Chapter 70: Truly Destined
Ding ding ding!
The carriage door was knocked on with extreme rudeness.
“Who?” Wan Jing lifted the curtain and peeked out, her expression immediately becoming deferential. “Young Lord.”
Li Xiaonan eagerly craned her neck to look outside.
Gu Yan gestured with his fingers at Wan Jing. Not daring to look at Li Xiaonan, Wan Jing quickly got out of the carriage.
Li Xiaonan followed behind, about to get out as well.
“I have something to say to you.” Gu Yan reached out and stopped Li Xiaonan, stepping onto the footboard and getting into the carriage.
The carriage swayed, and continued forward.
Li Xiaonan stuck her head out the carriage window and saw Wan Jing hurrying away to a carriage behind them. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Gu Yan glanced at her sideways. Seeing her retract her head, he tapped his fingers on the table, “You got the silver, didn’t you?”
“I got it.” Li Xiaonan shifted backward.
“What are those?” Gu Yan pointed at two oiled paper packets tucked into the gap by the carriage window and asked.
“Nothing!”
Li Xiaonan answered swiftly, then leaned over to reach for the oiled paper packets.
Gu Yan’s folding fan shot out quickly, tapping Li Xiaonan’s hand and pushing it away. He reached for the oiled paper packets, weighed them in his hand, placed them on the table, and nudged them open with his folding fan.
“I said I’d treat you to lunch, not let you take things as well, did I?” Gu Yan covered the packets with his folding fan and glanced at Li Xiaonan.
“There was too much food. I asked Wan Jing what to do with the leftovers, and she said to throw them away. Since they were going to be thrown away, I might as well take them. This is all stuff your family didn’t want.” Li Xiaonan scooped up the two oiled paper packets, one in each hand.
“The lunch you had today was arranged by me personally. There was no plain boiled mutton, nor this peanut cake. This was something Wan Jing specifically asked for to take back, wasn’t it?”
Gu Yan extended his arm in front of Li Xiaonan and tapped the table with his curled fingers.
Li Xiaonan pursed her lips tightly, not answering.
“Next time you want to take something back, just openly tell them to send a portion to Cai Lian Lane. Look at you, sneaking around like this!” Gu Yan said with disdain.
Li Xiaonan turned her head to look out the carriage window.
“It was your first time at our estate, and I wasn’t there. Didn’t you ask where I went?” Gu Yan’s folding fan extended, paused above Li Xiaonan’s shoulder, and then landed on the table.
“Why would I ask where you went? You’re so noble, of course you can go wherever you please!” Li Xiaonan retorted unceremoniously.
“You little rascal! Fine, fine, I won’t argue with you. I went to see Yao Wu and her cousin.”
Li Xiaonan glanced at Gu Yan, not responding.
“Yao Wu is quite skilled in Kung Fu.” Gu Yan paused, leaned forward, and lowered his voice. “Yao Wu said she’s from Laiwu County in Yanzhou. I sent someone to Laiwu County, but they found no such person. Do you know why?”
Gu Yan smiled.
Li Xiaonan frowned slightly, looking at Gu Yan.
“There’s no Yao Wu in Laiwu County, only a Yao Pianxian, who is a beautiful woman.” Gu Yan continued.
Li Xiaonan froze for a moment, her eyes widening. “Then her cousin? Them?”
“That’s what I thought too. She said no, and she really doesn’t seem like it. This Yao Wu…” Gu Yan rested one arm on the table and detailed the past between Yao Wu and Wang Yuting. “…she was raised as a boy from birth. No wonder it’s impossible to tell. She deliberately damaged her voice with medicine, and when she fights, she’s like a madwoman who’ll drag you down with her. She’s ruthless.”
“Her and her cousin, one is ruthless, the other is cunning. They’re not simple.” Gu Yan clicked his tongue.
“Why did you send them to Linhai Town? To seize the Linhai Wharf?” Li Xiaonan asked, frowning.
“Let’s see what they can achieve. They might be of great use.” Gu Yan said with a smile.
Li Xiaonan’s brow furrowed. She looked at Gu Yan, then after a moment of silence, asked, “Why are you telling me this? This is all information that shouldn’t be shared.”
“I’m very happy. When I’m happy, I want to talk to you.” Gu Yan’s expression and tone were very serious.
“You still shouldn’t say these things. And what about the tax investigation you mentioned last time? How could you tell me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll leak the secret, or worse, report you?” Li Xiaonan looked at Gu Yan speechlessly.
“Where can you report me? Who would you report me to?” Gu Yan asked unceremoniously.
Li Xiaonan was speechless.
“You and I have a connection. I trust you, and you trust me…”
“Wait, when did I ever trust you? And what kind of connection do we even have?” Li Xiaonan interrupted Gu Yan.
Gu Yan looked at Li Xiaonan, was silent for a moment, then suddenly leaned forward and knocked on the carriage door.
The carriage immediately stopped. The door was pulled open, revealing Shi Gun’s face.
“Disperse the guards.” Gu Yan instructed.
“Yes.” Shi Gun gently closed the carriage door.
Gu Yan lowered his eyes and listened for a moment, then looked at Li Xiaonan. “When you were still in the countryside, your Sister would boil an egg for your Brother every day, and your Brother would always secretly give the egg to you.”
Li Xiaonan’s eyes widened in astonishment, and she stared straight at Gu Yan.
Gu Yan looked at her and sighed leisurely.
This was Lu Xiu’s greatest regret.
In the days when he and Lu Xiu were walking towards the Gate of Hell, Lu Xiu had said over and over: if she hadn’t eaten her Brother’s egg, her Brother wouldn’t have died of illness. If her Brother hadn’t died, she and her Sister would have lived well…
“You!” Li Xiaonan’s throat tightened, her voice changing.
“Our connection, you are ignorant, I understand. However, things and feelings that are too unusual, one should not overthink, nor speak of them too much.”
Gu Yan leaned forward, pushed open the carriage door, and called out, “Let’s go.”
The carriage started moving again.
Li Xiaonan swayed with the carriage, feeling as if the muddled mess in her mind had become even more muddled.
“Don’t worry, as long as I’m alive, I will protect you.” Gu Yan extended a finger and lightly tapped Li Xiaonan’s nose.
Li Xiaonan raised her hand to touch her nose and shook her head vigorously.
She truly wasn’t afraid of him, and she did feel he was trustworthy. But she still felt that his talk of a connection was fabricated nonsense.
But how did he know that she ate her Brother’s egg every day?
“What do you plan to do with that private money you’ve saved? Do business?” Gu Yan waved his hand in front of Li Xiaonan’s eyes.
“Mm.” Li Xiaonan only heard the words “do business” and hummed in response.
“When I have time, I’ll take you around to see things and help you pick out a very profitable business.” Gu Yan said with a smile.
“No need, I’ll find it myself.” Li Xiaonan rubbed her face and forcefully gathered her thoughts.
She would think about it properly when she got home. Right now, what had he just said?
“What did you just say?” Li Xiaonan asked casually, as the thought occurred to her.
Gu Yan chuckled.
This little rascal had some courage, but only a little. She was so scared.
“I’ll help you pick out a business, one that can make you rich enough to rival a nation.” Gu Yan leaned forward, speaking with a smile.
Li Xiaonan glared at him, then after a moment, pointed at him and exclaimed, “You were eavesdropping on us!”
“No!” Gu Yan denied outright.
“You definitely eavesdropped!”
“No! Your peanut cake fell out!” Gu Yan poked the peanut cake with his folding fan.
