Chapter 30: Forcing an Apology
Gu Yan took a few steps to stand behind Li Yin Zhu and Li Xiao Nan, who were huddled together. Just as he was about to flick his folding fan at Li Xiao Nan’s head, Li Xiao Nan let out a long sigh and pushed Li Yin Zhu back, “Stop looking, let’s go.”
Li Yin Zhu stepped back and turned. Just as she was about to say “good,” she bumped into Gu Yan.
Gu Yan reacted extremely quickly. He lifted his foot to step back, but before he could move halfway, he shifted forward again, directly colliding with the Li sisters.
After the collision, Gu Yan immediately stepped back, cupped his hands in a salute, and bowed apologetically, “Two young ladies, I was too engrossed in the excitement of the street and didn’t see you. I am truly ashamed.”
Shi Gun didn’t see Gu Yan’s backward and forward footwork, but he clearly saw Li Xiao Nan’s push and Li Yin Zhu’s rather clumsy retreat. Seeing that his Young Lord wasn’t glaring but was instead apologizing as if bathed in spring breeze, even though he considered himself well-traveled, he was still stunned.
Wang Gui, a guard and sparring partner who had been with Gu Yan since childhood, saw Gu Yan’s footwork clearly. No matter how hard he tried to suppress it, his eyes widened. After a moment of stunned silence, he felt he had regained his composure and looked up, cautiously observing Li Xiao Nan and Li Yin Zhu.
Earlier, when his Young Lord was staring intently at this Crab Shell Yellow pastry shop, he had been pondering why. He thought his Young Lord must have been observing the people’s sentiments and the officials’ conduct.
These Crab Shell Yellow pastries, costing ten large coins each, were so expensive yet sold so well. From this, one could infer that Pingjiang’s prosperity was indeed well-deserved.
He had just been marveling at how his Young Lord could see the big picture from small details, becoming more and more astute. Now, he had to doubt if his assumptions were entirely correct. The half-minute or so his Young Lord had stood there seemed to have been spent observing these two country girls.
These two girls were the sisters of that young Xiucai scholar. Then, his Young Lord asking him to inquire about that young Xiucai scholar, was it because of the scholar himself, or because of the scholar’s sisters… It should be this younger sister. Neither of these two girls was particularly attractive, but this younger sister was full of spirit, and this older sister was too fierce. However, it was hard to say; his Young Lord had always been different from others…
“No, no, no, no…” Li Yin Zhu stared blankly at Gu Yan, her eyes fixed on him, not even realizing she was repeatedly saying “no.”
The person before her was simply too handsome. Not to mention anyone she had seen in person, she had never seen anyone so handsome even in plays, though she hadn’t seen many plays.
Li Xiao Nan was truly experienced. She had even gotten close enough to chase after celebrities in the past. Seeing her Third Sister lost in a daze, she slapped Li Yin Zhu across the face and pushed her face towards the Crab Shell Yellow pastries.
“It was our sisters who bumped into you. We apologize,” Li Xiao Nan said, pulling Li Yin Zhu along as she tried to go around Gu Yan.
“It was clearly I who bumped into the young ladies. I wonder if anything is broken. I see that your elder sister, young lady, doesn’t seem quite well?” Gu Yan’s eyes were on Li Xiao Nan as he pointed his folding fan at Li Yin Zhu.
Gu Yan’s words carried a very obvious intention to strike up a conversation. Li Xiao Nan shot him a sideways glance and forcefully pushed Li Yin Zhu, “Third Sister, hurry up!”
“Don’t be afraid, young lady. My apology is sincere. Miss, are you alright?” Gu Yan glanced at Li Yin Zhu.
“Hurry, hurry!” Li Xiao Nan pushed Li Yin Zhu.
Li Yin Zhu was still dazed and confused. Acting on instinct, she raised her arm to protect Li Xiao Nan, pushed Gu Yan’s arm, and ran past him.
Gu Yan quickly sidestepped, glancing at Li Xiao Nan who was running straight ahead. He let out a snort, tapped the spot Li Yin Zhu had pushed with his folding fan, then patted Shi Gun’s shoulder with the fan. With a rustle, he opened his folding fan and followed behind Li Xiao Nan and Li Yin Zhu.
Shi Gun was so stunned he almost forgot to follow his Young Lord. Fortunately, Wang Gui gave him a push.
Shi Gun quickly caught up, grabbed Wang Gui’s arm, and gestured with his chin towards Gu Yan. Seeing Wang Gui look away, he gestured again.
Wang Gui turned his head away from Shi Gun and walked two steps forward, appearing calm and composed as he stayed by Gu Yan’s side.
Li Xiao Nan and Li Yin Zhu ran, not stopping, for seven or eight shops, finally hiding behind the large signboard of a fan shop to catch their breath.
“Was that person just now… a real person?” Li Yin Zhu couldn’t help but ask.
He was too handsome, too handsome to be real.
“That person is a scoundrel, don’t pay attention to him, let’s go.”
To be safe, Li Xiao Nan and her Third Sister started speaking in the Kunshan dialect.
“Little girl, I bumped into you sisters and wanted to apologize. Why are you acting like this? Do I look like a scoundrel?” Gu Yan walked out from behind the fan signboard, tapping Li Xiao Nan with his folding fan.
“You understand him!” Li Yin Zhu exclaimed.
Gu Yan leaned back slightly from Li Yin Zhu’s exclamation, his folding fan pointing at her. “Are you alright, this elder sister?”
“You didn’t bump into us; we bumped into you. We should be the ones apologizing. Please be magnanimous and don’t hold it against us, little ladies,” Li Xiao Nan said, pulling Li Yin Zhu and bowing to Gu Yan.
“It was clearly I who bumped into you sisters. I originally intended to offer a sincere apology, but instead, I disturbed you. My guilt…”
“Since you’re not holding it against us, then we’re even!” Li Xiao Nan interrupted Gu Yan and pulled Li Yin Zhu away.
“Hey, young lady, my apology…” Gu Yan had only spoken half the sentence before Li Xiao Nan and Li Yin Zhu, one after the other, had run off and disappeared from sight.
Gu Yan unfolded his folding fan, fanned himself for a moment, then slowly snorted. He closed the fan and pointed at Shi Gun, instructing, “Go, buy a cartload of eggs and deliver them to the home of these two young ladies. Say it’s from your master as an apology.”
“Ah?” Even though Shi Gun considered himself unflappable, he couldn’t help but widen his eyes and exclaim in surprise at his Young Lord’s command.
………………………………
That person is a scoundrel, don’t step on him, let’s go:
Translation: A lowlife （ scoundrel, originally meaning beggar, used as an insult ）, don’t pay attention to him, let’s go.
I’m a few minutes late because Xiao Xian became a group leader. As the leader of two groups, she’s been incredibly busy all day and even has to stay up late to receive shipments. Alas, I won’t dwell on it. Please bear with me if the updates are a bit late or early these days. After all, eating is a major matter, right?
Suffering!
