Chapter 5 A Second Encounter Those eyes reminded him of someone, that…
"Yao Yao!" Gu Xi exclaimed in surprise.
"Call me 'sister'!" Yu Xinyao said, frowning. In fact, she was only a few months older than Gu Xi, but she was very insistent that Gu Xi call her 'sister'.
"Sister Yao," Gu Xi called out sweetly.
"Good girl," she patted Gu Xi's head. "You brat, you didn't tell me about something this big! If we hadn't run into Xiao Che today, were you planning to keep quiet?!" Yu Xinyao said angrily.
"How are you feeling now?" She looked Gu Xi over and over, but couldn't figure out what was wrong, so she asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, much better now," Gu Xi replied with a smile.
Yu Xinyao originally wanted to scold her, knowing her own situation perfectly well, yet still daring to act recklessly. But seeing her smiling face, her anger subsided by half; this little girl knew exactly how to manipulate people.
Seeing that Gu Xi's complexion was alright, she gradually felt relieved. She had already asked Xiao Che beforehand, and he should be fine.
"You, you, you... you're such a worry! I'm so thirsty." With that, he walked to the table and poured himself some water.
Gu Xi was used to her boisterous manner and even smiled, seemingly enjoying it. Seeing the light sweat on her forehead, she figured she must have run all the way here, so she handed her a handkerchief.
Yu Xinyao casually wiped her sweat with a towel and asked, "Are you going to play the zither?" She glanced at the zither she had just put down.
Gu Xi nodded.
"Perfect timing! I've learned a new sword technique. Let's go!" With that, he pulled Gu Xi out, completely forgetting that he had just been worried about her health.
Zhu Yin followed behind, carrying her zither, looking at the two people in front of her, one a zither fanatic and the other a sword fanatic, with a sense of helplessness.
When we arrived at the pavilion in the courtyard, someone was already waiting there.
"Xiao Che!" Xin Yao called out to the people in the pavilion.
Yu Xinyao and Gu Xi are the same age, but when they were little, she took advantage of her height and never called Xiao Che "brother". The adults couldn't do anything about it, and over time, they just kept calling him that.
"Brother Che!"
"Xiao Xi! Xin Yao!" he said, shaking the flute in his hand.
And so, as usual, the three of them played the zither and flute in the courtyard, and danced with swords, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
As the last note faded away, Xin Yao also withdrew her sword stance, and the three of them couldn't help but exchange a knowing smile.
After the song ended, Gu Xi suddenly thought of Gu Xiao, who was far away at the border, and sighed, "If only my brother were here, it would be so good. It's been so long since I've seen Yao Yao dance." Gu Xi joked.
Yu Xinyao's dancing was unparalleled in the capital. Perhaps due to her martial arts training since childhood, her dance moves were full of power, as if they were imbued with life. However, she preferred swordsmanship to dancing, but unfortunately, her swordsmanship was not as good as Gu Xiao's. So, when there were four of them, she would usually dance while Gu Xiao would perform the swordsmanship.
"Hmph!" Yu Xinyao got angry just thinking about Gu Xiao, who always snatched her sword. But she hadn't seen him for almost two years and actually missed him.
"It's a real pity we can't see Brother Xiao's sword dance..." Xiao Che chimed in from the side.
"Xiao Che!" Xin Yao made a move to hit Xiao Che.
As Gu Xi watched the two playfully bickering, her eyes crinkled into crescent moons with a smile, as if all her worries had vanished from her heart.
Much later, when Gu Xi recalled that day, it felt like a lifetime had passed. No one could have imagined that after this day, the fates of the four of them would be rewritten.
*
Early the next morning, news came from the court: an urgent report from the border stated that enemy troops had invaded, the generals of Sheng Kingdom were no match for them, and the border city was almost lost.
The Emperor was furious, and the Sixth Prince, Xiao Che, volunteered to lead three thousand elite troops to provide support, determined to protect our city.
