Yaoniang had already taken a few steps forward, but seeing Lu Zhaoan still standing there, she chuckled softly: "Fool. What are you standing there for?"
Lu Zhaoan quickly took a few steps.
"I don't know if the princess has told you, but I went to see Qin Yuxiu a few days ago."
Zhao Yang was punished, and Qin Yuxiu was pushed forward to shield herself from the insults, so she inevitably ended up in prison.
He remained calm in prison, saying nothing except that he wanted to see two people. One was his ex-wife Xie Danqiu, from whom he had divorced earlier, and the other was Gu Yaoniang.
Xie Danqiu flatly refused, but Gu Yaoniang hesitated for a long time after receiving the news, and finally decided to go see him.
Princess Ruining arranged all of this.
When Gu Yaoniang met Qin Yuxiu through Princess Ruining's arrangement, she almost didn't recognize her.
Although she despised Qin Yuxiu's character, she had always known that he was handsome. Otherwise, she and Xie Danqiu would never have offered their hearts to him.
Qin Yuxiu, though clearly not yet thirty, already had white hair at her temples, and with a full beard, she looked like a fifty-year-old. Gu Yaoniang felt a sharp shock.
When Qin Yuxiu saw Gu Yaoniang's expression, she just laughed self-deprecatingly: "What? Don't you recognize me?"
I never expected this…
He sighed softly, "In the end, only you were willing to come see me. They said she only replied 'no' and chased people away."
He didn't say who "she" was, but both of them understood that "she" referred to Xie Danqiu.
Qin Yuxiu kept his head turned to the side, so Gu Yaoniang couldn't see his expression, but hearing him like this, she felt a little sorry for him.
Their childhood friendship, if not for what happened later, should have led to a happy marriage. She had genuinely dreamed of and hoped for it.
At that moment, I felt only heartache.
She hardened her heart and said, "Given how things were before, it's normal that she didn't get along with you and didn't want to come see you."
Gu Yaoniang's words were harsh, but her tone was extremely gentle. Qin Yuxiu turned her head after hearing her words.
Gu Yaoniang then noticed that Qin Yuxiu's other cheek was covered in bruises.
That's true. Someone like him, who has already lost all hope, won't have a good time in prison.
Qin Yuxiu laughed. Her laugh was somewhat cold: "You certainly know how to pierce my heart."
Gu Yaoniang opened her mouth, but still didn't explain. She had no intention of mocking; she was just saying something casually.
What do you want to see me for?
Gu Yaoniang asked.
"have no idea."
"have no idea?"
Clearly, Gu Yaoniang was extremely surprised. The opportunity was rare; the requests she made before her execution, the people she wanted to see, were all precious. And yet, he wanted to see her, but said it was without reason?
She didn't believe it.
Qin Yuxiu looked at her, and the two stared at each other as if facing off. After a long while, Qin Yuxiu finally asked, "Why?"
Gu Yaoniang was stunned—she didn't immediately understand the abrupt "why".
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
