Chapter 29 Chapter 29

Two days passed quickly. Today, the sky was clear. The rain that had been falling for more than ten days finally stopped. However, after the heavy rain, the weather became more muggy and hot, making it unbearable. In the mansion, the servants all had droopy faces and were not happy with their work. The weather was so hot that they often complained.

In such hot weather, even the usually hardy children were in no mood to play. Mrs. Gu was busy with something, so she left Gu Huailang alone to play in the room. There was ice in the room, so it was quite cool. He sat quietly on the imperial concubine couch and played with toys.

There were many maids in the room. There was no one else there except for a child. They were bored outside, so they hid in the inner room to cool off. If they were asked about it, they would just make excuses by saying that they were here to take care of the young master.

Several maids gathered inside and chatted.

"You guys heard that the cousin from the Jiang family is going to get engaged soon."

Someone nearby echoed, "How could I not have heard of it? The Jiang family has been making quite a fuss lately. I heard that they have been in frequent contact with the young master of the Fang family. It looks like they will be engaged in a few days."

"Ah, I don't know what they are thinking. The Fang family is only a sixth-rank family. No matter how you look at it, they shouldn't be interested in the son of the Fang family."

A maid heard this and said with a slightly sarcastic smile: "After all, this person is not a biological child. If she is not a biological child, she will not be loved or respected. Now that the eldest daughter of the Jiang family is back, they will naturally find a random family for her to marry."

The other maids heard her words but did not say a word in agreement.

They liked this cousin very much. In the past, Jiang Jingchun often came to the Marquis' Mansion. Sometimes she wanted to look for Gu Huaisheng. Gu Huaisheng was often not at home, so she would occasionally go to play with Gu Huailang for a while. Once before, they were hiding here to cool off like they were today, and Jiang Jingchun happened to come in from outside.

I thought the young lady would say something reproachful, but she just smiled at them and chatted with them from time to time. Finally, she left without telling anyone about their laziness.

So even though she was not the biological child of the Jiang family, the maids didn't think much about it and just felt that she was quite pitiful.

When she heard someone say bad things about her, no one paid any attention to her.

Seeing that no one paid attention to her, the maid became even more aggressive, "I always like to come here on weekdays, making a lot of noises and annoying people. Now that I know my own identity, I can finally feel at peace."

Ever since Jiang Jinghui was found, Jiang Jingchun has never come to the Marquis' Mansion again. They didn't know what had happened and they thought she knew that she was a fake daughter and was too embarrassed to come to the Marquis' Mansion.

The people around couldn't stand hearing such harsh words. Someone said to her, "Why are you saying such harsh words? She didn't bother you in any way..."

"I'm telling you the truth, why are you so anxious for her?"

Just as the two were about to start quarreling, Gu Huailang got down from the imperial concubine's couch at some point and walked over to them.

He stood in front of them barefoot, pointed at the maid who had said the bad words, and said, "You are not allowed to stay in there, get out."

He looked a little annoyed. Little Radish was standing in front of him, with fire in his eyes.

He must have heard everything that was said just now.

The maid was not convinced and wanted to say something, but she heard Gu Huailang say, "You are not going out, do you want them to go out with you?"

His voice was quite childish, but the words he spoke did not sound like those of a child.

He said she wasn't going out, so he asked them to follow her out.

Everyone was hiding well, but was affected by it for no reason. How could they not hate her?

This kid...

Although he is young, he has so many thoughts.

After hearing this, the maid didn't dare to argue anymore and went out with a grim look on her face.

She went to stand outside the door, and Gu Huailang climbed back onto the imperial concubine's couch and played with the things in his hands.

But what they said just now still touched his heart. He suddenly remembered that Cousin Jiang seemed to have not been here for a long time.

He was absent-mindedly fiddling with the things in his hands, and soon he heard the sound of greetings coming from outside.

"Greetings to the young marquis."

It was the voice of the maid he had just chased out. Her voice was a little shrill to begin with, and now it sounded even sharper than usual, as if she was speaking with her voice pinched.

The maids had not expected that Gu Huaisheng would come at this time. They were at a loss for a moment, not knowing whether to advance or retreat. Not only was they being lazy, but they were also caught red-handed.

