"Yanzhi, it's already noon and you're still sleeping!" Yin Lan walked over and patted her shoulder with her slender hand, her face full of joy. "Look and see who's come back!"
Yanzhi woke up in confusion, blearily opening her sleepy eyes. In a daze, she saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure standing in the yard. She mumbled, "Huh? Am I dreaming again? Big sister Yin Lan? Young miss?"
Gu Ying walked over and patted her on the head, smiling as she walked into the room. "Don't talk nonsense."
Only then did Yanzhi fully wake up. She vigorously rubbed her eyes in surprise. "Ah? The mistress really came back!"
When she looked to the side, she was so happy she almost jumped three feet high. "Sister Yin Lan! It really is you! This isn't a dream! Wuuu! You've finally come back!"
After saying that, she ran out to report the news to Wanli Pavilion.
Gu Ying called her back. The corners of her mouth curled into a smile. "You come back first. Don't make such a fuss. First, let your mistress wash up and change her clothes and lie down on the bed."
Yin Lan pointed at Yanzhi's forehead. Smiling, she said, "Silly girl, why don't you listen to the mistress and quickly go boil hot water."
Yanzhi scratched her head happily. "As soon as the mistress came back, I was so excited that I forgot. I'm going now to boil water!"
The little maid lifted her skirt and rushed out hurriedly. Yin Lan thought she would go help too.
"That girl is still so careless. Let this maid go help her."
Gu Ying murmured, "That's good. Show your face to the others in the Duke's estate too, so they know we've been in the estate all along."
"The mistress is right," Yin Lan bowed and went down smiling to help.
Gu Ying took out the small gifts for Gu Ning that she had bought and turned to walk towards Wanli Pavilion.
In the noon hour, the sun was scorching. The air was mixed with a hint of dry heat.
Gu Ying walked quickly into the yard. Wanli Pavilion was very quiet inside. When they left, Bianjing was still snowing, but when they returned, the yard was lush and green, the flowers and trees prosperous. It made the previously lifeless yard full of vitality.
She didn't see Yin Zhu. She walked to the door and knocked.
After a while, someone inside opened the door.
Seeing the youth standing at the door with a cane in one hand, Gu Ying was startled, then a smile slowly bloomed. She widened her eyes in delight. "Ah Ning, you can stand up now?"
After not seeing him for months, the youth's small face was no longer lifelessly pale like before. His eyebrows and eyes were dark and delicate, his nose more prominent, his lips pursed, his facial contours distinct, calm and steady.
Gu Ying pulled him into her arms at once, hugging him, laughing. "Much sturdier. It seems Ah Ning has been taking good care of himself while sister was away. This puts my mind at ease."
Gu Ning leaned against his sister's soft embrace. Suddenly feeling something, he struggled free from her arms and stared at her bulging belly with knitted brows. "Sister, what's wrong with you? Are you ill?"
Gu Ying was rendered speechless for a moment. She smiled. "Sister is fine."
Gu Ning was very worried. "Then why has sister's stomach suddenly grown so much bigger?"
Gu Ying quickly pulled him into the room and chuckled. "Sister is pregnant. There is now my and your brother-in-law the Crown Prince's child in here. Ah, you will soon have a little nephew."
Gu Ning still didn't understand. He had been shut in Muffeng Studio all this time and hadn't seen a pregnant woman before. But hearing he would soon have a cute little nephew, his normally impassive gaze showed some anticipation when looking at her belly.
"Sister, when can I see the little nephew?"
"Soon, in four or five months."
Gu Ying sat him down on a chair and rolled up his pant legs to check on his legs.
Gu Ning allowed Gu Ying to touch his legs as she wished. The coldness in his eyes gradually softened.
Gu Ying squeezed his bones and found they had completely healed. His legs had also grown new flesh and now looked no different than an ordinary person.
She was overjoyed. Smiling, she asked, "Do your legs still hurt now?"
Gu Ning shook his head. "No more pain."
Gu Ying asked again, "Can you walk around freely now?"
Gu Ning hesitated for a while before nodding. "Mm."
