“Indeed!” Hongye frowned and put her hands on her hips, sighing, “I don’t know what’s gotten into the Second Miss, she always feels that Scholar Lin has a bright future ahead of him. She’s praising Scholar Lin and his mother to the skies, giving them only a penny a day for food, and there’s not a single piece of meat on the table. When Scholar Lin comes back, there’s plenty of fish and meat, but none of it is what the Second Miss likes to eat. I’ve noticed that Yan Hong has lost a lot of weight, and she’s still wearing the clothes she used to wear at the Qin Mansion.”
Qin Yuan said in surprise, "One cent a day for food? Really... If you're going to eat a steamed bun, don't blame the dog for eating it."
I really don't know what to say.
A single string of cash could buy a fat hen.
For just a penny, you can order a table full of dishes at an ordinary restaurant, including chicken, duck, fish, meat, seasonal fruits, appetizers, assorted candied fruits, soup, and wine.
Hongye sighed again, "Indeed! Our arrogant and domineering second young lady has become a pushover after getting married. Could it be that she encountered a bad influence? I really have to thank the second young lady. If it weren't for her, how could I stay in such a blessed place as the Marquis's mansion? I felt so sorry for Yan Hong, so I took some food from the kitchen for her. She used to be such a respectable person when she was in the Qin family, but now she's almost reduced to being like a kitchen maid."
Qin Yuan ignored her and let her chatter on and on.
Gu Jinghui listened with great interest.
After the meal, Lord Gu asked after much deliberation, "Would you like to recommend a doctor to Scholar Lin?"
Qin Yuan put down her teacup and stared intently at Lord Gu.
Gu Jinghui's face tightened, realizing that Qin Yuan had seen through his cautious probing.
"If I recommend a doctor, will the Marquis be displeased?"
Lord Gu avoided Qin Yuan's intense gaze and said awkwardly, "...After all, we are related by marriage...how could I not be happy..."
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "I thought you understood, my lord. I was supposed to marry Scholar Lin before, but now that I've married into the Marquis's mansion, I should naturally avoid suspicion from Scholar Lin to prevent gossip, to avoid upsetting my second sister, and to avoid making you uncomfortable. But it seems I was overthinking it. You are not the kind of person who gets jealous easily."
"..." Lord Gu felt a lump in his throat.
Hmm, if he had known his wife thought that way, he should have told her that he was just jealous and cared a lot.
But once the topic was out of the question, picking it up again seemed a bit off.
"...Yes, we should avoid suspicion."
Lord Gu smiled.
Throughout the entire process, Qin Yuan barely asked Lin Ziqi anything, which shows that she truly didn't care or pay attention to him.
He was just being overly nervous.
Lord Gu quietly let out a long sigh.
Qin Yuan continued, "My second sister has a rather eccentric personality. If she hadn't come to me for help, I wouldn't have recommended a doctor to her, lest she be ungrateful and blame me for taking matters into my own hands. Besides, my father is the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. If he could find a way, he could privately hire an imperial physician for Scholar Lin. If even the imperial physician can't cure him, it will be difficult for anyone else."
In short, it's better to ignore it.
Gu Jinghui nodded in agreement.
In fact, both of them knew that Doctor Li's medical skills were excellent; what the imperial physicians couldn't cure, Doctor Li might be able to cure.
However, Qin Yuan was unwilling to cure Lin Ziqi.
Gu Jinghui was also unhappy to see Qin Yuan showing concern for Lin Ziqi's condition.
After seeing off the cheerful Lord Gu, Qin Yuan stretched and lay on the couch in a daze for a while before calling for Hongye.
Hongye had just finished eating and came over with a smile, asking, "Why is the Marquis so happy today? He doesn't seem like he was a few days ago."
Qin Yuan chuckled and said, "You see, you're not as good as Cui Ming. Cui Ming doesn't ask."
Hongye stamped her foot and said, "You two must have conspired behind my back and kept it from me."
Qin Yuan thought about it for a moment. It wasn't a matter of whether or not the drug was administered. It was something she had instructed Cui Ming to do, so naturally Cui Ming understood the reason.
He laughed and said, "No, that's not true. If I don't tell you, it's for your own good. What if you accidentally blurt it out one day?"
Hongye said in a huff, "Fine then, I won't ask if you don't want to tell me."
Qin Yuan asked, "Have you been able to get those managers and stewardesses working properly these past few days?"
Seeing that they were getting down to business, Hongye said seriously, "It's alright. This is a big deal, and no one is thinking of causing trouble at this time. Besides, the steward and accountant for the inner courtyard haven't been decided yet, and everyone wants to perform well. Maybe they can be promoted."
Qin Yuan pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "I didn't expect there to be this reason. This is a good idea. Take a look for me and see who does a good job and has a good reputation. Make a list of them, and I'll transfer them after this is over."
Hongye immediately agreed.
Qin Yuan then asked, "Have you seen Sixteen these past few days?"
Hongye said, "Of course I have seen him. Yesterday, the sixteenth came to talk about the matter next door and even brought the Marquis's clothes over for me to keep. He was afraid that the Marquis would come over to rest and not have any clothes to change into."
Qin Yuan nodded and said, "He only trusts you, and only told you to keep it."
Hongye blushed, but forced herself to say, "He talked to me the most before, so naturally I'll take over."
Seeing this, Qin Yuan knew that Hongye also had some feelings for Gu Shiliu.
"We didn't celebrate the Qixi Festival a few days ago because of the Sixth Madam's matter."
Qin Yuan sighed.
Hongye said, "That's right. Gu Shiliu said that his mother and sisters have all passed away, so we can't go out to see them. In the past, young ladies were not allowed to go out and run around. I thought we could go and see them this year, but it's still unfortunate. It's quite fortunate that Seventh Miss doesn't have to go out for the competition."
Qin Yuan asked with a smile, "How is Gu Shiliu's family doing?"
"His mother and sisters all prayed to the Goddess of the Seventh Month at home, ordered a feast, played drinking games, and then went to the Seventh Month Festival to watch the young ladies compete. They came back saying that the whole street was very lively, with all the vendors gathered, selling food, entertainment, clothing... everything imaginable. The women were all walking around outside, and some even crossed the bridge to touch the copper nails on the city gate, saying that touching them would bring good luck for a year and even give birth to a fat son."
That's a really detailed explanation.
Qin Yuan then asked, "What time did his family members go home after playing?"
Hongye said, "I went back a little after midnight. Mainly because there were no men at home with me, and I was afraid something might happen if there were too many people. I just watched the excitement and then went back."
Qin Yuan nodded, "It seems that Gu Shiliu's family is doing quite well."
Hongye asked, "Why did you suddenly think of asking this today?"
Qin Yuan said half-jokingly, "It's just that since the Marquis has started a family, he also wants to find a wife for Gu Shiliu. I have to ask Gu Shiliu what the situation is like at home."
Before she could finish speaking, two blushes had already appeared on Hongye's face.
At this moment, Cao Cao also arrived.
The maidservant announced, "Madam, Gu Shiliu has something to report."
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