The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 615 - 615 295 Soothe Him (First Watch)

Chapter 615: 295 Soothe Him (First Watch) Chapter 615: 295 Soothe Him (First Watch) The farce didn’t last long, as the Lantern Festival had already commenced. Yuan Tong, too busy to waste time arguing with the equivalent of a large hornet, took her sister to enjoy the festival.

“It’s too much. Are all women nowadays so unreasonable?” Gu Chengfeng rubbed his squashed stomach while touching his face.

Yuan Tong was a young girl with no martial arts skills. The slap he received wasn’t particularly strong, but it was terribly humiliating for Gu Chengfeng.

What was truly sore was his midsection. Can men stand getting crushed there?

Will he still be OK later?

“I suspect it’s bruised,” mumbled Gu Chengfeng drearily.

Gu Changqing glanced at him casually and asked, “How old are you?”

“Eighteen…nineteen, why?”

He and Xiao Liulang were the same age, born in different months. He was in his eighteenth year, but would soon be nineteen.

However, Gu Changqing didn’t answer. He merely offered a look and left Chengfeng to his thoughts.

Gu Chengfeng didn’t feel he did anything wrong. He was innocently hit and slapped for no reason. To whom could he turn for justice?

Gu Changqing ignored him, turning toward Bishui Alley.

Long-time Capital City residents knew the Lantern Festival’s hustle and bustle like the back of their hands. The crowds would soon engulf Chang’an Avenue, so they parked their carriage a mile away to avoid getting stuck.

Looking at Gu Chengfeng trailing behind him, Gu Changqing asked, “Weren’t you coming to see the Lantern Festival? Why aren’t you going?”

Gu Changqing wanted to visit Gu Yan while Gu Chengfeng wished to see the Lantern Festival, as they were headed in the same direction, they ended up walking together.

Gu Chengfeng huffed, “Sure, I intended to see the Lantern Festival, but that round-faced girl is also there. I don’t want to run into her! Whoever does, is out of luck!”

“Choose your words carefully.” Gu Changqing admonished gravely.

Gu Chengfeng curled his lip.

In terms of manners, Gu Chengfeng was outdone by his younger brother, Gu Chenglin. Chenglin had been spoiled by the family, but his behaviour in public was still that of a well-mannered young master.

Had Chenglin been slapped by a young lady, he would likely have been utterly mortified, speechless.

Gu Changqing didn’t add anything more. If Chengfeng wanted to follow, so be it.

Gu Yan was no longer seriously ill, and had moved back from the old medical hall. He hadn’t returned to Qinghe Academy to study and hadn’t gone to Nanxiang to learn his craft with Master Lu.

Gu Jiao and the others weren’t present, only Little Monk had returned from Guozijian. He held his small bucket in one hand, his small ladle in the other, carefully watering the vegetables in the courtyard.

Once he’d finished watering, he’d put the chickens inside to eat the bugs from the vegetable patch.

Hearing the gate open, Little Monk stopped his watering. He turned around and seeing Gu Changqing, joyously exclaimed, “Big brother, you’re here!”

“Little Monk.” Gu Changqing nodded and stepped through the gate.

Gu Chengfeng also entered.

His visits to Bishui Alley weren’t frequent. His most vivid memory was of being anesthetized on his bed, helplessly observing a gruesome surgery.

To this day, he still couldn’t stomach eating meat.

“Oh? This big brother is also here.” Little Monk had seen Gu Chengfeng at the medical hall, but didn’t know his name, so he repeatedly addressed him as ‘Big Brother’.

Not prying into patient privacy was every doctor’s professional ethic.

Jiaojiao was a doctor; he was a junior doctor!

He had once saved a handsome uncle!

Gu Chengfeng grunted in agreement. Looking at the little guy who shaved Chenglin’s head into an unsightly half-head cut, he felt a small trace of residual fear.

But it was undeniable that the little fellow was quite cute.

“I’ll help you.” Gu Changqing told Little Monk.

Little Monk thought for a moment, “Um… okay then.”

Jiaojiao had said it was not just necessary to need someone’s help to accept it; fondness could be a reason too.

He liked Big Brother!

There was not much water left in the small wooden bucket, half of the evgetable bed was yet to be watered, so Gu Changqing went to the backyard to fetch water.

While he was there, he handed over the gifts he’d brought to Little Monk.

With the large bundle cradled in his arms, Little Monk cocked his head and looked at Gu Chengfeng.

Feeling awkward under his gaze, Gu Chengfeng reluctantly touched his nose and offered, “I, uh… I’ll help you too! Do you have any more chores?”

Little Monk’s yes nodded vigorously, his eyes gleamed, and he pointed, “There’s another small bucket there!”