They held their breath, fearing that Gu Huaisheng would attack them, but they saw that he said nothing and went straight to the inner room to look for Gu Huailang.

Gu Huailang heard the noise and looked up at him. There was a hint of confusion in his dark pupils, as if he had not expected that his brother would take the initiative to look for him.

Gu Huaisheng sat down next to the imperial concubine's couch, and Gu Huailang moved inside to make room for him.

"Brother, what are you here for?" Gu Huailang asked him.

Gu Huaisheng asked him, "Are you bored at home? Do you want to go out?"

Gu Huailang pursed his lips, obviously not interested in what Gu Huaisheng said. He said, "It's so hot outside."

After the heavy rain stopped a few days ago, the dog days of summer are approaching. The sun is scorching and getting stronger day by day. The sticky heat in the air makes people stay away from going outside.

Seeing that Gu Huailang didn't want to go out, Gu Huaisheng said again: "You haven't seen your cousin Jiang for a long time, don't you want to go see her?"

"Go see cousin Jiang?" Gu Huailang asked him, blinking his eyes. He then asked, "Is it now?"

The weather was too hot, and he seemed a little reluctant to go out.

"Didn't you ask me to treat her better before? Why don't you want to see her yourself?"

Gu Huaisheng's tone was light, but his words carried a hint of persuasion, leading him to follow him out.

Sure enough, Gu Huailang's brows moved, and he looked like he was really moved by Gu Huaisheng's words. He moved his butt away from the bed. He didn't know why she hadn't come to see her brother recently, so he really hadn't seen her for a long time.

Gu Huaisheng took a pair of socks from the side and put them on him, saying, "You wanted to go there on your own today, so don't say I took you there, understand?"

He was going to keep an eye on Fang Zhiping today, but he couldn't be too deliberate, as that would make them think he was behind it.

That man was really good at speaking and making flattering statements. If he wasn't watching, he might try to confuse right and wrong.

Who knows what will come out of the tug of war at that time?

Gu Huailang found it strange after hearing what Gu Huaisheng said. It was obvious that he wanted him to go.

He is small, but not stupid...

But this was the first time his brother came to him on his own initiative, and he even put shoes on him himself. So he let him say that, so he just had to listen to him reluctantly.

Gu Huaisheng helped him put on his shoes and pulled him off the bed, and the two of them went out together.

Before leaving, Gu Huailang reached out and tugged at Gu Huaisheng's sleeve, as if he had something to say, and Gu Huaisheng bent down.

Gu Huailang leaned over to his ear and whispered something.

After leaving the house, Gu Huaisheng glanced at the maid standing at the door, glanced at her, and then said, "You don't have to stay by the young master's side to serve him in the future. I will tell my mother."

People with evil intentions will lead children astray.

The maid wanted to say something, but Gu Huaisheng gave her a cold look. Just that one look was enough to block the words she wanted to argue with.

Gu Huaisheng's words were his final words, and once they were out of his mouth, there was no room for rebuttal.

She looked at the direction where the two people left at the end of the corridor. The sunlight shone on him through the corridor, and Gu Huaisheng's figure looked even taller in the morning light.

In the end, she fell silent, looked at the direction the big and small were leaving, and stamped her feet unwillingly.

*

When Gu Huaisheng brought Gu Huailang to the Chongming Hall of the Jiang family, Li was sitting inside and talking with Jiang Jingchun.

Li was asking her how she was getting along with Fang Zhiping these days, whether she was happy with him, and so on.

Jiang Jingchun sat aside and responded incoherently. Since they were going to get engaged, there was no point in discussing other things now, so she just casually replied to Li's question.

The two had only been talking for a while when they heard the sound of servants paying their respects outside.

It turned out that Gu Huaisheng and Gu Huailang came here.

Jiang Jingchun sat there without moving, thinking to herself that Gu Huaisheng had been so idle these days. Why did he come to the Jiang family so often? But she also understood that after all, they were in the Jiang family, and they were related to the Gu family, so it was inevitable that they would run into each other. But in the future, whenever he came, she would leave, as if she had done something shameful because she was guilty of being a thief.

