Qi Zhenzhen felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze. Good heavens, being stared at by such a handsome man would make her terribly shy!
"You are special, so special that one can't help but pay attention to you," Gu Sinian said slowly.
Was this a confession? Qi Zhenzhen felt her heart skip several beats.
"Once I pay attention, I discover that what you do is not at all what a country girl should know."
The imagined pink bubbles popped, and Qi Zhenzhen felt a surge of fear. What did Gu Sinian mean? Had he discovered something?
"What do you mean?" Qi Zhenzhen's eyes turned cold as she stared vigilantly at Gu Sinian. "What is your purpose in coming here today?"
Seeing Qi Zhenzhen like a startled cat, Gu Sinian felt a flicker of excitement. Was this the real her?
Gu Sinian shook his head. "No particular purpose. I just wanted to ask Zhang Erniu if he's willing to follow me, and I happened to come by to see you."
"Please refrain from such 'happenings' in the future. I saved the Crown Prince before, and you've given me all the promised compensation. We are even. We are a widowed family, and we only wish to live a quiet life," Qi Zhenzhen said coldly. "The Crown Prince has a noble status; please do not condescend to interact with us. We cannot afford it."
Qi Zhenzhen truly meant it. Gu Sinian was very intelligent and filled with curiosity about her, which was not a good sign.
After speaking, without regard for Gu Sinian's reaction, Qi Zhenzhen turned and walked out of the main house.
Gu Sinian touched his nose in bewilderment. He didn't want to see her constrained in front of him, so he found a topic. It seemed he chose the wrong topic. She was no longer constrained, but her attitude had become cold. This...
Gu Sinian wanted to ask why, but she had already left, and he couldn't bring himself to be pushy. He could only sit alone in the main house.
After returning to her room, Qi Zhenzhen lay on the heated brick bed with her clothes on and began to recall what she had done in the past few months.
Hunting in the mountains, returning with a full harvest every time. Good luck, extraordinary talent, these could barely be explained away.
Zhuifeng's closeness to her, what did that have to do with her?
Doing business? It was unavoidable. The family had been poor and couldn't survive. She couldn't just sit and starve to death, could she?
As for saving them? Within her capabilities, she didn't want to be someone who stood by and watched others die.
Looking at each item, nothing seemed out of place.
Putting them together?
It seemed it truly wasn't what a country girl should know. Qi Zhenzhen decided to be more low-key from now on, to faithfully guard Yun Shi and Yi Ge'er, and to live by the business of kimchi. She would save more money, buy a few more acres of land, and live as a quiet country girl.
Zhang Xiaoniu led Zhang Erniu back. Seeing Gu Sinian sitting alone, he asked with some confusion, "Crown Prince, where is Zhenzhen?"
"Miss Qi has returned to her room. It's not appropriate for a man and a woman to be alone together," Gu Sinian said solemnly.
"The Crown Prince is truly a gentleman. This commoner admires you," Zhang Erniu said first, cutting off Zhang Xiaoniu's words. This foolish younger brother might say anything.
Gu Sinian nodded. "Xiaoniu always says his second brother has good skills. I had some free time today, so I came to see if you're willing to follow me like Xiaoniu."
Zhang Erniu knelt on one knee, cupping his fists. "Thank you for your appreciation, Crown Prince. This commoner only wishes to live a stable life and has no ambition for great achievements."
Being rejected, Gu Sinian was not angered. "Everyone has their own aspirations. It was my oversight. Xiaoniu, let's go."
"Zhenzhen, we're leaving. Aren't you going to come out and see us off?" Zhang Xiaoniu shouted.
His voice was so loud it could shake the house. Qi Zhenzhen certainly couldn't stay in her room pretending not to hear. She emerged from her room reluctantly.
"Zhenzhen, do you still have any persimmon cakes? Pack some for me, please. I'll share them with my roommates when I get back," Zhang Xiaoniu said shamelessly.
Qi Zhenzhen glared at him, then turned and went into the kitchen. She packed all the remaining persimmon cakes and handed them to Zhang Xiaoniu. "This is all I have."
"Having some is better than having none," Zhang Xiaoniu said cheerfully, stuffing the items into his embrace and mounting his horse.
Gu Sinian looked deeply at Qi Zhenzhen. Was it an illusion, or did Qi Zhenzhen see a hint of wistfulness in his eyes?
After seeing them off, Qi Zhenzhen breathed a sigh of relief and invited Zhang Erniu in for a chat.
Zhang Erniu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Brother Zhang, following the Crown Prince will surely lead to a great future. Why did you refuse?" Qi Zhenzhen couldn't quite understand.
"Miss Qi, have you forgotten our previous agreement?" Zhang Erniu asked.
Agreement? Oh, right. Qi Zhenzhen had asked Zhang Erniu to protect their family in the future. Was it for this reason that he refused? Qi Zhenzhen felt a bit touched. Zhang Erniu was so true to his word, it was admirable.
"Brother Zhang, if you want to follow the Crown Prince, you don't need to worry about our agreement," Qi Zhenzhen said with a smile. "Things are different now. No one in the village will deliberately trouble us. Besides, I can handle it."
"Miss Qi could handle it back then too. For some matters, it's more convenient for me to step forward. Moreover, by following the Crown Prince, one inevitably has to go to the battlefield. I don't want to experience that again..."
Watching familiar faces around him die one by one, that feeling was truly despairing.
Qi Zhenzhen could well understand Zhang Erniu's feelings. Their mercenary group had many members back then, but as the danger level of missions increased, people around her died one after another during missions. That sorrow often woke Qi Zhenzhen up at midnight, making sleep impossible.
"Then, I will have to rely on you, Brother Zhang, in the future," Qi Zhenzhen said with a smile.
"No, no, I will have to rely on Miss Qi for guidance in the future," Zhang Erniu waved his hand.
They chatted for a while longer, and then Zhang Erniu took his leave.
He had been pondering one thing: did the Crown Prince really come here to ask if he was willing to follow? He wasn't an idiot. If that were truly the case, the Crown Prince wouldn't need to come in person; he could have just asked Xiaoniu to relay the message when he returned. He wasn't a wise or capable person, so why would the Crown Prince personally come to show courtesy? Not to mention this, if it were truly for him, wouldn't he have gone straight to their home upon arrival? Why did he come to the Qi family? Xiaoniu had told him that the Crown Prince had eaten four roujiamo and a large bowl of hot and sour noodle soup at Miss Qi's place.
Furthermore, when Miss Qi appeared just now, he had seen it clearly: the Crown Prince's gaze was fixed on Miss Qi.
When Xiaoniu was at home, he always stared at Zhenzhen, just like the Crown Prince?
If that were really the case...
Zhang Erniu dared not think further. He felt that Miss Qi was no ordinary person, but no matter how extraordinary she was, she was still just a country girl. The status difference was too great. How could it be possible? Noble families had many rules and emphasized matching social status. The Crown Prince of a Duke's mansion would certainly not marry a country girl. In that case, what could Miss Qi become other than a mistress?