Hongye took a few steps back and whispered, "Miss, is the Marquis glaring at us? He looks rather scary."
Gu Shiliu glanced at Hongye and prompted, "Still calling her 'Miss,' you should have started calling her 'Madam' a long time ago."
Hongye quietly pouted and muttered, "Do you think I'm stupid? The Marquis can't hear me."
They haven't even consummated their marriage yet, so why call her "Madam"?
Lord Gu, who couldn't hear, turned even darker, hissing as he released cold air.
Qin Yuan had gotten to know this man's temperament a bit over the past few days, so she quickly went up to him and said softly, "You seem to be feeling better, Your Excellency. It's hot right now, and Your Excellency must be feeling restless and wants to go out for a walk. Why don't you wait until later?"
Sure enough, Gu Jinghui's expression softened, and his cold aura suddenly paused, slowly warming up.
“Hmm,” Gu Jinghui said sparingly.
Qin Yuan then said, "Let's go in."
Lord Gu remained silent, then turned and followed Qin Yuan into the house.
Hongye: "..."
Lord Gu, who had been as cold and aloof as a block of ice, suddenly became much more amiable.
Miss is indeed amazing.
Qin Yuan asked, "What did the Marquis have for lunch?"
"I didn't eat much."
Lord Gu's voice carried a faint hint of grievance, which was easily missed if one was not paying attention.
Qin Yuan quickly replied, "How could these maids ignore my words? I repeatedly reminded them that the Marquis is still ill, how could they dare to be careless?"
"They set out a meal, but I couldn't eat it..."
Lord Gu hurriedly offered an explanation.
Qin Yuan retorted, "What does the Marquis want to eat? Does the kitchen dare not prepare it? Or are these maids just tired? It's all my fault for not managing them properly."
Gu Jinghui asked Gu Shiliu to protect her, and she always wanted to return the favor.
Even if a couple can't be mutually in love and have unwavering affection, the best marriage is one where each person treats the other with the utmost respect.
"It's too hot, that's why I can't eat. Don't blame them," Gu Jinghui changed the subject, asking casually, "Have you eaten at the restaurant?"
Qin Yuan laughed and said, "No, we rushed back for a meal, but we didn't expect to be late. Sixteen took me to Ranxiangju, but we unexpectedly ran into Prince Qi who was looking for incense there, which delayed us for a while."
"King Qi?"
Gu Jinghui hurriedly asked, "Have you met the Prince of Qi?"
Qin Yuan shook her head, "We didn't meet."
“Oh,” Gu Jinghui said nothing more.
The two entered the room together and sat down at the table. The maids served them attentively. Qin Yuan, without changing her clothes, asked, "My lord, would you like to dine with me? I'll have Hongye spend some money in the kitchen later to have the cook prepare something simple. What would you like to eat?"
Gu Jinghui said, "Call me husband. You can decide what to eat. I'm not picky."
Qin Yuan only asked the question symbolically to show respect. She could also tell that this man was content with just being decent and having enough to eat, wear, and use. He was always served by servants and was not particular about such things.
She smiled and said, "Then I'll order something simple, partly because it's hot, and partly because my husband's injury still needs more rest."
Gu Jinghui's brows relaxed, and he nodded in agreement with her arrangement: "Very good."
Hongye wrote down the names of the dishes and went to the kitchen to serve them.
Gu Jinghui asked, "Why didn't you change out of your coat?"
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Let's talk about it when Hongye comes back."
Although Gu Jinghui found it strange, he didn't ask any further questions.
Gu Shiliu had already taken the snacks off the car, and Cuiming brought them in and placed them on the table.
Gu Jinghui asked, "And what is this?"
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "When I went out just now, I saw some pastries from Meixiangzhai, so I asked Sixteen to buy some. There were also some of your favorite hibiscus cakes, so I bought some for my mother as well."
As soon as he finished speaking, a gentle smile appeared on Gu Jinghui's face, which hadn't had a beard for two days.
It looks... strangely alluring.
The man's dark stubble grew quickly, which, far from diminishing his handsomeness, actually added to his masculine charm.
Lord Gu's handsome appearance is pleasing to the eye every day.
When Hongye returned, she was not surprised to find that Lord Gu had gone from being as cold as ice to being all warm and cheerful. She pouted and said, "Madam, Lord Gu, the kitchen said that the rules in the manor are strict and they stop cooking after mealtime. We can't find any cooks anywhere."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Lord Gu frowned and asked, "There's such a rule?"
Hongye muttered, "I've only just arrived, how would I know if there's such a rule?"
Qin Yuan remained silent, lost in thought.
Lord Gu looked at her and said, "Put this aside for now. Don't go hungry. How about I have Sixteen go to Tianxiang Restaurant and order a feast to be delivered here?"
Qin Yuan smiled and shook her head.
The more time she spent with him, the more she realized that as long as she made Lord Gu happy and followed his wishes, he would find ways to go along with and protect her.
This is both a good thing and a bad thing.
It doesn't sound very good for a new bride like her and her husband to order a feast from outside.
Avoid doing things that could give others a handle to use against you.
Qin Yuan said softly, "Husband, let's go to Mother's to eat. I've never eaten at Mother's kitchen before, okay?"
How could Gu Jinghui say no? He immediately replied, "Okay, then I'll go change my clothes."
Since we're going to the upper room, it wouldn't be appropriate to wear our undergarments.
Fortunately, the injury has healed quite a bit in the past two days, and wearing an outer garment is not unbearable.
Qin Yuan asked, "Can my husband still bear it? Why don't I go to my mother's and have the kitchen send some over?"
“Yes,” Gu Jinghui replied immediately, then called out, “Sixteen, help me change my clothes.”
He went to the side room to change his clothes and no longer let Qin Yuan help him.
Qin Yuan said to Hongye, "Luckily I didn't change my outer clothes. It would have taken me half a day to wash and dress again. Now I have a reason to go to the old lady's for dinner."
Cuiming asked, "Did Miss already guess that?"
"It was just a thought, I never expected it to come true."
Qin Yuan looked as if she hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
Hongye smiled and said, "Miss is so wise and resourceful, she is truly a female Zhuge Liang, I admire her very much."
Gu Jinghui changed into a dark-colored casual outfit, made of soft Songjiang cloth, loose-fitting but suitable.
Qin Yuan asked again, "Can my husband go any further?"
"Do you think I'm a porcelain doll?" Gu Jinghui chuckled and rolled his eyes at Qin Yuan. "I've been injured much worse before and I'm fine now. Let's go. You haven't eaten in so long, aren't you hungry?"
He took a piece of hibiscus cake and held it to Qin Yuan's lips, saying, "The hibiscus cake from Meixiangzhai is very good. Eat some to fill your stomach first. You are weak, so you need to take better care of yourself."
Qin Yuan had no choice but to accept it, saying, "Okay."
Gu Jinghui himself liked to eat hibiscus cake, so he assumed she would like to eat it too.
The two of them made their way to the upper room.
Old Madam Gu had just taken a short nap when she vaguely heard Granny Rong whispering instructions to Xiao Hong.
“Xiao Hong, there aren’t any head maids in the main house right now, and Qiu Ju is busy too. Isn’t this the perfect time for you to shine in front of Madam? Hurry up and go and welcome the Marquis and Madam in. Be quick-witted.”
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