Gift to the girl you like
Jin Zhenjiao was surprised and said, "You really don't know? Then it's better for me not to tell you."
Song Tiaotiao wondered, "Why are you being so secretive? Gu Chengjue only told me that this red hairband can bring happiness to the girl."
Jin Zhenjiao chuckled: "A red hairband can bring joy to a girl. But that girl is not just any girl. She must be a girl that the giver likes."
Song Tiaotiao's breathing hitched slightly when she heard this. She lightly touched the hair tie on her head with her fingertips, but it felt as if it had been burned by the Three Flavors True Fire, causing her fingertips to tremble.
After a moment, Song Tiaotiao lowered her head, clasped her fingers together, shook her head and said with a smile: "Gu Chengjue, he probably doesn't know about this either."
Jin Zhenjiao pulled Song Tiaotiao's hand, which was about to be twisted into a knot, and seeing her oval face flushed slightly, she covered her mouth and smiled, "Who knows? But I saw that he couldn't hold his liquor that day. How about I go get a few more jars of wine later? As the saying goes, the truth comes out when you're drunk. I'll know whether he knows it or not when I ask him."
Song Tiaotiao stole a glance at Gu Chengjue out of the corner of her eye. After a moment, her almond-shaped eyes flickered and she shook her head: "He gets a headache when he's drunk."
Seeing her like this, Jin Zhenjiao felt that Song Tiaotiao was not living up to her expectations. She waved her hand, tutted softly, and goaded her, "I don't care about you guys anymore. You say you don't like me, but you're actually worried that I'll get a headache if I get drunk. It's really awkward."
Song Tiaotiao blinked and sighed softly, "In fact, the reason why Gu Chengjue and I became husband and wife was not because of love between men and women, but because of a strange combination of circumstances."
Song Tiaotiao has not forgotten the first day of exile in Prince Ning's Mansion.
She was sitting in a sedan chair at the time. As soon as she entered the door, she was thrown down heavily by the sedan bearer who was anxious to get rid of the trouble.
In an instant, Song Tiaotiao woke up from a deep sleep. Her sleepy almond-shaped eyes opened slightly, revealing a blinding red. Then, noisy voices filled her ears like the buzzing of bees.
She didn't understand what was going on and pulled off the red cloth in front of her.
Unexpectedly, what caught my eye was Gu Chengjue lifting the car curtain.
Gu Chengjue's hair, which was always combed meticulously, was now messy and covered his deep eyes. But when he looked up at her, his eyes contained the same trembling as hers.
When their eyes met, the complex emotions in Gu Chengjue's eyes were just like the gloomy autumn evening that day, so sad that it seemed as if he was crying blood.
Before this, Song Tiaotiao had never thought that Gu Chengjue would have such a miserable life.
Before Song Tiaotiao could come to her senses and say anything to him, a sharp sword came out from behind Gu Chengjue's neck and lifted the curtain to the side.
The officers and soldiers who were confiscating his property looked inside from behind him without any concealment, and all teased him, urging him to marry his bride as soon as possible.
Gu Chengjue's eyes turned cold. He used his body to block the anxious gaze of the people behind him, raised his hand, and covered Song Tiaotiao's veil again.
At that time, Song Tiaotiao didn't understand why Gu Chengjue was wearing heavy shackles on his wrists and ankles and fell into such a situation. She didn't understand why she was wearing an ill-fitting wedding dress and found herself here.
But the original book gives a clear answer.
After learning that the Ning Wang Mansion had fallen, Song Zhaozhao's stepmother Jiang did not want her own flesh and blood to suffer, so she insisted on letting her avoid the engagement.
But this marriage was an arranged marriage that Prince Ning and the Duke of Zhenguo had requested from the emperor in the early years. At this critical juncture when life and death was concerned, how could they bring trouble upon themselves?
The imperial decree of exile was already known to everyone, but the marriage between Prince Ning and the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo had long been a hot topic in the city.
The princes and nobles were all waiting to see the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion make a fool of itself, and it was really difficult to back down.
Not only is breaking up the engagement unkind and unjust, but it is also possible that Song Zhaozhao will have a hard time finding a good husband and her reputation will be ruined.
But if you just stuff a maid into the mansion, she will definitely feel resentful if the Ning Wang Mansion ever becomes successful again in the future.
The Duke of Zhenguo has only one son and two daughters, and all the other children have been engaged at an early age.
Only Song Tiaotiao's marriage had been put on hold due to Jiang's dislike. Although a concubine's daughter, she was still a daughter of the Zhenguo Duke's family. The Ning Prince's family, having fallen into this state, must have known their own limitations. Eliminating this woman also eliminated a long-standing thorn in their side.
