Chapter 212 Falling in Love with Him
The carriage stopped; we had arrived at our doorstep.
Meng Jinyao stopped her wild thoughts. When the coachman opened the carriage door, she went to the door and subconsciously stretched out a hand, thinking that Qingqiu or Ningdong would help her.
But when she reached out her hand and didn't see Qingqiu and Ningdong, she belatedly realized that she hadn't brought a maid with her when she went out today. It was just the two of them, Gu Jingxi and the coachman. So she silently withdrew her outstretched hand.
Gu Jingxi noticed her movement, got off the carriage before her, and then reached out his hand to her, saying gently, "Madam, come here."
Meng Jinyao paused for a moment, then handed her hand to him and was helped down from the carriage.
On the way back to Wei Rui Xuan, Meng Jinyao couldn't help but glance at Gu Jingxi frequently, her lips involuntarily curving upwards, and her heart began to race uncontrollably. She felt that Gu Jingxi was interested in her, but she was also afraid that she was just imagining things.
But regardless of whether he is really interested in her, she is very pleased with herself now. What woman wouldn't want her husband to treat her this well?
Seeing her smiling face, Gu Jingxi thought that the gloom in her heart had finally dissipated and she was no longer sullen. He breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that taking her out for a walk today was the right thing to do. Staying cooped up at home all day must have made her a little bored.
Meng Jinyao's good mood lasted until she went to bed that night, and she fell asleep quickly and slept soundly until dawn.
When she woke up, Gu Jingxi had already gone to the Dali Temple for his shift. She couldn't help but feel annoyed that she hadn't woken up earlier, and wondered if Gu Jingxi had secretly hugged her while she was asleep last night.
Afternoon.
The female manager of Jinxiufang arrived, saying she wanted to see Lady Hou.
When Meng Jinyao learned of this, she was completely bewildered. She didn't remember having anyone look for the female manager of Jinxiufang, but she still had someone bring the manager to Weiruixuan. She didn't want to go to the front courtyard living room on such a hot day.
The female manager was a cheerful and decisive woman in her early thirties. Because of the fame of Jinxiufang, she had met many wives of officials. She was not shy at all and greeted them with a smile: "Jinniang greets Madam Gu."
Meng Jinyao said gently, "Shopkeeper, there's no need for such formalities. I didn't place an order at Jinxiufang, so why did you suddenly come to me?"
The female shopkeeper replied, "It's like this, Lord Gu ordered eight sets of autumn clothes from us, saying they were for his wife, and asked me to come and ask her to choose the style."
As she spoke, she handed the booklet to Meng Jinyao and continued, "These are newly drawn sample designs. No other customers have seen them yet. Don't worry, Madam Gu, each style is unique. Once it's sold to you, it won't be sold to anyone else. You won't have to worry about wearing the same thing as someone else. However, the finished garments won't be delivered to you until autumn. Right now, it's just a pre-order."
Meng Jinyao was surprised. A dress from Jinxiufang was not cheap, and Gu Jingxi ordered eight for her directly. Fortunately, after the incident with the twelve hairpins, she was still calm. With a smile on her lips, she calmly accepted the booklet handed to her by the female shopkeeper and said gently, "Then let me take a look first."
The female shopkeeper glanced at Meng Jinyao without making a sound and found that the lady of the Marquis of Changxing was indeed a beauty. Her eyes were bright and sparkling, and every smile and frown was charming. Not to mention men, even she, a woman, was fond of her. No wonder the Marquis of Gu doted on her so much.
Meng Jinyao flipped through the booklet, carefully comparing the styles, and finally selected eight dresses.
After the female shopkeeper left, Meng Jinyao fell silent. After a moment, she dismissed the other maids, leaving only her two trusted maids.
Qingqiu and Ningdong asked in unison, "Madam, is there anything you need to tell us?"
Meng Jinyao shook her head slightly, carefully choosing her words, and asked them softly, "Do you think the Marquis really has feelings for me?"
Upon hearing this, Qingqiu and Ningdong exchanged a glance and then nodded in agreement.
Qingqiu said, "Madam, although I have no one in my heart and do not understand matters of love, I can tell that the Marquis has feelings for you."
Ning Dong said with certainty, "Madam, I had a feeling that the Marquis might be interested in you. Judging from his recent behavior, it seems like he is pursuing his sweetheart."
The one I love?
Are you referring to her?
Meng Jinyao's heart skipped a beat. That indescribable feeling surged up again. Her mind flashed back to all the good things Gu Jingxi had done for her, and her heart raced. She could even hear her own heartbeat. She felt a swelling in her chest, as if something had forcefully and irresistibly entered her.
The answer that was about to be revealed has finally surfaced.
Do you like it?
Has she fallen for Gu Jingxi even a little bit? Not just a simple liking based on his good character and talent, but the kind of liking between a man and a woman. That's why she's been struggling with whether Gu Jingxi has feelings for her these past few days, and has even been tossing and turning at night because of it.
This realization struck her like a thunderbolt, leaving her stunned and unable to recover for a long time.
Seeing that she remained silent, Ningdong asked with concern, "Madam, what's wrong?"
Meng Jinyao gently shook her head: "No, it's nothing."
But how could she have fallen for Gu Jingxi?
She carefully recalled every moment she had spent with Gu Jingxi over the past few months and found that Gu Jingxi was a very gentle and considerate person. He was extremely caring towards her, had a strong sense of responsibility, was talented, and good-looking. Although he was a bit older, he looked young.
She thought it was normal for her to fall for a man like that.
Ningdong noticed something was wrong with her and asked with some doubt, "Madam, are you really alright?"
Meng Jinyao felt uneasy: "He hasn't said he's interested in me yet. What if we've misunderstood?"
Qingqiu and Ningdong were taken aback upon hearing this. Having served as mistress and servant for many years, they could roughly guess from these words that the lady was quite satisfied with the marquis, and that if the marquis had romantic feelings for the lady, she would accept it.
Qingqiu pondered for a moment, then said, "Madam, why don't you test the Marquis?"
A test?
Meng Jinyao was taken aback. How could she probe into this matter? She couldn't very well ask indirectly, could she?
She knew Gu Jingxi's mind all too well. They were not on the same level at all. She had tried to subtly ask Gu Jingxi about other things before, but Gu Jingxi always caught her. If she asked about matters between men and women, he didn't mean it, and she would be presumptuous and find it difficult to back down.
Qingqiu added, "This servant doesn't understand these things either. If you don't want to ask, you can try to find out from other angles."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was stunned again. After pondering for a long time, she still couldn't come up with a solution. She felt very depressed and a little irritable.
She hasn't figured out what the other person is thinking yet, but she herself is being pathetic, getting flirted with and seemingly developing a bit of a crush on him.
It's truly a hassle. No wonder so many men shave their heads to become monks and women to become nuns. These three thousand strands of hair, full of worries, will always disturb one's peace of mind from time to time.
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