Anyway, Gu Huaisheng didn't want to talk to her before. Now that that happened, the two of them have a falling out, so the best solution is for no one to bother the other in the future. He doesn't bother her, and she doesn't bother him. When they get married, they won't have the chance to meet each other anymore. And who would be so tactless as to bring up things from their youth? They can really go their separate ways.

After getting married and leaving the Jiang family, she will have a new life of her own.

Jiang Jingchun was thinking about his own things and didn't notice that Gu Huaisheng had already brought Gu Huailang into the house.

The two men greeted Li first.

Li looked at Gu Huaisheng's sudden visit and asked in confusion, "Why is Fu Yan here today?"

Gu Huaisheng said calmly, "Xiao Lang said he was bored at home, so he wanted to come and play with his cousin."

Li understood immediately.

Children do love to play, especially children of Gu Huailang's age. When they get bored at home, they always want to go out. It's hard for Gu Huaisheng to take him out in such a hot day.

Gu Huailang thought of what Gu Huaisheng had told him when he left the house today, so he nodded in agreement. He walked up to Li and said, "Aunt, I want to come and see cousin Jiang today."

He looked at Gu Huaisheng again, pursed his lips and said, "I pestered my brother to bring me here."

Gu Huailang was very smart. He said whatever Gu Huaisheng asked him to say.

Gu Huaisheng remained silent, which was considered as his tacit agreement with Gu Huailang's words.

Li smiled when she heard this and pushed Gu Huailang towards Jiang Jingchun, "Good boy, go and play with your cousin."

Jiang Jingchun looked at Gu Huailang with a smile in her eyes. She brought him in front of her and pinched his face to tease him.

Gu Huailang's eyebrows were knitted up, and his face was wrinkled. "Cousin, why are you pinching my face again?"

In the past, Jiang Jingchun always liked to rub his face. She always liked to tease him when she saw his face wrinkled. Why is he still like this now?

But even though he said this, he still stood there obediently and let her rub him.

Jiang Jingchun saw that he was sweating a lot on his forehead, and even the tip of his nose was covered with beads of sweat. She took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped his sweat. She asked him, "What are you doing out here in such a hot day? Your head is covered with sweat. Aren't you hot?"

Gu Huailang glanced at Gu Huaisheng with a hint of resentment.

He was not very willing to go out, but his brother insisted on bringing him along. He let Jiang Jingchun wipe his sweat without saying anything. Seeing Gu Huaisheng looking refreshed, he wondered why he was not hot at all.

He looked like this when he came here just now, but they were clearly basking in the same sun, so how come he didn't look like he was sweating at all?

Thinking of this, Gu Huailang's mouth became even more sullen. No wonder he was willing to go out in such hot weather. It turned out that he was not afraid of the heat.

Gu Huaisheng had already sat opposite them, chatting with Li about some family matters, just watching Jiang Jingchun's movements with his peripheral vision, pretending not to care.

In the conversation, Gu Huaisheng suddenly mentioned Jiang Jingchun's marriage. He asked calmly, "I heard that my cousin is getting engaged?"

When Jiang Jingchun heard his words, his movements paused slightly, and his brows, which had been relaxed, began to frown.

Didn't we already know what he was pretending to be? He was talking about it now because he wanted to do something about it.

Gu Huaisheng noticed the slightly resentful look she gave him.

He placed his hands on both sides of the armchair in a casual posture, pretending not to see it, and still looked at Li without blinking.

Li replied, "Yes, it is quite a fate. The man is a student of her grandfather's. He is a decent person. I think his family background is also quite clean. They have met several times in recent days and they get along well. If nothing unexpected happens, they will be engaged in a few days."

Li didn't think much about why Gu Huaisheng suddenly asked her about this. As he was curious about his cousin's marriage, she told him the truth.

Last time Jiang Jingchun said that she had let him go, she must have really let him go. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have been willing to go and live with Fang Zhiping.

They are now just ordinary cousins.

Unexpectedly, Gu Huaisheng heard her words and asked, "Aunt, do you know what kind of person this is? Isn't this decision too hasty?"

Gu Huaisheng's words were just the simplest reminder, without any other personal emotions mixed in.

