“Where are we going?”
Gu Wuyou trotted along in small steps beside Li Qinyuan. It had rained last night, and the broken bluestone pavement was scattered with small puddles. She was afraid of dirtying her skirt, so she carefully lifted it while stepping over each puddle. Then, with a face full of confusion, she asked Li Qinyuan.
She had no idea where the great general was taking her.
Li Qinyuan didn’t respond, merely leading her forward in silence.
Even he wasn’t sure what kind of madness had taken hold of him, making him keep her by his side. He clearly shouldn’t be concerned about her. So what if she was hungry? She was a princess personally granted her title by the emperor—was there anyone who wouldn’t prepare food for her?
Just last night, he had told himself not to meddle in her affairs anymore, nor to let her meddle in his.
They were people from two completely different worlds and should not be entangled with each other.
She was a princess cherished and protected by countless people. Even though she had annulled her engagement, in the future, when she married, she would choose from the outstanding noble young men of the capital.
At the very least, they would have to be someone like his uncle or her third brother.
That brat Jing Yubai wasn’t bad…
Good temper, good character. In the future, he’d probably land himself a Grand Academician title. But that guy, despite looking easy to get along with—always smiling and warm—actually had plenty of schemes up his sleeve. If this little chili pepper ended up with him, she would surely be completely outmatched.
No, no, that wouldn’t do.
Li Qinyuan shook his head and quickly ran through other suitable candidates in his mind. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that each of them had some kind of flaw—none of them were truly suitable.
Gu Wuyou noticed him shaking his head one moment and furrowing his brows the next. She also frowned along with him. Finally, after stepping over all the puddles, she let go of her skirt, walked beside him, and asked in a small voice, “What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
Li Qinyuan was pulled out of his thoughts by her voice. Seeing the little chili pepper beside him staring intently at him, he nearly spat at himself in frustration. What was wrong with him? Who she married in the future had nothing to do with him—why was he worrying about it?
It was like he had been possessed!
Every time he encountered this little chili pepper, he couldn’t help but think about all sorts of things. If this went on, he might not even recognize himself anymore—acting like a nagging old mother.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the little chili pepper was about to speak again. Fearing that she would notice something off about him, he quickly spoke first, “We’re here.”
With that, he turned and entered a shop.
Gu Wuyou stood behind him, watching him flee in such a hurry. She found it strange but didn’t say anything, simply following him inside.
From the outside, it looked like an ordinary residence, but inside, it was an entirely different world.
Several tables were set up in the courtyard.
It seemed to be a breakfast shop, but the decor was quite elegant. Paintings and calligraphy adorned the walls, and a few pomegranate trees were planted in the corners.
However, since it was winter, most of the leaves on the pomegranate trees had fallen, leaving only bare branches with a few small, dried-out fruits still hanging.
Gu Wuyou glanced around curiously, finding everything novel and interesting.
“Why did you come here today?” A woman in her thirties was tidying up when she saw Li Qinyuan enter. She was slightly surprised and said with a smile, “You picked the wrong time—breakfast is all sold out. I don’t have anything left for a pampered young master like you.”
“Aunt Lan,” Li Qinyuan called out to her.
He had nowhere else to go, so he brought the little chili pepper here. Uncle Zhang’s place was definitely out of the question today. There were plenty of breakfast stalls outside, but whether they were clean or not was another matter. More importantly, the food they made would likely be something the little ancestor outside wouldn’t be able to eat.
Rather than listening to her complain later, he might as well bring her here.
Liu Lan raised an eyebrow. “Calling me ‘Aunt’ is useless.” Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the little girl in red in the courtyard. Her hands paused in their task before she smiled and asked, “Whose little girl is this?”
Hearing the voice, Gu Wuyou immediately trotted over to Li Qinyuan’s side. Just now, she had overheard a few words and also caught how the great general addressed her. Now, she curved her eyes into crescent moons and obediently greeted, “Hello, Aunt Lan.”
Liu Lan treated girls and boys completely differently.
As soon as she heard Gu Wuyou call her, she responded with a bright laugh, set down the bowls and chopsticks in her hands, and said with a smile, “Why are you so well-behaved?” Just as she finished speaking, a faint rumbling sound came from Gu Wuyou’s stomach.
Seeing the little girl’s face turn red as she hid behind Li Qinyuan, Liu Lan immediately understood what was going on. She grinned and stepped aside, saying, “Alright, go sit inside first. I’ll make a few pancakes for you.”
Li Qinyuan nodded and thanked her, “Sorry to trouble you, Aunt Lan.”
Then, he turned his head and saw the little girl behind him blushing furiously, one hand covering her stomach as if she were trying to fight against it. When she noticed him looking at her, she even puffed up her cheeks and said, “Don’t look at me!”
Oh?
This was probably the first time the little chili pepper had spoken to him like this.
