Facing a pair of clear eyes in the flickering candlelight, Guo Honglei gripped his pen, a sense of inexplicable caution welling up in his chest. He remained calm, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Could it be that Yushan is joking? Are you actually well-versed in literature?"
Jiang Yushu smiled faintly and sighed, "Although there's a saying that 'a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent,' the daughter of a wealthy family, unless she's born mentally retarded, must be literate and well-mannered, and thus well-mannered, in order to manage the household safely. How could the eldest daughter of the Minister of Works be so illiterate?"
In her memory, the original owner was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. In her spare time, she loved to study needlework and flowers and plants. She was an outstanding lady from a noble family.
Guo Honglei's fingers were long and slender, with distinct joints. He pressed tightly against the unfinished letter home and frowned. "It seemed like Yushan was joking, but I didn't think much of it and believed it."
"Yushan" on the left, "Yushan" on the right, quite intimate... Jiang Yushu slowly ground the ink, inevitably feeling a little uncomfortable. She asked in a calm tone, "I've been so busy lately, there's something I forgot to ask you."
"What's the matter?" The pen tip paused again, and Guo Honglei simply put it down for the time being.
Jiang Yushu's thoughts turned quietly, and after calming down, she asked seriously, "You and I originally had an engagement, and you were supposed to be my brother-in-law, but fate played such a trick on us that we ended up getting married! After the incident, Yushan was heartbroken and fell ill. She refused to listen to any explanation I had. A few days later, my mother sent her to recuperate at her maternal grandparents' home. Until she was exiled, we sisters never met again. But I wonder if you ever explained to her?"
"We got engaged, but then called it off. I feel guilty towards the second girl. I should explain myself clearly, both emotionally and logically," Guo Honglei admitted. "I approached her three times, but my mother-in-law always said her daughter was seriously ill and couldn't see anyone. I had no choice but to write a letter to apologize, but there was no response."
Jiang Yushu was filled with doubts. After a moment of deep thought, she asked curiously, "You and Yushan are a perfect match, but you couldn't become a couple... You must be very sad, right?"
"Honestly, it's a pity, but I can't call it 'very sad,'" Guo Honglei said seriously, his eyes gleaming. "I've only met her five times before and after we got engaged. The only time we were alone was last year when she invited me to the Jiang Mansion to enjoy the flowers, and we chatted for half an hour."
Jiang Yushu frowned, strongly disagreeing with the Gan Dynasty's marriage customs. She couldn't help but ask, "You're engaged after only meeting five times? Hey, did you even see each other's faces clearly?"
"Marriage is a matter of great importance and is decided by parents. Back then, my mother chose the person, and my father approved, and that was it." Guo Honglei paused, suddenly remembering the conversation he had overheard between the Jiang family father and daughter that day. He felt uneasy for a moment and asked slowly, "Do you think that men and women should get to know each other thoroughly before getting engaged?"
Hey, is that even a question? Jiang Yushu answered without hesitation, "Of course!"
Guo Honglei stared intently, thinking: "Yu Shan and I are innocent, there's no deep affection between us. But what about you and Pei Wenfeng? I heard it myself that day: you were childhood sweethearts, deeply in love... I'm afraid you still miss him to this day, right?"
Jiang Yushu was completely oblivious, treating the events of that day as a secret. She thought for a moment, then asked, bewildered, "Strange! First, you believe I was framed, and second, the old lady hates 'shameless women.' Why on earth did you marry, ahem, 'me?'"
Their eyes met, and Guo Honglei replied in a deep voice, "On the day of the incident, my father-in-law was furious and personally used the family discipline. I saw you kneeling on the ground, neither begging for mercy nor dodging, taking several blows with the same look as if you were desperate for death. I couldn't bear to see this, so I promised my father-in-law that I would marry you."
"So," Jiang Yushu sighed with emotion and asked with a wry smile, "You married me out of pity, despite the immense pressure from both families?"
Actually, that wasn't entirely true. After all, how could one be careless about such a lifelong event? As for the specific reason—Guo Honglei's brows knitted together, and for a moment he was at a loss for words, unable to put it into words.
He pondered for a while, and just as he opened his mouth, he saw his nephew running towards him crying:
"No, I don't want to eat it!"
Jiang Yushu quickly turned her head, caught the crying little boy, and asked in surprise: "What happened to Yu'er?"
The nurse followed with a bowl of steamed buns soaked in rice soup and replied helplessly, "The young master is tired of eating the same food every day."
