Episode 117

  It was almost evening, and Minglan saw that Gu Tingye had not returned to the house, so she asked the kitchen to heat up dinner first. Ge Mama was clever and had already sensed Minglan's eating habits over the past few days, so she brought out a bowl of fragrant orange peel dianxin fish ball soup. The dianxin fish was small in size, and the fish balls were only the size of a thumb, infused with the sour and sweet flavor of the orange peel, which neither filled her stomach nor satisfied her hunger, but Minglan ate it very well.

  Who would have thought that after eating just two mouthfuls, Gu Tingyan strode into the house, Minglan hastily put down her bowl and got up to help him change and wash. But as soon as he caught a whiff of the fragrance from the bowl, he didn't even go inside, but instead reached out and grabbed it, drinking directly from the bowl without using a spoon, gulping down several mouthfuls before finishing off the entire bowl of fish ball soup.

  "Uh, I've already eaten half of that..." Minglan's eyes widened, this guy seemed like a starving ghost reincarnated.

  Gu Tingyan put down his bowl and reached out to touch Minglan's small face: "What's there to be afraid of, eating the leftovers of one's own wife?"

  Minglan followed him into the inner room, helping to unbutton and change clothes. Gu Tingye's physique was tall and large, and Minglan often felt a sense of being overwhelmed when standing in front of him. As she concentrated on unbuttoning, her left cheek suddenly felt warm, and Minglan only then realized that Gu Tingye had kissed her. She saw his eyebrows relax: "My wife is really beautiful."

  Ming Lan's jade-like face flushed slightly as she said modestly, "You really have a good eye for things."

  Gu Tingyan was taken aback, then burst out laughing loudly, and swept Minglan into his arms, spinning her around in two circles on the spot. Minglan clung to his shoulders, looking down at the ground with a hint of fear, so she punched him twice, only to provoke Gu Tingyan to hold her tightly in his embrace, and he mindlessly kissed her face and neck.

  Her delicate skin was brushed back and forth by his slightly rough stubble, suddenly feeling both itchy and numb. She stretched out her hand to forcefully push open his head, angrily saying: "You're a dog!" - Every day after work he'd do this, she's almost developed skin allergies!

  Gu Tingyan laughed loudly and put her down on the ground, still holding her in his arms and shaking her, and kissed her small mouth again. He lowered his head to press against Minglan's forehead, and his thick breath sprayed onto the girl's face; The man said in a low voice: "Stupid baby."

  The tone was full of affection and pampering, and Minglan's face flushed with a sudden burn.

  After washing and dressing, Minglan simply undid Gu Tingye's hair bun: "Just leave it untied, no one will see you in your own room anyway."

  Gu Tingyan was initially a bit hesitant, but after a whole day of having his hair tied up tightly, he felt very uncomfortable. Furthermore, Minglan's slender and agile fingers inserted into his hair, massaging his scalp with a few gentle presses, and he suddenly felt a wave of comfort, so he also went along with it smoothly.

  The dinner table was set in the next room, and in the center of the spacious room was a beautifully carved pear wood round table with four seasons of wealth and nobility. The south-facing windows were open, revealing the outside sky, which was 60% bright and 40% pale and hazy. The horizon was painted with thick clouds that looked like fire, dyeing the ground with golden light. Outside the window, the sea peach tree was already blooming brightly, its half-open flowers covering the branches. Although it's said that the sea peach has no fragrance, it still had a refreshing fruit wood scent that wafted into the room on the gentle evening breeze. Gu Tingyan changed into a lightweight silk robe and walked to the table with a gentle step, his thick hair flowing behind him. In this atmosphere, he felt his heart broaden and his spirit lift, all the fatigue of the day disappearing.

  There are not many dishes on the table, only five dishes and one soup. In the middle is a Matsutake Whitebait Fish Soup, with a milky white color and sprinkled with green scallions. There's also a Spicy Fried Lotus Root Powder Meatball, a Crispy Beef Brisket with Iron Plate Roasted Thin Cake, a Braised Pork Ribs in Lotus Leaf Wrap, a Fermented Soybean Wind-dried Chicken, and finally a Stir-fried Sesame Spinach.