Li was somewhat puzzled by his words. She looked at Gu Huaisheng's expression, but could not understand what he meant by that and was at a loss for a moment.

Just when she was about to ask him, she heard someone reporting something from outside the door.

It was said that the young master of the Fang family had arrived.

Li was quite puzzled. It was such a coincidence that one or two of them came here today.

But she didn't think much about it and asked someone to bring Fang Zhiping over. She turned to Gu Huaisheng and said, "Well, this is really a coincidence. Mr. Fang came here by chance. He is quite good. You will know if he is sloppy or not after you take a look at him."

Gu Huaisheng didn't say anything else, just nodded, which was considered as his response to Li's words.

Jiang Jingchun, who was sitting nearby, felt a little uneasy when watching Gu Huaisheng's actions.

Is it just a coincidence that he came today?

Fang Zhiping was soon welcomed into the house. He spent two whole days at home thinking about how to reject the marriage proposal in a dignified manner.

To be fair, he was really reluctant to cancel the marriage, but he had no choice. He was threatened by Gu Huaisheng. If he didn't cancel the marriage, it would offend him and cause more trouble. Besides, it would be more decent to end it himself than to be exposed by Gu Huaisheng himself.

He was thinking about how to cover up what he had done, and even how to remove the fault from himself. He finally found an excuse, but after arriving at the Jiang family, he didn't expect that Gu Huaisheng was there too.

He saw Gu Huaisheng, who was sitting next to him, was obviously stunned and was unable to react for a moment.

Why is he here too?!

After seeing Gu Huaisheng, his expression became extremely unnatural, as if he had eaten a mosquito or a fly, and cold sweat broke out on his body in waves.

Gu Huaisheng's expression remained calm from beginning to end, his gaze lightly falling on him, with only indifference in his eyes, without any emotion.

Compared to this, Fang Zhiping's reaction seemed a little strange in the eyes of others.

Li pointed at Gu Huaisheng and said, "This is the young marquis of the Gu family, and also Jingchun's cousin. What's wrong with you? Have you met him before?"

Although the fact that Jiang Jingchun liked Gu Huaisheng had caused quite a stir before, Fang Zhiping might have heard about it. However, Gu Huaisheng was a clean and honest person with a clear mind. He had always regarded Jiang Jingchun as just a cousin and had never done anything inappropriate. Therefore, Li was not embarrassed to introduce Gu Huaisheng to Fang Zhiping.

But I don't know why Fang Zhiping was so scared when he saw Gu Huaisheng as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

When Fang Zhiping reacted and was about to answer Li's question, Gu Huaisheng at the side spoke before him.

"I did meet him once before at the Jiang family's waterside pavilion. I happened to go inside to avoid the rain, so I can be considered to have met Mr. Fang."

Hearing what Gu Huaisheng said, Fang Zhiping did not dare to bring up other matters and echoed his words, saying, "I did see the young marquis once at the waterside pavilion last time."

Seeing how bad his complexion was, Li asked with some concern, "Why is your complexion so bad?"

Why else? Seeing that Gu Huaisheng was also there, how could he look good?

He made an excuse for himself and said, "It's nothing, it was just very hot on the way here."

Li was also surprised. "So what important matter did you come here to discuss today? The dog days of summer are almost here. It's hard for you to come all the way here."

Fang Zhiping was a little hesitant after hearing this, and for a moment he didn't know how to start. He had already thought of what to say, but he didn't expect Gu Huaisheng to be there, so he couldn't use the words he had prepared in advance, otherwise if Gu Huaisheng heard those words, he would probably cause trouble for him again.

Li saw that he was speechless for a long time. She thought he was nervous because he was seeing a stranger. She said, "It's not urgent for you to sit down and rest first."

Fang Zhiping couldn't think of an excuse, and he was very happy to hear Li say that. He naturally walked towards Jiang Jingchun, but when he was about to sit down next to her, Gu Huailang took the seat he wanted to sit.

Fang Zhiping didn't know who this child was at first, but when he saw that his features were somewhat similar to Gu Huaisheng's, he figured out who he was. It seemed that this was the young master of the Gu family.

He looked at the child who had taken his seat and was speechless for a moment. The two of them stared at each other.

