Chapter 30 Chance Encounter+
Gu Yu and Gu Mengyao did not follow the army forward. When the surrounding civilians stopped following, the two took the opportunity to say a few words to Gu Qing, then separated from the army and wandered on the streets of the capital instead.
Although Gu Qing was unwilling for Gu Mengyao to leave, he also knew that under the current circumstances, it was an expected outcome.
Gu Mengyao had not forgiven him, so naturally, she would not visit the Gu Residence.
Fortunately, before leaving, Gu Yu promised Gu Qing that he would deliver medicinal cuisine to his door every day until his health was fully recovered, which finally put Gu Qing’s mind at ease.
Even though he still had to drink those strangely flavored medicinal meals, he would be able to see his daughter again. Forget one bowl a day, even ten bowls, Gu Qing would be willing.
As for Gu Yu and Gu Mengyao, as this was their first time in the capital, they were instantly dazzled by its prosperity and spent the entire afternoon shopping.
When they got hungry, they ate local snacks by the roadside, watching the bustling scenes on the streets. It was quite pleasant and leisurely.
Lian Town could not be compared to the capital at all. Just looking at the number of pedestrians was different, not to mention the exquisite buildings around them and the many men and women passing by in fine silks and colorful brocades, each followed by several servants and maids, exuding an air of importance.
Of course, besides wealthy families, there were also beggars loudly begging for alms along the way.
After occasional passersby charitably threw a few qian of silver, the beggar’s dirty face immediately lit up with surprise as he kept kowtowing to the benefactor on the ground. When the clever ones said a few nice words, they even received considerable rewards.
Gu Yu was observing so meticulously now because the beggars in the capital were very professional, much better than the silent beggars in Lian Town who only held out a bowl for alms.
It seemed that every industry had its comparisons!
“Yu, we’ve been shopping for a long time, should we find a place to rest?”
“Yes, there’s a tea house ahead, let’s go there to rest for a while!”
Just as Gu Yu was observing the people around him, Gu Mengyao suddenly spoke, which made Gu Yu immediately decide to go to the tea house ahead to rest, lest the little wife get tired.
Moreover, it wasn’t just Gu Mengyao who was tired; Gu Yu also felt his feet hurting a little.
Gu Yu and Gu Mengyao were wearing ordinary clothes. When they arrived at the tea house, the waiters who served tea and water were unwilling to pay attention to them. However, as soon as Gu Yu took out a banknote of ten thousand taels, they became as attentive as if serving their own father and led the two to a private room on the second floor in minutes.
Gu Yu couldn’t be bothered to say anything about such snobbery. He simply ordered some snacks and a pot of tea, then asked them to leave, leaving him and Gu Mengyao to rest in the private room.
The rich were the masters, a principle that applied everywhere!
Gu Yu thought to himself that he still had to make money in the future… However, chili peppers and wine were comparable to gold and jewelry, but it was just not easy to sell them now.
If he wanted to make money easily, he would have to see how Dan Chengfeng was developing in the capital and how much money he was making. If not, Gu Yu could only find another buyer.
However, judging by the potential of white sugar, Dan Chengfeng had probably made a fortune.
As for Gu Yu, he needed to work harder and obtain some proof of identity… Could it be that he really had to let his brother-in-law pass the imperial examination and become a scholar candidate?
“Yu, look, isn’t that Bai Linyue on the street?”
Just as Gu Yu was thinking, Gu Mengyao’s slightly surprised voice suddenly sounded, making Gu Yu look curiously in the direction Gu Mengyao was pointing.
Indeed, Bai Linyue was stopping at a stall selling small woven toys, holding a small woven cat ornament and looking at it back and forth, with a somewhat absentminded expression.
She was followed by two maids, who were carrying quite a few things in their hands. It seemed they had come out shopping with Bai Linyue.
To think that on their first day in the capital, they would run into an acquaintance.
Seeing Bai Linyue by chance this time, Gu Yu did not intend to go downstairs to greet her. After all, their current location was different, and so was their approach.
Although, even in Lian Town, Gu Yu would not have greeted Bai Linyue.
After all, Bai Linyue’s persistent pestering still made Gu Yu feel a little scared…
However, now that he had seen Bai Linyue, he wondered if Dan Chengfeng was around… It had been more than half a year since Dan Chengfeng said he was going to develop in the capital. Although he still sent letters to the Gu family from time to time to maintain their relationship, he had not returned to Lian Town even once.
Gu Yu had also replied to Dan Chengfeng’s letters a few times. After all, it was impolite not to reciprocate, and it was through mutual exchange that relationships could be extended.
Although the letters were about trivial matters, they did maintain a continuous connection.
“What a coincidence, not only did we run into Bai Linyue, but we also saw Dan Chengfeng.”
“Dan Chengfeng???”
Gu Yu only glanced a few times before withdrawing his gaze, intending to slowly drink his tea… However, after hearing Gu Mengyao’s words, his face immediately showed confusion, wondering where Dan Chengfeng was.
