Thirty miles away from Nanping City, there was a private property belonging to Ning Chi settled halfway up a hill.
Zhou Gu instructed Ziye to drive the carriage to that property, planning to stay there.
Fen Ling was concerned, "Brother-in-law, is it good to stay here? If the Jibei Army invades Nanping, they will have to pass through these barren mountains and ravines along the way. If they discovered us here, we would be trapped."
After all, they were faced with 200,000 soldiers. Although each one of them was skilled in martial arts, they would be no match for such an army.
Zhou Gu stated confidently, "Don’t worry. This place is thirty miles from Nanping City. The Jibei Army would not want to make any noise while traveling at night and would deliberately avoid areas with people. Even though this property is in their line of passage and we’re not the only ones occupying villas in this area, they would likely avoid this area."
Fen Ling found his explanation reasonable but still considered the risk too high. Seeing that Su Rong had no objections, she acquiesced, "Alright, we’ll follow your plan!"
She did trust Zhou Gu to some extent; after all, his previous assumptions had been proven correct. He had predicted that Zhang Mao would be hiding in the Eighteenth Village, and that the Jibei army, under General Pingxi’s Residence, would take action against Nanping City. Both scenarios occurred exactly as he predicted. He even figured out the escape route that her sister would probably take, which enabled her rescue. Would this guess be inaccurate then? She hoped not.
Ziye patted Fen Ling on the shoulder, "Don’t worry. Listening to my master is never wrong."
Fen Ling nodded.
Upon reaching the doors of the villa, everyone dismounted their carriages or horses. The property guards, who had been alerted earlier by Ning Chi’s men, were already waiting. Fen Ling stated her identity, and the property manager welcomed them inside with a mixture of warmth and caution.
The property was vast, with orderly arranged rooms and courtyards.
The manager pointed out a benefit to Fen Ling, "Master Feng, there is a hot spring on the property. After supper, you can take a dip for comfort and warmth."
Fen Ling was interested, "Sounds good. I must give it a try."
Everyone was quickly settled down. Naturally, Zhou Gu was housed in the same courtyard as Su Rong.
Initially, Su Rong assumed that Zhou Gu would share a room with her as he had done previously. However, Zhou Gu had specifically emphasised to Fen Ling, "Arrange two rooms for us."
Fen Ling blinked and agreed obediently.
Su Rong blinked as well, watching Zhou Gu closely.
Zhou Gu brought Su Rong back to her room and laid her on the bed. Leaning in, he whispered into her ear, "I can’t take care of you in the same room anymore."
Pointing to the bags under his eyes, he continued, "I can’t get a good night’s sleep. Let Lan Zhi take care of you instead!"
Sharing a bed with her and taking care of her so intimately was indeed demanding. After just two days, he started feeling the toll. Especially since she was injured, he was concerned that he would exhaust himself taking care of her, which would be a pointless sacrifice.
Su Rong nodded, holding back laughter. She realized that he was aware of his limits too. Initially, she thought that he would bear with it even if it became tough. Apparently, she had overestimated him.
The room that Fen Ling arranged for Zhou Gu was right next to Su Rong’s, which he was pleased with. After getting Su Rong settled, he went to freshen up and change his clothes. Meanwhile, Lan Zhi came in to help Su Rong with washing, changing bandages and getting into fresh clothes, making her feel clean and refreshed.
Lan Zhi, a girl with lively personality, whispered to Su Rong, "I didn’t expect our young master Zhou to be able to take care of someone so well. He has done a decent job in taking care of you, my lady."
At least, her wounds had not reopened, which Lan Zhi thought was a significant achievement.
Su Rong nodded, "Although he is the youngest among the grandchildren at the Duke Residence and is pampered, he likes to do many personal tasks by himself. He is not like many young lords from other wealthy households."
Lan Zhi, who had not seen many young lords from high-ranked households, was familiar enough to know that many of them couldn’t even dress themselves without a maid’s help. By comparison, Zhou Gu was rare and outstanding.
She praised, "Young Master Zhou and you, my lady, are perfectly matched. He has a great personality." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
Su Rong chuckled, "He’s not as good as you think."
"He looks great to me." Lan Zhi said.
"That’s just what you see." Su Rong shook her head, "If he really was as good as you’re saying, there wouldn’t have been that nasty fight with the young prince from Rui’an King Residence. Half of the young nobles in the capital stay away from him, because he jumps at the slightest provocation. Even when he first came to Jiangning County, I dared not offend him, fearing that a careless mistake would cause him to lash out."
Lan Zhi was surprised, "Really? I can’t tell. But now, he treats you very well, my lady, fulfilling your every request."
Su Rong laughed, "That’s only because I am injured. Wait until I recover... I’m sure he’ll have a long list of grievances to air with me."
Lan Zhi widened her eyes in surprise.
Just when Su Rong was about to say something else, she heard the sound of the door opening from the next room and instantly stopped talking.
Lan Zhi heard it too and quickly shut her mouth, fearing that their conversation about Young Master Zhou would be heard. If she offended her future master, there would be no future for her.
After Zhou Gu had finished bathing, he came to find Su Rong and knocked gently on the door.
Seeing that Lan Zhi had tidied up for Su Rong, she quickly opened the door.
"Is everything done?" Zhou Gu asked Lan Zhi at the door.
Replying to Fourth Young Master, everything is done." Lan Zhi moved aside to let him in.
Zhou Gu thanked her and went into Su Rong’s room. Lan Zhi promptly closed the door behind him and retreated.
Su Rong was lying on the bed with a soft pillow by her side. Though the wound on her back was deep, she was treated with top-tier golden ointment, and it had scabbed over. As long as she didn’t exert force or rub it harshly, it wouldn’t open up. The soft pillows offered a comfortable buffer, and it wasn’t too intolerable.
Zhou Gu went to sit next to her on the bed and sighed.
"What’s making you sigh? Are you worried about Nanping City? "Su Rong asked.
Zhou Gu shook his head, "No, there’s nothing to worry about Nanping City. Anyway, Ning Chi and others will find a way to hold position. My third brother is on his way, and Zhang Mao is still being held at Marquis Nanping’s residence. Using him as a shield may help to hold off the enemy for a few days. While the situation carries its risks, it’s not fatal."
"Then why are you sighing?"
Zhou Gu shook his head, giving her a hug, "Because of you."
Su Rong raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Gu leaned down to give her a peck and whispered, "Sharing a bed with you, holding you, it’s tormenting. Not sharing a bed and staying in separate rooms, seeing an empty room, an empty bed, it feels just as painful."
Here he was. Just moments after his bath, he couldn’t stand spending a minute in a room without Su Rong. He came looking for her, missing her, yearning to be by her side.
Upon hearing this, Su Rong also felt helpless, "So, what now?"
Zhou Gu also didn’t know. He held onto her and didn’t let go, "It’s a terrible feeling."
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