Do you know? Do you know? Should be green fat red thin. Do you know? Should be green fat red thin Episode 132

  Qiu Niang returned to Ke Xiang Yuan with red eyes, and Rong Jie was sleeping in the inner room. As soon as she saw Hong Dou, she burst into tears. The two had been together for many years and were considered sisters who had gone through thick and thin. They held hands and went to the side house to talk.

  "Go and amuse your sister." Qiū Niáng wiped away her tears, not quite calm, "It's all my fault, I've tired out Master, so people will gossip."

  Hong Yu secretly resented the fact that only Ming Ming was being talked about, but on the surface, she warmly said: "How can this be blamed on Sister? The old master and sister have been in love since childhood! The old master treats sister differently from others, and the lady doesn't understand for a moment. Sister shouldn't take it to heart, didn't the lady say so herself? Even in front of the lady, the old master couldn't stop praising you! What a great honor this is!"

  Qiu Niang sighed with tears, after a long time, she said: "I'm old and faded, I won't compete with the mistress, I just want to see if Master is doing well, Mistress is still young, I'm afraid she can't take care of him properly, if Master is mistreated, how can it be good..."

  "Who says it's not, we've all waited for so many years, what other choice do we have? The mistress is also being overly cautious." Hong Dou let out a sigh and accompanied Qiu Niang in her tears for a while before they each returned to their own rooms.

  "Has she left?" A maidservant with two buns got up and came forward, only to see that she had a lovely face and was very pretty; after entering the room, she lay down on the beautiful bed: "Go back and copy the scriptures, where is Fifth Daughter?"

  Jin Xi smiled and handed Hong Yu a cup of tea: "Where else can we go? Probably just to find someone to chat with."

  “...As for this autumn girl, she's also a very interesting person.” Hong Dou's eyes narrowed slightly as she held her tea cup, a hint of amusement on her face. "If you say she's foolish, then she's extremely foolish, unable to see that the current old master is no longer the second young master from back then, and yet she still goes to find Raimama to ask for directions as soon as she enters the estate; but if you say she's clever, she's also good at pretending to be stupid and silly, with a dull and foolish appearance, and yet she's managed to live safely and soundly all these years.”

  "Right," Jin Xi said in a low voice, "otherwise our girl wouldn't have tolerated her either."

  Hong Niang's face revealed a sneer: "Even in the past, it wasn't as if Master liked her that much, but relying on being a loyal servant who had served since childhood, she put on an air of a devoted maid worrying about her master. Master was just nostalgic for old times, that's all. But those years have passed, and things have changed! If she were smart, she would hurry up and try to win over the mistress now; yet she still acts as if it were the past."

  Qiu Niang wasn't one for writing, and she didn't dare to scribble randomly, so her progress was a bit slow. Even when she wrote hastily, it took two days to finish copying the punishment. On the third day, she brought her homework to ask Minglan for guidance. Minglan pointed out a few sentences of "pay attention to your behavior" to her. Later on, even Qiu Niang herself felt that this matter was pointless, and it was just dropped.

  On the second day, Minglan finally knew why she was so annoyed and unhappy. It turned out that relatives had come to visit.

  Danju set up a small sand stove as usual, and made a medicinal tea with red sugar for Minglan to drink. Xiaotao went to Ge Mama's place to fry a bag of hot salt, which was carefully wrapped in several layers of oil paper and cloth bags, and finally wrapped in thick velvet for Minglan to apply to her stomach.

  For two whole days, Minglan languidly leaned against the soft couch, gazing far away at the picturesque window, her eyes melancholic, as if she were a lotus flower by the lake, elegant and delicate... Hmm, it would be even better if she was holding a poetry collection instead of an account book.

  Her body was not feeling well, and the account book didn't show any profit either. Minglan thought of another important matter, because recently there were rumors causing a stir, Liao Yong's family came to remind Minglan, in general meaning: The mansion had many resentful men and women, which was not conducive to unity and stability.

  According to the evil feudal contract system, the servants of Qingyuan, regardless of whether they had parents or siblings, all needed their master's consent to get married. Minglan ordered that those with relatives could report their marriages on their own. There were a few who had no one to take care of them, so Minglan asked Danju to bring over the household register and, together with Liao Yongjia's explanations, matched them up based on their skills and character, following the principle of allocating resources according to advantage.

  Just after saying a few words about marriage, Danju's face turned red with shame and she slipped away. Xiaotao was eager to continue listening, but was chased away by Cuimiao's two white eyes.

