Chapter 63: 63 Siblings
At the sight of Gu Jiao’s eyes, Gu Yan knew she remembered him. A hint of joy spread across his normally indifferent handsome face.
The moment Gu Jiao saw him smile, her mood brightened. She was about to approach him to greet him when she saw him put his finger to his lips.
Gu Jiao immediately understood and lowered her gaze, pretending to see nothing.
Though these guards were from the Warm Spring Villa, they hadn’t encountered Gu Jiao before, hence, they didn’t recognize her. Since Gu Jiao seems unbothered, they continued their search.
Once they were out of sight, Gu Jiao approached the carriage.
It was a common folk’s carriage, very rudimentary. It was a good disguise that the guards would never suspect that their precious Young Master from the Marquis Residence might be hiding in it.
The coachman was a local, paid well in silver, he wouldn’t spill the secrets.
Gu Jiao pulled back the curtain and turned to the delicate and sickly young man in front, asking, “What brings you here? And why did you lose your guards?”
“I came to look for you,” Gu Yan honestly replied.
“To look for me? Are you feeling unwell?” Gu Jiao subconsciously reached in to check his pulse, only remembering mid-way that she was a mere assistant in the Marquis Residence.
She silently withdrew her hand.
A slight smile appeared on Gu Yan’s pale face, “I know it’s you.”
How did he discover that?
Did she accidentally reveal something?
Gu Jiao felt slightly baffled.
Gu Yan was amused by her confusion, “Others might not know, but you can come in.”
Her secret seems to be increasingly difficult to keep. First, it was the old man, then the second master and the old doctor, and now the Young Master of Marquis Residence.
But Gu Jiao decided to keep denying, “I wasn’t the one who treated you; it was Doctor Li from Huichun Hall. I’m just his little assistant!”
Gu Yan smiled gently, “Alright, little assistant, are you coming in? If not, they are going to find me.”
After a moment of hesitation, Gu Jiao climbed into the carriage.
She sat down beside Gu Yan.
This carriage was so shabby, Gu Jiao was surprised that the Young Master could bear it.
But for Gu Yan, there was no hardship, as long as he could see her.
Gu Yan smiled and extended his thin, pale wrist, “Little assistant, do you want to check my pulse?”
Gu Jiao replied calmly, “It may not be accurate.”
Gu Yan nodded with a smile, “Sure.”
After checking his pulse, Gu Jiao found that it was much steadier than before.
Then she opened the first aid kit and brought out a stethoscope.
“What’s this?” Gu Yan asked curiously.
“A stethoscope. Now take off your clothes.” Doctor Gu said indifferently.
Gu Yan was startled, “……”
Gu Jiao unbuttoned his clothes and placed the stethoscope inside.
The heart rhythm was still irregular with some noise. The medicine for heart failure seemed to be working on him, but it wasn’t magical.
“You must be suffering, right?” Gu Jiao withdrew the stethoscope.
Gu Yan lowered his head, his slender pale fingers buttoning up his clothes, “It’s not that bad, truly. It’s better than before.”
He had been suffering from heart disease for many years and hadn’t experienced what it was like to be normal. Any improvement, no matter how slight, was a relief to him.
“I apologize for the incident with the jade ring.” Gu Yan suddenly spoke up.
Gu Jiao was taken aback, she had almost forgotten about it since it didn’t matter if irrelevant people misunderstood her. “It was I who took your ring first; it’s me who should apologize to you.”
Gu Yan hated to be treated distantly by her: “I don’t want your apology.”
Gu Jiao smiled briefly and did not continue on the subject: “Why did you lose your guards?”
“They’re annoying,” Gu Yan replied.
Gu Jiao lifted the curtain and looked at the man in black on the ground: “But you might be attacked.”
Gu Yan replied with a smile, “He is not an assassin, he is my secret bodyguard, it was he who led them away.”
Gu Jiao blinked innocently, “That’s really unfortunate for him, getting injured by a few thugs.”
Another dark guard not far away spat out a mouthful of old blood. Young lady, is it really okay to lie with your eyes wide open?
“Hmm,” Gu Yan chuckled, “He was injured by thugs, let’s ignore him, let him fend for himself.”
… No need to go that far though.
Gu Jiao cleared her throat. “You have more than one dark guard, don’t you?”
Gu Yan’s smile didn’t fade. “I have two.”
It appears that the one who got away was definitely his dark guard. Thankfully, she did not catch up to him. It would have been a hassle if she had knocked out that one as well.
Gu Jiao’s face was a capital letter’s worth of embarrassment.
“What’s your name?” Gu Yan asked.
“Gu Jiao,” Gu Jiao answered.
Gu Yan was surprised, “Your surname is Gu. My name is Gu Yan. We are from the same family 500 years ago.”
Gu Jiao laughed. Was the esteemed young master of the Marquis Residence degrading his status to claim kinship with a village girl? Won’t he be reprimanded by the Marquis and the Marquise?
“Are you hungry?” Gu Yan asked.
Having gotten up early and walked a long way, Gu Jiao was indeed a bit hungry now.
Town West wasn’t as bustling as Town East. There weren’t many high-end restaurants. After a while, they found a passable small restaurant.
“Have you been to a place before?” Gu Jiao asked as she stepped down from the carriage.
“No,” Gu Yan replied honestly.
As the frail young master who’d be willing to collapse at the slightest wind, the Marquis Residence had brought him up with utmost care. They would never allow him to visit such places of the common folk.
Of course, he wasn’t too interested either. Firstly, he didn’t have the energy to fuss over such things, and secondly, he was too world-weary to bother.
Things are different now.
He didn’t feel as sick, and more importantly, he wanted to see her.
The two found a secluded corner to sit in. Gu Yan’s appearance, temperament, and attire made it impossible not to attract attention. He hated being stared at, but if it meant being with her, he didn’t mind.
The waiter, having never seen such a noble young master, completely forgot his manners.
Gu Yan ordered a table full of delicious dishes.
Gu Jiao knitted her brows, “Can you eat all this?”
There were Braised Lion’s Heads, Candied Pork Hocks, and Steamed Assorted Meats. With his illness, he had to watch his diet!
Gu Yan rested his chin on his hand and watched her, “You help me eat.”
Gu Jiao really wanted to be more reserved, but he ordered all the dishes she loved.
Actually, they were also things that Gu Yan had always wanted to eat, but the imperial physician wouldn’t let him.
In the end, Gu Jiao was the one eating hearty meat dishes, while Gu Yan could only drink porridge on the side.
But, watching her eat as if he could taste the food himself, was a satisfying feeling he had never experienced before.
After the meal, Gu Yan went to pay the bill while Gu Jiao took another look at the first aid kit.
As expected, there was more medicine for heart failure.
Gu Jiao removed the original packaging and, like last time, poured it into several small porcelain bottles labeled with dosages and instructions in cinnabar.
When Gu Yan came over, Gu Jiao handed him the medicine, “Your medicine is almost finished, right?”
Gu Yan looked at the medicine in her hand and was momentarily lost in thought.
Gu Jiao continued to dig her own grave, “Doctor Li gave it to me!”
“Take your medicine on time. It’s okay to go out for a change of mood, but don’t run away from your guards again, especially because your dark guards aren’t very competent… one stick and they fall…
Gu Jiao said earnestly, but when she saw him smiling at her, her heart stuttered and she quickly added, “I didn’t hit them! I didn’t! I don’t hit people!”
——There seems to be three hundred taels of silver buried here.
Gu Yan laughed inwardly like an idiot.