Even though Ji Wujing’s courtyard was secluded, it was daytime and almost noon. Gu Jianli steadied her nerves and spoke in a calm tone, “What does my dear nephew wish to say to me?”
She discreetly picked up another white glazed teacup from the table, sipped the cool tea, and then placed the cup down, her fingers gently spinning it on the rim.
“Fengxian wants to tell Fifth Aunt that you are not alone anymore. If you ever need anything, you can always come to Fengxian. No matter what it is, whether day or night…”
His voice lowered towards the end, carrying a hint of a lewd undertone.
Zhao Fengxian’s lecherous face made Gu Jianli nauseous, but she had to suppress her anger and spoke calmly, “Indeed, your Fifth Uncle’s courtyard is secluded, but it’s almost time for lunch. Are you planning to stay for a meal? If so, I’ll need to notify the kitchen.”
The sweet, soft voice melted most of Zhao Fengxian’s body. He smiled and said, “Fifth Aunt, why don’t you trust Fengxian’s goodwill? Fengxian just came by today to see how you are doing and to express my heartfelt concern.”
He couldn’t help but take two steps forward, glanced back at the bed, and continued in a low voice, “On the night before you married, Fifth Uncle coughed up blood. The imperial physician from the palace came and said Fifth Uncle wouldn’t live past the New Year. Now there are only ten days until the New Year. You know well how the household will treat you by then. If you just nod, we can work together on a little scheme…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but Gu Jianli already understood—he wanted to imprison her as a concubine under the pretext of saving her life.
“Fifth Aunt, think it over carefully. It’s time for lunch now. Fengxian will take his leave.” He left, glancing back frequently, his eyes oily and suspicious. He exited through the side gate of the courtyard, looked around to ensure no one was watching, and then swaggered down the main path, his mind still filled with Gu Jianli’s face. Feeling an unbearable itch in his heart, he decided to visit the pleasure quarters for some fun.
Inside the room, Gu Jianli’s straight back slumped as she leaned wearily against the rosewood chair, staring blankly at the shattered porcelain on the floor.
If she ruined this face, would it reduce a lot of trouble?
Should she speak out about Zhao Fengxian’s visit and seek protection? The Marquis of Guangping’s mansion clearly wished for her to die early to avoid being implicated. She was already isolated and without support.
The chatter of children interrupted Gu Jianli’s thoughts.
Nanny Lin was holding Ji Xinglan, with Ji Xinglou following beside her. Entering the room, she set Ji Xinglan down and smiled at Gu Jianli, saying, “Madam, I’ve brought Sixth Young Master and Fourth Sister here.”
Ever since he entered the room, Ji Xinglou kept his head down, while Ji Xinglan kept hiding behind Nanny Lin, somewhat afraid. Nanny Lin gently pushed the little girl in front of her and softly said, “From now on, this is your mother. Greet her.”
Ji Xinglan raised her head, curiously looking at Gu Jianli, her big eyes blinking, her little mouth slightly open, wanting to greet but hesitating.
Gu Jianli got up, walked lightly over, and squatted in front of the two children. She gently patted Ji Xinglan’s head and said softly, “It’s alright, you don’t have to greet me if you don’t want to.”
Ji Xinglan tilted her little head, curiously observing Gu Jianli. She found her very beautiful and her voice pleasant. She couldn’t help but grin at Gu Jianli.
Nanny Lin repeated, “Miss Lan, greet her.”
“Mother…”
Ji Xinglou, who had been keeping his head down, suddenly pushed Ji Xinglan. Gu Jianli quickly caught Ji Xinglan. In Gu Jianli’s arms, Ji Xinglan turned to look at her brother, pouting in grievance. However, when Ji Xinglou glared at her, she immediately didn’t dare to cry and looked at him pitifully.
Ji Xinglou sneered and said grumpily, “I want to eat!”
“Well…” Nanny Lin looked at Gu Jianli.
Gu Jianli nodded, “You may go.”
Nanny Lin acknowledged and hurried out to prepare.
Gu Jianli ignored Ji Xinglou and directly picked up Ji Xinglan. Holding her, she sat by the window, gently tapping the little girl’s nose with her fingertip, and softly said, “Your name is Xinglan, isn’t it?”
“Wow, how did you know?” The little girl asked, eyes wide with amazement.
“Not only do I know your name is Xinglan, but I also know you’re four years old this year.”
Xinglan shook her head and said in her soft, sticky voice, “Wow, you know so much! I am four years old!”
As she spoke, she held up five fingers. She tilted her little head to look at her fingers, thought for a while, and then retracted one finger.
Gu Jianli couldn’t help but laugh and leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on the little girl’s cheek.
“Our Xinglan is so pretty!”
Xinglan looked at Gu Jianli in a daze. She suddenly kicked off her shoes, grabbed the fabric of Gu Jianli’s clothing on her shoulder, stood up unsteadily, leaned towards Gu Jianli, and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.
“You are also pretty!”
Once a child starts talking, they chatter non-stop. With her endearing face and soft, sweet voice, it was hard not to be charmed.
Ji Xinglou, who was standing aside, watched them chatting away, completely ignoring his existence. He walked over to the wardrobe and kicked it a couple of times, creating noise.
Sure enough, Xinglan turned her head, but Gu Jianli easily drew her attention back, continuing to ignore Ji Xinglou.
