Chapter 142: Recognizing Her Feelings

Cao Suxue…

Su Wan remembered who this person was—the younger half-sister of Cao Wanqing.

She had seen her that day at the post station. Was Cao Suxue writing to Gu Huaizhi?

Su Wan pressed her lips together. Cao Suxue was the daughter of the Governor of Liangjiang—how did she know Gu Huaizhi?

Just how many hidden identities did he have?

Su Wan’s eyes drifted to the side, filled with the unsavory desire to peek at the contents of the letter.

Then, the letter fell clearly into her line of sight.

Su Wan looked at Gu Huaizhi in shock.

Gu Huaizhi, sensing her curiosity, explained, “I once traveled south seeking medical treatment and was fortunate enough to earn the favor of Lord Cao. I stayed at the Cao residence for a while as a tutor for the Seventh Young Lady.”

Su Wan saw the words “Mr. Gu” in the letter and, combined with Gu Huaizhi’s explanation, she understood.

Cao Suxue’s letter was filled with the sentiments of a young girl harboring a crush. She informed Gu Huaizhi that she and Cao Wanqing were ambushed, but fortunately, they were rescued by someone. However, they were still quite frightened and were currently recuperating at the Liu residence. In this unfamiliar place, both she and Cao Wanqing felt very scared. Remembering that Gu Huaizhi was from Guangling Prefecture, she wrote to him to express her concern, mentioning that she likely wouldn’t be able to visit him.

Between the lines, there was a clear hint for Gu Huaizhi to visit her.

At the time, when Cao Suxue wrote the letter, she hadn’t known that Gu Huaizhi was participating in the provincial examination.

Gu Huaizhi had once said he was in poor health and couldn’t endure the hardships of the imperial examinations.

Su Wan pushed the letter aside and looked at Gu Huaizhi with clear, probing eyes. “Were you very close with her when you were at the Cao residence?”

The question was rather delicate.

Gu Huaizhi replied directly, “Lord Cao intended to take me as his son-in-law and betroth his Second Young Lady to me. I declined because I was already engaged.”

Su Wan raised her eyebrow. “If you hadn’t been engaged, would you have become a son-in-law of the Cao family?”

This line of questioning was somewhat unreasonable.

Gu Huaizhi’s fiancée back then was not Su Wan, either.

Su Wan realized she had misspoken and had no right to ask, but her emotions surged up at that moment, and she blurted it out without thinking.

Gu Huaizhi had both good looks and strong features, making him quite attractive to unwanted admirers.

Su Wan thought to herself that their relationship was like a superficial, fragile marriage, bound to end sooner or later. Knowing there were women eyeing him made her feel uneasy—she wasn’t as magnanimous as she had thought.

“Of course not.”

Su Wan pursed her lips. Who would believe that?

Yet, she couldn’t suppress the happiness that welled up inside her.

“It’s a good thing you didn’t marry her. The Second Young Lady of the Cao family doesn’t seem like a kind-hearted person. The people we saved in the prefectural city this time were the Cao sisters.

They said it was a vendetta, and the sisters had scattered to flee for their lives. The enemies only targeted the eldest Young Lady of the Cao family; all her protectors were drugged and killed. Meanwhile, the people around the Second Young Lady were all unharmed, and she called Prefect Liu over.”

Su Wan pointed out the suspicious part: “When they were fleeing, they definitely wouldn’t have had time to eat while dealing with their enemies. They must have eaten on the carriage. Isn’t it a strange coincidence that none of the people around the Second Young Lady ate anything?”

Gu Huaizhi frowned.

“Of course, it’s also possible that during the chase, the enemies spread some drugged powder,” Su Wan concluded. “It’s always wise to be cautious and guard against others.”

Gu Huaizhi’s lips curled into a smile. “You’re absolutely right.”

Su Wan’s face heated up. She wasn’t trying to slander Cao Suxue out of personal motives to make Gu Huaizhi stay away from her.

She was merely stating the facts.

She lowered her head, her toes grinding into the uneven dirt floor, feeling somewhat restless.

