Gu Qingtong thought this beautiful man was not only proud of his looks but also not very intelligent, and laughed: “Yes, such self-absorbed and foolish men do exist.”
Fan Xifeng realized after a while that he had been mocked. He raised his hand to hit her.
Gu Qingtong didn’t expect him to be provoked so quickly and regretted her impulsiveness. There was no one in the courtyard.
“Hmph, I don’t hit women,” Fan Xifeng suddenly lowered his hand.
Gu Qingtong sighed in relief, but then felt her waist tighten as he embraced her and pressed her against a willow tree, crying out, “What are you doing?”
Fan Xifeng roughly blew air in her ear, with a sense of pride and revenge rising from the bottom of his heart.
Gu Qingtong reached out to scratch his face, but Fan Xifeng was faster and caught her wrist, loosening his grip around her waist.
Here’s the edited version of the article with irrelevant content removed:
She tilted her head slightly, glancing at the willow tree by the pond, and hooked a foot back, then deliberately leaned towards the pond: “Ah, I’m going to fall into the pond.”
Fan Xifeng hurriedly let go, but unexpectedly was pushed by her at the waist, slipping and losing balance, finding himself getting closer and closer to the water surface.
Gu Qingtong heard him let out a miserable cry, the end of which was muffled by water, splashing a large spray. She clapped her hands: “Trying to mess with me, hmph.”
The pond wasn’t deep, but was about a person’s height. Fan Xifeng couldn’t swim and was terrified, thrashing about. The spring water was bone-chillingly cold, and after a few struggles, he felt half his body going stiff.
Gu Qingtong watched this drowning duck with no sense of triumph, laughing heartily.
“Brother, save me, save me!” Fan Xifeng suddenly shouted, choking on water. Just as he felt he was sinking, a gray figure finally swept over, pulling him out and throwing him onto the nearby grass.
“Gu Qingniang, are you alright?”
Gu Qingtong was worried about being caught doing something bad when Jiang Youping rushed over, gripping her shoulder anxiously.
“I’m fine.”
“That’s good.” Jiang Youping and the rescuer both sighed in relief.
Here’s the edited version of the article with irrelevant content removed:
Gu Qingtong suddenly realized the rescuer was the heir of the Zhen Yuan Marquis Mansion, whom she had seen before, and became even more worried about her recklessness.
Jiang Shang Heng threw Fan Xifeng on the grass, pressed out the water from his stomach, then turned to Gu Qingtong: “Are you okay?”
“Me? I’m fine.” She wondered why they were all so concerned about her when the one who fell into the water was the handsome man.
Jiang Shang Heng nodded, covering Fan Xifeng’s mouth before he could complain: “Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been up to. Today’s incident is just meeting a formidable girl and getting what you deserve. But is Gu Qingniang someone you can touch? Go back to your room and reflect.”
Fan Xifeng’s words were muffled, and knowing he was indeed at fault, he glared at Gu Qingtong, then crawled up from the grass, dragging his wet clothes back to his room.
Jiang Shang Heng saw her privately enjoying herself and felt amused, slightly curling his mouth: “Your story was quite good.”
“Ah?” Gu Qingtong stared.
Jiang Shang Heng couldn’t help but touch the top of her head: “Don’t be afraid, he won’t dare to retaliate against you.”
Gu Qingtong was startled by his action, and her speech became incoherent: “You, you…”
Here’s the edited version of the article with irrelevant content removed:
“Brother Heng, are you treating her like the little white cat of your sister?” Jiang Youping suddenly felt that Gu Qingtong had fewer expressions in front of him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Gu Qingtong deliberately tried to change the subject, not daring to continue talking to Jiang Shangheng.
“Right now, are you in the persona of Yang Mingyi or Gu Qingtong?”
“I…” Gu Qingtong momentarily didn’t know how to answer.
“Do you prefer someone quiet or lively?” Jiang Shangheng leaned against a willow tree, looking at Jiang Youping with composure.
Jiang Youping recalled Fan Xifeng being schemed against and falling into the water: “I prefer someone quiet.”
“That’s settled then.”
Here’s the edited version of the article with irrelevant content removed:
Gu Qingtong knew Jiang Shangheng was helping her and quickly bowed: “Third Young Master, I was inappropriate earlier. Second Young Lady has a gentle temperament, though lively, but not as improper as me. Please be at ease, Third Young Master.”
Jiang Youping indeed disliked overly boisterous women, and although Gu Qingtong’s earlier behavior was amusing, he was reassured by her words: “There’s no need to continue for the remaining half day. I’ll report to the Yang family and I’m quite satisfied. As for my performance, just speak directly and don’t try to flatter me.”
“Thank you for your care these past few days. Qingtong will now take her leave.” Gu Qingtong curtsied, preparing to depart.
“I’ll see you off,” Jiang Shangheng’s words startled Gu Qingtong, who looked at him in surprise.
“I only came to check on things and keep an eye out. I see everything is fine, so my task is complete and I naturally must leave.” Jiang Shangheng’s expression remained calm.
Gu Qingtong was secretly anxious, wondering if this young master would really escort her, which would surely become tomorrow’s headline in the capital.
“I have something to discuss with Han Ruan’an, and I’ll drop you off on the way,” Jiang Shangheng finally explained.
Gu Qingtong breathed a sigh of relief, noticing Lvguo standing awkwardly at the door with a net bag: “Lvguo, let’s go back to Huahao Yueyuan.”
“Yes.” Lvguo ran back happily this time.
Gu Qingtong tidied up and went to bid farewell to Madam Jiang. The lady was quite satisfied, rewarding her with two silver ingots and instructing her to speak well of the Yang family. Gu Qingtong agreed to everything and followed Jiang Shangheng out of the Jiang residence.
Since Huahao Yueyuan Pavilion’s carriages were scheduled to pick people up at the appointed time, and today they returned early, Gu Qingtong had no carriage and boarded Jiang Shangheng’s.
She carefully observed, and though Huahao Yueyuan Pavilion’s carriages were not bad, they could only be described as luxurious, completely incomparable to the nobility and elegance of this carriage.
“I’m not blaming you, but as my maidservant, there are some things you should know.”
“Yes.”
“So I’ll test you now.”
“Ah?” Lü Guo was stunned.
“Do you know my birthday?”
“This… I don’t know.”
She would only stay until she was old and faded, then step down to become a manager, or if someone was willing to take her in as a servant, that would be fine too. Lü Guo’s voice grew softer, “There’s another way – becoming a nun. But since Miss is so capable, she could save some silver in the future, buy a house in her later years, and live peacefully. That should be possible.”
Gu Qingtong completely didn’t expect Lü Guo’s answer to be like this. Although trial wives were lowly, weren’t they still not as lowly as prostitutes? Gu Qingtong felt uneasy. Why was it like this? And it seemed everyone thought the lowliness of trial wives was natural, but why were they being raised like a young miss?
But the most urgent matter was to ask about other things: “Do you know my age?”
Lü Guo tilted her head and muttered, “That matter seems to have happened twelve years ago,” but before Gu Qingtong could listen carefully, she said, “Calculating, she should be over fifteen.”