Ji Xinglou was angry.
He walked over to the shattered porcelain bowl on the floor, squatted down, and started playing with it. He remembered how Nanny Lin would always rush over in a panic to pick him up, exclaiming, “Oh my little ancestor, don’t hurt yourself!”
However, after playing with the fragments for a while, the two sitting by the window still ignored him.
Gu Jianli glanced at Ji Xinglou silently and mouthed his name: Xinglou?
An image of the night sky filled with starlight suddenly appeared in her mind. Initially, it felt desolate, but soon it spread out, full of hope.
At lunch, Ji Xinglou ate in silence, while his sister sat on that woman’s lap.
“I’m full!” Ji Xinglou jumped off his chair and dashed away.
Nanny Lin exclaimed, “Oh dear,” and hurriedly followed him. It seemed this was a familiar scene.
Ji Xinglan slurped a noodle, wiped her mouth with her small hand, and looked up at Gu Jianli, asking in her unclear speech, “What’s wrong with Brother?”
“Brother is full. Our Xinglan can continue eating this.”
“Can I come play with you in the afternoon…” Ji Xinglan pouted her chubby little mouth.
“Of course you can.”
With the excuse of looking after the children, she wouldn’t have to be alone with Ji Wujing all the time. Moreover, Xinglan was so adorable, which was a pleasant surprise.
As for Ji Xinglou, Gu Jianli could see that the child’s upbringing was problematic, but a personality shaped by the environment couldn’t be changed overnight.
Gu Jianli personally carried Xinglan to take a nap. She wished she could stay in Xinglan’s room and sleep with her, but she had to steel herself to do something…
Previously, it was Changsheng who fed Ji Wujing, but now that he couldn’t enter the room, this task fell to Gu Jianli. In the morning, she had managed to avoid it by going to the main house to pay respects, but now she couldn’t escape.
Gu Jianli carried a bowl of porridge into the inner room, hesitating by the screen as she looked at the bed. The porcelain bowl became hot in her hands before she finally moved to sit on the edge of the bed.
She placed the porridge bowl on the small bedside table and prepared a cloth, placing it next to Ji Wujing’s pillow. At home, she had fed her unconscious father before, so she had some experience.
“Don’t panic, just wipe it off if it spills. Keep trying and you’ll get it in. He’s unconscious and can’t hit you, just pretend… pretend you’re feeding Father…” Gu Jianli muttered to herself, finally picking up the bowl, checking the temperature, and carefully feeding Ji Wujing.
It went much smoother than she had anticipated.
Then Gu Jianli suddenly realized that today she was only feeding him. Would she be responsible for bathing him in the future too?
Her hand trembled, and the porridge from the spoon dripped onto Ji Wujing’s face. Startled, she hurriedly wiped it off with her fingertip, then frantically remembered to use the cloth to clean him properly again.
After feeding Ji Wujing the small bowl of fish porridge, Gu Jianli exhaled a long breath of relief.
This was only lunch; there was still dinner to go.
On her second night after getting married, Gu Jianli, just like the previous night, carried a quilt and slept on the Luohan bed.
At night, Gu Jianli left a lamp on before lying down. She lay on her side with her knees bent on the Luohan bed, eyes closed but unable to fall asleep for a long time.
So, when someone jumped in through the window, she woke up immediately.
“Who’s there!” Gu Jianli sat up, grabbing the dagger hidden under her pillow.
“Fifth Aunt, you actually sleep on the Luohan bed, hehe, newlyweds, and Fifth Uncle can’t accompany you. How about Fengxian keeping you company…” Zhao Fengxian staggered with every step, reeking of alcohol.
Gu Jianli thought, “This is bad.” During the day, he could still maintain some decorum, but now, drunk, his true nature would likely show.
As she ran toward the door, she shouted loudly, “Nanny Lin! Changsheng!”
Unfortunately, as a young girl, she couldn’t outrun Zhao Fengxian. He caught up with her in a few steps, reaching the door before her and blocking it with his back.
At that moment, Gu Jianli missed her father terribly. If her father were well, he would never let her suffer such humiliation.
“Don’t run, hic…” Zhao Fengxian staggered towards Gu Jianli, “Fifth Aunt, let Fengxian keep you company…”
Gu Jianli gripped the dagger tightly, retreating as she sternly scolded, “I am your elder! You can’t behave so outrageously!”
Her calf bumped into something, causing her to fall backward. She turned her head and saw Ji Wujing lying on the bed, realizing she had retreated to the inner bed in the room.
In a panic, she said, “Your Fifth Uncle is still in this room! He woke up once today. If you touch his wife in front of him, aren’t you afraid he’ll wake up and come after you?”
Zhao Fengxian laughed twice, stumbling forward, and tripped over himself. He didn’t rush to get up, but instead looked up at Gu Jianli and grinned, “Fifth Uncle is dying, he knows nothing. Even if I took off my pants and peed on his face, he wouldn’t… hic!”
Zhao Fengxian’s smile froze on his face, and his drunken eyes slowly regained clarity. A wave of coldness swept over him, sobering him up in an instant, making him tremble all over.
Gu Jianli was stunned. She slowly turned her head and looked to her side, only to see a pair of fox-like eyes watching her with a mocking smile. The eyes were long and narrow, with slightly upturned corners, adding a touch of charm. Beneath one eye was a beauty mark, adding an extra hint of allure.