flstandardbreds Chapter 158 The Villainous Female Supporting Character's Mind Was Read 13
Chapter 158 The Villainous Female Supporting Character's Mind Was Read 13
This thought only flashed through his mind for a moment before Gu Yanli quickly put it out of his mind.
Life at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was quite regular.
Every day, I would run laps upon waking up, listen to my teacher's lectures during the day, finish my homework at night, and also find time to browse through the classics of the current dynasty to supplement my history. My time was completely filled.
Before we knew it, more than three months had passed.
By that calculation, I have been in this world for half a year.
Gu Yanli sometimes felt dazed, as if the days he spent in his previous life, tormented by illness, emaciated and lying in bed, with each day less than the last, were just his imagination.
There was no Eastern Mausoleum Dynasty, nor was there a prime minister.
He was just a servant in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion in Linyue Kingdom, now his cousin.
But memories from over twenty years ago cannot be faked.
In my memory, the tears my mother shed before she passed away still feel burning hot when I think about them now.
The sorrowful gazes of my father and brothers are still deeply imprinted in my mind.
I wonder if my parents and brothers are doing well in the other world?
They will probably be sad for a while after his death, but the days that follow should be much easier than before.
Although they never showed it to him, he was aware of it.
My father collected ancient medical books everywhere, even exchanging his favorite rare copy for one, hoping to find a useful treatment method.
I don't know when it started, but my mother, who always paid the most attention to her appearance, had so many gray hairs on her head that she couldn't pluck them all out, and a few fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes.
My older brother always says with a smile that he enjoys traveling and seeing the beautiful landscapes of the country.
But he also knew that his elder brother's ambition lay in the imperial court, and that his travels were merely to help him find medical treatments.
……
"Little Anzi—"
The slight melancholy that had just arisen in Gu Yanli was dispelled by Lin Shuwan's shouts coming from afar.
In the blink of an eye, the person had already stepped into the bamboo garden and was standing in front of him.
"Miss, what can I do for you now?" Gu Yanli asked helplessly.
Lin Shuwan's eyes were bright: "I heard that the chrysanthemums on Yuntao Mountain are in bloom, let's go take a look!"
“No need, An just wants to rest in the courtyard for a day,” Gu Yanli said directly.
It won't work if we don't refuse directly.
Mr. Song would take a day off after lecturing for a month.
The month before last, during his vacation, Lin Shuwan dragged him out, saying they were going to buy new products from Fuyuanzhai.
He wasn't craving it, but he had nothing else to do, so he figured it wouldn't hurt to go.
After leaving the house, they went to Yunxiu Pavilion (to try on clothes and fabrics), Wanbaoxuan (to look at imported goods), and Yujunlou (to buy rouge and face powder)...
When they arrived at Fuyuanzhai, not to mention the new products, even the regular pastries had already been sold out.
We didn't manage to buy any pastries, but we did manage to buy a whole bunch of things for our daughter's household.
And so the day passed.
That's still considered good; last month it was even worse.
After leaving the mansion, they went to a restaurant to have a meal, but before entering, they unexpectedly overheard passersby talking about a celebration.
Lin Shuwan became interested and immediately changed direction to Zuihuayin.
They only found out when they arrived that the grand celebration the man had mentioned was actually a competition to select the most beautiful courtesan!
Gu Yanli turned to leave, but Lin Shuwan was so excited that she pulled him inside.
The mother inside was beaming with joy at her generosity. She specially chose a small private room and even hired several girls to accompany her!
Now, with women on both sides, Lin Shuwan was even more delighted and forgot all about home.
He never expected that she was also a "lustful" woman.
Lying in the arms of a young woman, eating grapes that she had peeled and sipping wine, if he hadn't intervened, he might have brought a courtesan home that very night.
The situation wasn't much better after we got back.
The fact that she went to the brothel could not be kept secret and was eventually found out by Old Madam Lin.
Old Madam Lin was reasonable and didn't hold it against him.
Gu Yanli himself was extremely embarrassed and repeatedly apologized.
After he left, Lin Shuwan was forced to kneel in the ancestral hall that very night as punishment.
To this, Gu Yanli could only say one thing: Serves you right!
He will never go out with Lin Shuwan again.
"Oh, come on, come on! The scenery there is beautiful, and don't you get bored staying in the courtyard all day?" Lin Shuwan continued to persuade.
"No, Miss, you don't need to say anything more. Please go ahead." Gu Yanli picked up the book on the table again, intending to continue reading.
Unexpectedly, Lin Shuwan snatched the book from his hand, grabbed his collar, and dragged him outside.
(If kind words and advice won't work, then I'll have no choice but to take action.)
"Miss, let go!" Gu Yanli was speechless.
"You have to go out today whether you want to or not." Lin Shuwan strode out.
“If you stay in the yard all day, you’ll become stupid. I don’t want to raise a bookworm.”
"Oh, Miss, Young Master..." Shi Zhu returned with the tea, staring in disbelief at the scene before her.
"Alright, alright, I'll go out with you. Let go of my hand now." Gu Yanli said as he watched the courtyard gate getting closer.
He couldn't bear the embarrassment of being dragged out the door by Lin Shuwan like this.
"Why didn't you do this earlier?!"
Lin Shuwan loosened her grip, almost causing Gu Yanli, who was off balance, to fall.
Gu Yanli steadied himself, straightened up, smoothed his collar, and took a breath, saying, "I can go out with you, but I have one condition."
Seeing Lin Shuwan's impatient expression and her raising her hand to grab his collar again, Gu Yanli quickly took a step back and said, "An only has one condition: you must not go to a place like that again!"
(Those kinds of places are just brothels, they're not hot enough to burn your mouth.)
(If I hadn't been careless about my appearance last time and someone had recognized me, my grandmother definitely wouldn't have found out.)
"I know, I know. We're going to Yuntao Mountain today, which is not in the same direction as the brothel."
Lin Shuwan waved her hand and said, "Alright, let's go."
Having said that, he took the lead and left the courtyard.
Gu Yanli sighed and silently followed.
Fine, as long as I don't go there, Yuntao Mountain is fine as it may.
Standing at the foot of Yuntao Mountain, gazing at the mountains buried in the clouds, Gu Yanli realized that his earlier thoughts had been too optimistic.
He turned to ask, "Miss, is this Yuntao Mountain?"
“Yes,” Lin Shuwan nodded.
Gu Yanli gazed at the sedan chair being carried up beside him, still clinging to a sliver of hope: "So, are we going to walk up ourselves? Or sit..."
"Of course I'll walk up myself. Let's go." Lin Shuwan patted his shoulder and quickly stepped onto the stairs.
"Let's hurry up and get there before lunch so we can have the vegetarian meal at Jingguan Temple."
"The vegetarian meals at Jingguan Temple are just as good as delicacies, and they're limited every day, so if you go too late, they'll be gone!"
In just a few words, Lin Shuwan had already climbed dozens of steps, surpassing the four people carrying the sedan chair.
"Hurry up and come up!" Lin Shuwan turned around and waved down the mountain when she saw that Gu Yanli hadn't followed.
Gu Yanli glanced at the seemingly endless staircase, then looked at Lin Shuwan, who was urging him on with her hands on her hips and even planning to run down and pull him back down. He sighed again and stepped onto the stairs.
For the 786th time, he regretted it. Why did he agree to stay in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion?