"I've severed ties with the Xu family, meaning we have absolutely no connection whatsoever! Let me make this clear: I don't like anyone in the Xu family! I have no affection for them whatsoever! From now on, no matter who in the Xu family makes any demands of you in my name, you must firmly refuse! If you don't want to refuse, just push the blame onto me, or make me do it!"
After speaking, he looked at Gu Zhiyuan seriously.
Gu Zhiyuan understood Xu Ningyan's meaning and nodded: "I understand!"
Xu Ningyan felt relieved and made sure to say all the unpleasant things upfront to avoid any misunderstanding from the big boss. If he couldn't bear to do anything and gave the Xu family any help, she would be furious!
Now that everything was clear, Xu Ningyan turned and went into the kitchen to continue washing the dishes.
Gu Zhiyuan followed her in, and seeing Xu Ningyan's quick movements, he thought for a moment and said, "What you said has also reminded me. Although my family is far away in the capital, and you probably won't have a chance to meet them, in the same way, if my relatives and friends on this side use my name to ask you to do something you don't want to do, you can directly refuse, or tell me! Let me handle it!"
Xu Ningyan nodded. "Look, this is the vision of a big shot."
They learned from this example so quickly and gave fair treatment!
Seeing that Xu Ningyan didn't say anything, and since he wasn't one to talk much anyway, Gu Zhiyuan helped Xu Ningyan clean up the kitchen before they each went back to their own rooms.
Back in his room, Gu Zhiyuan sat at the table, his fingers tapping his thigh habitually as he recalled the scene of Xu Ningyan protecting him and him going out alone to confront the Xu family.
Since that incident, he has always been the one protecting others. Over time, everyone seems to have gotten used to his protection and thinks he is invincible and no one can hurt him.
But what happened just now couldn't harm him at all. Xu Ningyan, that small guy, rushed to the front and took all the blame, leaving him with indescribable feelings.
This girl, she really has her whole heart set on me, right? That's why she was able to stand up without hesitation!
Even what she just said, which sounded like drawing a line, was actually out of fear that he would suffer a loss and that she didn't want to cause him any trouble, so she took everything upon herself.
This made him feel flustered, upset, and somewhat guilty.
I regret it a little; I shouldn't have come up with the idea of a fake marriage.
What if we let this little girl get more and more involved?
Gu Zhiyuan, who is usually confident and in control of everything, felt that things were not going quite as he had expected.
Xu Ningyan had no idea what Gu Zhiyuan was thinking.
Back inside, I took out hand cream and applied it to my hands. Looking at the sky, I figured the lackey should be back by now.
These days, the henchman's injuries have almost healed, and the wounds have scabbed over. He's been secretly fed extra meals by Xu Ningyan every day, and he's even gotten a bit rounder.
The lackey is a dog that can't stay still.
He's rarely home during the day, and I don't know where he goes.
Every now and then, he'd bring back a rabbit or a pheasant.
The men who helped repair the house were filled with regret.
When this mangy dog first came to the brigade, everyone wanted to kill it, and no one thought of taking it in.
It's too late to know its benefits now; the dog already has an owner.
Sure enough, when Xu Ningyan opened the courtyard gate, she saw the lackey slowly carrying two or three bamboo partridges with their feathers all torn and messed up up the slope.
Good heavens, where did this lackey get this thing from?
Upon seeing Xu Ningyan, it quickened its pace, placed the bamboo partridge in front of Xu Ningyan, wagged its tail, and made a whimpering sound.
Xu Ningyan guessed that it was probably showing off: Human, this is the empire I conquered for you!
Xu Ningyan picked up the bamboo chickens, each weighing less than half a pound.
This stuff is delicious whether stewed in soup, braised, or stir-fried.
Since it's still early, we can make some bamboo chicken soup and also help Gu Zhiyuan recover.
He patted the lackey's head and praised him, "You're really something, lackey! You're now the main meat eater in our family! Tonight we'll make soup, and you'll get a bamboo chicken as a reward."
After saying that, he lowered his voice and said, "Now that you've eaten and drunk your fill, I'll take you to do something big tonight!"
Anyway, there are three. She and Gu Zhiyuan each get one, and the lackey, the great contributor, gets one too. It's fair and reasonable.
Hearing the commotion, Gu Zhiyuan came out of the house and narrowed his eyes when he saw the lackeys circling around Xu Ningyan.
This mangy dog looks unremarkable, but it has a wolf-like appearance. It looks like a cross between a mountain wolf and a dog from the brigade, which is why it's so fierce.
They're even better than many military dogs!
After boiling water and plucking the feathers, Xu Ningyan took the bamboo partridge to the river to gut and clean it thoroughly.
The internal organs were given to the lackeys to eat.
When we got back, we simmered it in a clay pot, and soon the aroma of chicken filled the yard.
Before it got dark, after finishing our meal and cleaning up, we said goodbye and went back to our rooms to rest.
Xu Ningyan went back to her house, and her lackeys stood guard at her door.
As night deepened, Xu Ningyan noticed that everything outside had quieted down, with only the croaking of frogs coming from the riverbank.
Only then did he gently open the door.
The lackey immediately got up, didn't say a word, and just wagged his tail at Xu Ningyan.
Xu Ningyan glanced at Gu Zhiyuan's room; it was quiet inside, so he must be fast asleep.
He gestured to his lackey, then tiptoed and opened a small crack in the door. The man and the dog slipped through the crack and disappeared into the night.
After a while, Gu Zhiyuan opened his door and stood there quietly looking down the slope.
It was dark and windy, with only stars and no moon. Even with his eyesight, he could only vaguely see Xu Ningyan's back before she quickly disappeared behind the trees.
Gu Zhiyuan overheard what Xu Ningyan was saying to the dog and guessed that she was going out that night to take revenge on the Xu family.
As expected.
She couldn't help but shake her head; after all, she was still a young girl and couldn't take being bullied.
They don't understand the principle that a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years.
The Xu family came to her door today, and she went to teach them a lesson tonight? Isn't that just telling everyone that she did it?
If Xu Ningyan knew, he would definitely retort: "Ten years to take revenge is too late. What if the enemy is dead?"
The earlier the better! Otherwise, if you hold your breath and develop breast hyperplasia or thyroid nodules, who will be responsible?
Gu Zhiyuan was worried and dared not go to sleep, only listening to the sounds from the brigade in the distance.
Fortunately, it was quiet the whole time, with only a few occasional barks that quickly subsided.
It wasn't until late at night that Xu Ningyan returned quietly with his lackeys.
Fortunately, Gu Zhiyuan had sharp ears and eyes. After hearing the noise, he immediately closed the door, went back to bed, regulated his breathing, and listened intently to the sounds outside.
Hearing Xu Ningyan close the door, hear her softly praising the lackey, hear her washing up, and then hear her close the door and go back to her room, her breathing on the other side becoming even, he finally felt relieved and drifted off into a deep sleep...
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