Unfamiliar with the place, Gu Sinian headed straight for the innermost and most luxurious courtyard of the Hot Spring Villa.
It was winter, yet the villa was as warm as spring. Within the Golden Pavilion, exotic flowers and rare plants vied for attention. Gu Sinian frowned slightly. He had mentioned it several times, asking Qian Yuanbao to change the courtyard's name. Such a nouveau riche name was utterly incompatible with the elegance of the Hot Spring Villa. His friend had verbally agreed but remained indifferent. Da Feng Novel
"A Nian, why are you here?" Qian Yuanbao looked up from a pile of silver, feigning surprise.
"Naturally, I have matters to attend to," Gu Sinian replied, his lips pressed together, his expressionless.
Qian Yuanbao touched his face. He loved to smile, a warm, approachable smile that made people feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze. Yet, his friend always wore a stern face, as if everyone owed him money. Even so, people still said Gu Sinian was handsome, the most handsome man in Da Feng. It was truly unfair. Especially since this "most handsome man" seemed somewhat averse to the title.
"What is it? Has the Duke upset you again?" Qian Yuanbao stood up, fanned open his folding fan, and began to sway it with a flourish.
Using a fan in the dead of winter; well, Gu Sinian couldn't be bothered to comment.
"I recall you have a manor where you grow fruit trees. The apricots sent every year are large and sweet, very delicious," Gu Sinian said.
Qian Yuanbao nodded, not quite understanding Gu Sinian's intention. Did he want to eat apricots? It was winter, and no matter how capable he was, he couldn't make apricot trees bear fruit in winter to please Lord Gu.
"If you wish to eat them, when the apricots are ready, I'll have people send more to the Duke's mansion," Qian Yuanbao said after a moment's thought.
"No, I don't want apricots. I want apricot branches."
Qian Yuanbao's mouth widened in surprise. Had he been provoked by something? To eat branches instead of fruit?
"A Nian, branches are not tasty. They are dry and tough, impossible to chew, and can even poke your mouth. Why put yourself through this?" Qian Yuanbao earnestly advised.
Gu Sinian looked at Qian Yuanbao as if he were an idiot. He had said he wanted apricot branches, not that he intended to eat them. He wasn't a fool to gnaw on branches.
"Control your imagination. Books say that wild apricot trees need sweet apricot branches for grafting to produce sweet apricots," Gu Sinian explained simply, his thin lips pursed.
Qian Yuanbao breathed a sigh of relief. It was good he wasn't planning to eat them.
"Do you have wild apricot trees on your manor?" Qian Yuanbao asked casually. He didn't recall having any manor with fruit trees.
"A friend entrusted me with them."
"Alright, I'll have the estate manager visit your mansion later. Just tell me what you need," Qian Yuanbao said magnanimously. A few branches were nothing.
Gu Sinian's eyes flickered. Although he had asked Gu Qing to find experienced fruit farmers, who could be more experienced than the farmers on Qian Yuanbao's estate? Hundreds of acres of orchards were managed meticulously, and the fruits they produced were delicious. Perhaps...
"Do you have many experienced fruit farmers on your estate?" Gu Sinian asked casually, his expression placid, as if making small talk.
"Absolutely! The orchard manager is quite capable. One year, I casually mentioned wanting peaches to ripen later, and he managed it. Amazing, right? Peaches were gone by the end of September in previous years, but that year I was still eating freshly picked peaches from the trees in October," Qian Yuanbao boasted proudly.
"Could you lend me one?" Gu Sinian tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, glancing at Qian Yuanbao from the corner of his eye.
His good friend had made a rare request, so Qian Yuanbao naturally had to oblige. "What do you mean, lend? Do we need to be so formal between us? What's mine is yours. Use it as you please."
The young maid serving tea outside overheard a fragment of their conversation and felt a surge of emotion. The young master was indeed handsome, but no matter how handsome, he was still a man. Why had her young master fallen for a man? Judging by the doting tone of his voice, he cherished the young lord dearly.
Due to the hot springs, the room was very warm. Gu Sinian had worn many layers when he arrived and was now flushed from the heat, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead and the tip of his nose. Seeing this, Qian Yuanbao grumbled, "If you're hot, why don't you take off some clothes?"
The young maid, who had been about to push the door open, retracted her hand. If she entered now, she would likely interrupt something between the young master and the young lord, and she might be blamed. It was better to wait.
Gu Sinian didn't stay long at Qian Yuanbao's. After a brief chat, he left.
The young maid at the door watched Gu Sinian's retreating figure and began to muse. When praising a woman's beauty, people often used phrases like "flower-like face" or "peach blossom complexion." But she felt the young lord deserved those descriptions too. The faint blush on his face was indeed like a peach blossom, vibrant and vivid. It was no wonder her young master was so infatuated. If she were a man, she too would be unable to tear her eyes away from such an exquisite person.
Gu Sinian did not return directly to the Duke's mansion. He wandered aimlessly outside.
A crowd had gathered in the middle of the road, completely blocking it. He couldn't pass.
Amidst the noisy clamor, Gu Sinian felt no interest. He was never one to meddle in other people's affairs.
"Beat him! Beat him hard! If he dies, I'll take responsibility. Let him know the consequences of going against me."
"No, stop hitting him! Master Dong, I'll go with you. If you keep hitting him, someone will die." A weak, soft voice pleaded.
Master Dong? Gu Sinian had already taken two steps away. Upon hearing that name, he stopped, turned back, and pushed his way into the crowd.
That arrogant demeanor, it was indeed the Master Dong he knew.
He stood there majestically, directing a group of household guards to beat someone.
The one being beaten was shielding his head while trying to fight back. Beside him, a delicate young girl was crying profusely.
Gu Sinian directly intervened, kicking the guards aside with a few swift moves. He then reached out and helped the young man who was being beaten.
The fists that had been hitting him suddenly stopped. Zhang Xiaoniu instinctively lowered his hands from his face. Although he had taken a few punches, it didn't prevent recognition. Gu Sinian recognized the person being beaten, and Zhang Xiaoniu also recognized Gu Sinian.
Before the two could speak, a piercing voice rang out, "Oh, what a surprise! The Young Lord, instead of being a pretty boy, is playing the hero who rights wrongs?"
The onlookers burst into laughter, their gazes towards Gu Sinian becoming brazen. After all, with so many people present, even if the Young Lord was angry, he would only seek out the instigator, not them.
Gu Sinian's brow furrowed slightly. Dong Huan was his elder brother Gu Siya's maternal uncle. Although Concubine Dong was gone, she had entrusted their father to look after her brother before she died. Therefore, the Duke had always been very lenient and supportive of Dong Huan. With the Duke's mansion as his backing, Dong Huan had always been arrogant. Dong Huan believed that Gu Sinian and his mother had usurped his sister's position, and he harbored deep resentment towards Gu Sinian. Now that they had run into each other, he naturally had to mock him.