When Jiang thought of this, she took advantage of the fact that the Duke of Zhenguo was out making arrangements and sent someone to add sleeping pills into Song Tiaotiao's food.
Jin Zhenjiao had lived briefly in Beijing and had heard rumors of an engagement between the Ning Wang Mansion and the Zhenguo Gong Mansion. She had assumed the rumored Gu-Song pairing was the perfect match before her, but she hadn't expected there to be a hidden secret.
Jin Zhenjiao lifted her face and sighed softly, "I misunderstood you, but I'm truly sorry. Seeing you two together always makes me happy. But this is your own business, and I can't force you into a relationship. But you can keep the red hairband. Since you're willing to accept it, you must have been delighted the moment you received it. Although red hairbands are often used in Northern Xinjiang to seal a relationship, they have more than just that meaning. Now that it's a gift between you two, unrelated to romance, consider it a blessing for your good fortune."
Song Tiaotiao lowered her eyes and expressed her concerns: "Actually, I was wondering if Gu Chengjue would feel embarrassed if he knew the meaning of this in the future?"
Jin Zhenjiao patted her shoulder and said with a smile, "How could it be? In fact, I don't believe that Gu Chengjue is completely unaware of the meaning. The brothers who are watching have been teasing Zhao Huaian and him every day these days. With so many people and so many days, there must be someone who will mention the meaning. If he heard about it when it was almost finished, he would still give it to you. And if he is really like you said, you should return the hair tie to him and never accept anything from him again."
Song Tiaotiao's eyes flickered, she thought for a moment, and nodded.
Seeing that she had come to terms with it, Jin Zhenjiao propped her chin up with her hand, tilted her head and asked with a smile, "What are you going to do after that? You're married after all. If things continue between you two, are you really going to stay with him like this, pretending to be his wife for the rest of his life?"
Song Tiaotiao raised her eyes and happened to meet Gu Chengjue's gaze. Their eyes met, and she smiled faintly, "One day, Gu Chengjue will leave Northern Xinjiang safely and redress the injustice done to Prince Ning's Mansion. When the dust settles, I think our story will also have a conclusion."
Jin Zhenjiao nodded: "Then you really value friendship and loyalty." At this point, her eyes drifted to Gu Chengjue, who was looking at Song Tiaotiao from time to time, and her heart moved, "Then what if you have someone you like during this period?"
Song Tiaotiao thought about how she had never had a first love in her two lives. She shook her head and smiled, "That's probably hard to achieve. But living a free and unrestrained life without a favorite person is also a kind of happiness. When I have some spare money, I'll open a shop I like. Then I'll have three meals a day all year round, grow flowers and cook, raise cats and dogs, and get together with a few good friends. Life like this would be great."
Jin Zhenjiao nodded, her eyes smiling as she said in agreement, "That life would be truly pleasant. Hearing you say that, I'm a little tempted. But if you must open a restaurant, I'll be your treasury for funds. I'll definitely be visiting every day, so please don't find me annoying."
Song Tiaotiao chuckled: "How could that be? You are my number one God of Wealth, and I can't wait to treat you graciously."
At this time, Bo Shuang and Zhao, who had gone to the side to chat with the female relatives, came back.
Bo Shuangwen smiled and said, "Tiaotiao, Miss Jin, the kitchen staff said the water in the pot is already boiling, and we just need to put the dumplings in."
Jin Zhen Jiaoyan stood up with a smile: "Okay, then I'll go to the kitchen to inform them about the wine and food, and I'll be back soon, you guys chat first."
The three of them smiled and nodded.
On the other side, Gu Chengjue also heard the news. He brought Gu Zhao back, picked up the dumplings that were placed in a long plate on the table, and walked to the kitchen with the man in front one after another.
Three large pots were boiling at the same time, and dumplings with different characteristics were put into the pot one after another like swimming fish.
The crowd returned to the front hall one after another from the kitchen, laughing happily.
Seeing the lively atmosphere, Jin Zhenjiao clapped her hands and said with a smile, "Today is such a joyous day. We're all gathered together so happily. If we don't do something, it would be a waste of this wonderful time. How about each family bring out a dish and we can taste each other's dishes. Let's make it clear in advance that we're all from the same village, and we're just here for the fun and celebration, not to compete with each other. And everyone who participates will receive a reward!"
Those who could enter this warm room were all close friends and family. Upon hearing the news, they all cheered enthusiastically and responded in unison. Even those who usually only knew how to mix peanuts joined in enthusiastically.
At this time, Jin Zhenjiao put her hands on Song Tiaotiao's shoulders and smiled in her ear, "Little chef, do you want to show us your skills?"
Song Tiaotiao smiled and nodded: "That's great, my little God of Wealth."
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