Chapter 8 The Little Girl Has Grown Up
Early in the morning, after Ruan Xingzhu finished washing up, she was so shocked by Gu Qingsu's actions the night before that she was at a loss for what to do.
She never imagined that Gu Qingxu went out yesterday to climb over the walls of the Yi family mansion. Although Gu Qingxu had climbed walls before, the previous times she had only climbed her own family's walls.
However, upon hearing that Gu Qingxu and Yi Mingyu had reached a feigned agreement, his pupils constricted, and his voice trembled slightly: "Are you really going to pretend to deceive Madam Gu with Young Master Yi?"
Hearing Ruan Xingzhu speak so loudly, Gu Qingxu quickly stopped her, somewhat exasperated: "Keep your voice down, why are you so agitated?"
Ruan Xingzhu quickly covered her mouth, but her eyes were filled with worry. She felt that this lie was a bit too big, and if it were exposed, Gu Qingxu would probably be in an even worse situation.
Gu Qingsu knew that she was worried about her, but this was the best and quickest solution at the moment.
"Alright, don't worry. Yi Mingyu was forced into this relationship. He won't betray us," Gu Qingxu reassured her.
That's true, but why the two of us? Before Ruan Xingzhu could ask her question, people arrived at the gate of the mansion.
At the gate of the mansion, Madam Yi brought Yi Mingyu to apologize.
Before coming, Madam Yi specifically instructed Yi Mingyu to make sure he went to the Gu family to seek their forgiveness no matter what.
But before she could get Yi Mingyu to admit his mistake, Gu Qingsu told her that it was all a misunderstanding, and that she and Yi Mingyu had hit it off.
Mrs. Yi was taken aback at first, then a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
This is the Gu family! The eldest daughter of the Gu family is the current Imperial Concubine Ming, and the second daughter is the mistress of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion. If Gu Qingsu can really marry into the Yi family, it will definitely elevate the Yi family's status even further.
While Cheng was stunned, she was also somewhat puzzled. Gu Qingsu had been complaining about Yi Mingyu yesterday, but today she had taken a liking to him. It was quite intriguing.
However, she has been extremely worried about Gu Qingxu's marriage these days, and has found many people for her, both high and low, including those who are willing to marry well or not. But none of them lasted more than one meeting.
Now that she finally has a chance to get to the point where things are going well, she doesn't want to think about it anymore and just considers it as her throwing a tantrum yesterday.
Yi Mingyu applied medicine yesterday, but it's not noticeable today. This is also the first time Cheng has met Yi Mingyu. She's heard that he works at the Imperial Academy and is gentle, so perhaps he can balance out Gu Qingsu's masculine traits.
After thinking it over, Cheng suggested that the two go out for a trip so that they could deepen their relationship.
Gu Qingxu readily agreed to the trip without hesitation, but she also invited Ruan Xingzhu to come along.
The three walked side by side down the bustling street, which was lined with a dazzling array of stalls, and pedestrians came and went in an endless stream.
Ruan Xingzhu knew in her heart that Gu Qingxu and Yi Mingyu were pretending, but for some reason, she always felt like an extra person and felt uncomfortable all over.
At this moment, a stall selling archery games caught Gu Qingxu's attention. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she went straight over.
Gu Qingxu loved bows and arrows to the extreme, but Cheng Shi always felt that the thing was too risky and refused to let her touch it in the mansion.
Seeing her interest, the vendor quickly explained, "Young lady, this is a bow and arrow ceremony."
He pointed to a wall of small gadgets, "You can take them if you hit a lot of them."
Gu Qingsu nodded knowingly, then picked up the bow and arrows the vendor handed her. Although the bow and arrows at the stall weren't as handy as the ones she usually used, they were at least enough to give her a taste of what it was like to use them.
She then stood firm, pulled the bowstring back with her right hand, forming a perfect arc, and stared intently at the bullseye. Turning to Ruan Xingzhu, she asked, "Xingzhu, which one have you taken a fancy to? Fifth Sister will win it for you."
Looking at the wall of trinkets, so colorful and varied, Ruan Xingzhu found it difficult to choose. She tilted her head, her eyes scanning back and forth among the many trinkets, before finally smiling and declaring, "Whichever Fifth Sister shoots, I'll take!"
Before long, Ruan Xingzhu had a lot of novel trinkets in her hands. Under the bright sun, Ruan Xingzhu was getting a little tired, so Gu Qingsu quickly found her a cool shop to browse in.
"Choose carefully, and I'll pay for you in a bit."
After saying that, Gu Qingxu returned to the battlefield, and this time the person who received the gift was Yi Mingyu.
Inside the hairpin pavilion, Ruan Xingzhu casually picked up a silver hairpin. The hairpin was exquisitely crafted, with a lifelike plum blossom carved on the head, its petals delicate.
Just as she was about to put it down, another hand picked up the silver hairpin.
“This silver hairpin is of excellent quality and is a perfect match for Miss Ruan.” A clear voice rang out from behind.
Ruan Xingzhu looked up and saw the man in front of her, dressed in a light blue brocade robe with a white jade belt around his waist. She searched for a moment but couldn't recall ever knowing him, and couldn't help but wonder how he knew her surname.
Upon seeing her, You Yemeng quickly introduced himself, saying, "Miss Ruan, don't you remember me? I'm Brother Yi's friend. We met at the teahouse a few days ago."