Gu Ying raised her eyebrows. Putting his pant legs down, she said, "You did that on purpose?"
Gu Ning pursed his lips and put the cane aside. Raising his dark eyebrows, he said, "While sister was away these days, after careful thinking, I plan to pretend to be disabled from now on."
Gu Ying's gaze turned cold. "Did someone bully you in the Duke's estate?"
Gu Ning moved the corners of his mouth, unwilling to add to his sister's worries. "Can't say I was bullied. But there is too much filth in a high official's residence like this. If I'm a cripple, no one will pay too much attention to me. Sister can also have an easier time."
He shouldn't have stayed in his brother-in-law's estate to begin with. If it wasn't for his heartless grandmother and his father not coming home, he wouldn't have had to depend on his brother-in-law's estate and get glared at.
It's not a big deal if he suffers, but he doesn't want his sister to get involved because of him and anger his brother in-law who would then take it out on his sister.
Besides himself, he trusts no other man to protect him. He must grow up fast and get stronger to protect his sister.
Gu Ying was somewhat surprised. She sat next to him, reached out to rub his hair, and said gravely, "Ah Ning, there's actually no need for you to be like this... You are still just a child."
Gu Ning said plainly, "No, I'm no longer a child. Sister need not worry about me. Ah Ning will not cause you any trouble."
Gu Ying couldn't say anything for the moment. In the end, she consented to his approach. The fact that he took the initiative to pretend to be disabled and endure hardship...showed this boy had learned many things and even understood how to hide one's brilliance for future improvements.
After putting the books and new clothes away in the room, Gu Ying chatted more with Gu Ning.
Although Gu Ning was considerate of her feelings and did not say much, she could vaguely sense that her younger brother was not comfortable living in the Duke's estate.
With the harsh principal wife Cheng up above and so many servants looking at him peculiarly down below, no one would be happy.
It looked like, as the older sister, she had to carefully think about her brother's future.
After returning from Wanli Pavilion, Gu Ying comfortably took a hot bath and changed into undergarments before lying down on the bed pretending to be ill.
"Yanzhi, it's already noon and you're still sleeping!" Yin Lan walked over and patted her shoulder with her slender hand, her face full of joy. "Look and see who's come back!"
Yanzhi woke up in confusion, blearily opening her sleepy eyes. In a daze, she saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure standing in the yard. She mumbled, "Huh? Am I dreaming again? Big sister Yin Lan? Young miss?"
Gu Ying walked over and patted her on the head, smiling as she walked into the room. "Don't talk nonsense."
Only then did Yanzhi fully wake up. She vigorously rubbed her eyes in surprise. "Ah? The mistress really came back!"
When she looked to the side, she was so happy she almost jumped three feet high. "Sister Yin Lan! It really is you! This isn't a dream! Wuuu! You've finally come back!"
After saying that, she ran out to report the news to Wanli Pavilion.
Gu Ying called her back. The corners of her mouth curled into a smile. "You come back first. Don't make such a fuss. First, let your mistress wash up and change her clothes and lie down on the bed."
Yin Lan pointed at Yanzhi's forehead. Smiling, she said, "Silly girl, why don't you listen to the mistress and quickly go boil hot water."
Yanzhi scratched her head happily. "As soon as the mistress came back, I was so excited that I forgot. I'm going now to boil water!"
The little maid lifted her skirt and rushed out hurriedly. Yin Lan thought she would go help too.
"That girl is still so careless. Let this maid go help her."
Gu Ying murmured, "That's good. Show your face to the others in the Duke's estate too, so they know we've been in the estate all along."
"The mistress is right," Yin Lan bowed and went down smiling to help.
Gu Ying took out the small gifts for Gu Ning that she had bought and turned to walk towards Wanli Pavilion.
In the noon hour, the sun was scorching. The air was mixed with a hint of dry heat.
Gu Ying walked quickly into the yard. Wanli Pavilion was very quiet inside. When they left, Bianjing was still snowing, but when they returned, the yard was lush and green, the flowers and trees prosperous. It made the previously lifeless yard full of vitality.