  Gu Tingyan's appetite was huge, he buried his head and started eating. Minglan had only eaten a few mouthfuls before stopping, but he finished two large bowls of rice, half a plate of thin pancakes wrapped around braised beef, and each dish wasn't even that much, yet he still felt unsatisfied.

  Minglan saw that he was enjoying his food and felt happy, pointing to the fish soup and boasting: "This fish is one I caught with my own hands! The fish in the pond have been too peaceful for too long, they're all dull and stupid, a little bait and they'll all bite... Our backyard is quite big, I plan to plant some common flowers, fruits, and trees. If you have any preferences, speak up quickly, and I'll send someone to buy the seeds..."

  Gu Tingyan quietly gazed at Minglan's bright and cheerful expression, with ripples rising in his heart.

  Xiao Tao led the servant girl to clear the table, while Dan Ju presented two bowls of clear tea. After the servants retreated, Gu Ting Ye stared at Ming Lan and suddenly said in a low voice: "Don't hold back, if there's anything that doesn't feel right, tell me."

  Minglan was taken aback, how did he suddenly bring this up out of nowhere?

  "Anyone in this mansion who dares to displease you, you can punish them!" Gu Tingyan's mouth curved into a fierce arc, his eyes dark and gloomy. "No need to be afraid of this or that, just push everything onto me! I'd like to see which dog has the guts to go against me!"

  Minglan blinked: "I... don't have anything to complain about?" These past two days, her authority had grown heavier, and basically no one in the household dared to utter a word of dissent, except for occasional instances where Lai Mama and Xi Mama invoked the name of their elders.

  "Why didn't you tell me about Aunt Wu yesterday?" Gu Tingyan's face turned solemn.

  Minglan somewhat understood, but still said: "I told you, Auntie Wu came over for a visit."

  "Want to drop by? Unlikely, probably here to stir up trouble." Gu Tingyan's eyes grew even darker, and he coldly snorted, "Her precious son has gotten into a whole heap of trouble outside, originally it would have been fine, people wouldn't dare do anything because of the Ningyuan Duke Manor's reputation; now that the signboard is gone too, if I weren't propping her up, she'd still be living so comfortably? Hmph! Doesn't know life from death!"

  Minglan smiled and sighed, pulling his hand as she walked by: "Don't worry, I'm not easy to bully either. That day, Auntie Wu said a few words to me, but I gave it right back to her." Seeing that he was still fuming, Minglan added, "You mustn't lose your temper randomly. You're in the official circle now, with many eyes watching you. Don't give people an excuse to gossip. Rest assured, those petty tricks of your uncle and aunt are nothing to me - I just pretend to be stupid, which is my specialty."

  He couldn't help but smile secretly and stared at her for a long time before saying, "That's good. I married you not to let you suffer."

  Minglan felt a surge of emotion in her heart, but this feeling only lasted until bedtime. Gu Tingye couldn't bear for others to bully her, but when he himself took action, he was not polite at all. As soon as night fell, Minglan called out to him to get on top of her and toss her around, feeling like her waist was almost broken, begging for mercy for half the day. Gu Tingye very politely stuffed a silk cushion under her waist, his eyes closed, continuing to heavily breathe and rub against her.

  After a long while, they finally parted, and Minglan was holding a pillow, sobbing and sniffling. Gu Tingye had half his body pressed against hers, gently stroking her smooth skin, with a pleased expression.

  "Rest now, you still have to attend the early court tomorrow." Gu Ting Ye lowered his head and kissed her, smiling: "Tomorrow I'll take a leave of absence, I won't be attending the early court."

  "Why?" Minglan suddenly became alert.

  Gu Tingyan looked at her, like a newborn kitten that had just shed its hair, with tender claws and teeth, yet with a guarded expression. He smiled and said: "Tomorrow morning, the palace will send someone to deliver an imperial decree. Once it's done, I'll accompany you to the palace to thank them."

  "What... did you say?" Minglan was stunned.

  Gu Tingyan scratched her little nose and said with a smile: "Your husband has brought you a death warrant."