MYSIOAMEWTMMAlTWOAM: Chapter 37

Glossary

· Qin Yuan: The female protagonist, Marquise of the household.

· Gu Jinghui: The male protagonist, the Marquis.

· Old Madame Gu: Gu Jinghui's mother.

· Hongye: Qin Yuan's loyal maidservant.

· Cuiming: Qin Yuan's other maidservant.

· Gu Shiliu: Gu Jinghui's personal attendant.

· Rong Mama: Old Madame Gu's trusted attendant.

· Qiuju: A maidservant of Old Madame Gu.

· Xiao Hong: A young maid from the main house.

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Chapter 37: Emanating Chilling Air

Hongye retreated a few steps, whispering softly, "Young Mistress, is the Marquis... glaring at us? It looks quite frightening."

Gu Shiliu glanced at Hongye and reminded her, "Still calling her 'Young Mistress'? You should have switched to 'Madame' long ago."

Hongye pouted secretly and muttered, "You think I'm stupid? The Marquis can't hear me anyway."

They hadn't even consummated the marriage; why call her 'Madame'?

The Marquis, who supposedly "couldn't hear," face darkened even further, emanating a chilling air.

By now, Qin Yuan had gained some understanding of this gentleman's temperament. She quickly stepped forward to meet him, saying softly, "You seem somewhat better, Marquis. The weather is quite hot now. If you're feeling stifled and want to stroll outside, perhaps it would be better to wait until later in the day."

Sure enough, Gu Jinghui's expression softened. The cold aura around him abruptly stalled and gradually warmed.

"Hmm," Gu Jinghui was sparing with his words.

Qin Yuan added, "Then let's go inside."

The Marquis remained silent, turning to follow Qin Yuan into the house.

Hongye: "..."

The Marquis, who had been like a block of ice just moments before, had suddenly become much more agreeable.

The Young Mistress was truly impressive.

Qin Yuan asked, "What did you have for lunch, Marquis?"

"Didn't eat much."

A faint, almost imperceptible note of grievance laced the Marquis's voice, easy to miss if one wasn't paying close attention.

Qin Yuan promptly said, "How dare these young maids treat my words as wind passing by their ears! I repeatedly instructed them that the Marquis is still unwell. How could they be so negligent?"

"They served the meal, but I had no appetite…"

The Marquis hurried to explain.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Qin Yuan chided, "If the Marquis wanted something specific, would the kitchen dare not make it? Or have these girls grown lazy? It's my fault for not managing them properly."

Gu Jinghui had sent Gu Shiliu to protect her; she ought to return the favor.

Between husband and wife, if mutual deep affection and unwavering trust couldn't be achieved, a marriage where respect begets respect was still an excellent union.

"The weather is too hot, that's why I couldn't eat. Don't blame them," Gu Jinghui changed the subject, asking as if casually, "Did you already eat at a restaurant?"

Qin Yuan smiled. "No, we hurried back specifically to have lunch here. I didn't expect we'd still be late. Gu Shiliu took me to Ranxiang Ju, and unexpectedly, Prince Qi was there seeking incense, which caused a slight delay."

"Prince Qi?"

Gu Jinghui asked quickly, "You met Prince Qi?"

Qin Yuan shook her head. "We did not meet face-to-face."

"Oh," Gu Jinghui said no more.

They entered the room together and sat down at the table. The young maids diligently came forward to serve. Qin Yuan didn't change her clothes and asked, "Marquis, would you like to have a meal with me? Later, I can have Hongye go to the kitchen and pay a little silver to have the cook make something simple. What would you like to eat?"

Gu Jinghui said, "Call me 'husband.' You decide; I'm not picky."

Qin Yuan had only asked symbolically, to show respect. She could also tell that this lord, regarding food and clothing, was satisfied as long as it was proper and sufficient. He was attended by young servants and wasn't very particular.

She said with a smile, "Then I'll order some light dishes. Firstly, because the weather is hot, and secondly, because your injury still needs recuperation."

Gu Jinghui's expression relaxed, leaving it to her arrangement. He nodded, "Very good."

Hongye noted down the dish names and went to the kitchen to place the order.

