Chapter 959 Perfection
After returning to the new house, Gu Changqing told Yuan Baolin about Gu Chengfeng's situation.
Upon hearing that he already had someone he loved, Yuan Baolin knew that her sister's affections were destined to be misplaced.
She never doubted that the person she loved was Yuan Tong, because if it was Yuan Tong, there would be no problem of not being able to say it out loud.
Yuan Baolin, a seasoned reader of traditional Chinese novels, knew that Gu Chengfeng must have fallen for someone he shouldn't have.
She was very curious, but she wouldn't pry into her brother-in-law's privacy.
Gu Xiaobao came over that night.
He was still young and couldn't be separated from his mother, so Yao brought him along when she stayed at the mansion for the past few days.
He would usually be in bed by this time, but today he slept too much during the day and can't sleep, so he came to find his older brother and sister-in-law.
"Sister-in-law, I want to see a magic trick."
Two-and-a-half-year-old Gu Xiaobao spoke clearly.
On their wedding day, Yuan Baolin performed a few magic tricks for Gu Xiaobao, which Gu Xiaobao enjoyed very much. He thought his sister-in-law was incredibly powerful, even more so than his older brother.
“Okay.” Yuan Baolin readily agreed, took some props from her small makeup box, and began to perform magic tricks for Gu Xiaobao.
The two, one big and one small, sat cross-legged on the bed. She first showed Gu Xiaobao her hands: "There's nothing there, right?"
"Mm." Gu Xiaobao nodded.
She snapped her fingers behind Gu Xiaobao's ear, and when she brought her hand in front of Gu Xiaobao, there was a copper coin between her fingertips.
Gu Xiaobao: "Wow!"
With nothing else to do, Gu Changqing watched from the sidelines to pass the time.
The scene of the uncle and aunt getting along was very harmonious, just like a real family.
Gu Chenglin and Gu Chengfeng lived in the same courtyard. They would often bicker and tease each other, and their playful noises could always be heard.
He lived alone, and the courtyard was unusually quiet. Only in Bishui Hutong could he feel a touch of home.
However, at this moment, for some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of belonging to a home.
Yuan Baolin then performed another trick for Gu Xiaobao: a flower bloomed out of thin air. Gu Xiaobao was holding an empty box, but when he shook it and opened it again, a beautiful flower appeared inside.
Yuan Baolin laughed and said, "These flowers were conjured by Xiao Bao using his magic!"
Gu Xiaobao was so excited that he backed away, opening his little hands and patting his chest: "Wow, Xiaobao is so amazing!"
He hasn't done this childish thing for six months.
He had a lot of fun.
Children can fall asleep anytime soon. After a burst of laughter, Gu Xiaobao fell back down and lay sprawled out, fast asleep.
Yuan Baolin, who had never raised a child before, was so frightened that she thought she had knocked Gu Changqing's younger brother unconscious!
Gu Changqing was both amused and exasperated by her thunderstruck expression: "It's nothing, he's just asleep, I'll carry him back."
"Ah, okay." Yuan Baolin breathed a sigh of relief.
I am so surprised!
Gu Changqing carried the sleeping Gu Xiaobao back to Yao's courtyard. When he returned, Yuan Baolin was still awake, sitting at the table with a document in her hand, at a loss for what to do.
He walked over and recognized it as their prenuptial agreement.
He looked at the agreement on the table, his brows furrowing involuntarily.
Yuan Baolin saw the shadow on the ground, turned to him and said, "You're back. Do you have time? I have something I want to discuss with you."
"I'm free." Gu Changqing sat down opposite her.
Yuan Baolin glanced at the document on the table and said, "It's this agreement. I just read it carefully and I think we drafted it too hastily. There are many things we didn't consider. Of course, this isn't your problem, nor is it mine. Neither of us has been married before, so we can't anticipate all sorts of unexpected situations after marriage."
The mention of an unexpected situation immediately brought to mind Gu Changqing's indescribable wedding night.
The beautiful image flashed through his mind, and his blood surged.
I can't think about it.
They were just a fake couple; for him to think such things was to desecrate Yuan Baolin in his mind.
He forced himself to calm down and looked at Yuan Baolin, asking, "So you mean—"
Are you getting a divorce?
Because he was too beastly and didn't keep his promise, their cooperation came to an end.
Yuan Baolin looked at the agreement and said, "I'm thinking, shouldn't we draft a new agreement to make some of the general points more specific?"