  "This girl! Still so childish." Cui Wei watched as Xiao Tao walked out, shaking her head and sighing. She turned to Ming Lan and said, "Madam, it's fine with outsiders, but what about the few in our household? Do you have a plan?"

  Minglan half-propped herself up, gaining some spirit: "I've already inquired about it. Mr. Gong Sun knows several young people from poor families who seem decent. The old master also has several capable soldiers under his command, and there are a few sons of the elderly stewards in the mansion. This time they didn't report to ask for marriage arrangements, so I'm preparing to keep them for the maids in the courtyard."

  Cui Wei couldn't help but laugh, smiling lightly: "Madam is indeed different now, alas, these maids are quite fortunate..." As she spoke, she seemed to think of something and suddenly changed the subject, lowering her voice to say, "Madam, you must be careful with Ru Mei."

  "Oh, what's wrong with her?" Minglan asked strangely. She usually kept a distance from the other maids, not liking to mix and play with them, and as long as Gu Tingye was around, she wouldn't even show her face.

  Cui Wei hesitated for a moment, then said: "To tell the truth, Ruo Mei is the oldest in this house. I've seen her several times sneaking into the front yard and often getting along with the young servant boys in the outer study. I think... she's got ideas."

  Minglan was startled: "Are those gentlemen from the outer study?"

  Cui Wei said helplessly: "You know that Rourou is used to playing with poetry and literature, she's afraid of looking down on the people in the mansion...". She saw Minglan looking a bit dazed and quickly added: "Don't mention whether outsiders are willing to take a girl as their daughter-in-law or not, but whether to give her a title or not is your decision, Madame. Before that, we can't allow private transactions! If it's not handled properly, it will ruin the reputation of all the girls in the house and yours."

  Minglan was about to make a joke, but seeing Cuiwei's tense expression, she quickly nodded and said: "Although I think they are very good, they also need to meet understanding people. It's okay, there are still a few years to go, let's just wait and see. You go talk to Ruomei later, and also Danju, this girl's old problem has relapsed again. They live in the next room, they must have known about Ruomei's situation early on, but because of their sisterly affection, they are soft-hearted and covering it up. I'll go talk to her later."

  Cui Wei's face was slightly uncomfortable, and she smiled bitterly: "Madam, as long as you're clear in your heart, sigh..."

  As they spoke, a voice echoed in the courtyard, "The old master is back."

  As the sound of the wind stirred, the curtain was lifted and Gu Ting Ye strode in with a proud expression. Cui Wei bowed slightly and bid farewell after saying a few words, then retreated. Ming Lan wanted to get up, but was pressed back down. Gu Ting Ye saw that Ming Lan's face was pale and said softly: "Rest, don't get up."

  Minglan didn't insist, and just called Xiaozhu to help her change clothes. She leaned sideways and saw the man's eyebrows flying high, obviously in a good mood, so she smiled and asked: "Master is so happy, isn't it...?"

  Gu Tingyan stood tall, the dark red gemstone inlaid on his purple gold high crown sparkled brightly, and his brocade robe and jade belt made him look even more mature and majestic. His temperament was outstanding, and when he turned his head, he saw Minglan's big eyes wide open with expectation, shining brightly.

  He immediately glared and cursed: "Not promotion and wealth!"

  Minglan was seen through, and she smiled awkwardly, then listlessly leaned back onto the soft couch. Gu Tingye changed into a casual stone-blue silver-embroidered satin robe, waved his hand to dismiss Xia Zhu, and sat down beside Minglan, touching the warm package on her belly, asking: "Does it still hurt?"

  She lowered her soft ears and shook her head: "Just no energy."

  Gu Tingyan gently stroked Minglan's cheek, slowly leaning in until their heads were side by side. His skin, tanned and slightly rough from the sun, with a hint of stubble, touched Minglan's soft and cool cheek, lightly caressing it. After a long while, the couple let out a gentle sigh at the same time, but spoke in unison with completely different words.

  "Let's have children later."

  "Have children earlier then."

  As soon as the words were spoken, the couple looked at each other in surprise, their eyes filled with a mixture of astonishment and amusement. Gu Tingyan was the first to speak up: "You silly girl, take good care of your body first, what's the rush to have children? Life is long."

  Her pale face was flushed with a faint red glow, and her normally fair skin seemed to have taken on a delicate, rosy hue: "It's not that, you know. People who've been through it all say that after having kids, life isn't so tough anymore."