Gu Jinghui asked, "Why haven't you changed out of your outer robe?"

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "I'll wait until Hongye returns."

Although Gu Jinghui found it strange, he didn't press further.

Gu Shiliu had brought the pastries from the carriage, and Cuiming brought them in, placing them on the table.

Gu Jinghui asked, "What's this?"

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Qin Yuan said with a smile, "When we were out earlier, I saw the pastries from Meixiang Zhai and had Gu Shiliu buy some. There are the hibiscus cakes you like, and I bought some for Mother too."

As soon as she finished speaking, a gentle smile appeared on Gu Jinghui's face, which hadn't been shaved for two days.

It looked somewhat... inexplicably heart-stirring.

The man's dark stubble grew quickly, which, far from detracting from his handsomeness, instead added a rugged masculinity.

The Marquis's excellent appearance was quite pleasing to the eye every day.

When Hongye returned, she was not surprised to find the Marquis had already transitioned from icy cold to spring-like warmth. She pursed her lips and said, "Madame, Marquis, the kitchen said the household rules are strict; they don't cook after mealtime. The cooks are nowhere to be found."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Marquis frowned and asked, "There's such a rule?"

Hongye muttered, "This servant has only just arrived; how would I know if such a rule exists?"

Qin Yuan remained silent, thoughtful.

The Marquis looked at her and said, "Let's set this matter aside for now. Don't starve yourself. Should I have Gu Shiliu order a feast from Tianxiang Lou to be delivered?"

Qin Yuan smiled and shook her head.

The more she interacted with him, the more she discovered that as long as the Marquis was happy and his wishes were met, he would find ways to accommodate and protect her.

This was both a good and a bad thing.

For a new bride and her husband to order a feast from outside to eat... wouldn't sound very good if it got out.

It's best to avoid giving others leverage.

Qin Yuan said softly, "Husband, let's go eat at Mother's place. I've never tried the food from her small kitchen before. How about it?"

How could Gu Jinghui say no? He immediately said, "Good. Then I'll go change clothes."

Since they were going to the main house, it wouldn't be proper to remain in his inner garments.

Fortunately, his injury had improved quite a bit over the past two days. Wearing outer robes was tolerable.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Qin Yuan asked, "Husband, can you manage it? Perhaps I should go to Mother's place alone and have the small kitchen send food over?"

"I can," Gu Jinghui answered immediately, then called, "Gu Shiliu, help me change."

He went to the side room to change, no longer having Qin Yuan assist him.

Qin Yuan said to Hongye, "Good thing I didn't change my outer robe. Washing up and redoing my hair would have taken forever. This gives me a reason to go have a meal at the Old Madame's."

Cuiming asked, "Did you anticipate this, Young Mistress?"

"I just had a thought, but I didn't expect it to actually happen."

Qin Yuan wore an expression of genuine surprise that things had turned out this way.

Hongye said with a laugh, "Young Mistress, you hold the pearl of wisdom, truly a female Zhuge Liang. This servant admires you greatly."

Gu Jinghui changed into a dark-colored informal robe made of soft Songjiang cloth. It was loose-fitting and quite suitable.

Qin Yuan asked again, "Husband, can you walk that far?"

"Do you think I'm a porcelain doll?" Gu Jinghui laughed and shot Qin Yuan a mock glare. "I've been injured worse than this before and been fine. Let's go quickly. You haven't eaten for so long; you must be hungry, right?"

He took a piece of hibiscus cake and offered it to Qin Yuan's lips, saying, "Meixiang Zhai's hibiscus cakes are very good. Have a bite to stave off the hunger. If your constitution is weak, you need to nourish it more."

Qin Yuan had to accept it, saying, "Alright."

Gu Jinghui, who liked hibiscus cakes himself, assumed she would like them too.

The two of them made their way to the main house.

The Old Madame Gu had just taken a short nap and was hazy when she heard Rong Mama softly instructing Xiao Hong.

"Xiao Hong, there aren't any senior maids in the main room right now, and Qiuju is busy too. Isn't this the perfect time for you to get noticed by the Madame? Go quickly and welcome the Marquis and Madame in. Be clever about it."

(End of Chapter)

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