Cao Suxue’s letter made her realize her own possessiveness toward Gu Huaizhi.

Maybe, unknowingly, during their time together, she had already fallen for him?

Otherwise, why would she feel joy over the little surprises he gave her and even impulsively set off for the prefectural city right away?

She couldn’t help but wonder, what about Gu Huaizhi?

Did he have any feelings for her?

If they were mutually in love, then this marriage would naturally fall into place.

But what if he didn’t like her?

Su Wan bit her lower lip. In that case, she would just treat him a bit better, like a frog in slowly boiling water, and eventually, he’d fall for her.

Gu Huaizhi watched Su Wan, as if she had figured something out. Suddenly, she lifted her head, and the soft yellow light fell on her fair face. Her brows and eyes curved like a shining crescent moon, making her look particularly captivating.

He raised his hand and gently ruffled her hair. “When I was at the Cao residence, apart from teaching the Seventh Young Lady, I rarely left my courtyard. Occasionally, when I had to discuss matters with Lord Cao, I would go to the study in the front courtyard and meet the young ladies of the Cao family a few times. We barely spoke.”

Her hair was fine and smooth, feeling exceptionally good to the touch. Gu Huaizhi lingered a moment, his voice deep as he continued, “What never happened before will not happen in the future either.”

Su Wan responded with an “Oh,” just as Mother Gu came out holding two bowls of fried rice. “Go wash your hands and eat.”

While they were eating, Mother Gu asked about their situation in the prefectural city. After they finished eating, she urged them to rest quickly.

After taking a bath, Su Wan lay on the bed with Gu Huaizhi beside her. She didn’t know if it was because she had rested enough on the carriage ride or because she had suddenly realized her own feelings—having the man she liked lying beside her made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable. She felt both awkward and a bit shy, lying perfectly straight and not moving at all.

She was suddenly sleeping very properly, and Gu Huaizhi wasn’t sleepy either. Su Wan no longer snuggled close to him as she slept, which he found somewhat unsettling.

Gu Huaizhi turned on his side and moved closer to Su Wan.

Su Wan’s entire body stiffened, and she embarrassingly held her breath.

He didn’t make any further moves, and his breathing became steady and long. He had fallen asleep.

Su Wan relaxed, but a sudden sense of disappointment crept into her heart.

She turned over to face Gu Huaizhi and gazed at his handsome face. A thought suddenly popped into her mind—

They were husband and wife, rightfully so, and had shared the same bed for so long. She hadn’t even thought of making him hers—wasn’t that a bit of a waste?

—

Su Wan didn’t sleep well all night. She got up early, prepared breakfast, and went to town by herself.

She first went to the town’s restaurant. In the morning, the restaurant was bustling with guests, so much so that they had temporarily set up tables at the entrance and in the backyard to accommodate diners for breakfast.

When Shopkeeper Xu saw Su Wan, he cheerfully came over and said, “Mrs. Gu, the fish and rice noodles, pork and rice noodles, and rice tofu dishes you provided have been a hit in the mornings. Other restaurants have even sent people over to secretly eat and try to learn our recipes.”

At first, when he heard the strange names, Shopkeeper Xu thought they wouldn’t sell well. Who would have guessed that once Su Wan made them, the flavors were so good that they were in short supply every day after their release.

For those who could handle spicy food, there was the fish and rice noodle dish; for those who preferred a milder taste, there was the pork and rice noodle dish. The ingredients included pig’s blood, white tofu, pork, pork liver, eggs, and other toppings, all cooked to be especially fragrant and delicious.

The rice noodles she taught them to make were pure white and glossy, as thin as silk threads, and had a completely different texture from regular noodles.

“Some diners have asked if we sell rice noodles. Should we?” 

Shopkeeper Xu sought Su Wan’s opinion. “Some people are from out of town. They try it once, find it delicious, and want to take some home for their families to taste.”

Su Wan immediately refused, “No, they’re not easy to preserve. If they take them home and they spoil, what if someone gets a stomachache?”

Shopkeeper Xu’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Then we could open a restaurant in other places!”