CH 16

Chapter 16: A Reminder 

“You are not allowed to treat He Niang badly. If she is wronged by you, always remember that my Tao Manor  is always open to wait for her to come back at any time.” Ever since Gu Ningxi proposed marriage, Tao Cheng had always reminded him about this.

Gu Ningxi’s ears were starting to get calloused from the repetitive reminders. So from the serious response and promise at the beginning, he changed to the simple four words “father-in-law rest assured”. That was enough to settle things up.

Tao Cheng was satisfied and reprimanded his son-in-law for a long time. He lectured about how He Niang had taken good care of him ever since they were married, to the fact that everyone from the Tao Manor missed the eldest daughter.

Gu Ningxi smiled bitterly. He then turned around and waited for Tao Xinqiang to also bid farewell to her father. The two of them then left the house together. Gu Ningxi asked his sister-in-law to go ahead first.

Thinking about how happy his wife would be after seeing his younger sister, he immediately lightened up. His carriage led the way first, followed by Tao Xinqiang’s carriage, bringing along another cart as a return gift.

***

“Sister, I’m here! I can guard you for eight days, so you have to accompany me all the time!”

As soon as she got off the carriage, Tao Xinqiang couldn’t wait to rush into the inner courtyard, leaving behind a string of silver bells and laughter.

Gu Ningxi was instructing his servants to move things over carefully, and only focused on this, but after hearing his sister-in-law’s words, he felt deeply wronged.

He managed to resolve the rift between him and his wife today, and the yamen was now sealed for the holiday. They can finally spend some alone time together, but apparently he brought over a lady’s twisted candy.

He took a deep breath. Then suddenly shook his head.

Why am I still competing with kids for favor?

He then followed to catch up with his sister-in-law, then said softly:

“The lady is probably waiting for you in the main hall, follow me.”

Gu Ningxi thought that as long as the lady is happy, then everything is fine. Anyways, they’re both husband and wife, and they still have a long time to come.

It gets dark early in winter. So when Gu Ningxi and the others returned to the mansion, the sun had already set in the west, and the twilight was foggy, it gave the mansion a hazy and gentle feeling.

Since it was late, Gu Ningxi thought that his second aunt had already left. After all, during the New Year’s Eve, all the houses were full of busy affairs, and the second aunt was also the mistress, so shouldn’t she be in a hurry?

Unexpectedly, when he took Tao Xinqiang straight to the inner courtyard, a maid blocked the way to give a salute, and then reported that his wife and their guests were still in front of the flower hall.

When Tao Xinqiang heard that Gu Runing was there, she cheered even more, and then quickly followed the maidservants to look for them.

Gu Ningxi originally thought that his sister-in-law would immediately go back to the guest’s room to pack her things after seeing his lady.

Then he can take advantage of the time when the two of them are alone, and use the excuse of passing on the family’s words to show off to He Niang.

How appropriate is it to go to my wife’s house alone to do business?

But the timing was not right now, so he had no choice but to put down the idea of ​​trying to regain his wife’s favor. He then went to see his relatives in a leisurely manner.

When he lifted the curtain and entered the door, he saw four female family members sitting around a table in a room. They were chatting about clothes and jewelry, laughing together from time to time. It gave off a very lively atmosphere.

However, facing this harmonious scene, Gu Ningxi just wanted to smile wryly.

He can only see four blurred faces. At least he knows who they are, which is better than being in a strange place where he don’t know anyone.

The terrible thing is, how can he tell the difference between the two women in the room who were both wearing water-red clothes?

The second aunt saw him by the door first, and said:

“Brother Xi, is it cold outside? Come in to warm up, put down the curtain on your hand, or the heat will run away.”

When Gu Ningxi heard the elder’s voice, his heart was finally relieved. He smiled shyly, then greeted “Second Aunt” softly. He rubbed his hands together deliberately, then put them to his mouth to breathe out and keep warm.

“It’s a bit cold, but it’s okay. ”

As he spoke, he approached the round table. He was paying attention closely to the reactions of the two women in water red dresses, hoping to confirm who his wife was.

“Brother-in-law, you are so strange. I clearly told you on the road that the robe my sister sewed for you is very good, and it can withstand the wind and cold. You are not afraid of the cold weather at all.”

He paid attention closely as he carefully approached the table.

One of the women in a water-red dress laughed softly, and it was not the same as his lady at all!

Gu Ningxi basically guessed who their identity was and then smiled.

“You have a good memory”, He continued walking towards the side of another woman in red who had not made a sound ever since he entered the room. He then secretly observed her.

On the top of the woman’s head was the bun with the tail that he was familiar with, and the two hair ornaments he sent were also used as a decoration. Gu Ningxi was now 70% sure that this was his wife. He carefully looked at the clothes again, and the pattern of the fabric matched to the one he remembered. So it should be right.

It’s probably because both husband and wife of the main family did not talk to each other, that the atmosphere was a bit off. The other three people gradually stopped talking. One drinking tea casually, while the other taking off his cloak. A moment of silence suddenly fell in between them.

Gu Ningxi sensed the awkward atmosphere, so he realized that he can’t wait for the lady to confirm her identity anymore. He put his hand on the woman’s shoulders. He then said softly:

“Madam, how long have you been chatting with the second aunt and cousin Ru Ning?”

The outsiders didn’t see that his hand only touched the water-red shirt, but he didn’t apply any pressure to the skin under her clothes. As if he was about to touch a hot potato, he was preparing to pull his hand away in case he got the identity wrong.

In order to maintain this ingenious posture, Gu Ningxi’s slender and well-proportioned hands and joints protruded slightly.

