She took two more sips of tea, calmed herself down, called Nanny Li in, and instructed, "The eldest young master is coming back today, ask the kitchen to prepare some of his favorite dishes in the evening, and ask everyone else to come over for dinner, so that it will be lively and lively."
Nanny Li bowed and accepted the order, then left.
Cihetang soon became busy and bustling, and even the biting cold wind didn't seem so cold.
A group of maids and old women went to each room and courtyard to pass on the message, asking them to come to Cihe Hall for dinner in the evening.
After a cup of tea, Bai Lu came back with a smile and reported, "The eldest young master and the second young lady are riding horses in the martial arts arena. I saw that the second young lady's riding skills are really good."
Gu Jian looked thoughtful and raised his hand to wave away Bai Lu.
Just as Bai Lu said, Gu Yuan and Gu Yanfei rode two horses, one red and one black, around the martial arts field twice.
"Sister, your horse is really extraordinary." Gu Yuan jumped off the red horse nimbly, gently touched the horse's slender neck, and praised, "Hongyu, this name is also very good."
Gu Yanfei also got off the black horse, smiled sweetly, and gently touched Hongyu's neck, saying, "I like it too."
Thinking of his sister's heroic and high-spirited appearance when she was riding a horse just now, Gu Yuan chuckled softly from his throat and his eyes softened.
They all have blood from their father flowing in their bodies, this is their nature.
"Brother," Gu Yanfei stretched out his hand and pinched Gu Yuan's sleeve with two fingers, shaking it coquettishly, "Miss Wei Jiu and I have an appointment to go hunting together in a few days. Brother, you are on leave anyway, do you want to go with us to relax?"
Gu Yuan would never refuse his sister's invitation, so he smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go with you."
"Is there any prey you want? I'll catch it for you."
Gu Yuan was determined to make up for the past fourteen years, and he wanted to pick the moon from the sky to please his sister.
Gu Yanfei looked at Gu Yuan, who was only a foot away from her, and her eyes were dazed for a moment.
It was the same in his previous life. Gu Yuan always wanted to please her and do something for her.
However, she was lonely, timid, and introverted at that time. She was always uneasy and worried about gains and losses. She was afraid of troubling Gu Yuan and afraid that Gu Yuan would dislike her, so she rejected Gu Yuan's kindness again and again.
He took one step forward, she took one step back; he took another step forward, she took another step back...
There always seemed to be a barrier between her and Gu Yuan, and they couldn't get close to each other.
Before Gu Yuan died, he held her hand tightly and said that he was an unqualified brother. He should have protected her from the wind and rain and provided her with a world...
He left her just like that, leaving both the dead and the living with regrets.
The look of self-blame, sorrow and regret in his eyes before he died has always been engraved deep in her heart.
He had regrets, and so did she.
"Brother," Gu Yanfei shook Gu Yuan's sleeves again, his eyes bright, "Then hunt a little mink for me, and it must be completely white."
"Okay." Gu Yuan agreed immediately.
"Actually, I have something else I want to ask my brother." Gu Yanfei said in a coquettish tone with a crisp laugh.
"What's the matter?" Gu Yuan lowered his head and looked at his sister who was half a head shorter than him. The corners of his lips curled up, and his angular facial features seemed a little softer.
It was great that my sister asked him for help so familiarly, just like all sisters in the world would do when asking their brothers, as a matter of course.
When he was happy, he couldn't help but raise his hand and touch his nose.
"Brother, you know Murong Yong, right?" Gu Yanfei said slowly, "I heard that Murong Yong is also in the Shenji Camp now. Brother, you are going to take up the post anyway, so why not take a look at this person while you are there?"
Gu Yanfei knew that Chu Yi would not lie to her about such a thing, but whether Murong Yong was worth it was up to Gu Yunzhen to decide.
It just so happened that Gu Yunzhen was not in the Marquis' Mansion recently. Her grandmother's birthday was in a few days, and the Yan family specially took her and Yan's mother and daughter to stay for a while, so Gu Yunzhen could not come back for a while.
All she could do was to give Gu Yunzhen more opportunities to consider, and help her clear away obstacles when she made a choice.
Gu Yuan was stunned, but as smart as he was, he immediately realized something and knew that his sister would not do something without a purpose.
"Is Murong Yong okay?" Gu Yuan asked pointedly, his sword-like eyebrows slightly raised, slanting into his temples.
He didn't have to be tactful in front of his sister.
Gu Yanfei answered more directly: "Supporting an actor."
"..." Gu Yuan was stunned, and suddenly he felt unable to look his sister in the eye.
His face turned redder visibly, no longer as cold and arrogant as usual.
"Spending time with an actor?" Gu Yuan said stutteringly. His eyes wandered for a moment and he thought, my sister is only fourteen years old, still young. She must not know what "spending time with an actor" means. She must have heard it from others.
Which bastard said such dirty words in front of his sister? If he sees him next time, he will definitely give that bastard a good beating! Gu Yuan quickly patted his chest and said, "Leave it to me."
"Then leave it to big brother." Gu Yanfei curved her eyes and smiled brightly, which made Gu Yuan's heart almost melt.
