Eat.
Don’t look at me.
…
Hearing these two sentences, Gu Wuyou’s face instantly turned red. She couldn’t even speak and hurriedly lowered her head. After a long while, she stammered out a soft “Oh.”
How embarrassing.
She thought to herself.
However, she blinked and felt that the Great General who had just spoken to her seemed much gentler than before, not as impatient anymore. She quietly lifted her eyelids and glanced across.
Sure enough.
The Great General now looked much more peaceful.
Although she didn’t know the reason, just being able to sit and have breakfast calmly with the Great General was enough to make Gu Wuyou happy for several days.
Her stomach was already grumbling lightly. Fortunately, the sound wasn’t loud. With a flushed face, Gu Wuyou picked up a spoon, planning to eat the wontons.
But when she saw the chopped scallions sprinkled on top, her small face scrunched up. She hated eating scallions the most. If it were before, she wouldn’t even touch anything with a hint of scallion flavor.
But now, with the Great General sitting right across from her, she didn’t want him to think she was spoiled. Besides, she was really starving at this moment.
So, she could only frown, pick up her chopsticks, grab a small bowl, and start picking out the floating scallions one by one. After carefully picking them out for quite a while, she finally got rid of them all.
Breathing a light sigh of relief, she finally began eating the wontons.
Gu Wuyou’s eating posture was very refined—chewing slowly and carefully, exuding the demeanor of a noble family’s young lady. However, she was worried that Li Qingyuan would finish eating and leave without waiting for her. So while eating, she kept sneaking glances at his bowl while hastily stuffing food into her mouth.
Seeing her like this, Li Qingyuan frowned. He had actually almost finished eating long ago. If it were just moments ago, he probably would have already tossed down some silver and left.
But now, seeing the little girl across from him with her cheeks puffed up, desperately trying to eat faster, yet struggling because she was used to chewing slowly and carefully—her eyes even welling up with anxious tears—his hand movements slowed considerably.
Even so.
With just this one bowl of wontons, it was bound to be finished soon.
Just then, Old Zhang, who had been busy, finally came inside. Li Qingyuan simply put down his spoon and started chatting idly with him. “Finished with work?”
Old Zhang looked at him in surprise, probably not expecting him to take the initiative to speak today. But after rubbing his slightly stiff hands, he smiled and replied, “Just about done. Those who need to go to work have already left. With such cold weather, the ones staying home are too lazy to come out.”
“Mm.”
Li Qingyuan nodded. “The books I gave Zhang Yuan before—how is he finding them?”
At the mention of this, Old Zhang immediately beamed. “I was just about to thank you. The books you gave him are exactly what he needed. I had been thinking of going to the bookshop to buy them, but that would’ve cost money, and I might not have been able to find them all.”
“That kid has mentioned several times that he wants to thank you in person. When do you have time to come over for a meal?”
“We’ll see.”
Gu Wuyou had just swallowed the wonton in her mouth. Seeing that Li Qingyuan was sitting across from her, chatting leisurely with Old Zhang and not in a hurry to leave, she finally relaxed and slowed her movements.
Now that she had time.
She perked up her ears to listen to their conversation. The more she listened, the happier she felt. She just knew that the Great General was a good person! Even though the Great General now was aloof and difficult to approach, his heart was still as kind as before.
Back then, whenever the Great General encountered subordinates in difficulty, he would always help without hesitation. Sometimes, he would even dress in plain clothes and distribute porridge. Many people in the capital had received his kindness.
She ate her wontons with a smile in her eyes. Even though there was still a faint taste of scallion mixed in, it didn’t seem so unbearable anymore.
When she finally put down her spoon, Old Zhang asked at just the right moment, “Are you done eating?”
“Mm!”
Gu Wuyou nodded. Because she was happy, her eyes were still bright.
Seeing her like this, Old Zhang felt that she looked just like a little girl in her youthful years—cheerful and endearing, making people naturally want to dote on her. His voice softened even more. “If you like it, come again next time.”
“Alright.”
Gu Wuyou still wanted to say more.
But Li Qingyuan spoke first, “Uncle Zhang, I’ll be going now.” He placed some money on the table, then got up and walked toward the door.
Gu Wuyou quickly reached into her small pouch and took out a gold bean. When she went out, she was always accompanied by others, so her pouch usually contained either silver notes or small gold beans meant for tipping. She had no idea how much the meal cost, so she casually grabbed two or three gold beans and was about to place them on the table.
Old Zhang quickly stopped her. “Oh my little ancestor, it’s just a bowl of wontons, there’s no need for so much money!” Then he added, “Besides, Young Master Li already paid for you. Hurry along now, don’t be late for class.”
