Chapter 28 Heartache: "I will always be good to you."
After saying that, he left the main hall with Jiang Zhiyao. Seeing that Yan Zhenxi was about to leave, Gu Lanru, who was sitting to the side, could not sit still. She got up to stop him, but was stopped by the servants.
Seeing Yan Zhenxi and Jiang Zhiyao's departing figures, Gu Lanru seemed to have abandoned her usual dignified image as a mistress, and began to curse, saying that she should never have let him live in the first place, and that Yan Zhenxi had begged her for food when he was a child, and now he was an ungrateful wretch.
Yan Zhao stood to one side with his head down, showing no intention of stopping Gu Lanru.
A barrage of unpleasant words followed. Jiang Zhiyao quickened her pace, pulled Yan Zhenxi away, and finally ran with Yan Zhenxi in tow.
After she could no longer hear Gu Lanru's voice, Jiang Zhiyao stopped, panting. She turned around and covered Yan Zhenxi's ears, saying, "We didn't hear anything just now."
"Mmm." Yan Zhenxi nodded obediently.
Jiang Zhiyao lowered her hand from covering Yan Zhenxi's ears: "Let's have breakfast first, and then go to the study where I'll read to you."
"good."
After arriving at the study, Jiang Zhiyao picked out a book from the shelf, then asked, "How about we read the one from last time? We haven't finished it yet."
Yan Zhenxi suddenly replied in a low voice, seemingly unrelated to the question, "Actually, what she said is all true."
When he was a child, he was abandoned in a secluded courtyard and left to fend for himself. One time, when he was so hungry that he couldn't stand it anymore, he ran to Gu Lanru and asked if she could give him some food.
He was so hungry he could barely stand. Gu Lanru stood there, glancing at Yan Zhenxi, while holding the chubby, still-in-swaddling Yan Ciying in her arms, and ignored him.
After a while, seeing that Yan Zhenxi was still standing there, Gu Lanru said with great disgust, "Who let him in? Hurry up and kick him out."
The servants rushed forward to arrest Yan Zhenxi, but the next second Gu Lanru's brother arrived at the mansion.
"Greetings, General Gu." The servants bowed and released Yan Zhenxi.
"Brother." Gu Lanru greeted him happily.
General Gu glanced at Yan Zhenxi beside him and said indifferently, "Sister, you are the mistress of the house after all. Don't let the reputation of mistreatment spread outside."
"I understand." Gu Lanru reluctantly agreed, and then had someone give Yan Zhenxi some food.
Later, they would give Yan Zhenxi some food and clothing every month, but it was only enough to maintain basic survival.
Upon hearing Yan Zhenxi's story, Jiang Zhiyao walked over to him.
Yan Zhenxi sat in the chair and, noticing her approach, reached out and hugged Jiang Zhiyao, burying his head in her lower abdomen.
Although Jiang Zhiyao was not well-off when she was young, she didn't have to worry about food and clothing because of her mother. Now, hearing Yan Zhenxi's words, she felt a pang of heartache.
Jiang Zhiyao raised her hand and touched Yan Zhenxi's head, awkwardly comforting him, "It's alright, it's all in the past. The Yan family is in dire straits now, but we're still doing fine, aren't we?"
"They're still asking Zhenxi for help."
Then Jiang Zhiyao started talking about all the praise she had heard others give to Yan Zhenxi, and also mentioned those people's unspoken comments about Gu Lanru and Yan Ciying.
Finally, he even spoke about Yan Zhao, saying that as the head of the family, he was inactive and had no sense of responsibility.
Hearing Jiang Zhiyao's unusually indignant tone, Yan Zhenxi slightly curled the corners of her mouth, then lowered her voice and said, "They are all unkind to me."
"I'm good to you." Jiang Zhiyao couldn't see Yan Zhenxi's expression, but hearing his still somewhat downcast voice, she quickly said.
Jiang Zhiyao squatted down and looked at Yan Zhenxi very seriously, and said solemnly, "I will always be good to you."