Hongyu rubbed Gu Yuan's sleeve. Gu Yuan came back to his senses and took out a piece of maltose from his sleeve pouch and fed it to Hongyu. He said, "Actually, I also asked about Murong Yong before..."
Gu Yunzhen was his cousin, and his third uncle died young like his father. Gu Yuan felt that as the eldest brother, he should take care of his sister. So, after knowing that his family had arranged this marriage for Gu Yunzhen, he asked his friends to find out a little bit.
"Those bastards even said that Murong Yong was a good person and very righteous... Humph, they definitely didn't make thorough inquiries."
Gu Yuan twitched the corners of his mouth slightly, and moved the joints of his fists, making a creaking sound, with a defiant look on his face.
In Gu Yanfei's eyes, her brother now had a bit more youthful brightness, which made her feel a little closer between them.
"Are they big brother's friends?" Gu Yanfei asked, smiling even more happily, with curved eyebrows and eyes, showing the cuteness of a little girl.
"They can barely be considered... bad friends. I'll take them to meet you when there's a chance." Gu Yuan couldn't help but raise his hand and rub the soft top of Gu Yanfei's head. The soft and warm touch from his palm went straight to his heart.
His sister’s closeness made Gu Yuan’s heart soft and sweet as if it contained honey, and it also made his unstable heart feel more at ease.
The brother and sister's close relationship and cheerful conversation also caught the attention of Gu Jian who was not far away.
Gu Jian stood still at the entrance of the martial arts arena for a moment, motionless like a sculpture.
The setting sun shone on him, leaving a long shadow on the ground, pointing directly to the brother and sister Gu Yuan and Gu Yanfei.
In the backlight, Gu Jian's eyes were as dark as a cold swamp.
“Ahem.”
Gu Jian cleared his throat to attract their attention, then walked towards them with a gentle smile.
All the men in the Gu family are tall, and Gu Jian is no exception. He is just middle-aged and a little fat, but his figure is still quite upright.
"Brother Yuan, Yan Fei," Gu Jian called lovingly, "I heard that you two were at the martial arts arena, so I came to take a look."
As he spoke, his deep gaze fixed on Gu Yuan's face, and he patted his shoulder with satisfaction, "Brother Yuan, you have grown up. When you first came here to practice martial arts, you were not even as tall as my chest. You were a little stubborn, and you refused to rest for a moment until you had mastered a set of boxing techniques."
"In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed."
Gu Jian stood with his hands behind his back and sighed with emotion. His words and actions exuded the dignity of an elder.
"Thank you, Second Uncle, for your guidance over the years." Gu Yuan said calmly, his words were concise and to the point, and he obviously didn't want to say more.
Gu Yuan was usually a man of few words, but Gu Jian didn't care. He walked to a long table next to him with his hands behind his back and picked up Gu Yanfei's longbow.
Gu Jian weighed the bow, and tried to raise his arm to pull the bowstring, but he was unable to pull it halfway.
He concealed his hand and said in a tone of admonition: "You will be transferred to the Shenji Camp soon. You must always remember not to neglect your studies!"
Gu Yuan stood facing the wind, his posture as straight as a pine tree in the wind and snow, and said proudly: "The children of the Gu family are strong and unyielding."
"Good!" Gu Jian clapped his hands and laughed loudly, "It's good that you still remember your father's teachings."
"Today I will test your martial arts on behalf of your father to see if you have regressed in the army these days."
"then!"
Gu Jian casually threw the longbow towards Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan caught the bow with ease, the bowstring still vibrating.
"However, this one-stone bow is still a little light." Gu Jian stroked his beard unsatisfiedly, sat down on a high-backed chair with a big horse and a golden sword, and ordered a servant in green clothes, "Go to the armory and get two more heavy bows."
As he spoke, one of his hands was absentmindedly tapping the armrest of the chair.
"Yes, my lord." The servant in blue clothes hurriedly accepted the order and ran quickly to the armory.
Gu Yanfei stared at Gu Jian for a while, then turned his eyes away and lowered his head to feed candy to Chima.
The red horse gobbled the candy greedily, making a "crunching" sound.
Gu Yuan took a feather arrow from the quiver and walked to a place a hundred steps away from the target.
Gu Yanfei sent Hongyu away to play by himself and looked intently at Gu Yuan who was standing in the center of the martial arts arena. He saw the thin young man in a blue robe standing in the setting sun, and his figure looked particularly tall and straight.
Gu Yuan skillfully nocked the arrow, pulled the string, and drew the bow, and the bow was as bright as the autumn moon across the sky.
“Whoosh!”
He decisively released the bowstring, and the feathered arrow streaked across the sky like lightning, with a chilling sound of breaking through the air...
The next moment, there was an extra arrow on the target.
This arrow hit the bull's eye with ease!
Gu Jian frowned, and when he turned to look at Gu Yuan again, the light of the setting sun shone directly into his eyes, and his eyes became dazed for a moment.
Suddenly, he seemed to see Gu Yuan overlapping with another familiar tall and graceful figure.
It was the eldest brother who committed a heinous mistake and it was the eldest brother who owed the Gu family.
A son pays his father's debt.
Thinking of this, the slight hesitation in Gu Jian's heart disappeared.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