The child just sat there blinking his eyes, looking at Fang Zhiping as if it had nothing to do with him, and he didn't feel that he had done anything wrong.

Seeing him like this, Fang Zhiping felt a lump in his throat and cursed the kid inwardly for looking as dead as his brother.

Jiang Jingchun didn't know what happened to Gu Huailang. He was fine just now, but somehow he suddenly started to compete with Fang Zhiping for the seat.

She was still thinking about what to do when she heard Gu Huaisheng's voice from behind her, "Gu Huailang, don't be rude."

Gu Huailang really obeyed and stood up.

He went to Jiang Jingchun's side, stood obediently, and made room for Fang Zhiping.

He was so obedient that Fang Zhiping felt embarrassed, as if he was trying to compete with the child for a seat.

As expected, Li said, "It's just a seat. Xiaolang, if you want to sit, just sit. Fuyan's seat is empty, so it's okay for you to sit there."

Now that things had come to this, it was inappropriate for Fang Zhiping to continue talking, so he had no choice but to sit next to Gu Huaisheng.

There was a big Buddha sitting next to him. Fang Zhiping felt more oppressed after sitting down. His mind was confused for a moment and he didn't know what to say. Until Li asked him again about his purpose, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak.

He couldn't find a good excuse so he could only say half-truthfully: "I came to see you today to discuss the engagement..."

No one dared to look at him, he just kept his head down and spoke.

Jiang Jingchun's heart skipped a beat when she saw Fang Zhiping's sallow expression, and she felt something was wrong.

As expected, he said, "There is a cousin in a certain family. Her family is engaged in business. Her parents died in an accident while doing business a few years ago. Her mother felt sorry for her and took her to the Fang family to take care of her. Later, she has lived in the Fang family ever since. I have always regarded her as a cousin since I was a child. I took pity on her parents who died early, so I took good care of her. But I never thought that because I took too much care of her, she would have other thoughts later."

When Li heard this, his expression froze and he asked him, "Please explain clearly what you mean by this."

Fang Zhiping's face was filled with shame, his head almost hanging to the ground. "After my cousin knew that I was going to propose to Miss Jiang, she made a big fuss. I didn't expect her to be like this. I always thought that we were just cousins... After knowing that she had such thoughts, I sent her back to Huiyang hometown first, intending to let her be alone for a while. But who knew that she would cry and make a fuss, and after returning to her hometown, she even started to seek death. There was no other way. After all, we have been friends for so many years, and we can't just watch her lose her life like this..."

By the end of his speech, his voice was barely loud enough for him to speak any more.

The surroundings fell into a dead silence. Finally, Jiang Jingchun spoke in the silence. She looked at Fang Zhiping and asked him, "So?"

So what does he mean now.

Her voice sounded very soft and her face showed no emotion. She looked at Fang Zhiping expressionlessly, and for a moment it was unclear whether she was angry or not.

Fang Zhiping did not dare to look up at her, and continued to speak along with her words. He said, "I'm sorry, my cousin and I have been friends for many years, and I really can't just sit back and watch her behave like this. I don't want to deceive the lady, and I said I would not take a concubine, but I'm afraid I can't do it now."

Gu Huaisheng, who was standing by, did not say a word to expose his half-truths. As long as the marriage could be cancelled and other matters were not involved, it would be fine.

Li completely understood Fang Zhiping's meaning. From what he said, it seemed that he wanted to break the agreement.

She sneered, looked at him and asked, "Why, is this the first day you realize that your cousin will die without you?"

He was so good, he was tangling with his cousin while agreeing to their marriage. Now, he was talking about the deep love between young people and he couldn't bear to see her destroy herself. Could it be that her cousin suddenly fell in love with him for no reason and couldn't live without him? Could it be that he didn't know about her feelings for him at the beginning? Since he knew about it, he still got engaged to her, and now that things have become so messed up, he broke the promise.

Li saw through his little tricks. On the one hand, he was trying to get close to the rich and powerful, but on the other hand, he couldn't bear to part with his dear cousin. How could this man be so pretentious? I didn't realize he was such a person before.

Li was so angry that her hands were shaking. She was about to explode, but she saw Jiang Jingchun standing up first. She looked at Fang Zhiping and said, "Come out. I have something to tell you."