Upon receiving the news, Gu Xi and Xin Yao immediately went to the city gate to see Xiao Che off.
When they arrived at the city gate, the army was already in full formation and ready to go. Xiao Che, as the commander-in-chief of this expedition, was already dressed in armor and riding on horseback.
Xiao Che's eyes lit up when he saw the newcomers. After whispering a few words to his adjutant, he dismounted and walked toward them.
"Xiao Xi, Xin Yao, what brings you here?" Xiao Che was both surprised and delighted by Gu Xi's sudden appearance. Although he had been studying military strategy since childhood, this was the first time he had personally led troops into battle. The battlefield was dangerous, and he didn't even know if he would return alive. Heaven knows how much he wanted to see her before setting off.
"We heard you were going to war, so we came to see you off!" Xin Yao patted Xiao Che on the shoulder and said indignantly, "Xiao Che, you must drive those bandits out of here!"
"Definitely!" Xiao Che nodded solemnly in response.
"Brother Che, please be careful. General Qin is always brave, and this time the city was almost breached, which shows that the enemy's strength should not be underestimated. It's possible that the Qi Kingdom is manipulating things behind the scenes," Gu Xi said worriedly.
The world is now divided into three kingdoms: Sheng, Qi, and An. Although Sheng and Qi are of similar strength, Qi is warlike and often instigates wars among smaller kingdoms. In the past year or so, smaller kingdoms have repeatedly invaded Sheng's borders, causing Sheng great distress. Qi must be involved behind the scenes, and this expedition will surely be fraught with difficulties.
"Okay, I'll be careful. Xiao Xi..." Xiao Ce hesitated for a moment, then said, "Xiao Xi, when I get back, I have something to tell you..."
"Okay, I'll wait for you to come back. Brother Che, you must come back safely!"
“Okay!” Xiao Che promised. Ever since Gu Xi fainted on the street, Xiao Che had decided to express his feelings to Gu Xi. Although he knew that Gu Xi’s father did not want Gu Xi to marry into the royal family, he did not want to suffer the heartache of almost losing her again. He wanted to stay by her side forever.
Before he went to war, his elder brother had promised him that when he returned in triumph, he could exchange his military merits for a favor. At that time, he would ask his elder brother to grant them a marriage, and then he would marry Xiaoxi in a grand and glorious way, giving her a magnificent wedding.
Gu Xi watched the army depart, feeling not only reluctance but also worry for the soldiers who were about to face certain death. She knew that men should be loyal to their emperor and love their country, sacrificing their lives for the nation and its people—this was their aspiration and the hope for national stability. But as a family member, she couldn't help but feel worried and afraid.
After seeing Xiao Che off, Xin Yao returned to the Yu residence. Ever since she learned that Gu Xiao was about to return, she had been practicing her swordsmanship diligently every day, waiting to test her skills against him. In a couple of days, she planned to go to Wudang Mountain to seek guidance from a grandmaster; she refused to believe she couldn't defeat that brat Gu Xiao!
After returning to the capital, Gu Xi stayed at home to recuperate. Since it was a rare opportunity to go out, she decided to go for a stroll with Zhu Yin and also buy some medicinal herbs for her mother's daily health maintenance.
An hour later, Gu Xi was a little tired from shopping, so she found a place to sit down at the nearby Cuiyu Pavilion, intending to have lunch before returning to the Gu residence. Zhu Yin was still not satisfied and couldn't resist going to the small shop next door to buy snacks as soon as she sat down. Gu Xi couldn't help but laugh at her longing look and let her go.
Cuiyuxuan is a famous restaurant and teahouse in the capital. The decor is very elegant, and the food is among the best in the city. Gu Xi's favorite dishes are Osmanthus Ice Dew and White Jade Dumplings. After ordering the dishes according to her and Zhu Yin's preferences, Gu Xi sat down and waited for her to return.