  "Is it?" Gu Tingyan had some doubts, "Isn't getting pregnant too early and too hastily going to harm the body?"

  "Who said that?" Minglan smiled and said, "The old folks have all said it before, as long as the body is well taken care of, giving birth to a child will be easy."

  It should be said that although this man is very fierce in bed, he is considerate in some ways. Since Minglan followed He's old lady's recipe to start conditioning herself, she tactfully made a request, asking if they could take a break for a few days every month, and it would be best to wait until after two rounds of medicinal soup before getting pregnant again. When making this request, Minglan was somewhat nervous, as in this era, the earlier one has children, the more auspicious it is; unexpectedly, Gu Tingye agreed without hesitation and repeatedly instructed Minglan to take good care of her body.

  "It's enough for a widower like me to have lived once, and yet you're still expecting me to live for several more decades." Gu Tingyan said with a smile at the time.

  Of course, the result of being considerate is that the remaining days are even more fiercely fought, with a thrilling and passionate atmosphere.

  After hearing this, Gu Tingyan slightly relaxed his eyebrows, rubbed Minglan's small hand and comforted her: "You take care of yourself, when you're outside...". He paused for a moment, very delighted to say, "I once heard that some wives in rural families can still give birth at the age of fifty."

  Ming Lan was so embarrassed that she pinched the man's arm with all her might, but unexpectedly bumped into his solid muscles, and instead made her fingers numb. She pretended to be angry and scolded in a low voice: "Are you ashamed or not!"

  The couple chatted and laughed for a while, before they suddenly realized that they had forgotten what they were originally talking about. Minglan asked again, and Gu Tingye's face lit up with joy: "Nanny will be coming tomorrow."

  "My Buddha, you've finally arrived." Minglan smiled with her hands clasped together, "If Auntie didn't come, I would have gone to find her at the door."

  Since Gu Tingyan returned to Beijing, Chang Nian's wife and grandchildren moved from the suburbs of Beijing to Mao Er Hutong. As Chang Nian was still in mourning for her only son who had passed away, she had to wear a three-year mourning dress. At the time of Gu Tingyan's wedding, there were still one or two months left in the mourning period. Afraid of affecting the newlyweds' happiness, she deliberately avoided coming.

  "Old Shangguan is being overly cautious, why so many concerns." Minglan had always looked up to Old Shangguan with admiration.

  Gu Tingyan smiled and said, "Auntie is a country bumpkin, she believes in this the most. Her temperament is also very stubborn, anyway it won't be for many more days, so just go along with her; tomorrow when she comes and I haven't returned to the manor yet, you keep her here for a while."

  Minglan smiled and agreed, and the couple chatted intimately for a while. At this time, Danju reported from outside: "Autumn girl has arrived."

  Gu Tingyan was taken aback for a moment, and his thick eyebrows furrowed again.

  Minglan hastily pushed the man away, tidied up her disheveled clothes and hair from their earlier intimacy, before speaking: "Quickly invite her in." Meanwhile, she tried to get down from the soft couch but was pressed back by Gu Tingye.

  Qiu Niang was carrying a small package, wearing an autumn-colored silk skirt and soft sleeves, walking slowly towards Minglan, who was sitting on the couch. Gu Tingye had his hands clasped together, sitting beside her. She quickly bowed her head to greet them, asking about their well-being. Minglan smiled and asked her to sit down.

  "What brings you here?" Gu Tingyan asked patiently.

  Qiu Niang's face was full of tenderness, her cheeks slightly tilted, and she looked up at Gu Tingyan with a soft voice: "As the days get hotter, I remember that Master has always been miserable in the summer. I made a few new cool summer shirts and pants for Master to send over; there are also a few small sachets, I put Master's favorite Shui Xiang incense, as well as mosquito-repelling Song Xiang and Ai Gao." As she spoke, she gently shook open the small package in her hand and lightly pushed it forward. However, Gu Tingyan remained still, leaving Qiu Niang somewhat embarrassed.

  Minglan saw that the atmosphere was not right, so she quickly relieved the situation: "You go get it, and I'll take a look at this needle and thread later. Danju...go out and see if lunch is ready." It's still better to have fewer people watching.

  Dan Ju took over the package and gently placed it on a nearby stool before respectfully leaving.

  Qiu Niang gazed at Gu Ting Yan's calm expression and softly said: "Master... I..."