Ruan Xingzhu thought for a while before remembering that Yi Mingyu had borrowed money from her, and she nodded politely.
However, You Yemeng chimed in, "I think Miss Ruan likes this hairpin, so why don't I buy it and give it to her?"
Ruan Xingzhu was somewhat apprehensive, after all, she knew that this hairpin was not something that could be accepted casually, so she quickly waved her hand and refused, saying, "No need."
As Ruan Xingzhu was saying this, she wanted to go find Gu Qingxu. Hearing that the people behind her were following, she unconsciously quickened her pace.
You Yemeng, however, did not want to miss the opportunity so easily, so he quickly stepped forward and said, "I only said that I was a bit presumptuous because I thought you liked him and that he was a good match for you."
He frowned slightly, his face showing remorse for disturbing her.
Ruan Xingzhu shook her head and said softly, "It's nothing."
Looking at Ruan Xingzhu's charming appearance, You Yemeng's lips curled up, and he said, "In a few days, there will be a star-viewing banquet at the Star-Gazing Tower, which will be attended by the sons of powerful and wealthy families in the capital. Brother Yi and I will both be going. I wonder if you would do me the honor of coming along?"
Ruan Xingzhu was unaware of any banquet in the capital. She rarely went out, and even when she did, it was always with Gu Qingxu. This was the first time someone had invited her, and Ruan Xingzhu was somewhat surprised.
"We'll see then." After giving this ambiguous response, he hurriedly went to find Gu Qingxu.
By the time they returned, the sun had completely set. Yi Mingyu was laden with the things Gu Qingsu had won, and he was carrying several bags that he could barely hold any more. He helped them all the way to the gate of the Gu residence.
But then Gu Qingxu picked through a few items and returned them to him. Yi Mingyu looked at her with a puzzled expression, his eyes full of confusion.
Gu Qingxu then said, "You helped us carry it all the way, this is a reward for you."
Whether it was because of the heat or something else, Yi Mingyu felt a burning sensation on his face, and a blush quickly crept up his cheeks.
He awkwardly accepted the reward from Gu Qingxu, his hands trembling slightly, and stammered, "Thank you."
In the past, he never felt that the journey back to his residence was so short, but today, perhaps because he had something on his mind, he felt that the journey was shorter.
The fish in Huaiju finally stopped jumping around. When Ruan Xingzhu heard that Gu Yun'an had returned, she quickly brought some of the novelties that Gu Qingsu had won that day to Gu Yun'an.
Upon seeing Ruan Xingzhu arrive, Sheng Que abruptly stopped mid-report, glanced at Gu Yun'an, and then pushed her away.
"Fourth brother, these are all what fifth sister won today. Please share some with fourth brother." As soon as Ruan Xingzhu arrived, she happily put down the things.
Gu Yun'an glanced at the pile of things and saw that it was a mess, with shuttlecock feathers, small fish baskets, and the only thing he could still use was a calligraphy brush that looked to be in poor condition.
He frowned and said with disdain, "Do you have nowhere to throw your trash?"
Ruan Xingzhu quickly protected the items, pouting as she said, "Where are they?"
She looked down at the items, picked up the shuttlecock feathers, and said, "I can kick this when I come to Huaiju to wait for my fourth brother."
“And this too.” She picked up the small fish basket again. “I can use it to catch small fish in the pond.”
Gu Yun'an smiled helplessly, thinking that these were all things she could use. Oh well, he was used to it.
His gaze fell upon her, and he casually asked, "Where did you go today?"
"I went out for a walk with my fifth sister," Ruan Xingzhu said, rubbing the shuttlecock feathers and looking down.
"You only spent time with Xiao Wu, and didn't do anything else?" Gu Yun'an suddenly asked again, a subtle scrutiny flashing in his eyes.
Ruan Xingzhu thought for a moment, feeling somewhat hesitant, but still replied, "Yes."
As Ruan Xingzhu finished speaking, a barely perceptible hint of coldness flashed in Gu Yun'an's eyes. He stared down at the little girl's fluffy head, his dark eyes unfathomable, lost in thought.
After Ruan Xingzhu put her things away and left, Sheng Que went back into the house to continue reporting what she hadn't finished.
"Miss Ruan went out for a stroll with the Fifth Miss today. During the time she was separated from the Fifth Miss, she had a few words with the Young Master You."
As Ruan Xingzhu's confident words reached Gu Yun'an's ears, a cloud of gloom appeared in his eyes, his face instantly darkened, and his voice turned cold: "How did she get to know that man surnamed You?"
"After careful investigation, I found that the Fifth Miss met Young Master Yi once on the day they were sizing up their daughter." Sheng Que reported the details one by one, her head slightly lowered, not daring to look Gu Yun'an in the eye.
Seeing that Gu Yun'an remained silent, Sheng Que hesitated before speaking up: "How about I go and remind Young Master You?"
The brush in his hand started moving again. Gu Yun'an stared at the brush that his subordinate Ruan Xingzhu had just brought him, and after a long while, he finally spoke: "No need."
His voice was devoid of emotion, as if he were talking about something completely ordinary.
"It's good for her to learn a lesson, so she'll know who the only person she can trust is."
His eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of danger in them. The little girl had grown up; she had her own worries now, unlike when she was little when she would tell him everything.
But that's okay. After being taken advantage of twice, she'll know who truly cares for her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
