"My lord." Composing himself, Xu Nian looked up while holding the two children. "I will definitely repay the kindness of the Minister's Mansion in the future."
The Minister's name is Liu Ru'an. He has served in the court for at least fifteen or sixteen years, if not twenty. He is known for his integrity and upright character. He has consistently maintained neutrality among the various factions in the court.
Now, dressed in a blue robe, he sat at the head of the table and simply smiled amiably upon hearing this. "Miss Xu, you flatter me. It was nothing more than a small favor. I have a special connection with these two children. If they hadn't shared their food with me, I'm afraid I wouldn't be alive today."
On the day of the mudslide, billowing dust filled the sky, and in the chaos, Da Bao and Er Bao were separated from the main group.
Looking back, the path they had come from was blocked by huge rocks. The two brothers panicked for a while, but after being influenced by Xu Nian for so long, they knew that crying wouldn't solve the problem.
Before they could come up with a solution, Liu Ru'an and his group, who had just returned from providing disaster relief, were attacked by bandits and nearly starved to death on the way.
The young men exchanged glances, and only after confirming that the group was harmless and that they were high-ranking officials from the imperial court did they cautiously mention that they had food.
Then, he was taken to the Minister's residence by the Minister's savior and treated to good food and drink for quite some time.
Having heard the whole story clearly, and after receiving praise from the Minister, Xu Nian humbly waved his hand, but his expression couldn't hide his pride.
Just as he was about to speak, a silvery laugh rang out from outside. "Father, I heard Brother Zhan is here? Why didn't you call out to me?"
The people of this dynasty are open-minded, and there has never been a rule that boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven. Although young ladies in their boudoirs are not allowed to meet with men outside their homes in private, it is not a problem if maids, servants, or even elders are present.
Miss Liu, Liu Qingmei already knew that Gu Zhan was coming today. Now, upon hearing the old woman's report, she hurriedly tidied herself up and rushed over in her flowing skirt.
The young girl, without any makeup, had a hairpin that swayed slightly in her hair, which made her look even more lively and charming. "Brother Zhan, after returning from the Northwest this time, will you be leaving the capital again in the near future?" She didn't look at Xu Nian once from beginning to end.
"I will follow His Majesty's arrangements." Sensing Xu Nianchao's gaze, Gu Zhan unconsciously widened the distance between them slightly.
[Good, General, you know how to uphold male virtues; very good.]
The two darlings seem to have gained quite a bit of weight. This Minister's residence looks alright, doesn't it?
[Does this young lady have a crush on the general? Her eyes are practically glued to him.]
Gu Zhan is muscular when shirtless, but slim when dressed. This is Nuwa's graduation project; it's no wonder girls like it, haha.
[Host, your "hehe" is really witty.]
We all heard it. The smell of vinegar is overwhelming.
Who's jealous?!
Xu Nian tightened her grip on her hands at her sides, clenched her teeth, and decided to stop paying attention to the comments, out of sight, out of mind.
But seeing the two people so close and chatting casually, I felt inexplicably uneasy.
Gu Zhan had never seemed to be so kind to any woman before...
The general was suffering in his heart, but he didn't say it. Gu Zhan, who had already tried his best to keep his distance, couldn't escape Liu Qingmei's deliberate approach.
The Minister and he had a fairly good relationship, and they had even saved Da Bao and Er Bao. They couldn't afford to embarrass Miss Liu in front of him, otherwise he would have already run far away and left with Xu Nian.
"Sister, why do I feel like all these young ladies are looking at us?" After declining the Minister's invitation to dinner, Xu Nian and Gu Zhan led their two children out of the Minister's residence.
The two children faced the bustling street, finding everything fascinating. Gu Zhan decided to have the carriage go ahead to the Zuixianlou restaurant to wait for them, planning to have a meal with Da Bao and Er Bao before returning to the courtyard.
The area in the west of the city, in modern terms, is the CBD of the capital. From east to west of the Minister's Mansion, all the residents are high-ranking officials and nobles.
Many young ladies from prominent families, accompanied by their maids, went out shopping, and their eyes lit up when they saw Gu Zhan! And it wasn't just them; even ordinary women who came to buy things would turn around and glance at Gu Zhan, even if they didn't know his identity.
The handkerchief clutched in her hand was itching to be used; if Gu Zhan were to pull out his carriage, she could show Xu Nian and everyone in the live stream what it meant to have a carriage overflowing with fruit!
Even the oblivious Erbao couldn't ignore those intense gazes. Not to mention Xu Nian and Gu Zhan, who were naturally sensitive to their surroundings.
"I didn't expect General Gu to be so popular," Xu Nian teased, her playful gaze sweeping over Gu Zhan.
It was just a joke, but General Gu immediately became serious and said earnestly, "I have never paid any attention to them."
Why do I feel like the general is explaining something?
He never paid attention to them, because his heart was entirely devoted to the streamer. How sweet!
Of all the waters in the world, I will only drink from one.
What nonsense! How come it tastes so sweet?!
Xu Nian seems to have a knack for being a straight woman. She glanced at the comments and immediately got goosebumps all over. "Yeah, you came from the military. You should only find these stares annoying."
He opened his mouth as if to say something more, but the girl's gaze was no longer on him.
Gu Zhan watched as she focused on haggling with the vendor to get a bracelet, shook his head helplessly, and smiled bitterly.
"Damn it!" Unnoticed by anyone, a venomous gaze quietly appeared among the many eyes after the two had walked away. "Just who is that country bumpkin?! How could Brother Zhan treat her so well?! He'd rather walk with her than not walk with her?!"
The maid stood behind her, saying what her mistress wanted to hear, "Miss, don't be angry. I don't think there's anything special about this kind of woman except for that bewitching face. People from small places are the most despicable, full of dirty tricks that we can't stand."
Liu Qingmei was wringing her handkerchief; she had been standing there watching ever since the two of them left. She considered herself quite familiar with Gu Zhan, but when had she ever seen him so gentle with any woman?!
He was filled with pent-up frustration, wishing he could have kicked that country bumpkin Xu Nian out of the Minister's residence right then and there!
"If I had known those two wild children were her brothers, I should have had the steward kick them out right away!" Hearing her personal maid Xiao Hong's words, her expression finally improved a lot.
Her words still carried a hint of gritted teeth. "Xu Nian! You think you can steal Gu Zhan? You just wait!"
Suddenly, Xu Nian felt a chill run down her spine, and she involuntarily shivered, turning around to look behind her.
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