Not even allowed to look at her?
Tsk.
Li Qinyuan found it amusing, but he still humored her and turned his head away, leading her inside.
Upon entering, Gu Wuyou immediately felt that this breakfast shop was nothing like a breakfast shop. There was no greasy, meaty smell in the air. The bowls and chopsticks on the tables were finely decorated with floral patterns, and the walls were adorned with numerous paintings and calligraphy pieces.
It looked more like a refined place for brewing tea and discussing philosophy.
“Sit down first.” Li Qinyuan found a well-lit spot, sat down, and began rinsing the chopsticks and soup spoon with hot water.
“Ah, okay.” Gu Wuyou nodded. Just as she was about to sit down, she caught a signature at the bottom of a calligraphy piece out of the corner of her eye. She instantly became excited and grabbed Li Qinyuan’s sleeve. “That, that—”
Li Qinyuan was in the middle of rinsing the utensils when someone suddenly pulled at his sleeve, startling him. Thankfully, he reacted quickly and didn’t spill the tea water, or else his entire outfit would have been ruined.
He set down the teapot, turned his head, and glared at her. Annoyed, he said, “What are you doing now?!”
Always pulling and tugging at him—where was her sense of propriety as a young lady?
Gu Wuyou didn’t notice his irritation at all. Instead, she excitedly clutched his arm and pointed at the calligraphy piece. “Look! Isn’t that Dean Xu’s handwriting?”
She had heard her father mention before that Dean Xu’s calligraphy was known as Bing Yan, and the signature on that calligraphy piece happened to be those two words!
Looking closer—
Every single calligraphy and painting on the wall bore the same signature.
Gu Wuyou was completely stunned.
“I see it, I see it,” Li Qinyuan responded without even lifting his head. He tried to pull his arm free from her grip, but it wouldn’t budge. This little girl looked small, but she was surprisingly strong.
With no other choice, he pulled her down onto a chair and scolded her, exhausted, “Let go of my arm first.”
What kind of habit was this?
Always pulling at his sleeve, grabbing his arm—
“Ah?”
Gu Wuyou lowered her head and glanced down, realizing that she had unknowingly grabbed his arm again. Her face flushed red, and she quickly let go, softly defending herself, “I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Li Qinyuan gave her a look but didn’t respond. In his heart, he scoffed: If this is what she does unintentionally, who knows what she’ll do if she actually means it.
Gu Wuyou felt as if little claws were scratching at her heart, making her unbearably curious. She couldn’t help but ask in a small voice, “Aunt Lan and Dean Xu…”
“That old man Xu likes Aunt Lan,” Li Qinyuan answered frankly. But since it was someone else’s private matter, he didn’t elaborate. After dropping that sentence, he simply poured himself another cup of water and sipped it.
Wow.
So it was really true.
Gu Wuyou had already been imagining things in her mind earlier, and she hadn’t expected her guess to be right. Her eyes lit up, and she couldn’t help but murmur, “Just like a storybook.”
Seeing Li Qinyuan turn his head toward her, she assumed he wanted to know what kind of story she was talking about. Excitedly, she said, “I read a story before about a charming scholar and a beautiful cook. It was so good!”
“In that story, the scholar pursued the cook by gifting her a painting he drew every day.” Back when she read it, she had even shed a few tears when the two of them finally got together.
The moment Li Qinyuan heard this, his face instantly darkened. “What kind of nonsense are you reading?!”
A charming scholar and a beautiful cook?!
Seeing the young man’s face turn black, Gu Wuyou felt a little nervous. Oops, she had completely forgotten—General Li hated it when she read these things. Before, whenever she secretly asked Bai Lu to buy books for her, no matter how well she hid them, the general would always find them in the end and take them away without mercy.
Sigh.
Life was too hard for her.
Fortunately, the general couldn’t control her now. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have a single bit of fun left.
Li Qinyuan saw that not only did she show no remorse, but she even secretly let out a breath of relief. It made him so furious that he considered anonymously writing a report to the Duke of Ding, tattling on her. A perfectly good young lady, yet her mind is filled with who-knows-what nonsense all day long!
Or perhaps—
He should report this to the Office of Book Inspection and have them confiscate all these ridiculous storybooks in the market, saving others from being led astray!
Gu Wuyou, oblivious to the great general’s internal schemes, was still thinking about whether she should take advantage of the time before she married him to stockpile a collection of storybooks at home. Otherwise, once she became his wife, she would definitely be banned from reading them again.
Each lost in their own thoughts—
Aunt Lan came in carrying breakfast, completely unaware of the strange atmosphere in the room. She smiled warmly and said, “You must be hungry? Here, I just made some meat pancakes. Eat up. I’ve also got porridge warming up—it should be ready soon.”
“Thank you, Aunt Lan! Let me help you.”
Gu Wuyou immediately stood up, intending to lend a hand.
“No need, just sit.” Liu Lan already had a soft spot for this girl, so how could she bear to let her help? Smiling, she placed the breakfast in front of them and added, “I don’t know if you’ll be used to the taste.”
Gu Wuyou had already smelled the delicious aroma wafting through the air. The moment she heard those words, she quickly reassured, “I’ll be fine!”
As she spoke, she hadn’t noticed that the steaming hot pancakes in front of her were sprinkled generously with chopped scallions.
Li Qinyuan had originally wanted to say something, but upon hearing her confident response, he paused. Raising an eyebrow, he decided to wait and see how the little chili pepper would react upon noticing the scallions…
He waited.
And waited.
Finally, the little chili pepper turned her head, her bright, smiling face directed toward the plate. The very next moment, her expression froze.
A few seconds later—
Her entire face fell.
“Pfft—”
Li Qinyuan couldn’t hold back—he laughed out loud.
Liu Lan glanced at him in confusion. “What’s so funny?”
“Ahem.”
Li Qinyuan cleared his throat. “Nothing.”
Hearing this, Liu Lan didn’t press further, though she gave him a look as if she were staring at a fool. She didn’t dwell on it long, turning instead to speak with Gu Wuyou. “Go ahead and eat. If it’s not enough, there’s more outside. I’ll bring you some porridge.”
Noticing the little girl’s pale face, she asked curiously, “What’s wrong?” Just a moment ago, she had looked so happy—why had her expression suddenly changed?
“Do you not like it?”
“Ah, no, no.” Gu Wuyou quickly waved her hands. “I like it.”
Afraid Liu Lan wouldn’t believe her, she even picked up a piece of meat pie that hadn’t been touched by scallions and put it in her mouth. After chewing and swallowing, she curved her eyes into a smile. “It’s delicious!”
“As long as you like it.”
Liu Lan smiled and left.
The moment she was gone, Gu Wuyou, who had just been all smiles, immediately drooped. She stared at the fragrant, steaming meat pies with a face full of sorrow. Wuwuwu, why did such delicious meat pies have to be covered in so many scallions?
She hated scallions the most.
Pouting, she decided to pick off all the offending scallions. Just as she reached out with her chopsticks, she saw that Li Qinyuan had already started removing them for her.
She froze.
Gu Wuyou blankly stared at Li Qinyuan.
Back when she used to eat with the great general, he had often picked out the scallions for her, too.
Even without looking up, Li Qinyuan could feel her gaze. He coughed lightly, looking somewhat awkward. Then, in a completely unconvincing manner, he said, “I don’t like scallions.”
Liar.
Gu Wuyou quietly called him out in her heart.
He didn’t dislike scallions at all. Even when they were mixed into meat pies, he could eat them without batting an eye. Her great general had never been a picky eater.
But she didn’t expose his clumsy lie. As if protecting the strong self-esteem and pride of the young man before her, she curved her brows and eyes, her expression sincere and full of joy. “Really? That’s perfect—I don’t like them either.”
Hearing her casual response without any further reaction, the discomfort in Li Qinyuan’s heart eased slightly.
He carefully picked out all the scallions, then pushed the meat pie back to her, clearing his throat. “Eat up. After this, we’re going to the academy.”
A good young lady shouldn’t be led astray by him.
“Mm.”
Gu Wuyou nodded. This time, she didn’t say anything else and obediently lowered her head to eat.
Even though the meat pie still carried a faint trace of scallion flavor that couldn’t be removed, it didn’t seem so unbearable anymore.
And… just knowing that the great general had specially removed the scallions for her made her feel like this little bit of taste was something she could tolerate!
Li Qinyuan wasn’t particularly hungry. He had eaten earlier, so he only picked up a small piece and ate it slowly.
However, his gaze kept drifting toward the little girl sitting across from him.
Perhaps relying on the fact that the little chili pepper wouldn’t notice, Li Qinyuan’s frequency of sneaking glances was rather high.
In truth, there were many things he wanted to ask…
She must have seen Zhou Changbai’s condition yesterday. So, what did she think of him now?
Did she find him terrifying?
She probably did. Zhou Changbai’s state was indeed quite horrifying.
He had always thought he could face anything, that he was indifferent to everyone and everything. But now, sitting across from the little chili pepper, he realized—deep down, he was actually afraid.
So afraid that he didn’t even know how to bring it up.
Just then, Liu Lan walked in, carrying a tray of porridge. The first thing she saw was Li Qinyuan frowning deeply, his face clouded with worry.
Having known him for so many years, this was the first time she had ever seen this usually indifferent young man wear such an expression.
Her gaze shifted slightly—to the pile of scallions on his side of the table.
A knowing smile surfaced on her face, though she said nothing. As she set down the tray and lowered the curtain behind her, she simply chuckled lightly and announced, “The porridge is here.”