She sat on the second floor by the window, where she could not only see the bustling Chang'an Street, but also enjoy the performance on stage. The piece being played today was "Flowing Water." The sound of the zither went from slow and calm to surging and rushing, and then returned to calm, gradually soothing the restlessness in Gu Xi's heart after seeing Xiao Che off.
Just as she was listening intently, the restaurant manager led the guests up. It was a busy time, and guests usually had to find their own seats. It was rare to see the manager personally greeting them, so Gu Xi couldn't help but look at him curiously.
It was him!
The shopkeeper led the group around but there were no empty seats. They then arrived at Gu Xilin's table.
Gu Xi hesitated for a moment, then waved to them. The shopkeeper, with his sharp eyes, immediately led the people toward Gu Xi with a smile.
“Young Master Bai, if you don’t mind, you can sit here.” Gu Xi pointed to the empty seat next to her.
That's right, the person standing in front of Gu Xi at this moment is Bai Xingzhi.
"I don't mind, I don't mind." Before he could answer, the shopkeeper pulled out a chair and waited for Bai Xingzhi to sit down.
"Does the young lady recognize me?" Bai Xingzhi frowned, he had no recollection of the woman in front of him.
Gu Xi was taken aback by what she heard.
Has he... forgotten himself? Gu Xi recalled his cold expression before returning to the manor that day, and felt a little uneasy.
Seeing that the other party did not answer, Bai Xingzhi bowed with his hands to express his gratitude, but did not sit down as instructed. Instead, he continued to ask, "Thank you for your kindness, young lady. Are you alone?"
Gu Xi suddenly realized that he hadn't recognized her. Right, she didn't look like this the day she returned to the capital.
Realizing this, Gu Xi looked at Bai Xingzhi, who looked completely bewildered, and suddenly found it quite amusing.
"And my maid, she went next door to buy something, she'll be back in a bit." She smiled, her eyes crinkling. For some reason, Gu Xi didn't want to tell him so soon, and she was somewhat looking forward to Bai Xingzhi's reaction when he found out that the person in front of him was her.
Bai Xingzhi looked at the smiling woman in front of him. She had a sly look on her face, dark skin, and eyes that shone like bright stars. The freckles on her cheeks were very noticeable when she smiled. She wasn't exactly beautiful, but she made him lose his composure.
Those eyes reminded him of someone who had looked at him with the same smile that day. Bai Xingzhi felt like he was truly bewitched.
"Thank you for your kindness, Miss, but I..." Bai Xingzhi was about to refuse.
"Young Master Bai!" Zhu Yin happened to have finished shopping and came upstairs. She was quite surprised to see Bai Xingzhi and called out to him.
"Miss Zhuyin?" Bai Xingzhi was slightly surprised.
"Miss, I've bought everything." Zhu Yin put the things aside and said to Gu Xi.
"Hey, sir, you two know each other. Well then, I'll take my leave." The shopkeeper said, and tactfully walked away.
"Miss Zhuyin, why are you here?" Bai Xingzhi asked in confusion.
"I'm here to dine with my young lady!" Zhu Yin found the question Bai Gongzi asked very strange. Of course, they came here to eat, what else could they be doing!
Bai Xingzhi knew, of course, that he was here for a meal, but... this young lady before him was actually Miss Gu? He couldn't connect the two of them at all; no wonder he had just...
I see.
He thought she rarely went out, so the rumors were just hearsay. But it turns out that this was her usual attire. No wonder the rumors in the capital were always so convincing.
After figuring out the reason, Bai Xingzhi glanced at the empty seat in front of him, sat down directly, and then turned to look at Gu Xi, who had just been deliberately acting strangely.
"Miss Gu, what a pleasant surprise!" Bai Xingzhi called out to Gu Xi with a light laugh, then subtly exposed her teasing with a double entendre, before staring intently at her.
A note from the author:
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Remember these Osmanthus Dew and White Jade Dumplings; they'll be on the test later! A memorable moment is coming up, haha!
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