Yan Zhenxi was stunned, not expecting Jiang Zhiyao to say that. His heart felt like it had been struck, a sweet and sour feeling welled up inside him. He felt the preciousness of being valued, and his defenses against her, which had been low, crumbled inch by inch, surrendering completely.
Her heart, which had been as hard as ice, had long been melted away by her, and now it had turned into a pool of spring water.
"Don't pay attention to them," Jiang Zhiyao said softly, as if coaxing a child. "They are all bad people."
“…Okay.” Yan Zhenxi paused for a moment, then said in a slightly hoarse voice.
After Yan Zhenxi finished responding, Jiang Zhiyao took the initiative to lean over and kiss Yan Zhenxi. Because the action was a bit big, it even made a "pop" sound.
Upon hearing the voice, Jiang Zhiyao's cheeks flushed slightly, but she pretended to be nonchalant and said normally, "Don't think about these things anymore. How about I read to you?"
As soon as Jiang Zhiyao stood up, Yan Zhenxi hugged her and pulled her into his arms.
The chair in the study was very large, and Jiang Zhiyao was forced to sit sideways on Yan Zhenxi's lap as he moved.
"Zhenxi." This position was too intimate, so Jiang Zhiyao pushed Yan Zhenxi, wanting him to put her down.
“No one will come in.” Yan Zhenxi wrapped one arm around her waist from the front, and the other arm around the back of Jiang Zhiyao’s neck and placed on her shoulder. He lowered his head and gently brushed his cheek against Jiang Zhiyao.
"Fine," Jiang Zhiyao thought, putting down her hand that was patting Yan Zhenxi. "Let him be today."
She nestled in Yan Zhenxi's arms, letting him pick up a book from the side and hand it to her, then began to read it aloud softly.
Yan Zhenxi would occasionally lower his head to kiss Jiang Zhiyao, which tickled her and made her pause in her reading. Jiang Zhiyao gently patted Yan Zhenxi's head and said, "Listen carefully."
“Okay.” Yan Zhenxi immediately became obedient. “Master Jiang.”
Upon hearing Yan Zhenxi's address, Jiang Zhiyao couldn't help but tap him with a book: "Don't call me that."
“Okay.” Yan Zhenxi changed his address to “Madam.”
But a moment later, Yan Zhenxi kissed Jiang Zhiyao's cheek again. Before Jiang Zhiyao could say anything, he took the initiative to say, "Sorry, I couldn't help it."
Looking at Jiang Zhiyao, who was nestled in his arms reading aloud, Yan Zhenxi couldn't concentrate on a single word of the book.
Jiang Zhiyao reluctantly put the book down: "Never mind, I'm tired anyway, I'll read it next time."
Jiang Zhiyao wanted to get down, but Yan Zhenxi didn't loosen his grip at all. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her again.
"Watch out or I'll bite you again," Jiang Zhiyao said, turning her head with a somewhat menacing air.
Upon hearing this, Yan Zhenxi not only did not back down, but instead moved her face forward a little: "Ayao, this side hasn't been bitten."
Jiang Zhiyao was both amused and exasperated: "Alright, now it's time to have lunch."
He is nowhere to be seen now as the gentle and refined nobleman he once was.
"Okay." After hearing Jiang Zhiyao's words, Yan Zhenxi finally let go of her hand.
-
The weather has been getting hotter lately, and Yan Zhenxi doesn't have any business to attend to outside the mansion.
Jiang Zhiyao originally wanted to go out and play, but the weather was too hot and no one wanted to go out, so they could only stay at home.
Jiang Zhiyao looked at Yan Zhenxi, who was still wearing an eye veil and a long robe, and asked, "Aren't you hot?"
Although the long robe was made of thin gauze, Jiang Zhiyao still looked very hot.
"It's alright," Yan Zhenxi replied. "Is Ayao very hot? Would you like a few more ice cubes?"
"No need," Jiang Zhiyao shook her head.
Although there was ice indoors, it still wasn't very comfortable. These past few days have been the hottest time of the year, and Jiang Zhiyao couldn't muster any interest in doing anything.
