The old woman came closer and exclaimed, "Young Madam knows so much!"
"That's right, how do you know all this? I did farm work for a few years when I was a child, but I still don't know much about growing crops." The maid was both flattering and curious.
Jiang Yushu was well prepared and remained calm. She smiled and replied, "I learned this from reading a book. It's just some idle talk."
Cuimei, the maidservant who came with the dowry, was proud of this. She raised her chin and happily announced, "Hey, everyone, you don't know! My daughter has been very intelligent since she was young. Before she got married, she always liked to study flowers and plants. In our Jiang Mansion's garden, many flowers were planted by the daughter herself. There are more than ten kinds of orchids alone, all of which are colorful and beautiful when they are in full bloom!"
When the others heard this, they suddenly understood and started praising and admiring it.
Jiang Yushu quickly leaned over and whispered, "Cui Mei, who would praise their own people so directly like you? Be more modest."
"I'm telling the truth. I'm not lying." Cuimei said happily.
"Hurry up and wash, we have to go on the road soon." Jiang Yushu bent down and splashed water to wash the towel. Suddenly, she saw a tall figure reflected in the water. Then she heard someone calling:
"Second Young Master."
Guo Honglei hummed, and without saying anything, the others noticed his expression and tactfully stepped back.
Soon, there were only two people left on the grass by the stream.
Jiang Yushu twisted the handkerchief vigorously without raising her head. "What's the matter?"
Guo Honglei opened his mouth, but didn't know where to begin. He sat cross-legged, leaning over to wash his hands and face, looking lost in thought.
A handsome boy of seventeen, with sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a nose like a hanging gall bladder, and extraordinary bravery.
Jiang Yushu glanced at him and saw crystal clear water droplets flowing down his forehead, adhering to the tip of his tall nose and wetting his mourning clothes.
As she watched, she couldn't help but frown and handed the handkerchief over, "Your clothes are wet, wipe them quickly."
Guo Honglei took it and opened it: a snow-blue silk handkerchief, embroidered with elegant orchid patterns. He wiped the water off as instructed, carefully choosing his words, and asked slowly, "Did you plant all the orchids in the southeast corner of the Jiang Mansion Garden yourself?"
"Most likely." Jiang Yushu adjusted her sleeves, her eyes turned, and she asked with understanding: "Yushan took you to see it, right?"
His sleeves dropped, firmly concealing the bright red blood of the toad. Guo Honglei hastily averted his eyes, a chorus of mixed emotions. His unhappiness and annoyance vanished, and he answered frankly, "Yes. She showed me carefully, claiming she had planted them herself, and generously gave me two pots."
Jiang Yushu thought for a moment and then asked with certainty, "One pot of Hongfei, the other pot of Qiao'e. Is that right?"
Guo Honglei nodded.
"Oh, really..." Jiang Yushu sighed and shook her head, "She clearly said she was going to give it to my cousin's wife, but who knew she secretly gave it to you!"
"So it was you who planted it. I thanked the wrong person. I should thank you." Guo Honglei was very helpless and sighed.
In fact, I didn't plant it. The real Miss Jiang has long since passed away.
Jiang Yushu sighed inwardly, not wanting to discuss further. She waved her hand and said, "Two pots of orchids aren't a big deal, so there's no need to mention them. Let's go! Let's get going!"
She lifted her skirt slightly and hurried up the hill, forgetting the snow-blue handkerchief.
Guo Honglei clutched the handkerchief, paused for a moment, his head suddenly felt hot, and he silently stuffed the handkerchief into his arms.
High up in the shade of a tree, Wang Qiaozhen squinted her eyes, looking emaciated. Guarded day and night, she couldn't commit suicide, nor could she starve to death. She lived in resentment, her wounds slowly healing.
"Hmph." She snorted coldly, indifferently examining the young couple by the stream below. She was filled with resentment and jealousy, wondering: Why was it my husband who was sentenced to death by His Majesty, and not Jiang Yushu's? We were both young, but I was a widow, miserable, while she was protected by her husband... It was glaring, truly glaring!
at night
"Miss, it's getting late, you should take a rest. We have to get up early and travel every day now." Cuimei rested her head on her bag, feeling drowsy.
"We'll be resting soon. You go to sleep first." Jiang Yushu packed up her paper and pen while looking at the open space at the door.
"Be decisive! Why are you hesitating? A moment of hesitation in a critical moment could cost you your life." Guo Honglei's face was fierce. He used precise force to gently push his brother to the ground and urged him, "Get up and practice some more."
"Ouch." Guo Hongxuan lay on his back, panting heavily, and pleaded, "Second brother, can we stop here today? I, I'm almost exhausted."
Guo Honglei pulled up his brother and called another servant, "You come and try it. Use the moves I taught you last night."
"yes!"
Thirty or forty people formed a circle, concentrating and imitating the instructions.
Guo Honglei was incredibly patient. While exchanging blows with the servant, he sternly instructed, "Your Majesty has ordered the Guo family to be sent to the army to cultivate the land. Now, we don't know whether Yongzhou will be recaptured or whether Xi Cang will be at peace. If we engage in battle with the Northern Qi, there will undoubtedly be casualties. If the situation becomes urgent, we may be forced to fight as soon as we arrive in Xi Cang. Therefore, we must diligently train our skills to avoid losing our lives so easily."
With lives at stake, no one dares to slack off, and everyone is more serious than the other.
"What's wrong?" Wang Qiaozhen curled up, staring at her sister-in-law next to her, her voice hoarse, "Look at Honglei, he's actually stunned?"
Jiang Yushu was stunned when she came back to her senses. She keenly heard the sarcasm and immediately became displeased. She replied calmly, "Not at all. I just saw them fighting and found it novel."
"Really?" Wang Qiaozhen touched her haggard cheek, jealousy burning in her heart. She warned in a hoarse voice, "Yushu, don't forget that we are in mourning. If mother-in-law saw you just now, she would be furious."
Jiang Yushu remained calm, "Sister-in-law, you're joking. Although my mother-in-law is old, her eyesight is not blurry. She won't misunderstand me."
"You——" Wang Qiaozhen's eyes widened.
"I'm so sleepy." Jiang Yushu yawned, pulled her bag over to use as a pillow, and lay down with her eyes closed. "I'm going to sleep. Please do as you please, sister-in-law."
Wang Qiaozhen was so angry that the veins on her neck bulged.
The next day, afternoon
The sky was overcast and the heat was unbearable.
"Look, the sky is full of dark clouds. Is it going to rain heavily?" "It looks like it."
"What should we do? We still have to hurry on."
"It would be terrible if I got sick from the rain. Tsk, this little hat is good for keeping out the sun, but I don't think it can keep out the rain."
…
Everyone was worried and whispered to each other.
The officers whipped their whips and shouted, "In this desolate countryside, the only place to hide from the rain is the post station! Hurry!"
The next moment, raindrops as big as beans suddenly came.
The sky was dark, thunder roared, the rain was pouring, the wind was strong, sand and stones were flying, the yellow soil on the official road quickly turned into mud, and the chill was intense.
"Oh, it's raining so hard!" Cuimei cried angrily, "What should I do?"
Jiang Yushu raised her hand to hold her hat and sighed, "There's no other way. I can only hurry on in the rain." Just as she finished speaking, someone suddenly appeared beside her, pressing close to her.
"ah!"
"Don't be afraid, it's me." Guo Honglei put his arm around his wife's shoulders and whispered in her ear amid the sound of wind and rain, "The road is muddy, can you still walk?"
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