And when Gu Mengyao heard Gu Yu’s question, she saw her little husband’s naive and cute appearance, and couldn’t help but chuckle and cover her mouth before pointing to the left of the stall where Bai Linyue was, a corner of white cloth faintly visible behind a large tree.
…
Dan Chengfeng was really hiding himself well.
If Gu Mengyao hadn’t pointed it out, Gu Yu would never have found Dan Chengfeng… What was this guy doing hiding behind a tree?
Clearly, back in Lian Town, Dan Chengfeng was pursuing Bai Linyue so aggressively, but why had he changed upon arriving in the capital???
Could it be that something had happened between these two?
Seeing that Dan Chengfeng was also nearby, Gu Yu’s interest was piqued. He didn’t shift his gaze and continued to watch with Gu Mengyao with great interest.
Not only was Dan Chengfeng’s hiding place baffling, but Bai Linyue herself had been looking at the woven cat for a long time, making the two maids behind her a little puzzled, wondering why their young lady was so patient today, staying at one stall for such a long time.
Of course, Bai Linyue was not just looking at the woven cat. Her gaze kept drifting towards the trees on the left, and then, before the surrounding people noticed, she quickly withdrew it.
Thinking that Dan Chengfeng was hiding behind the tree, Bai Linyue was also very helpless.
Ever since Bai Linyue returned to the capital, Dan Chengfeng had followed her. Dan Chengfeng was clever enough to prepare a formal invitation to visit her parents. Through their interactions, they quickly became familiar with each other.
Bai Linyue’s parents were naturally aware of Dan Chengfeng’s intentions. Moreover, Magistrate Bai’s letter had also mentioned Dan Chengfeng, stating that he was a young man of good character and family background, and also very capable.
Upon meeting Dan Chengfeng in person, they felt he was a good match for Bai Linyue. After all, he was stable and ambitious. Although he was only a merchant, Bai Linyue would not have to worry about food and clothing if she married him, and could continue to live as a young lady.
It was much better than marrying into those prominent families.
At least, if Dan Chengfeng dared to bully their daughter, they could intervene and prevent their daughter from suffering.
In this process, as Dan Chengfeng and Bai Linyue became more familiar with each other, they soon fell in love.
The man was willing, and the woman was willing.
Initially, if things continued to progress like this, they would be engaged soon.
However, a snag appeared at this time.
The Bai family was a large clan, and Bai Linyue’s parents were from a direct branch. With a beautiful daughter of marriageable age in the family, it naturally attracted the attention of the clan.
Especially after Prime Minister Bai married his daughter into the palace as a consort, he was currently enjoying his success in court. This made the clan elders of the Bai family have some ideas, thinking about whether to arrange more political marriages to enhance the Bai family’s status in the capital.
This would also prevent those fellows from the Wang Clan from appearing and causing trouble from time to time.
With this in mind, the young and beautiful Bai Linyue naturally appeared on the list of political marriages and had already been matched with the son of a high official in the capital.
Bai Linyue’s parents were also very helpless about such a political marriage, but it was news, or rather an order, from the main family, which made it impossible to resist.
Thus, a scene of a mandarin being beaten apart occurred, forcing Dan Chengfeng and Bai Linyue to meet secretly, which made Bai Linyue very unhappy.
Although she wanted Dan Chengfeng to fight for it, considering that the object of the political marriage was the son of the Grand Commandant, and Dan Chengfeng was only a merchant now, he had no way to contend.
Therefore, Bai Linyue decided to take a risk.
She wanted to elope with Dan Chengfeng!!!
Why should her marriage be decided by her family? She wasn’t a doll that could be placed anywhere at will… Moreover, Bai Linyue was the only capable one in the Bai family. They wanted to use her as a political marriage partner to gain benefits from the Bai family, which was simply wishful thinking.
She felt like she was being sold and would even help the other party count the money…
As Bai Linyue thought, the woven cat in her hand was directly deformed by her squeezing, and only when the stall owner cried out in pain did Bai Linyue’s thoughts return.
Seeing that she had stayed too long, Bai Linyue was about to ask the maids behind her to pay and leave. The woven cat she had squeezed and damaged became more and more annoying to Bai Linyue. In the end, she simply threw it to the maid, out of sight, out of mind.
“Let’s go, back to the residence.”
“Miss Bai, are you in such a hurry to leave? As the saying goes, hearing is not as good as seeing. Meeting Miss Bai today fills me with joy. May I have a chat with you at this moment?”
“Who are you? Do I know you?”
Just as Bai Linyue was about to leave with her maids, a man in a dark blue long gown suddenly appeared and blocked Bai Linyue’s path. His words made Bai Linyue roll her eyes, wondering who this guy was.
He looked so glib-tongued, clearly not a good person.
And he was ugly too. How could he compare to her charming and cute Xiao Feng?
“My surname is Wen, and my given name is Shanyue. My father is Grand Commandant Wen Li.”
Then, after stating his name, the man blocking the road smiled at Bai Linyue, revealing a mouthful of white teeth that made Bai Linyue feel conflicted, wondering how she had met her political marriage object so quickly!!!
