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In the end, Old Marquis didn't let Gu Yan pay. He took out his money pouch and pulled out a silver ingot to hand to the waiter. However, his movements might have been too quick, as he accidentally pulled out a woven red string tied into a pipa knot.
Gu Yan quickly picked up the pipa knot, which looked old, faded, and frayed.
It was hard to imagine that a tough and sturdy man like the Old Marquis would carry something like this in his pouch.
"Was it given to you by your beloved?" Gu Yan asked.
It looked like a gift from a woman at first glance, but it couldn't be from the Old Madame of the estate. His relationship with Old Madame Gu was actually estranged, and he wouldn't wear anything she gave to him.
"Cough, no, don't make assumptions." Old Marquis put the pipa knot back into his pouch.
Gu Yan didn't believe it. He curiously asked, "I didn’t know you have a beloved. Where is she now?"
She definitely wasn't in the Marquis Estate. The old concubines of the estate had already been cleaned up by the Old Madame.
Old Marquis had never mentioned his feelings to others in these years, and had kept all his bitterness in his heart. To be honest, he had some desire to confide in someone. fr(e)ewebnovel
After hesitating for a moment, he said, "It's from a friend of mine. He left it with me, and I was planning to return it to him."
Friend?
What a familiar opening!
Gu Yan, who had read all the romance novels written by Old Chief, expressed that he understood it well.
He raised his handsome eyebrows and asked, "Where is your friend's beloved now?"
Old Marquis sighed sadly, "She… Became a nun."
"Why did she become a nun?" Gu Yan asked.
"Her husband passed away, and she had no choice. But..." At this point, Old Marquis paused, "Maybe it's also because she wants to see my friend one more time in this lifetime."
Gu Yan had no idea that the old man was so popular with women.
He didn't inquire further about the reasons behind her becoming a nun. His focus was on the last sentence. He said thoughtfully, "It seems that your friend's beloved has deep feelings for him."
Old Marquis lowered his head and looked at the pipa knot in his hand. He said, "It's a pity that they met too late. I wish they had met before she got married."
Gu Yan said, "But her husband has already passed away, and she became a nun because of your friend. Do you not understand her intentions... ahem, I mean, can your friend not see it?"
Old Marquis furrowed his brows and asked, "What do you mean?"
Gu Yan explained, "I mean, she may have been waiting for your friend to take her away with him."
"Take her… away?" Old Marquis was shocked. This child was truly bold with his words!
Gu Yan nodded, "Yes. Let me ask you, why did your friend think that she became a nun to see him again? Did she say that to him herself? Or did she make your friend feel her affection for him?"
"...Hmm." Old Marquis nodded in response.
Gu Yan slapped the table, "See! She's a woman, and expressing any feelings at all is already her limit. She can't just directly tell your friend to run away with her. This is something that we men must take the initiative for!"
Old Marquis was so speechless at Gu Yan's words that he forgot to mention that Gu Yan was only fifteen and still a boy, not a real man yet.
"This is... too outrageous!" Old Marquis exclaimed.
How did this child grow up? He was even bolder than his three older brothers!
"How is it outrageous? If you like her, then go for it." Gu Yan replied.
Old Marquis hesitated, "But what if she doesn't want to..."
"If she doesn't want to, then that means she doesn't like you... your friend!" Gu Yan patted his grandfather's shoulder and analyzed with his extensive experience in reading romance novels, "She has already become a nun, what else does she have to lose? If she doesn't want to elope, then there is only one truth—— she doesn't like your friend and has only been using his feelings for her!"
……
Gu Jiao was busy at the medical hall all morning and finally had some free time in the afternoon. She rarely had the opportunity to relax without working on her black gunpowder, so she lay down on the rattan chair under the big tree for a while.
Li Wanwan, who was separated by a wall, was practicing the guqin.
She had gotten used to coming here to practice the guqin for Gu Jiao every day at this time, but she didn't know if Gu Jiao was always there.
Her guqin skills had greatly improved compared to the previous year, but today she seemed to be distracted by something and played absent-mindedly.
