"She's quite good at it..."
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Jinghui turned and strode out of the courtyard.
Gu Shiliu hurriedly followed, panting, and called out, "My lord, you..."
Wasn't the Marquis going to ask about the matter I asked him to inquire about this morning? Why is he suddenly going out again?
Gu Jinghui quickened his pace, then stopped, turned his head and asked Gu Shiliu, "In Madam's eyes, am I a man of my word?"
Gu Shiliu: "..."
How could he possibly say that?
It is true that the Marquis was preoccupied with Lady Zhao and her children, leaving his wife aside.
His parents both said that the Marquis was muddle-headed.
Gu Shiliu couldn't figure out what the Marquis was thinking either. He asked hesitantly, "What did the Marquis promise the Madam?"
Gu Jinghui was stunned. After a moment, he said, "Go back and have dinner with Madam."
Gu Shiliu just kept running around in circles following Gu Jinghui.
"My lord, weren't you asking about this morning..."
Gu Jinghui strode into the courtyard to find Qin Yuan, not having the patience to let him finish speaking. He waved his hand impatiently and said, "Alright, alright, we'll talk about it next time."
Gu Shiliu was also tired, so he found a place to rest outside the porch.
Not long after Gu Jinghui went inside, Qiu Ju came over with a gift list.
"Sister Qiuju, are you looking for Madam?"
Qiuju asked with a smile, "Why did the Marquis finally decide to come back?"
Gu Shiliu gave a troubled chuckle. The way his master had handled things had even reached Qiuju, the old lady's maid. "Did the madam complain?"
Qiuju shook her head. "The lady has only just entered the manor. How could she go to the old lady to complain? The old lady likes the lady and had Rong Mama find out."
Gu Shiliu felt a little embarrassed for his master.
Qiuju said, "I won't say much to you. The old lady asked me to bring the list of gifts for the bride's return visit to the Marquis and his wife for their review."
"The Marquis has just gone in, why don't you wait outside for a while?"
Qiuju ignored him and walked straight to the front of the courtyard, saying softly, "The old lady ordered me to deliver the list of gifts for the return visit. Please inform her for me."
The maidservant who was waiting outside hurriedly ran inside. After a short while, Hongye came out and said, "Madam invites Miss Qiuju in."
Upon entering the inner room, Qiuju saw the lady serving the Marquis as he changed his clothes.
The Marquis, who always did things himself and didn't need maids to serve him, stood with his arms outstretched, letting his wife do as she pleased.
He added, "Why didn't you wait for me to come back and arrange things at Wutong Garden?"
Qiuju sensed from that tone that a storm was brewing.
While straightening the Marquis's clothes, Lady Hou said softly, "I had nothing to do and didn't know when the Marquis would be back, so I went to my mother's place to keep her company. She gave me a lot of things and sent Rong Mama to help me tidy up the Wutong Garden. She said that I had just arrived and didn't know the situation in the mansion, so the fence should be tightened to prevent cats and dogs from wandering around at will."
Qiu Ju's heart skipped a beat.
She really came at the worst possible time.
The room had darkened, and half of Lord Gu's face was shrouded in shadow. His eyelids were half-open, and his long eyelashes cast deep shadows, making him seem somewhat unfathomable.
Lady Hou ignored him and calmly instructed Hongye and Cuiming, "Quickly light the lamps."
One by one, the lights in the room were turned on.
Seeing that the Lady of the Marquis was looking at her, Qiuju quickly bowed and said, "Madam, this is the list of gifts for the homecoming gifts that the Old Madam asked me to bring. She said that the Marquis and Madam should take a look and see if there is anything missing."
Qin Yuan didn't let the maid get it; she took it herself and looked at it, smiling as she said, "Mother is so kind. I think we don't need to add any more; this is already enough. What do you think, Lord Marquis?"
He then handed the gift list to Gu Jinghui, who was still standing there.
Gu Jinghui frowned, glanced at Qin Yuan's hand casually, and said, "If Madam thinks it's good, then so be it."
Qin Yuan handed the gift list back to her and said with a smile, "Qiuju, go back and tell the old lady that I think the gift list that Mother prepared is perfect and there is no need to add anything."
Qiuju smiled and agreed.
As they were leaving, Gu Shiliu craned his neck and winked at her, asking, "How did it go?"
Qiuju didn't know what to say.
The atmosphere in the room was a bit strange. The Marquis was holding back his temper and seemed to want to be coaxed, but the Madam neither provoked him nor ignored him, nor did she seem to care much about him.
"It's alright."
Qiuju hurried back to report.
Inside the room, Gu Jinghui stared into Qin Yuan's eyes and said, "In such a short time, you've become so affectionate, even calling her 'mother'."
“My mother protects me, so of course I’m close to her,” Qin Yuan said, seemingly oblivious to the barb in Gu Jinghui’s words or his discomfort. She asked, “Will the Marquis have dinner here? I just ordered a feast from the kitchen to reward Rong Mama, but she’s not eating, so it’s perfect for the two of us.”
Upon hearing the word "us," Gu Jinghui's awkwardness inexplicably subsided considerably. He tilted his head, snorted, and said, "Of course I'll eat. What if you get angry and go to Mom to complain if I don't eat with you?"
Hongye, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "My mother is so good to me. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful mother-in-law."
Stung, Gu Jinghui frowned, then laughed, and asked through gritted teeth, "Isn't your husband good to you?"
Qin Yuan smiled at him but didn't say anything.
That expression seemed to say, "What do you think?"
Honestly, Gu Jinghui couldn't bring himself to say anything good about it.
Qin Yuan took a long time to slowly say, "My husband is of course good. He is grateful and takes excellent care of Zhao Niangzi's family."
The meal was served at this time. Hongye and Cuiming set it out at the nanmu wood table by the window and invited them to eat. Qin Yuan said, "You can stay and serve the food. I'm tired after a long day, so I won't serve the Marquis."
Gu Jinghui's face, which had just brightened, darkened again.
Qin Yuan smiled and offered the food to them, then began to eat by herself. She ate with great relish, as if there was nothing more important in the world than eating.
Seeing how happily she was eating, Gu Jinghui, who hadn't originally intended to touch his chopsticks, also started eating.
After dinner, the two of them sat back in their chairs, holding cups of fragrant tea, and slowly savored it.
Qin Yuan sighed contentedly to herself, thinking how comfortable life was in the Marquis's mansion, where even the tea was Huangshan Mist Tea, costing a thousand taels per catty.
It would be foolish to make yourself miserable instead of enjoying yourself.
The simpleton Gu Jinghui suddenly asked her, "Were you being sincere just now?"
"What?"
Qin Yuan pulled herself back to reality, thinking and thinking, but she couldn't figure out which question Gu Jinghui had asked.
"That line you said I was great..."
Gu Jinghui was a little hesitant.
Qin Yuan said, "That's the truth."
Gu Jinghui was somewhat pleased.
"only……"
Gu Jinghui's appetite was piqued, and he quickly asked, "But what?"
Qin Yuan looked at him with an ambiguous expression, making him feel a little uncomfortable. He then smiled and said, "As for what it is, let's talk about it when we return to our parents' home tomorrow."
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