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I never thought you, a big-breasted, brainless idiot, would learn to be so cunning!
Helplessly pinching the girl's delicate nose, Gu Yu didn't take it to heart. After all, these girls were the chosen ones he had carefully selected. Even if they couldn't share a bed and enjoy each other's company in the future, there wouldn't be any backstabbing or petty squabbles.
It would be nice to agree to such harmless jokes without thinking, and then bring it up later to see them make a fuss.
Chapter Forty-Four: The Drunken Old Man?
Over the next few days, the women were surprised to find that Xing Xiuyan, who used to avoid going out as much as possible, began to go to Pear Blossom Spring Rain without fail, even more so than the Li sisters.
The sharp-eyed Baoqin noticed Xing Xiuyan and even teased her, "Even you know it's getting colder and colder. I thought you were going to compete with others." She was obviously referring to Gu Yu, but she didn't notice the charming blush on Xing Xiuyan's face.
Baochai didn't complain about having less time alone, but she was a little surprised to see Daiyu leaving with the others, and finally couldn't help but go over and ask.
Daiyu blushed and remained silent.
That night, we had agreed that I would give him a little reward, but it turned into me begging for mercy on my knees. Under the heavy blows, I didn't even have the strength to walk while holding onto the wall, so how could I dare to pout?
It's overflowing up to my throat!
"These days, it's only right that we spend more time helping Brother Yu with his studies. How could I possibly disturb his important matters without considering the consequences?"
Baochai almost burst out laughing. She tried to clench her teeth and stared at Daiyu, who remained expressionless, for a long time before finally losing her composure.
"Good, good, good! I never knew our Lin Daiyu had such a poised and elegant side, hehehe~"
"But...didn't Brother Yu ask us to help you with your studies the other day? How come Sister Lin's body is all warmed up like this?"
"oops!"
Clutching her handkerchief, Daiyu slapped away Baochai's hand that had deliberately lifted her collar. Daiyu quickly shrank back to cover the red marks that had not yet faded and had been newly added, and glared at the naughty woman.
"What's wrong? You haven't been pampered for days and you can't stand it anymore? Why don't I go back and talk to Brother Yu now and ask him to let you stay tonight?"
"Pooh!"
Seeing that Daiyu had been provoked and had said such things so bluntly, Baochai was also unable to defend herself and quickly blushed and begged for forgiveness, but her heart was still a little fluttering.
It seems like it's been a while since I've seen him...
"What is Sister Bao thinking about?"
Daiyu, knowing full well what was going on, waved her hand in front of her and gave her a knowing look, which only made Baochai more angry. The two girls played and teased each other for a while, and then decided not to go back. Instead, they went to Hengwu Garden to play and chat.
It's a mixed bag of joy and sorrow. While this place is bustling with excitement, Daoxiang Village, not far away, remains eerily quiet.
Li Qi sat by the window, staring blankly at the thin layer of snow on the veranda for a long time. Suddenly, bored, he stood up, glanced listlessly at the curtain on the main house that had remained motionless, and finally turned and went into the inner room.
"Sister, why don't you rest for a bit and talk to me? I'm so bored!"
Since their mother moved out of the garden a few days ago because she was busy with matters related to seeking refuge with her family, the entire Daoxiang Village has become even more gloomy.
They had only met their cousin Li Wan a few times and were not familiar with her at all. In addition, Li Wan had a son named Jia Zhu, who stayed at home all day and only cared about his son. They barely exchanged a few words with her all day.
As for the servants of the Jia family, although they weren't treated too badly, the two sisters, being sensitive, subconsciously didn't want to interact with them. Staying locked in their room all day made them feel increasingly bored.
While her older sister Coco Lee at least had needlework to pass the time, Li Qi, who was too lazy to settle down and do needlework, was feeling quite stifled.
"Then what do you want to do? We're together all the time, what is there that you know but I don't, what's there to talk about?"
"Besides, where do you think you're going in the dead of winter? You'll get sick if you catch a cold."
Li Qi rolled her eyes, sat down next to Li Wen, and seeing her embroidering again, pouted and deliberately picked a fight:
"You're always embroidering, could it be that your mother has already arranged a marriage for you?"
"You girl!"
At the tender age of sixteen, Li Wen was at a sensitive time for such matters, and she couldn't stand it. She blushed and looked up at her troublesome younger sister, trying to assert her authority as the older sister.
"Who are you talking about, little girl? She only came out half a cup of tea's time before me... Maybe they were switched at birth."
Li Qi was never afraid of this nominal older sister. Apart from looking a bit gentle and magnanimous, how was she like an older sister? She was clearly just a weak and cowardly person!
"Then what do you want to do?"
Coco Lee is not good with words and has never been able to out-argue Coco Lee's quick wit, so she didn't bother arguing with her and asked directly.