She didn't see Yin Zhu. She walked to the door and knocked.
After a while, someone inside opened the door.
Seeing the youth standing at the door with a cane in one hand, Gu Ying was startled, then a smile slowly bloomed. She widened her eyes in delight. "Ah Ning, you can stand up now?"
After not seeing him for months, the youth's small face was no longer lifelessly pale like before. His eyebrows and eyes were dark and delicate, his nose more prominent, his lips pursed, his facial contours distinct, calm and steady.
Gu Ying pulled him into her arms at once, hugging him, laughing. "Much sturdier. It seems Ah Ning has been taking good care of himself while sister was away. This puts my mind at ease."
Gu Ning leaned against his sister's soft embrace. Suddenly feeling something, he struggled free from her arms and stared at her bulging belly with knitted brows. "Sister, what's wrong with you? Are you ill?"
Gu Ying was rendered speechless for a moment. She smiled. "Sister is fine."
Gu Ning was very worried. "Then why has sister's stomach suddenly grown so much bigger?"
Gu Ying quickly pulled him into the room and chuckled. "Sister is pregnant. There is now my and your brother-in-law the Crown Prince's child in here. Ah, you will soon have a little nephew."
Gu Ning still didn't understand. He had been shut in Muffeng Studio all this time and hadn't seen a pregnant woman before. But hearing he would soon have a cute little nephew, his normally impassive gaze showed some anticipation when looking at her belly.
"Sister, when can I see the little nephew?"
"Soon, in four or five months."
Gu Ying sat him down on a chair and rolled up his pant legs to check on his legs.
Gu Ning allowed Gu Ying to touch his legs as she wished. The coldness in his eyes gradually softened.
Gu Ying squeezed his bones and found they had completely healed. His legs had also grown new flesh and now looked no different than an ordinary person.
She was overjoyed. Smiling, she asked, "Do your legs still hurt now?"
Gu Ning shook his head. "No more pain."
Gu Ying asked again, "Can you walk around freely now?"
Gu Ning hesitated for a while before nodding. "Mm."
Gu Ying raised her eyebrows. Putting his pant legs down, she said, "You did that on purpose?"
Gu Ning pursed his lips and put the cane aside. Raising his dark eyebrows, he said, "While sister was away these days, after careful thinking, I plan to pretend to be disabled from now on."
Gu Ying's gaze turned cold. "Did someone bully you in the Duke's estate?"
Gu Ning moved the corners of his mouth, unwilling to add to his sister's worries. "Can't say I was bullied. But there is too much filth in a high official's residence like this. If I'm a cripple, no one will pay too much attention to me. Sister can also have an easier time."
He shouldn't have stayed in his brother-in-law's estate to begin with. If it wasn't for his heartless grandmother and his father not coming home, he wouldn't have had to depend on his brother-in-law's estate and get glared at.
It's not a big deal if he suffers, but he doesn't want his sister to get involved because of him and anger his brother in-law who would then take it out on his sister.
Besides himself, he trusts no other man to protect him. He must grow up fast and get stronger to protect his sister.
Gu Ying was somewhat surprised. She sat next to him, reached out to rub his hair, and said gravely, "Ah Ning, there's actually no need for you to be like this... You are still just a child."
Gu Ning said plainly, "No, I'm no longer a child. Sister need not worry about me. Ah Ning will not cause you any trouble."
Gu Ying couldn't say anything for the moment. In the end, she consented to his approach. The fact that he took the initiative to pretend to be disabled and endure hardship...showed this boy had learned many things and even understood how to hide one's brilliance for future improvements.
After putting the books and new clothes away in the room, Gu Ying chatted more with Gu Ning.
Although Gu Ning was considerate of her feelings and did not say much, she could vaguely sense that her younger brother was not comfortable living in the Duke's estate.
With the harsh principal wife Cheng up above and so many servants looking at him peculiarly down below, no one would be happy.
It looked like, as the older sister, she had to carefully think about her brother's future.
After returning from Wanli Pavilion, Gu Ying comfortably took a hot bath and changed into undergarments before lying down on the bed pretending to be ill.