Little Monk led Gu Chengfeng to the other small bucket, and then Chengfeng’s fair, handsome face darkened.

Why was it that his brother fetched water, while he ended up fetching manure?

Gu Chengfeng stifled his urge to roll his eyes: “What do you use this stuff for?”

Little Monk earnestly replied, “Fertility! The better the fertilizer, the more nutritious the vegetables.”

As for the criterion for a good fertilizer…

Gu Chengfeng dared not think any further.

He was already unable to eat meat, was the day coming when he had to refrain from vegetables too?

What exactly is his beef with this house on Bishui Alley?

If this happens again, would he have to go without even water!

The little monk he pledged to help, he will do it even if it reduces him to tears~

Wah~

Finally, Gu Chengfeng, the precious and pampered young master, experienced a taste of what it felt like to wish for death.

Gu Changqing went to Gu Yan’s room.

Gu Yan had just woken up from a nap and was sitting by the window, staring blankly. A little wisp of his hair was rebelliously sticking out.

Perhaps because of the rain last night, today’s weather was not hot. There was a gentle breeze; to Gu Changqing, it was extremely comfortable.

But for Gu Yan, it was a bit chilly.

He sat there in his thin clothes, looking like a helpless little creature at first glance.

Actually, the little one was just trying to shake off the sleepiness…

But in Gu Changqing’s eyes, he seemed to be dwelling sorrowfully on something.

Was it because of Tang Ming?

Or himself?

Gu Changqing was unsure, he felt a wave of unease. He wanted to walk over and drape a coat over him, yet he was worried that he would disgust him, that he didn’t want to see him.

“You’re here.”

It was Yao Family’s voice.

Yao Family just went to the kitchen to make some snacks for Gu Yan. She temporarily didn’t notice Gu Chengfeng, who was being tormented by the little monk in the front yard, so she wasn’t surprised by Gu Changqing’s appearance.

“I heard there was some trouble in the military camp recently, are you okay?” Yao Family asked.

This was her first legitimate show of concern for Gu Changqing as his stepmother since he became an adult.

When she first entered the Marquis Residence, she naively believed that she could raise three children, even if that wasn’t what she originally wanted.

But since she had married, she never thought about avoiding it.

However, as you would expect, the result was disappointing.

“I’m fine.” Gu Changqing answered politely.

Hearing his voice, Gu Yan finally reacted and subconsciously turned toward him.

Gu Changqing noticed his movement in his peripheral vision and quickly looked at him. He seemed to want to observe his expression, but Gu Yan, whether he had remembered something suddenly or for some other reason, turned his head back halfway.

Gu Changqing felt a pang of disappointment.

Yao Family looked at Gu Yan, smiled quietly, and handed the snack plate in her hand to Gu Changqing: “I just remembered that I haven’t finished sewing a piece of clothing, can you bring it to Yanyan for me?”

“Ah…” Gu Changqing was hesitant about whether to refuse or not, but Yao Family had already stuffed the snack plate into his hand.

Looking at the retreating figure of Yao Family, Gu Changqing suddenly thought that without the prejudices and misunderstanding of the past, Yao Family might have been a very gentle and understanding stepmother.

But their relationship has deteriorated beyond repair.

But when it comes to Gu Yan…

He flexed his fingers.

He didn’t want to give up.

He knocked on the open door: “I’m coming in.”

Gu Yan didn’t respond, and only shifted his small body slightly forward, expressing his rejection in silence.

Gu Changqing went to his side and placed a stack of delicate and delicious green bean cakes in front of him: “They’re still hot, eat them while they’re warm.”

Gu Yan wouldn’t eat.

Gu Changqing turned his head and opened the wardrobe, picking out a changshan robe to put on him.

However, Gu Yan threw it to the floor without any hesitation.

If his guesses and speculation before were mere hunches, then now Gu Changqing was almost certain that Gu Yan was angry with him.

He didn’t recall doing anything in these past days to upset Gu Yan. If he had to pick something, it would be the night he was lured out of the military camp by the assassin, appearing in a disheveled state in front of Gu Yan.

But Gu Yan was not an unreasonable child.

So…

Gu Changqing took a deep breath.

An assumption he didn’t want to confront or think about flashed through his mind.

“Are you…”

He closed his eyes, but in the end, he didn’t get the words out.

If he could turn back time, he wouldn’t reject that child who was sneakily watching him practicing swordplay behind a tree. He wouldn’t purposely throw away his handkerchief, and definitely wouldn’t be indifferent when he needed him most. He wouldn’t vent his father’s anger on him, neglect him, hurt him…

So many things he wouldn’t do.

Too many to count.