Speaking of this, I'm wide awake now! The girl straightened up, her mind wandering, her face flushing slightly before she cleared her throat and hinted:
"These past few days, that Miss Xing seems like a completely different person. She used to always stay in her room and hardly ever went out, but now she's been quite industrious..."
Coco Lee was just not good with words, not stupid. She quickly understood the implied meaning in Li Qi's words.
"You want to... go and enjoy the pear blossom spring rain too?"
In such a large garden as the Grand View Garden, apart from the Yihong Courtyard, the sisters on this side are basically all gathered in the Pear Blossom Spring Rain, making the two sides quite distinct.
As for Daoxiangcun, it can only be considered an inconspicuous passerby sandwiched between the two main characters.
"But we're not exactly relatives, and Pear Blossom Spring Rain is still that Young Master Yu's residence, so I'm afraid it might be a bit inconvenient..."
"Didn't Miss Xing still go?"
Seeing Coco Lee's hesitant expression, and knowing that the two were of one mind, Li Qi could tell at a glance that his sister was also somewhat tempted, so he quickly added fuel to the fire.
"this…"
Coco Lee was indeed somewhat tempted. After all, how many young girls like her wouldn't enjoy hanging out with their best friends of the same age?
"But Mother repeatedly warned me before she left... and my cousin is here too. She's always been well-behaved and respectful; wouldn't she think this is a bit inappropriate...?"
"Oh dear, your mother isn't here, so what are you afraid of? Besides, our cousin's heart is entirely with her son; she doesn't have time to care about outsiders like us..."
Li Qi curled her lips in a mocking manner. Li Wan had hardly ever met them since she could remember. This cousin of hers was no different from an outsider. Why would she care where they went? As long as they didn't die, that was fine.
"this…"
"Alright, alright, stop overthinking it. Let's just go and tell my cousin. She definitely won't care."
He quickly pulled the half-hearted Li Wen to the main house. Sure enough, Li Wen was watching over Jia Zhu reading in the study. She didn't even turn her head to nod, only absentmindedly saying that he should remember to come back on time for meals, and then said nothing more.
"See? What did I tell you? Hurry up, hurry up!"
Li Qi smiled and didn't seem bothered by Li Wan's dismissive attitude; on the contrary, he felt a sense of relief.
After all, it's really stressful to be disciplined by unfamiliar relatives.
They urged Coco Lee to follow, and the two of them, without asking for any maids or servants, hurried towards Pear Blossom Spring Rain.
Chapter 45 Multi-front Warfare
When the two women arrived at Pear Blossom Spring Rain, they realized that they had missed the time for the sisters' gathering. They had all gone back to rest in twos and threes, but Xing Xiuyan was still there for some reason.
In front of the Li sisters, Xing Xiuyan sat properly in the chair, head bowed and eyes lowered, not moving at all, which made people suspicious of what she was doing.
Little did they know how fast the girl's heart was beating after she hurriedly pulled her hand away, almost getting caught.
Gu Yu sat at the head of the table, silently admiring the Li family's twin blossoms, sighing inwardly.
"They're more like sisters than Second Sister and Third Sister You..."
Although the second and third sisters look somewhat alike, they were born years apart, and their personalities are completely different, so it's impossible for anyone to mistake one for the other.
And as for the Li family's twins...
Gu Yu stood up and exchanged a few polite words. Then, she watched the two women chatting with Xing Xiuyan for a long time. She felt like she was playing a game of spot the difference, and she couldn't take it all in.
If it weren't for the subtle differences in their expressions and manners, even their own mother probably wouldn't recognize them.
"I heard from Lin Daiyu that the two could even mistake one for the other..."
Wouldn't it be incredibly embarrassing if you called the wrong person while planning your own strategy?
After pondering for a moment, Gu Yu gradually formed a general idea, and a mischievous smile couldn't help but appear on his face.
Just as I expected!
Although Xing Xiuyan was the only one left in the pear blossom spring rain, the Li sisters, Coco Lee and Li Qi, mainly wanted to leave Daoxiang Village for a breath of fresh air, so they naturally wouldn't care about such details.
Moreover... as the two women whispered to Xing Xiuyan, their eyes kept drifting, intentionally or unintentionally, toward the languid figure holding a scripture in the distance.
His unrestrained and carefree demeanor, coupled with his handsome face, unconsciously captivated the girls' attention, making it impossible for them to look away.
"Is this what the romantic and talented men described in books look like?"
"To forge iron, one must be strong oneself," so Gu Yu was truly studying hard. Although he had a photographic memory, he could still learn something new by reviewing what he had learned.
Besides, the three of them were having a great time chatting, and I was bored, so I naturally wanted to find something to pass the time—of course, this was just a side effect.
After finishing the annotated collection in her hand, Gu Yu heard that their whispers had stopped at some point, so she put down the book and glanced up in that direction.