Tao Xinhe was just waiting for him to say “Madam” on his own initiative. She didn’t know what she was being stubborn about. It was completely different from the past, where everytime she saw Gu Ningxi, she would take the initiative to greet him. That way he doesn’t need to be so cautious about identifying her.

She  quietly let out the long breath that had been held ever since she saw her husband enter the room. Tao Xinhe acted nonchalantly, as if she hadn’t tested him secretly, her brows turned back to smiling, and she told him about Gu Runing’s happy event in a crisp voice.

Gu Ningxi then repeatedly expressed his joy. Then asked if there was anything he could do to help. He then naturally sat on the chair that the maid had prepared for him, which was right next to his lady.

He also quietly moved three inches closer to his wife, then stretched out his hand to caress Tao Xinhe’s fingers. He then held her hand firmly and looked at their interlocking fingers.

The sharp-eyed Gu Runing saw their intimate actions. She suddenly felt a bit envious.  So she teased them for a while. Tao Xinqiang and You Rongyan joined in the conversation with a smile. They commented about their good relationship, and how they were such a match made in heaven.

Tao Xinhe glanced at Second Aunt Gu sensitively. She remembered the words that she reminded her about earlier.

Did she feel that her husband was acting a bit contrived?

***

After the lively dinner, the second aunt who was full of praise and thanks, and Gu Runing who was reluctant to part with Qiang Niang were sent away.

Tao Xinhe was extremely tired, she then looked at the third sister who was staring at the departing figures from afar, and said with a wry smile:

“My good sister, please spare me for a night. I’ll listen to anything you want to say tomorrow, okay?”

As she said that, she covered her mouth and yawned again. She felt that her mind was not clear anymore.

Her forehead was throbbing and felt a bit painful. She casually rubbed her eyelids regardless of her image. She just wanted to fall asleep immediately.

“My sister didn’t wear ginger-yellow clothes today.”

Tao Xinqiang yelled as if she had just discovered some anecdote. However, after seeing how her sister seemed extremely sleepy, she kept silent. She nodded vigorously, and signaled her to go to rest first.

Tao Xinhe felt her head ache even more. The second aunt said the same thing during the day. She secretly asked her the reason why she decided to change the color of her clothes, but she quickly evaded the topic. Now her younger sister, who was not usually observant also noticed.

Did she use ginger-yellow to lock her husband’s gaze, and at the same time limit herself?

***

Gu Ningxi was held back by his second aunt for a bit. She murmured something to his ear, then left. He was then left standing at the door of the mansion for a long time. He was in a dazed by himself. He didn’t even notice that the lady had already brought his sister -in-law in.

It wasn’t until the night wind whizzed by, and something fell to the ground and made a “pop” sound, that he suddenly came back to his senses. He then realized that he was breaking out in a cold sweat. The chill was piercing his bones, and he hurried back to the inner courtyard, walking faster than usual as if he was in a hurry.

“My lady? My lady!” Gu Ningxi’s gentle voice carried a bit of urgency.

He walked into the main room but did not see the figure of the lady wearing the watery-red dress. He couldn’t stop thinking wildly. The lady had obviously calmed down at noon, did she feel sulky again when he heard the second aunt mentioning about Mo’s house matter earlier?

He even looked intently at the two maids staying inside the room, one was making the bed and the other was adding water to the teapot.

The lady will not repeat the old tricks and play the role of a maid again, right?

Gu Ningxi couldn’t see why, he suddenly clenched his fists and coughed twice.

The two servant girls squatted down in his direction and saluted: “This slave Liu Guang, greets the Lord.”

“Slave Chuyun, greets the master.”

“Where is Madam?” Gu Ningxi realized that the lady was indeed not in the room, and naturally showed an alienated and indifferent attitude again. He then quickly walked towards the door.

“The madam is going to settle down Third Miss Tao, so she should be in the guest room?”

Gu Ningxi quickly retracted his track. Then put his hand on the heavy door, and was about to push it open to go out and find his wife.

At this moment, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside. Gu Ningxi took a step forward, and before he could retract his hand, he stood still and saw the person wearing a red dress enter. His brows knitted a little bit, while his eyes were freely observing the details of the woman’s body.

Tao Xinhe was so sleepy that she didn’t have the energy to put on airs, and the private tone she used inside the boudoir in the past naturally came out:

“What is my husband doing by standing at the door?” She covered her mouth to cover up a yawn, and walked inside on her own.

Gu Ningxi closed his eyes, and then took a huge gulp. He finally let down the huge lump on his chest after hearing her normal intimate voice.

It wasn’t like this before. Everytime he and He Niang interacted he didn’t think there was anything special about it. It was only after experiencing the cold treatment last night that he finally realized how wonderful it felt, to be treated well by his wife. He doesn’t like the feeling of being alienated by her.

After the second aunt reminded him to pay attention to his behavior, he suddenly felt agitated.

In fact, he had already explained everything to his wife. He told her all about the matters regarding the brothers and sisters of the Mo family. Gu Ningxi quickly swallowed the words he had prepared for a while, and then asked casually,

“Is Qiangniang settled?”

Tao Xinhe had already walked to the threshold of the clean room, she turned her back to Gu Ningxi and nodded lightly.

“Yes.”

Then she paused with some hesitation, turned her head to one side and said in a low voice,

“After a long day of exhaustion, my husband should hurry up and settle down.”

Then she went in to wash up.

Compared to last night when she went to bed first and pretended to be asleep, her attitude has softened by more than a little bit. However, compared to the intimacy of the past it was different.

She used to personally take care of Gu Ningxi attentively, now she just casually open her mouth and doesn’t make any effort to assist him at all.

However, Gu Ningxi is already satisfied with this for now and just wants to reach out and kiss his wife.

***

TL NOTE:

I’ve been super busy lately.  I’ll try my best to release more chapters.