"You played the wrong note again." Gu Jiao said indifferently.
"Ah." Li Wanwan's expression changed. She didn't expect Gu Jiao to be here today since she hadn't listened to her practice for several days.
She hurriedly adjusted her expression and said, "Let me play it again properly."
The result was still unsatisfactory.
She was so nervous that her palms were sweating.
It was strange. The other party was obviously not her teacher, and yet she was even more nervous than when she was in front of her teacher.
"Sorry, I should have been more focused..." She bit her lip and whispered, "I may not be able to come next month... I... I'm getting married..."
In fact, she wasn’t very old, only sixteen. In this dynasty, unlike the former one, women getting married at the age of eighteen or nineteen wouldn't be criticized by others.
But it depended on the specific circumstances. The daughters of affluent families could afford to wait, while women from average families like her had to marry early.
It was said that girls in the countryside got married even earlier. With this in mind, she was considered lucky to have made it to sixteen, catching up with a good opportunity to attend the women's academy for half a year. And by attending the women’s academy, she got to know the girl on the other side of the wall and received so much guidance from her.
Gu Jiao responded with an "Oh."
No one would play the guqin for her anymore in the future.
When would Little Jiang Li learn to play the guqin?
"I have been thinking about saying goodbye to young miss these past few days, and to express my deepest thanks for everything. My biggest gain at the women's academy is getting to know young miss. Originally, my family was going to have me drop out of school after the new year, but the piece you composed for me caught the attention of Musician Xie, and with his insistence, my family let me continue for another half a year."
Li Wanwan said, her cheeks slightly red, "Speaking of which, this marriage is also thanks to young miss. I played the guqin well and was heard by a young master from a prominent family, he then came to ask for my hand in marriage."
Gu Jiao couldn’t see her expression, but it wasn’t difficult to hear the anticipation for the marriage in her words. It seemed that she also admired the young master.
"Young miss, can I give you something as a gift? You've taught me so much, and I would feel guilty if I just left without giving you anything. Please accept my gratitude. It's not something valuable, just a small medicine pouch. Please accept it."
"En." Gu Jiao responded indifferently.
Li Wanwan was overjoyed and took out a medicine pouch that she had been laboring for several nights from her wide sleeve. To avoid it being too light and not throwing it far enough, she put a few dates in it.
"Young miss, catch!"
She tossed the medicine pouch over the courtyard wall.
Gu Jiao caught it with one hand and said, "Thank you."
Li Wanwan smiled brightly, "You're welcome! Well, I have to go now. In these last few days, I will try to play a few more songs for you. If there is a day when I don't come, then... I won't be coming again."
As she spoke, she suddenly felt a little lost in her heart.
She didn't want to leave Gu Jiao.
She didn't know if she would ever meet such a good friend and teacher again in this life.
She packed up her guqin, picked up the case, and got up to leave.
Thud!
A small brocade bag landed impartially on her guqin case.
Li Wanwan was slightly startled, "Young miss?"
"It's a wedding gift." Gu Jiao said.
Li Wanwan smiled happily like a child.
"Gu girl, Gu girl! Someone is asking for a house visit. They said the situation is very critical!" Little San ran over anxiously.
"How critical?" Gu Jiao asked.
Little San replied fearfully, "His hand... it's broken! Completely cut off! He's a woodcutter!"
This was a major operation that Gu Jiao had to perform herself.
"Okay, I'll go." Gu Jiao put on her small back basket and traveled with Little San to the big residence on Qingliu Street where the servant said the patient was located.
But on their way there, Little San felt that something wasn’t right, "Uh? This is not the way to Qingliu Street!"
The servant continued to ride ahead on his horse and didn't turn back, saying, "There's road construction over there, so we have to take a detour from here."
"What's wrong? Is this the wrong way?" Gu Jiao asked calmly.
"It's just a detour." Little San muttered.
Gu Jiao opened the curtain and looked at the scenery along the street.
Not every street in the capital was bustling with activity, and some remote areas were very desolate.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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