In the main courtyard, Gu Huai Jiang sat in the middle of the room, looking over a couple of transaction records and repeatedly nodded his head.
“Jiu Ge has improved. With Bai Shu away, he alone managed to have the manor taken care of neat and orderly, and even was able to have his younger brothers taken care of well.”
Qi An stood by the door. Hearing his words, he couldn’t help but smile.
“Second young master is already 19 years old, and next year he’ll be coming of age, so naturally he’s made progress. Even third young master, fourth young master and them, all aren’t children anymore either. They’re able to take care of themselves well. Marquis can just rest assured!”
Gu Huai Jiang lift his head and glanced at him. Seeing him standing by the door with his back bent, he thus instructed him to sit down.
“Steward Qi, have a seat, you’ve been serving in this manor for decades now. You have more dignity than the young masters, no need to be this meticulous.”
Qi An didn’t humbly decline either and smilingly sat down half way on the round chair below.
“That’s right, Marquis, don’t know what dishes Miss Yu Fu likes to eat? This old servant has already ordered the kitchen to prepare extra dishes, just don’t know if they will suit Miss Yu Fu’s taste.”
Speaking of Yu Fu, Gu Huai Jiang affectionately smiled.
“No worries, she still isn’t too familiar with our Eastern Ling’s cuisine. Let her have a taste of all the different kinds of dishes of the imperial capital. That way, in the future, she’ll know what she likes to eat and what she doesn’t like to eat.”
Qi An couldn’t help but feel astonished inside.
“Could it be that Miss Yu Fu, she previously didn’t live in the Eastern Ling borders?”
“She previously had been living in the Immortals Valley the whole time. That is a place at the intersection of the three countries. There, the three countries’ custom, etiquette, food and so on all mix together. That’s why she’s still somewhat different from our Eastern Ling’s young ladies.”
Qi An finally understood.
“No wonder this old servant felt Miss Yu Fu was exceptionally lively and cute. Unlike the other upper class noble family misses, who were all restricted since young to be gentle and quiet.”
As for whether gentle was good, or lively was good, he momentarily couldn’t say either.
But judging from Gu Huai Jiang’s complexion, he clearly felt lively was good.
No, it’s possible that as long as it was Yu Fu, regardless whether it was gentle or lively, he would all like?
Qi An glanced towards the outside. The sky was gradually darkening, the sun slowly inclining towards the west.
“It’s almost time, this old servant will order someone to go invite Miss Yu Fu and the young masters to come dine right away.”
……..
Qi Ting lead Yu Fu out of the Western Wing. It was even the same path from when they came. Passing through a small pebbled path, they arrived at the main courtyard.
Gu Huai Jiang’s character and temperament was broad-minded, possessing elegance. His dwelling’s slender jade bamboo was dense like a forest.
Yu Fu looked around, while continuously nodding in her head.
This wasn’t far off from how she’d imagined Gu Huai Jiang’s residence to be.
Qi Ting’s expression was somewhat unhappy. From time to time, she would turn her head to look behind her. Yu Fu’s little hand lead along a girl that was about the same size as her.
This was a little girl that had appeared out of nowhere. Qi Ting had just went to the kitchen to pour some honey water, and came back seeing this little girl happily eating flaky pastries together with Yu Fu.
She was both alarmed and annoyed that this unknown wild girl actually stole her place.
“Great General!”
Before Yu Fu even walked into the main hall, she already shouted for Gu Huai Jiang, causing the servants serving below the corridor all look towards her.
Eastern Ling was a country strict on etiquette. Yu Fu’s behavior was somewhat rude.
But when everyone saw the smile on her face, they all disregarded her mannerless conduct, instead feeling that she was very innocent and lively.
Gu Huai Jiang also didn’t feel it was rude in the slightest.
He liked Yu Fu’s sweet voice carrying a smile and calling him Great General the most.
When the footsteps approached, Gu Huai Jiang eagerly raised his head, yet saw walking in Yu Fu holding the hand of an unfamiliar little servant girl.
That little servant girl also appeared to be only eleven or twelve, wearing plain and simple clothes. Her round face carried a shy but sincere smile.
“Great General, she’s Yao Lan, the Yao Lan that I told you about before!”
Gu Huai Jiang momentarily couldn’t remember, but afterwards, as if suddenly coming to realization, pointed to Yao Lan in shock.
“You’re saying, she’s that maid that’s been serving you since you were little, Yao Lan?”
Yu Fu happily nodded her head.
“But why would she appear here……”
An Immortals Valley’s little servant girl soundlessly appeared in the Marquis Manor, and moreover, not a single manor guard detected her presence.
How was this possible?
Gu Huai Jiang slightly knitted his brows and looked towards Qi An.
Qi An naturally was aware that this matter was of great concern and thus hurriedly bowed to acknowledge his mistake.
He was the manor’s head steward. Anything that happens in the manor were all his responsibility.
Seeing the situation, Yu Fu thought that Gu Huai Jiang was angry, and thus reached her hand behind her back to tightly grasp Lan Yao’s hand, indicating for her to not be scared.
“Great General, are you angry?”
As soon as Gu Huai Jiang looked down, he saw Yu Fu’s innocent pair of eyes, carrying a bit of panic.
He quickly smiled and explained to her, pacifying her mood.
“No, no, I was just curious. How did she appear in the Marquis Manor?”
Qi Ting lowered her head in shock. Just feeling that Gu Huai Jiang’s look just now was just like her father, Qi Zhou’s, whenever he was coaxing her.
But Qi Zhou was just a steward of the Marquis Manor, while Gu Huai Jiang was Eastern Ling’s dignified Great General Marquis that was below one and above thousands!
How could he be this doting towards an illegitimate daughter?
Qi An was already accustomed to seeing and wasn’t surprised.
From when Gu Huai Jiang helped clean the fragments out of her hair for her in front of Gu Xiang2Gu XiangGu family fifth son and Gu Yi3Gu YiGu family sixth son, Qi An had already understood his doting.
Seeing him not get angry, Yu Fu finally let out a smile in relief.
“What’s so strange about this? My master is the medicine god. If he wants to stuff a servant girl into the Marquis Manor, there were lots of ways. Great General doesn’t need to worry. I suppose, master is just worried about me, that’s all.”
Gu Huai Jiang nodded.
He had brought Yu Fu from the borders near Immortals Valley all the way to Eastern Ling’s imperial capital. Xun Chi as her master, being worried, is also reasonable.
It’s exactly as Yu Fu said. As the dignified, god of medicine, for him to want to stuff a little servant girl into the Marquis Manor, it indeed wasn’t difficult.
He rather helplessly shook his head.
“What is your master thinking? Wanting for you to descend the mountain to train, yet also arranging a fake mother and a servant girl by your side. Where was this anything like training?”
When Yao Lan heard these words, she looked to Gu Huai Jiang in confusion.
Training?
So this was what Yu Fu said to them…….
Yu Fu pulled on Yao Lan’s hand behind her, indicating for her to not expose her.
She stuck out her tongue, “But I’m this small, coming down the mountain alone to train, wasn’t that just looking for death?”
That is also true.
She’d just exited the mountains, when her hired mother got scared away by the troops, and she herself also got kidnapped back by Old Jin.
If she’d encountered bad guys, afraid she would’ve long gotten into trouble.
“Don’t worry, with me here, you can train however you like in Eastern Ling, you can even walk sideways.”
Gu Huai Jiang carefully avoided her flower bud hair and patted the top of her head with a smile; his appearance exceptionally gentle.
T/N: The releases for this novel will slowly pick up faster as time goes on. I’m still trying to work out a good work schedule to balance everything.
