Chapter 254: An Old Married Couple
Li Xiaonan and Wan Jing chattered as they walked, turning towards the lakeside behind them.
The boat by the lake was much more refined than the previous one.
Gu Yan stood behind the embroidered screen at the cabin door, watching Li Xiaonan stop in the middle of the gangplank and turn to whisper to Wan Jing. He frowned slightly, wanting to sigh.
His aunt worried that she was narrow-minded and too easygoing, and would not be able to manage the affairs of the Prince’s Estate in the future.
He was not worried about her being narrow-minded; her knowledge was enough to discuss the world with him, more than enough to manage the Prince’s Estate.
But her easygoing nature was indeed too easygoing. Before, her close friendship with Wan Jing could barely be excused, but now, with their vastly different statuses, she should have some discretion.
Never mind, that could be discussed later. For now, there were greater difficulties facing him and her, one by one.
“You look well,” Gu Yan said, bowing slightly and looking at Li Xiaonan.
“You look well too,” Li Xiaonan replied, looking up at Gu Yan.
Gu Yan raised an eyebrow, followed Li Xiaonan, leaned forward, looked at her again, and asked, “Are you in a bad mood?”
“No, I’m fine,” Li Xiaonan said, sitting down at the table by the window.
“We should be honest with each other, shouldn’t we?” Gu Yan sat down opposite Li Xiaonan.
“Mm. I wasn’t great, but I’m better now that I see you,” Li Xiaonan said, looking at the dishes of pastries on the table. They were full, but the dishes were very small, only palm-sized.
“Why weren’t you well before you saw me? Was someone bullying you? Did your eldest sister scold you?” Gu Yan poured Li Xiaonan a cup of tea.
Li Xiaonan looked at Gu Yan and said, “First, my second sister received a letter from Ni Rush, talking about studying hard and not letting anyone down.
“Then, my eldest sister received a letter from Brother, which mentioned two things:
“One, Old Master Hong, accompanied by Mr. Shao, who is skilled in the investigation of things, visited the Gao Family School. Mr. Shao said that he was idle at the Hong Family residence and heard that the Gao Family School was expanding, so he wanted to seek a position as an instructor there, with tuition negotiable.
“Second, the day after Mr. Shao arrived at the Gao Family School, Ni Rush also arrived, seeking to study the investigation of things with Mr. Shao.”
Gu Yan pushed a plate of pastries towards Li Xiaonan, smiling. “I asked you to come over because I wanted to tell you about two small matters and one big matter. This is one of them.”
“Is this the big matter?” Li Xiaonan picked up a candied lotus seed.
“This is the smaller of the two small matters,” Gu Yan said with a smile.
Li Xiaonan put down the candied lotus seed and looked at Gu Yan.
“It’s nothing, just eat,” Gu Yan said, gesturing to the candied lotus seed.
Li Xiaonan didn’t move, just watched Gu Yan.
“Alright, I’ll speak first,” Gu Yan sighed. “Two small matters. The first is about an official matchmaker named Miao near Academy Street. Do you know this person?”
Li Xiaonan nodded.
Gu Yan continued to talk about the tea house and the Weaving Bureau’s Huang Qing wanting to propose marriage. Li Xiaonan listened intently, then looked at Gu Yan, waiting for him to continue.
“How do you plan to handle it?” Gu Yan asked.
“Huang Qing proposed marriage for his eldest son, but my eldest sister didn’t approve, and it was rejected long ago. The rest is your business; I haven’t planned anything,” Li Xiaonan said directly.
“Even if it’s my business, isn’t my business your business?” Gu Yan said, somewhat speechless.
“Not at least for now. Even if it becomes so in the future, this kind of thing is still your business, not mine.”
“This is a family matter, how is it not your business?” Gu Yan tapped the table with his knuckles.
“This is not a family matter, it is your personal integrity,” Li Xiaonan replied bluntly.
Gu Yan took a deep breath. He was being slandered; what did personal integrity have to do with it? Never mind, that could be discussed later.
“The second matter: I first had Zhou Shennian review Ni Rush’s writings and his person. Zhou Shennian greatly admired him, so I had Zhou Shennian make a trip to guide Ni Rush to the Gao Family School in your name.
“As for the Hong Family, I had Shi Gun find someone to send a message to your eldest uncle. Ni Rush and your second sister are very suitable; this is a good match.”
Gu Yan looked at Li Xiaonan, feeling a bit apprehensive. He had been slightly negligent in this matter; he should have confirmed with her before making arrangements.
“Mm, what is the big matter?” Li Xiaonan asked.
Gu Yan’s heart settled, and he smiled, “Our matter.”
Li Xiaonan raised her eyebrows. Gu Yan’s expression was serious, “Our matter is the biggest matter.”
Li Xiaonan picked up a candied lotus seed and put it in her mouth.
“Our last meeting was too rushed; we didn’t have time to discuss things in detail.”
Gu Yan watched Li Xiaonan pick up a second candied lotus seed, then reached out and pulled the small dish to the center of the table. Li Xiaonan put down her small silver fork, rested her arms on the table, and looked at Gu Yan, appearing to listen attentively.
“At the Pingjiang Villa, there is only me and you. In the Prince’s Estate in the Capital City, there are my parents.
“My father is fine; you only meet him occasionally. Even if he has a temper, he can only direct it at me. But you and my mother will have to spend time together daily.
“My mother is very learned, excels at policy essays, and has a dignified and courageous disposition.”
Gu Yan paused, looking at Li Xiaonan, and said with a wry smile, “I’ve never paid attention to my father’s or mother’s preferences, and I don’t even know what kind of daughters-in-law they like.”
Li Xiaonan rested her chin on one hand and sighed.
“I consulted my aunt, and her suggestion is for me to take you to the Capital City first. If you and my mother get along well, that would be best. If you don’t get along very well, we can see what the problem is and then figure out what to do. What do you think?”
Li Xiaonan nodded. “Okay.”
Gu Yan was momentarily stunned by Li Xiaonan’s straightforward agreement. After a moment, he leaned forward slightly and looked at Li Xiaonan carefully. “Are you angry?”
“What is there to be angry about? Things are like this; first, find the problem, then solve it,” Li Xiaonan sighed again.
Gu Yan held up his index and middle fingers to Li Xiaonan. “You’ve sighed twice in these few sentences. Aren’t you angry?”
“Anger is like breathing heavily, not sighing. My sighing is a feeling of emotion. You talking to me now feels like an old married couple,” Li Xiaonan sighed again.
Gu Yan raised his eyebrows, then chuckled.
Looking at her, he felt it was indeed like an old married couple.
“Is it not good to be like an old married couple?” Gu Yan asked Li Xiaonan tentatively.
“But I’m not old yet,” Li Xiaonan sighed again and reached for the plate of candied lotus seeds.
Gu Yan looked at Li Xiaonan, puzzled.
Being like an old married couple was about the tacit understanding between them, not about age. What did she mean by saying she wasn’t old yet?
Gu Yan couldn’t figure it out for a moment and set it aside, continuing his arrangements:
“When you have free time, come to the villa. You should look at the genealogies of the Prince’s Estate and its affinal families like the Wei Family and the Pan Family. There are also some writings, by my mother, my eldest sister, and the Crown Princess, among others, that you should read. People are like their writings. Before we go to the Capital City, the more you know, the better.”
“Okay,” Li Xiaonan nodded in agreement.