Compared to her previous blandness, her voice now had a bit more spirit.

Things have come to this point, but he suddenly goes back on his word. No one would not be angry.

No one said anything, just watched the two people walk out one after the other.

The two of them were standing outside on the corridor talking, and their voices could vaguely be heard inside the house.

Jiang Jingchun looked at Fang Zhiping, she suppressed her emotions and said to him: "You already have her in your heart, right?"

He said it as if everything happened suddenly, but in fact there were signs of it long ago. Did his friendship with his cousin suddenly develop in one day? They must have been in love with each other for a long time after spending so much time together.

Fang Zhiping was still trying to make excuses, "No, I never knew about it..."

At this point, he was still trying to deceive her with sweet words. Jiang Jingchun couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted him, "You liar, stop lying."

She looked at him with anger in her eyes and her voice rose a little.

It was in vain that she had been expecting from the beginning to the end. It was in vain that she thought he was really the good man with whom she could spend the rest of her life. She thought that by marrying him, she could escape from the Jiang family. However, she didn't know that the Fang family was another hell pit.

In the past, she had only wanted to leave the Jiang family, so she was not very clear-headed. Now, thinking back on it and listening to Fang Zhiping's words today, she realized that he was a complete hypocrite.

"If you can't let her go, why did you bother me? What do you think I am, a fool who is easy to deceive?"

When Fang Zhiping heard her questioning, he didn't even dare to look her in the eye.

She was very angry, and even the people in the room could hear it.

Jiang Jingchun looked at Fang Zhiping, feeling angry and hateful. She had thought that everything would be fine, that she would have her own new life, and that she could say goodbye to everything in the past. If that was the case, why did she get hope in the first place?

She was so angry that she was shaking all over, and her voice was a little tearful. What was she angry about? She herself didn't know what she was angry about. Why was she so angry about such a rotten person?

Her pupils widened even more because of anger. Seeing the tears in her eyes, Fang Zhiping felt that he had indeed gone too far. But could he be blamed for this? If it weren't for Gu Huaisheng's aggressiveness, he wouldn't have done this.

He just said: "I don't want to do this, but I have no choice..."

Just as he said this, he saw a person coming out from the door. It turned out to be Gu Huaisheng. He quickly closed his mouth and swallowed the words back into his stomach.

Anyway, he had already postponed the marriage as he said. The matter had been settled, and he did not dare to stay in the Jiang family any longer to cause trouble. In the end, he just bowed to Jiang Jingchun and said, "Miss Jiang, this matter is a thousand mistakes and I am the only one who knows the fault. I cannot deny the blame even if I die. Please don't be angry. Take care in the future."

After leaving these words, he fled away without looking back.

Take care? How dare you say take care to her like this?

Looking at the direction he left, Jiang Jingchun was so angry that his whole body was shaking.

Well, it was her own fault. She was so anxious to find a way out that she lost her mind and didn't believe anyone.

The sunlight entered the corridor and hit her, making her look so bright, but her brows were furrowed, her body and lips were tense, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and tears welled in her eyes. She looked very angry.

Gu Huaisheng, who was standing by, saw that she was so angry that her forehead was sweating and her eyes were red, and her eyes dimmed.

In the past, he always claimed to understand her, after all, she was indeed a bit naive. But later on, he sometimes really couldn't figure out what Jiang Jingchun was thinking.

Like, why should you cry for a bad person? Why should you be so sad because of him?

Shouldn't she be glad that she escaped from him before it was too late?

Could it be that she had already fallen deeply in love with him in just a few days, which is why she is so sad at this moment?

Gu Huaisheng couldn't help but think of the past. His cousin was indeed simple and affectionate.

She is so naive that she thinks everyone is a good person, and she is so sentimental that she doesn't even dislike a good person.

Even though he knew that she didn't want to see him, Gu Huaisheng couldn't help but walked up to her.

If he lowered his head slightly, he could see her eyes that were as red as peaches.

So pitiful.

It's really too pitiful.

She was so pitiful that he wanted to cover her eyes with his hands.

He finally held back his impulse and looked into her eyes intently. He asked her, "Do you like him that much?"