Gu Liyue was on tenterhooks all the way, but Lin Zhijie was a very talkative boy. He chattered on and on. After all, he was just a child, and his thoughts came and went randomly when he spoke.
After chatting for a while, he suddenly remembered that he was here to accompany his sister.
"Sister, where are you going now?"
"Um... I want to go to the bookstore."
Lu Jinchen was walking beside Lin Zhijie. He turned his head and looked at Gu Liyue, lost in thought. His aunt had said before that Gu Liyue was literate but lacked elegance. But now it seemed that wasn't entirely true.
His aunt had been in a high - ranking position for too long and couldn't see clearly. In fact, there were not many girls like this with courage in the folk.
Lin Zhijie pouted: "What's so interesting about a bookstore? I dislike reading the most. My parents always force me to read books. Isn't it more fun to play?"
Lu Jinchen put his hand on Lin Zhijie's head: "Ajie."
Lin Zhijie quickly leaned towards Gu Liyue and stuck out his tongue at Lu Jinchen: "Brother is such a stick - in - the - mud."
Gu Liyue snickered secretly. Officer Lu looked serious, but in fact, he was very kind and gentle to his younger brother.
Although Lin Zhijie didn't like bookstores, he still accompanied Gu Liyue there. Gu Liyue didn't dare to stay long. She carefully looked around and carefully selected a copy of "Three - Character Classic" and a copy of "Thousand - Character Essay".
Lin Zhijie asked: "I can recite these already. Why are you buying them, sister?"
Gu Liyue scratched her head awkwardly: "I... I can't recite them."
When she opened the "Three - Character Classic", there were still many characters she didn't recognize.
Lin Zhijie asked curiously: "You're already this old and still can't? Didn't you study when you were a child?"
Gu Liyue nodded seriously: "Yes, my father taught me when I was a child, but I didn't study later, and I've forgotten a lot."
Lin Zhijie asked: "Didn't he teach you anymore?"
Gu Liyue paused and didn't say a word.
Lu Jinchen had been looking at books nearby. Hearing this, he walked over and patted Lin Zhijie's head: "I've picked two books for you. Copy them for me when you get home."
Lin Zhijie's face immediately fell.
Gu Liyue looked at Lu Jinchen gratefully and then went to look at the Four Treasures of the Study. However, the "Three - Character Classic" and the "Thousand - Character Essay" were not expensive. The two books together only cost 500 wen. But she couldn't afford the Four Treasures of the Study. The cheapest set cost two taels of silver. The embroidery work she had done today only fetched a deposit of two taels of silver in total.
After thinking for a while, Gu Liyue decided to give it up. The muddy ground at the door was enough for her to write and draw with a twig. Moreover, she had to do embroidery and didn't have much time.
After putting away the books, Gu Liyue said goodbye to Lin Zhijie: "Ajie, go back with your brother. I'm going back too."
Lin Zhijie rarely got to go out, but he didn't want to leave. He grabbed Gu Liyue's hand: "I'll go back with you."
Gu Liyue shook her head: "No. It's almost noon. You should go back for lunch."
Lin Zhijie said: "Sister, the mushroom soup you made last time was delicious. But next time, put some meat in it. It'll taste even better. Got it?"
Gu Liyue laughed. This innocent little guy.
They had only walked a short distance apart when a carriage stopped beside Gu Liyue. Lin Zhijie stuck his head out from inside: "Sister, where's your carriage?"
Gu Liyue looked up at him awkwardly and shook her head: "I don't have a carriage."
Lin Zhijie tilted his head: "Without a carriage, how are you going back?"
"Walk... back."
Lin Zhijie opened his mouth in surprise. In his little mind, he couldn't understand why someone didn't have a carriage, just like he couldn't understand why there was no meat in his sister's mushroom soup. He turned around and grabbed Lu Jinchen's sleeve: "Brother Jinchen, can we take sister back?"