Guo Yu sobbed and cried aggrievedly: "Mother, mother ignored me and told me not to make a noise."
"Really?" Jiang Yushu picked up her nephew and walked towards her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. "Don't cry, I'll go and ask your mother why she ignores Yu'er!"
"Yu'er is close to her." Guo Honglei smiled.
The nurse smiled and said, "The Second Young Master's wife is gentle and willing to spend time making the child happy. The young master naturally likes to be close to her."
Guo Honglei nodded, put aside his distracting thoughts, picked up his pen and continued writing his letter home.
Later, Jiang Yushu returned home with her letter already written. After a moment's thought, she spread out another sheet of paper and began to write, recording her experiences along the way. "April 15th, overnight at Cangshan Inn. Spring drought, but clear skies, still in the temperate monsoon zone..."
Guo Honglei looked at it carefully: the handwriting was neatly written in tiny characters, and very beautiful. The woman who was writing had fair skin and beautiful face, and was dignified and elegant.
He couldn't help but watch.
Jiang Yushu lowered her head and continued writing, thinking to herself: Fortunately it’s not a diary, otherwise I would have to cover it with my hands and not let you see it!
After a busy period, before going to bed, she was suddenly called by her mother-in-law.
"Madam, what are your instructions?"
Wang leaned against her bundle, examining her second daughter-in-law. She asked calmly, "When the Marquis and Hongyao passed away, according to the rules, the family should observe a three-year mourning period. Do you know this rule?"
"Know."
Wang asked dissatisfiedly, "Then why do you keep getting close to Honglei? It's not decent for people to see you."
Jiang Yushu was startled, her face flushed instantly, as if she had been slapped. She was filled with shame and anger, and immediately wanted to retort! But calming down, she realized that the other party was not being unreasonable. She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and explained, "I was just writing a letter home to let my family know I was safe. I only had one pen, so it took a while. I will be more careful next time."
"You should be careful." Wang narrowed her eyes and taught sternly, "Although the Jingyang Marquis's Mansion has fallen into decline, even for ordinary people, mourning is not something to be taken lightly."
Jiang Yushu had no rebuttal and nodded silently.
Then, Guo Honglei discovered that his wife suddenly began to distance herself from him!
When she was on the road, she was with the maids who came with her dowry;
During lunch, she and the maids entertained Yu'er;
At night, she asked the servant to borrow a table and paper and pen from the postman, and hid in a corner to write and draw;
…
In short, don't talk or laugh, ignore him, stay as far away from him as possible, and be polite to him.
What's going on?
Could it be that talking about Yushan and "marrying her out of pity" that night made her unhappy?
Is she annoyed? Angry with me?
Guo Honglei was at a loss and became increasingly unhappy.
The sun rises and sets, and the clouds roll and disperse.
In a blink of an eye, the group had already traveled for nine days.
At noon that day, when they were having lunch, they stopped by a mountain stream and washed up.
"Oranges grown south of the Huai River are oranges, while those grown north of the Huai River are trifoliate oranges."
"Different climates mean different kinds of vegetables and grains." Jiang Yushu sat on the grass by the stream, bending over to wash her handkerchief while patiently saying, "You've lived in the Marquis of Jingyang's mansion for so long, and you all say you've never farmed before. But you must have heard the saying, 'Farmers depend on God for their livelihood.' If you want a good harvest, you need ample sunlight and favorable weather."
An old woman sighed and said worriedly, "I heard that Xicang is very desolate. It's difficult to cultivate land and not grow much food."
"Yes," the maid echoed, "if the food isn't produced, the prisoner will be punished, right? Will he starve to death?"
Jiang Yushu, a technician at the Agricultural Science Research Institute in her previous life, remained calm and reassured, "Don't worry. Although Xicang is remote, it's not a land of ice and snow. There must be crops suitable for growing there. Let's think carefully and gradually solve the problem!"
As she spoke, she wiped her face and neck with a wet handkerchief, and rolled up her sleeves to wipe her arms.
At the same time, Guo Honglei was staying in the shade of a tree high up.
He couldn't help but glance again and again, watching his wife chatting and laughing with the maids and servants, harmoniously; watching her wash her hands and silk handkerchiefs; watching her wipe her face and neck, and then rolling up her sleeves to wipe her arms -
Under the scorching midday sun, Jiang Yushu's arms were slender and fair, her skin as white as snow and creamy as cream. On her left forearm, there was a toad's blood drop.
The red dot on the arm was so bright and dazzling that it made Guo Honglei stand up suddenly, stride quickly towards the mountain stream.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