Gu Changqing: "Either is fine."
Yuan Baolin glanced at him and said, "You don't need to agree so quickly. Let me tell you the details first."
Gu Changqing remained calm: "Go ahead."
"The first point was that either party could bring up divorce at any time if they wanted to... but that day you said you would not bring up divorce again."
"Yes, only you can raise this." He touched her, violating their agreement, and his right to this right should be revoked.
Yuan Baolin picked up the brush and dipped it in the ink in the inkstone: "Then I'll write it down."
“Okay,” Gu Changqing said.
After Yuan Baolin finished writing, she continued reading: "The second and third items are fine, but the fourth item—'To the best of one's ability, cooperate with the other party to create a harmonious image of husband and wife, but do not make excessive demands on the other party.' We didn't say at the time what kind of demands would be considered excessive."
“You can ask for anything I can do,” Gu Changqing said, then paused and added, “as long as it doesn’t violate national laws or family rules.”
Yuan Baolin's eyes darted around: "What if you can do it, but are unwilling to do it? For example, you just came back from the military camp, very tired, and I want you to comfort me, would you agree?"
Gu Changqing thought for a moment and said, "Okay."
"Even this is acceptable..." Yuan Baolin muttered weakly, pursed her lips, coughed lightly, and asked seriously, "What if I asked you not to take a concubine?"
“Okay.” He hadn’t originally planned to take a concubine.
Yuan Baolin was stunned for a moment, then stared at him without blinking and said, "Don't agree too readily. Hesitate a little longer, or once I've written it down, you won't have a chance to back out."
Gu Changqing met her doe-like eyes and said seriously, "I will not go back on my word."
Yuan Baolin whispered, "Do you mean... I can do whatever I want to you?"
"As long as it doesn't violate national laws or family rules," Gu Changqing emphasized.
Yuan Baolin said, "I know, you're an official of the imperial court, I can't possibly ask you to kill or commit arson. Really... anything is fine?"
"Mm." Gu Changqing nodded.
Yuan Baolin's eyes flickered again: "Including the fact that you're not allowed to sleep in the study anymore?"
"Why?" Gu Changqing looked at her in surprise.
Yuan Baolin blinked and said matter-of-factly, "Why else? If you sleep in the study... people will think we're not getting along, and the servants in the manor will make things difficult for me!"
“They wouldn’t dare,” Gu Changqing said.
"Will you agree or not?" Yuan Baolin asked.
Honestly, lying in bed with her was a huge test of his patience as a man, especially since he didn't have any problems in that area.
Gu Changqing took a deep breath and said seriously, "I will stay in the military camp from now on and will only come back during holidays, but if you insist, I can stay in your room. Also, don't worry, the offense will not happen again."
Yuan Baolin was sulking.
Gu Changqing took in her reaction and for a moment wondered which of his words had gone wrong: "Are you unhappy? Are you afraid I can't do it? I said I would move into the military camp, and I will definitely move in. I said I wouldn't offend you, and I will never do it again."
Yuan Baolin whispered, "What if I agree to your offense?"
Gu Changqing stared at her in astonishment.
Yuan Baolin cleared her throat and said aggrievedly, "I...I...I mean...I've already been...offended by you...It will be difficult for me to get married again in the future...But it's also pitiful to make me a fake couple with you for the rest of my life...You said you wouldn't divorce me, but a man's words are deceitful! What if one day you don't want to keep your promise anymore, and I'm old and faded? What am I supposed to do then?"
Gu Changqing was a strategist on the battlefield, adaptable and resourceful, but in some matters he was even more stubborn than his grandfather.
For example, he once believed he was a suicide soldier and never doubted it again until Gu Chengfeng cruelly exposed him.
He is now convinced that Yuan Baolin has no romantic feelings for him, so no matter how many strange requests or strange things Yuan Baolin makes to him, he only thinks that it is necessary for cooperation and that he is forced by circumstances.
He was in the wrong first and had no right to bargain with Yuan Baolin.
He looked at Yuan Baolin: "What do you want me to do?"
Yuan Baolin lowered her head shyly, fidgeted with her handkerchief, and said with a slightly flushed face, "I need to have a child of my own so that I can have someone to rely on for the rest of my life..."
Gu Changqing was stunned.
Xiao Changqing: Father, what is the longest road in the world?
Gu Changqing: You motherfucker's tricks.
(End of this chapter)
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