  Gu Tingyan only looked at Qiu Niang, Minglan gazed at his handsome profile, her eyes deep in thought. He looked at Qiu Niang and slowly said: "These things, did you make them for Rong Jie?"

  Qiu Niang hesitated for a moment: "I'll finish yours first, and then I'll help Rong Jie."

  "Since you returned home, have you done some needlework for your wife?" asked Gu Tingyan again.

  Qiu Niang hastily got up and knelt down towards Ming Lan, saying anxiously: "It was my negligence, these past few days I've been busy copying scriptures, only managing to make it for Master."

  Since there was no maid present, no one went to help Qiu Niang, so Minglan could only smile and comfort her: "It's nothing, you take care of Rong Jie first, hurry up and get up."

  Qiu Niang didn't dare to get up, her knees shifted slightly in the direction of Gu Ting Ye, she opened her mouth to speak, but Gu Ting Ye raised his hand to interrupt her and suddenly asked: "Did you pay your respects to the madam this morning?"

  Qiu Niang hastily said: "This is natural, how could I, a slave, dare to forget my place."

  "Why didn't you give it to the lady this morning?"

  Qiu Niang heard this sentence, she couldn't believe it and suddenly raised her head, seeing Gu Ting Ye's eyes with a hint of blame and even a few hints of sarcasm. She opened her mouth but was speechless, her eyes reddening as if tears were about to fall.

  The room was quiet, Minglan felt extremely embarrassed and wanted to slip away, but half of her skirt was pinned down by Gu Tingye, unable to move. She could only slightly tilt her head, pick up a book "Shan Hai Jing" beside the soft couch, and pretend to read it.

  "If you don't want to stay, I can give you a generous dowry and ask my wife to find a good family for you to marry into. You can leave and get married properly." These were the first words spoken by Gu Tingyan.

  "No!" Qiuniang cried out in a loud voice, her face filled with terror, knocking her head repeatedly on the ground, tears streaming down her face. "I have no second thoughts towards you, my heart's desire, my heart's desire... how could Master not know?! I would rather die immediately, rot into a corpse, dissolve into pus, and burn into ashes than leave!"

  Minglan felt uneasy all over, and hated to cover her ears. This kind of mournful and resolute confession, she had never heard it in this life or the next, her scalp was numb, and she couldn't help but glance at the man beside her.

  "Things in this world can't always go as you wish." Gu Tingyan was unmoved, seemingly a bit melancholic, with a distant and profound gaze, as if thinking of something from the past. He continued slowly, "I know your intentions, I thought you also knew mine, it seems I misunderstood."

  Qiu Niang sobbed quietly, while Ming Lan almost buried her head in her book.

  "You've been jumping around these past few days, not knowing the rules, making a fool of yourself. In the past, you never said a word, could it be that you really think you're the master now and have forgotten your own identity?"

  Qiu Niang's lips trembled, her heart chilled to the core, and she didn't dare look up at the man again. She quickly lowered her head; she had been serving Gu Tingyan since childhood and knew that his temperament was straightforward and violent. Although he was much more stable now, but in essence, he hadn't changed. He either wouldn't get angry or when he did, it would be extremely fierce.

  This was also the first time Minglan heard Gu Tingye's outburst, so calm and collected, yet every word cut deep; a gentle breeze on a sunny day, but with an undercurrent of ominous danger lurking beneath.

  "You've followed me for so many years, always loyal and dedicated. The dignity and wealth that are yours by right, I won't deprive you of them. Even after a hundred years, there will be people who will provide for you with a bowl of rice." Gu Tingyan became even more indifferent, "But you should also know to cherish your blessings. I entrust Rong Jie to you, and you should know how to treat her without me having to teach you; if you don't know, there are plenty of people who do."

  Qiu Niang knelt on the ground, holding back tears, and didn't dare to lift her head.

  "Go ahead, think carefully about your own duties."

  After Gu Tingyan said this, Qiu Niang wiped away her tears and walked out with her head down. When she reached the door, Gu Tingyan suddenly called out to her again. Qiu Niang turned back around with a hopeful expression on her face, but heard Gu Tingyan say, "In the future, if you have anything, just give it directly to Madame."

  This sentence was the last straw, Autumn Girl's face turned pale instantly and she stumbled out.

  The two people in the house didn't say a word, after a long while, Minglan let out a deep sigh: "Even if you want to scold her for a couple of sentences, you should have asked me to leave first, this way...her face won't be able to hold up." How embarrassing.

  Gu Tingyan leaned back and lay down, his head resting on Minglan's thigh, saying briefly: "She was too greedy."