Gu Liyue had no choice but to take Yunniang and get into the carriage. Yunniang refused to get in and only sat beside the coachman, while Gu Liyue got in. The carriage was quite big. Three people sitting inside were not crowded, but Gu Liyue felt extremely embarrassed.
She had never ridden in a carriage before, let alone been so close to an outside man. She sat there like a quail.
Lin Zhijie leaned on Gu Liyue. Before long, his head bobbed up and down, and he fell asleep.
Gu Liyue whispered: "Officer Lu, you can just let us off here. We're used to walking, and it doesn't matter this little bit."
Lu Jinchen didn't comment much: "There's no need for that. Since Ajie likes you, we'll take you home."
Gu Liyue didn't dare to insist and just lowered her head to look at Lin Zhijie. This child was good - looking and well - nurtured. His round and fair face had very long eyelashes. He was extremely good - looking.
Officer Lu also had very long eyelashes, which made his eyes look deep and attractive.
Gu Liyue was a bit surprised. Although she had seen Officer Lu before, she didn't seem to have observed him carefully. How did she know he had long eyelashes?
But for no reason, she just thought so.
Gu Liyue summoned up her courage and looked up at Officer Lu. Officer Lu had his eyes closed, seemingly taking a nap. His eyelashes drooped down, covering his whole eyes and casting a shadow under them.
Sure enough, they were very long and extremely good - looking.
Gu Liyue was so captivated that she forgot to look away. Among the people she knew, whether male or female, there was no one as good - looking as him. He didn't seem like an ordinary person but more like an immortal.
Lu Jinchen seemed to sense her gaze. He raised his eyebrows and gave her a sharp look, which scared her into lowering her head immediately.
Perhaps feeling that his look was too fierce, Lu Jinchen thought for a moment: "You told my younger brother earlier that your father taught you to read and write when you were a child."
Gu Liyue answered honestly: "Yes, but that was when I was very young. My father passed away when I was less than six years old."
Lu Jinchen didn't ask more. That Yunniang outside seemed to be her mother, but their relationship didn't seem quite right. Since she didn't want to say, he didn't want to pry.
"That man in the Feng's Commercial Firm just now..."
Gu Liyue explained: "His mother and my mother were close friends before, so they arranged a baby - engagement for us. But recently, he got together with my cousin, so... later the engagement was called off. Yunniang and I moved out. Now we have nothing to do with him."
Lu Jinchen wasn't a person who dug into details. He had a general understanding and just sneered: "He's just passed the provincial examination. How could he be so arrogant? Aren't you angry?"
Gu Liyue shook her head: "There's nothing to be angry about. People's opportunities are like this. I'm actually a bit lucky. They forced me to call off the engagement. Although my reputation was damaged for a while, I don't have to sacrifice my whole life. That's a blessing."
Lu Jinchen was surprised by Gu Liyue's open - mindedness. He looked at her seriously. This little girl was so small - framed. He didn't know if she was even thirteen or fourteen years old, but unexpectedly, her state of mind was so mature.
He knew that it was not easy for a civilian boy to pass the provincial examination. Moreover, judging from the little girl's situation, her family was not well - off, at least not at present. If she married the scholar, she would be half a step into becoming an official's wife.
She was neither overbearing nor humble. He had this feeling about her both times he saw her. But he was also confused. Was she really neither overbearing nor humble, or was it just because she was too naive and simple?
Lin Zhijie slept restlessly and nuzzled in Gu Liyue's arms.
Gu Liyue smiled and stroked his face: "Ajie, sister is almost home. Don't sleep anymore. You might catch a cold, and that won't be good."
Lin Zhijie woke up and hugged Gu Liyue, acting coquettishly: "Sister, I'm leaving soon, but... when can I see you again?"
Gu Liyue laughed: "Ajie, everything is predestined. Some people are destined to have a shallow bond. If the bond is deep, there will always be a chance to meet again in the future."