Yan Zhenxi thought for a while and said, "Why don't we go to Qingcheng? I know a private villa there that's a good place to escape the summer heat."
"Really?" Jiang Zhiyao asked with some anticipation. She had heard of Qingcheng when she was still at the Ji residence. Some noble families and merchants in the capital would sometimes go there to escape the summer heat.
"Really?" Yan Zhenxi laughed. "It's too hot this afternoon, let's set off tonight."
Qingcheng is near the capital, and the journey takes about two or three hours.
After having dinner and packing up some things they needed, Jiang Zhiyao and Yan Zhenxi boarded the carriage to Qingcheng.
They were going to the largest villa in Qingcheng, which was said to have been built by a very famous businessman. Many people in the capital would go there, and the rooms had to be booked well in advance.
Because Jiang Zhiyao and her companions made the decision on a whim, Jiang Zhiyao was a little worried that they wouldn't have a place to stay, so she asked Yan Zhenxi in advance.
Upon hearing this, Yan Zhenxi smiled and said, "I know that manor owner; he reserves a room for me every year."
However, Yan Zhenxi had never been there before, so he didn't remember it at the moment. Otherwise, he would have taken Jiang Zhiyao there when the weather just started to get hot.
Sitting in the carriage, Jiang Zhiyao lifted the curtain and looked out. Gradually, there were fewer and fewer houses and pedestrians outside the carriage, and Jiang Zhiyao felt a rare excitement.
This was the first time she had left the capital in recent years. Although the place she was going to was not far from the capital, Jiang Zhiyao still felt a sense of novelty.
After looking around for a while, Jiang Zhiyao felt tired, and the sky grew darker and darker. Not long after the carriage left the capital, Jiang Zhiyao stopped looking outside.
She yawned, feeling a little sleepy; it was already her usual bedtime.
Upon hearing this, Yan Zhenxi said, "Ayao, go to sleep for a while. I'll wake you up when we get there."
"Do you want to sleep?" Jiang Zhiyao asked Yan Zhenxi, forcing herself to stay awake.
"I'm not sleepy right now," Yan Zhenxi shook her head.
The carriage was spacious, and Jiang Zhiyao lay down to sleep. Although it was a bit bumpy, she fell asleep quickly.
After Jiang Zhiyao's breathing stabilized, Yan Zhenxi sat down next to her. Seeing her slightly furrowed brows due to unease, Yan Zhenxi gently stroked them and then kissed her between the eyebrows.
After signaling the driver to slow down, Yan Zhenxi gently picked up Jiang Zhiyao and helped her find a comfortable position so that she could sleep better and feel less bumpy.
After an unknown amount of time, the carriage finally stopped in front of a mountain villa.
Many people were waiting outside the villa. When the carriage arrived, the servants rushed forward to greet it.
Jiang Zhiyao noticed the movement and woke up.
"Have we arrived?" Jiang Zhiyao asked, her eyes still a little dazed.
"Hmm." After Jiang Zhiyao had recovered for a while, Yan Zhenxi helped her up and then they got off the carriage together.
A middle-aged man dressed in brocade robes, who was at the head of the entrance, greeted them with a smile and called out, "Lord Yan, Madam Yan."
"This is Master Ji," Yan Zhenxi introduced.
"Greetings, Master Ji." Jiang Zhiyao nodded slightly.
"Thank you very much, Master Ji," Yan Zhenxi said politely.
"Not at all," Master Ji said with a smile. "It is my honor that Lord Yan has come."
"Let's not talk about this anymore, let's go to the side room now." Master Ji led the way, and seeing that Jiang Zhiyao and Yan Zhenxi both looked tired, he left after exchanging a few polite words with them.
"It's definitely much cooler here than in the capital." Jiang Zhiyao felt the temperature wasn't as scorching as it was in the capital as soon as she woke up in the carriage.
It was already late at night, and the room had been prepared in advance. Jiang Zhiyao and Yan Zhenxi washed up quickly and fell into a deep sleep.
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