His gaze met the bright, beautiful eyes of the three girls. Seeing their flustered expressions, some turning their heads away and others bowing their heads, Gu Yu was taken aback. He chuckled to himself, then turned away to pour a cup of tea, trying to save them some face.
When it comes to winning over girls, Gu Yu always maintains a decisive and efficient style. Seeing Xing Xiuyan's nervous appearance, refusing to look up at him when there are outsiders present, he simply and decisively carried out the strategic plan he had just decided on.
“These days, Sister Wen and Sister Qi have become rare guests at my place. They only come a few times every ten days or half a month. Is it because they think I don’t treat them well?”
Even without the two women deliberately disguising themselves, Gu Yu was able to distinguish who was who with her exceptional eyesight. So, although she was speaking in their direction, her gaze remained undisguisedly fixed on the gentle and charming Coco Lee.
A delicate little white rabbit... it's practically an easy target.
"No, no! My sister and I just don't have much free time on weekdays..."
Before Li Qi could speak, Coco Lee, whose body was tense under Gu Yu's gaze, quickly spoke up to explain. Li Qi opened his mouth and then closed it again, glancing at the somewhat strange Coco Lee with surprise.
Isn't it usually me who speaks first and deals with people?
Little did anyone know that under the invisible pressure of someone's gaze, Coco Lee felt sweating all over, yet dared not move, and was restless for a moment.
As for why Gu Yu addressed them as "sisters" this time, he didn't care about such trivial details. Only one sensitive girl couldn't help but look up at the greedy Gu Yu with a complicated expression.
They say you're always looking for something better than what you have, but you've only just gotten to the edge of the bowl and you're already reaching into the pot right in front of everyone?
Fortunately, she wasn't arrogant enough to think she could become the first wife's wife. Now that she's come to her senses, seeing that the sisters of the Jia family clearly have some ambiguous relationships with her, she has long since found her place.
Anyway, with her family background, she would end up as a concubine in any wealthy family. At least this is the choice she made, isn't it?
It has to be said that this easygoing nature allows her to recover very quickly after self-consolation. After a slight pang of jealousy, Xing Xiuyan understood the look Gu Yu gave her when she had a spare moment, nodded without making a sound, and seamlessly transitioned into the role of wingman.
"Oh, I see... I heard that Sister Wen is very good at needlework?"
Gu Yu nodded in a perfunctory manner, pretending to believe this statement, and then changed the subject to ask about other aspects of Coco Lee.
"I only practice in my spare time, how can I say I'm extremely skilled... I'm probably not even as good as the clever and skillful maids in the manor."
Is this considered him paying attention to me...?
Coco Lee, whose focus seemed to have wandered somewhat, blushed inexplicably and uttered a few humble words in a barely audible voice, though the smile on her lips noticeably deepened.
"Sister Wen, please don't be modest. I've heard Lin Daiyu and the others talk about you when they're chatting. They say that you're skillful and original, and every time you embroider, the pictures you make are refreshing."
"My maidservant has some skills, but she's a bit slow-witted and can only follow the steps, which is really not presentable. I happen to have a painting in my room that I'd like to use as a background, but copying the whole thing seems a bit inappropriate. How about you take a look, Sister Wen?"
"this…"
When Li Wen saw that Gu Yu needed her help, she was at a loss for what to do and subconsciously turned to Li Qi for advice, hoping that she could help her make a decision.
After all, men and women are different. It's fine to just sit and talk like this, but then we went inside to look at the paintings...
Before Li Qi could speak, Xing Xiuyan, who had been watching the commotion from the side, smiled and said:
"We never expected Miss Wen to have such talent. How about we help you out this time and waive our tea fee?"
"Haha, no problem, no problem! Xiangling—quickly have some more pastries sent over. Sister Wen?"
With the two of them singing in unison, Coco Lee didn't even get a chance to hear Li Qi speak. She could only stand up hesitantly, glancing back at her friend every few steps.
Li Qi thought for a moment and was about to get up and follow when Xing Xiuyan, quick as a flash, grabbed him:
"They're busy with needlework. When did you become interested in that? Why don't you keep me company and talk to me? Otherwise, wouldn't you be bored?"
As Li Qi hesitated, the curtain of the cubicle was already drawn. She pouted somewhat unwillingly, not knowing why she was unwilling, and a trace of regret flashed through her mind for no reason.
If I could do needlework myself...
Chapter Forty-Six: A Feeling I've Never Experienced Before
Coco Lee followed Gu Yu slowly, her steps faltering. From the moment the thick curtain was drawn, it felt as if the inside and outside of the house had suddenly become two separate worlds, causing her to feel a sudden, inexplicable panic.
"Sister Wen, come and take a look at this painting. What do you think of it? How should it be changed?"
In a daze, Gu Yu had already walked behind the desk, taken out a scroll from the cabinet, spread it out on the table, and smiled, gesturing for her to stick it over.