The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure -
Chapter 732 - 731
Chapter 732: 731
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Swallow Alley.
A carriage stopped at the entrance of the alley, the curtain was lifted, and Song Chongjin hopped down from the carriage, extending his hand into the carriage with a slight smile.
If it had been any other day, Wang Yongzhu would have certainly jumped out by herself, who would have needed assistance?
But looking at Song Chongjin’s expression, Wang Yongzhu decided that since the atmosphere was so pleasant today, she might as well play the part of the frail one.
She reached out her hand and placed it on Song Chongjin’s. The contrast between one dark and one light hand was strikingly clear.
To any onlooker, a tall and robust man was assisting a charming woman down from the carriage, both sharing a smile filled with tender love...
If a passionately emotional scholar happened to be there, he would probably be so moved as to compose a poem on the spot.
Unfortunately, the one who witnessed this scene was Gu Zikai.
Gu Zikai had planned to go out in the morning but received a letter from home.
With Jing County and the Capital City being a thousand miles apart, even with the influence of the Gu family, frequent communication was not possible.
So to receive one letter from home in a month was considered quite good.
Gu Zikai had been away from the Capital City for some time and was quite concerned about his grandparents, as well as his parents and siblings.
Upon receiving the letter, he eagerly opened it and read it from start to finish, every word filled with the great expectations of his elders.
There were also a few letters from the elder women in the family, brimming with care and concern, filled with the mundane details of family life, asking about whether he ate well, slept well, and how his health was.
Considering Qingming Festival was approaching, Gu Zikai was especially homesick.
The receipt of these letters from home only intensified his longing.
Even though he had arrangements with some classmates to go out and enjoy the spring today, he lost the mood and sent Lang Hao to convey the message that there was a family matter and then stayed at home all day, composing several letters in return.
After sulking for half a day and as the afternoon approached, Mother Lang Hao couldn’t stand it any longer and urged Lang Hao to take their young master out to clear his mind.
Just this morning, she saw numerous young people going out to enjoy the spring.
Even the young couple from the backyard had left early in the morning, hadn’t they?
Perhaps it was her words that stirred Gu Zikai, who had not wanted to go out but decided to freshen up a bit and step outside.
As soon as he pulled open the courtyard gate, he saw a carriage parked at the nearby entrance of the alley, and then Song Chongjin disembarked from it.
Gu Zikai reflexively stepped back, hiding behind the gate, his gaze fixated on the two people.
Upon seeing that scene, Gu Zikai felt as though he couldn’t bear to watch any longer, overcome with an indescribable fury and discomfort.
He felt like running forward and pushing Song Chongjin away.
But he restrained himself, took a deep breath, and suppressed all his anger and discomfort.
He then regained his usual gentle and scholarly demeanor, even adopting a smile as refreshing as a spring breeze, before stepping out of the courtyard gate.
As if he had just noticed Song Chongjin and Wang Yongzhu, he greeted them proactively, "Brother Song, Sister-in-Law!"
Song Chongjin nodded at Gu Zikai, "Are you heading out?"
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Gu Zikai nodded, "The weather is nice today. I replied to some family letters at home this morning, but I couldn’t resist the spring scenery and wanted to go out for a walk. What about you?"
Song Chongjin’s mouth curled into a smirk, "Then you should go ahead, Brother Gu. We’ve already walked enough; we wouldn’t want to delay you. The day is still young, and there’s still time to leave the city. The peach blossoms at the East Suburbs Temple are quite nice, you may want to have a look."
The smile at the corner of Gu Zikai’s mouth stiffened for a moment before he could speak, Song Chongjin bowed toward him, "Brother Gu, please enjoy yourself, I must be off!"
With that, he took Wang Yongzhu’s hand and slowly walked home.
Gu Zikai’s smile disappeared entirely as soon as Song Chongjin and his company had left, and he stared at the backs of the departing pair for a long while without a word.
Even Lang Hao, who was slow on the uptake, sensed something was amiss, let alone the fact that he wasn’t actually foolish. He cautiously asked, "Young Master, do you have some...?" Issue?
Those words automatically muted themselves under the stare from Gu Zikai.
He wondered to himself, hadn’t his master always had a good relationship with Young Master Song from the back house? Why did his master’s expression seem off today?
Gu Zikai glared at him coldly, "Too many questions? Lead the way!"
Lang Hao dared not speak further and led the way.
Song Chongjin and Wang Yongzhu were both highly perceptive individuals, especially Song Chongjin. As someone who had edged close to death numerous times, he was particularly sensitive to people’s good and bad intentions.
The killing intent in Gu Zikai’s eyes just then was unmistakable.
Wang Yongzhu also felt it, and because of the matter with Wang Yongan, she was particularly wary of those who treated people with a seeming warmth.
At that moment, sensing his malice towards Song Chongjin, she was taken aback and reflexively turned to look back.
But Song Chongjin grabbed her, "Don’t look back!"
Despite her confusion, Wang Yongzhu obediently did not turn back, and the two continued back to the house as if nothing had happened.
Once inside and the door closed, Wang Yongzhu asked, "What’s going on between you and Scholar Gu? Weren’t you on good terms just a few days ago? What happened today?"
Song Chongjin did not answer, but looked at Wang Yongzhu.
Wang Yongzhu wasn’t foolish either; she pointed to herself, her eyes full of astonishment.
Song Chongjin nodded.
Wang Yongzhu was at once amused and frustrated. It was as if a black pot had fallen from the sky for her to carry!
If it had been a more narrow-minded man, there could have been chaos at home, marital discord for sure.
Fortunately, Song Chongjin was not that kind of person. He just casually said, "He behaves with some integrity as a gentleman should. Although he’s harbored that thought, he has not done anything despicable. He keeps it well hidden usually; no one would notice if not for me."
"His sudden transparency today is probably because he saw us holding hands, which must have caused him some distress, revealing a little of his thoughts! Knowing him as I do, I am sure he will find a good reason to apologize to us tomorrow, smoothing the matter over."
"I didn’t originally want to talk to you about this, so as not to make you uncomfortable. But we may have to continue living together, and he is not a petty person; at most, he will only harbor thoughts. If this were to be made public, he would be unharmed, perhaps only gaining a reputation for being a ladies’ man, which would be difficult for us to talk about. Especially for you, it might harm your reputation!"
"There are always people in this world who, upon hearing these things, don’t care about the causes or whether someone is aware or unaware. They just throw dirty water on the woman first. Saying it’s the woman who is indecent, that it’s the woman who doesn’t respect herself! Completely exonerating the real culprits, the men!"
"If it was something else, we could make a big fuss about it, perhaps beat him up. But when it comes to matters of male and female reputations, we must be careful. We’ll distance ourselves from him gradually, then find an excuse to move further away. You don’t need to worry about this; just act as if you know nothing!"
"Tomorrow, we’ll head back to Qilidun first. It would be good for you and mother to stay at home for a longer period. I’ll handle this matter! It’s also better for you to avoid it for a while! If they know what’s good for them and leave first, that will be the end of it. If they remain willfully ignorant, when you return, I assure you they will understand the consequences of setting their sights on someone else’s wife!"
As Song Chongjin spoke those final words, a trace of coldness swept through his eyes.
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