For the next few days, Lu Jinchen sent invitations to Gu Chengzhi, asking him to go out. It was not strange since they had been together every day. However, the Princess Dowager asked Lu Jinchen to take Lin Zhijie along by the way, and the old lady of the Gu family also missed her granddaughter. She told Gu Chengzhi to take his younger sister with him whenever he went out to play.
The most frequent destination was the teahouse on Mingzheng Street. Jiang Yingyue had brought Gu Liyue here before, but Gu Liyue neither liked drinking tea nor talking, so she stopped coming later.
However, now that she came again, she found it much more interesting. Gu Chengzhi would ask the singing girls to come in and sing, or invite the storytellers to tell stories.
"Does Liyue like listening to the melody?"
Gu Liyue found it quite interesting. "I only watched operas before and listened to the melody with Mrs. Jiang. It's not bad."
Gu Chengzhi immediately asked, "Operas? Do you like watching operas? There's a good opera house nearby. It has been full every day since the New Year. But if you want to watch, I'll get tickets for you for an entire afternoon."
Gu Liyue of course knew which opera house Gu Chengzhi was talking about. It was there that she was framed by Jiang Yingyue. How could she possibly want to go there again?
Lu Jinchen said calmly, "No need. That opera house has closed."
Gu Chengzhi asked in surprise, "Closed? Why? Their business has always been booming. I heard they are backed by the Prince of Xuan. How could they just close down?"
Lu Jinchen gave him a sharp look and then reached out to hand the milk with honey brought in by the servant to Gu Liyue. "Try it?"
Gu Liyue stared at him blankly. He said that opera house had closed? Did he know what had happened to her and did this for her on purpose?
Lu Jinchen smiled at her. "A Jie likes milk tea. Since you don't like tea, this is milk with honey. Try it first. If you want milk tea, that's okay too."
Gu Chengzhi asked doubtfully, "Doesn't my sister like tea? I saw you drinking tea at home."
Gu Liyue nodded awkwardly. "Well, I do drink it..."
Lu Jinchen didn't say much more. He then asked the servant to bring all kinds of milk tea in the shop.
Gu Chengzhi frowned. "Jinchen, what are you doing? Aren't these all for kids? Can A Jie drink all these? Are they for my sister? My sister..."
Lu Jinchen looked at him calmly. "Liyue has never tried them. Can't she drink?"
Gu Chengzhi swallowed the rest of his words. "Sure... Sister, you can drink whatever you like. If you like it, I'll ask Auntie to hire a cook who can make milk tea when I get back."
Gu Chengzhi swallowed the rest of his words. "Sure... Sister, you can drink whatever you like. If you like it, I'll ask Auntie to hire a cook who can make milk tea when I get back."
Gu Liyue quickly shook her head. "No need, really. I'm fine with just drinking tea on weekdays."
In a wealthy family, there were many rules. People usually drank tea. And for her, just having a cup of hot water was already satisfying since childhood.
Gu Liyue didn't want to continue this topic. She quickly asked, "My Lord, weren't you on duty all last year? Don't you have any duties now?"
Lu Jinchen nodded. "I had something to do this year, so I declined."
Gu Chengzhi didn't understand. "You had something to do? What could it be? If you're not on duty, your father will scold you for being lazy again."
Lu Jinchen smiled faintly. "I don't care. Well, are you scared of being scolded by your father?"
Gu Chengzhi shrank his neck. Of course, he was scared of being scolded by his father. It was just that these days since his sister came back, the whole family was in high spirits. Seeing that he always accompanied his sister, his father had been nicer to him.
On the way home, they passed by the opera house. Gu Liyue took a special look and saw that the door of the opera house was closed and the signboard had already been taken down.
Gu Chengzhi saw his sister lift the curtain of the carriage and asked, "What are you looking at, sister?"
Gu Liyue shook her head. "Nothing. It's just that I've been here several times before, but I never really had a good look around."
Gu Chengzhi asked, "For watching operas? There are other opera houses in the capital. I'll take you there later."
Gu Liyue smiled. "Let's talk about it later."
After accompanying Gu Liyue for two days, Gu Chengzhi felt bored. He preferred to go out with his friends to play ball, practice martial arts, or drink and brag. It was inconvenient to always have his sister around.
Gu Liyue knew what he was thinking, so she said actively, "The storytelling in that teahouse last time was really good. I'd like to go and listen again. Fourth Brother, you don't have to worry about me. Just go and have fun."
Gu Chengzhi hesitated. "Otherwise, I'll ask A Jie to accompany you? Or... Jinchen?"
Gu Liyue shook her head. "A Jie has other friends. He can't accompany me every day. As for Lord Lu... Didn't he say last time that he had other things to do this year? Moreover, if I'm alone with him, I'm afraid people will talk. Let's forget it."
Seeing this, Gu Chengzhi also thought it made sense. He sent Gu Liyue into the teahouse, but he was still a bit worried and lingered, not daring to leave.
Gu Liyue smiled. "Fourth Brother, go quickly. Don't be late. Come and pick me up later, and we'll go home together. I'll just stay in the teahouse and won't go anywhere. There are guards and maids with me. You don't have to worry."
Gu Chengzhi beamed. Going out and coming back with his sister together would keep the family from suspecting. His sister was so nice and considerate.
Gu Liyue liked quietness. While listening to the story, she asked Tangyuan to take out the embroidery supplies. She hadn't been feeling well recently. She had only made hairbands for Lu Jinchen and her brothers, and the gifts for the elders hadn't been finished yet. She had to hurry up.
Around late afternoon, suddenly there was a "bang" sound from the private room next door, which made Gu Liyue's hand tremble. The needle pricked into her finger, and a drop of blood welled up.
Gu Liyue quickly put the embroidery aside to prevent the blood on her hand from staining it.
Tangyuan quickly came up and held Gu Liyue's hand, and then shouted for someone to get the ointment.
Gu Liyue put her finger in her mouth and sucked it. She shook her head and said, "No need. It's just a small thing. Tangyuan, go and tidy up the embroidery quickly. Don't let it get dirty. And if the embroidery threads get tangled up, it will be troublesome."
The maid beside her said anxiously, "Miss, you're still worried about the embroidery threads. If the old lady knows you're like this, she'll be heartbroken."
Gu Liyue was stunned for a moment and let them help her wash her hands, apply the medicine, and carefully bandage it. It was just a small needle prick, but they were so anxious about it.
She lowered her head and smiled. Yes, if she got hurt before, Nanny Yun would also be anxious. Probably, all family members were like this.
There was a commotion from the private room next door, followed by a woman's shouting.
"My child, my child. Xia Lang, my child..."
"You venomous woman! You venomous woman!"
Tangyuan frowned. She knew that this was probably a family matter from some inner courtyard. It was really embarrassing to make such a scene in public. She quickly protected Gu Liyue and whispered,
"Miss, if we stay any longer, it may dirty your ears. Maids will send you back to the mansion first, and then send someone to look for the Fourth Young Master."
Gu Liyue didn't hesitate. She followed Tangyuan out of the private room. Just as she was about to go downstairs, she looked up and saw that the person who had been pushed to the ground seemed to be Princess Jing.