Huh?
The Great General paid for her?
Gu Wuyou stared blankly at Old Zhang, feeling that his words weren’t entirely reliable. But seeing how firm he was about it, she could only take a step back, deciding to bring some loose silver tomorrow when she went out and make up for it then.
“Thank you, Uncle Zhang.”
Following Li Qingyuan’s example, she addressed him accordingly. Seeing that the Great General was already about to step out the door, she didn’t have time to hesitate and quickly ran after him.
She originally thought that Li Qingyuan would walk as fast as before, but to her surprise, when she stepped outside, she saw him chatting with a few street vendors by the roadside. They seemed to know each other.
When he noticed her coming out, he finally started walking again. He didn’t look back, but his pace was neither hurried nor slow.
Gu Wuyou didn’t know if Li Qingyuan was deliberately accommodating her or if he was simply tired and didn’t want to walk too fast. But whatever the reason, she was happy. Her eyes curved into crescent moons, and the corners of her lips lifted high.
When they passed by a candied hawthorn stall, she suddenly stopped.
Even though she had picked out all the scallions earlier, the taste still lingered in her mouth. Now, seeing the tempting candied hawthorn, she found herself unable to move forward.
“Young lady, would you like a skewer?” the vendor asked with a smile.
Gu Wuyou nodded. She opened her pouch, thought for a moment, then took out a gold bean and hesitantly asked, “Is this enough?”
“Uh…” The vendor was momentarily stunned and was about to reply when a few copper coins suddenly clinked onto the table.
The sound was crisp and clear. Not only did the vendor look over, but Gu Wuyou was also startled and turned her head quickly.
Li Qingyuan was standing right behind her, looking a bit impatient. He didn’t look at her but kept his gaze fixed on the road ahead. “Take your candied hawthorn and let’s go.”
The vendor quickly picked out a skewer and handed it to her.
Gu Wuyou accepted it but didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she tugged lightly on Li Qingyuan’s sleeve. When he turned to glare at her fiercely, she simply smiled, her eyes curving. “I want another skewer. Can I?”
People are like this.
When someone treats them a little better, they can’t help but push their luck.
Gu Wuyou now fully believed that Li Qingyuan had really paid for her meal earlier. She was feeling so happy that she couldn’t hide the joy on her face. At this moment, she felt even closer to him.
Back in the day, when she went out without money and wanted the Great General to buy things for her, she would always act coquettishly like this.
Even though her identity had changed now, this familiar way of acting was something she could never forget.
Li Qingyuan was momentarily stunned as he watched her. The little girl was very close to him, so close that he could feel the warmth of her breath as she spoke. She wasn’t afraid of him at all. She tilted her head up, held onto his sleeve, and looked at him with crescent-shaped eyes. It didn’t feel like their second meeting at all—it was as if they had known each other for years.
He found his own thoughts absurd, yet he was also at a loss for how to deal with this kind of intimacy—something he had never experienced before.
Pressing his lips together, he wanted to put on a cold face to scare her a little, to make her behave and stop touching him so casually. But clearly, this method didn’t work on the little girl in front of him.
This little girl seemed like she was born without the concept of fear.
Or was it—
Had he been acting too mild for too long, making people forget to be afraid of him?
Li Qingyuan frowned, considering the possibility. But just as he was lost in thought, the little girl, seemingly impatient from waiting, reached out again and tugged on his sleeve. When he finally looked at her, she showed no embarrassment at all and continued to act coquettishly.
“Pretty please?”
Li Qingyuan stared at her, neither speaking nor outright rejecting her. He simply pursed his lips, his face dark as iron, and after a long moment, silently pulled out a few more copper coins and placed them on the vendor’s table.
Gu Wuyou beamed with joy, immediately letting go of his sleeve and turning around to take another skewer of candied hawthorn.
Watching her unhesitatingly let go of his sleeve, Li Qingyuan felt relieved, yet at the same time, an inexplicable discomfort settled in his heart. Still, he didn’t say anything. He simply turned and walked toward the alley’s entrance.
But he had barely taken a few steps before someone grabbed his sleeve again.
“What do you want to buy this time?” Li Qingyuan turned around, his voice deep and tinged with irritation, on the verge of losing his patience.
But Gu Wuyou still wasn’t afraid of him. She blinked and looked at him with a bright smile. Under his unfriendly gaze, she extended the candied hawthorn in her hand toward him.
“For you.”
“One for each of us, okay?”
—
Author’s note:
The story from here on will be about the most beautiful girl in the capital step by step winning over her own husband. Of course, the scenes where the second male lead gets slapped in the face are absolutely necessary!