  Minglan thought to herself, Qiu Niang mistakenly believed that the hardships they had shared over the years could develop into romantic love, and as a concubine, this was not only greedy but also annoying and pitiful.

  Gu Tingyan seems to be heartless, but in fact he is also for her own good. A big man, actually speaking so bitterly to a concubine, is also because of his affection. Compared to Bao Yu spoiling the maids to the point of being lawless and then the girls ending up with miserable fates, this seems to be much better.

  "Do you pity her?" Gu Ting Ye looked at Ming Lan and asked softly.

  Minglan nodded and then shook her head.

  Man is a social animal, comparison has results.

  Minglan used to think that her life was quite suffocating, but compared to those servants and poor families who couldn't even afford food, hers wasn't bad; Qiuniang was indeed pitiful, but compared to many concubines who didn't end up well, she was actually quite lucky, because her master had some sense of responsibility.

  The Sheng family is considered a virtuous household, and Sheng Changfeng is also considered a sentimental person. However, since Ke'er has passed away, no one will blame Changfeng for being heartless. The concubines left by Changfeng's side are also as fragile as floating duckweed, waiting to see how the future mistress will deal with them.

  Someone great once said that people in the Third World do not have love. This society is clearly stratified, and those at the lower levels seem to be unqualified to pursue luxurious emotions, with survival always being the top priority.

  Gu Tingyan saw Minglan not saying a word, her face looking somewhat strange, he asked again: "Are you angry?"

  Minglan shook her head and then nodded.

  Gu Tingyan furrowed his brow, pulled Minglan's ear and said in a low voice: "Speak."

  Minglan sighed, "Obviously it's the duty of the Minister to serve the Emperor, but a small Langzhong like him is always taking the lead and putting his heart into it. Do you think the Minister would be happy about that?" It would be strange if he wasn't demoted or dismissed from office. As a concubine, if she showed more concern and infatuation for that man than the main wife did, then she was asking to die.

  Gu Tingyan couldn't help but laugh: "This metaphor is quite good."

  He thought for a moment and couldn't help but say: "You're so kind-hearted, I thought you'd have the magnanimity to advise me to go to her room."

  Ming Lan immediately shook her head and retorted, "If you were Wei Qing, would you give up your command to a general like Li Guang who has been unlucky his whole life?"

  Gu Tingyan hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "No way. Not to mention that it's not proper, but also, my military achievements were earned by myself through hard work and bloodshed, why should I give them to someone else? It's not like I'm the one who made him 'difficult to promote' for life."

  "That's great, I mean the same thing." Minglan clapped her hands and smiled brightly, "Firstly, it wasn't me who asked Autumn to be a concubine, secondly, it wasn't me who asked her to wait for you, thirdly, I will only marry one husband in my lifetime, why should I use my own man to make up for her?!"

  Even if I treat my husband as my boss, which CEO would allow an administrative assistant with ulterior motives to curry favor with the chairman in front of him? Please! Can't you be more professional?

  Even in ancient times, one must talk about professional ethics, and even if pretending, one must pretend to be a very tense man.

  Gu Tingyan got up, stared at Minglan with wide eyes, and Minglan innocently looked back. The two of them glared at each other for a long time before bursting into laughter together. They laughed until their faces were bright red. Gu Tingyan heavily pressed down on Minglan's body, laughing silently, his chest shaking transmitted to Minglan's body. Their noses touched each other, and the hot air moistened their cheeks.

  The man said in a low voice: "Your last sentence was well said."

  Ming Lan blinked her eyes: "Which sentence?"

  As soon as Gu Ting Ye glared at her, she was about to go and tease her, she hurriedly coquettishly begged for mercy. After a ruckus, the two of them lay panting on the couch. Minglan caught her breath, pressed her face against the man's chest, and said languidly: "Except for one person, no one can make me give up my own man."

  "Who is so formidable?" Gu Tingyan asked with a smile.

  "You." Minglan sighed with a bitter smile. If a man wanted to change his mind, then she had no way out, so it was better to prepare for the worst and think of countermeasures early on. After all, life had to go on.

  The girl's bright eyes were as clear as a cloudless sky, and she was playfully teasing, but beneath her eyes was a hint of helplessness.

  Gu Tingyan quietly looked at her.

  Ugh, it's always like this, I clearly finished writing but ended up revising for half a day, I'm really too slow.

  Waaah, can't get up again tomorrow morning!