Childhood Sweethearts

"Grandmother, I bought these ruyi cloud-patterned boots at a clothing shop outside. Bao'er didn't make them for me."

Afraid Ge Bao'er would be scolded, Lu Zhengliu took care to explain.

Ge Bao'er wiped away her tears and said softly, "Old Madam, I was in such a hurry to see Qing that I picked a pair of shoes at random. I never expected they would match the heir's..."

Old Madam Lu's face darkened. She couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge a woman from the countryside.

Her trusted attendant, Nanny Yan, stepped forward and scolded her. "The old madam is speaking to the heir. What are you interrupting for?"

Ge Bao'er's face grew even paler. Her eyes burned, and tears trembled on the verge of falling. She looked utterly pitiful.

Thinking of how much he owed her for all these years, Lu Zhengliu felt a pang in his heart.

But his grandmother had just flown into such a rage that he didn't dare pour oil on the fire. He could only put an arm around Ge Bao'er's shoulders and coax her gently. "Go and dress yourself again first."

He appealed to Nanny Yan. "Sorry for the trouble."

Only after she saw Old Madam Lu give a slight nod did Nanny Yan sweep a cold glance over Ge Bao'er. "Please follow me, 'Miss Cousin,'" she said icily.

Ge Bao'er followed her, looking thoroughly aggrieved.

As soon as she was gone, Old Madam Lu sighed.

"You said she was an honest woman, and I believed you. You asked me to help you tell this enormous lie, and I helped you do that too. Just look at what she's done."

Lu Zhengliu opened his mouth, still wanting to say something.

Old Madam Lu cut him off. "Don't try to fob me off with 'she didn't mean to.' If she can't even exercise this much caution, then once she truly moves in, I'm afraid she'll turn this household upside down."

Lu Zhengliu lowered his head and said, "Grandmother, you saw how Qing reacted when he heard his mother had come back."

Qing had been so happy he could scarcely hide it.

Old Madam Lu hadn't even dared let him come over to see Ge Bao'er, leaving him in the front courtyard instead.

"If it weren't for Qing, she could forget about setting foot in the Lu family!"

Old Madam Lu added, "Here's what we'll do. Since she's come to my side to 'show filial piety,' let her live in the Hall of Longevity. Everything she and her son do will be under my nose, and you can attend to matters at court with peace of mind."

"A family needs more than descendants. If you can't hold the Lu family up, then even after you've raised Qing, all you'll leave him is a mess."

"Your lesson is well taken, Grandmother."

Old Madam Lu also said to Lu Zhengliu, "Come over tomorrow morning so we can discuss the children's studies together. You're Qing's birth father, so you must pay more attention to his affairs. Whether they're big or small, discuss them with Yun Wan more often. She comes from a distinguished family of upright scholars and understands these matters better than we do."

How could Lu Zhengliu fail to see that his grandmother was actually trying to bring him and Lin Yunwan together?

But what his grandmother said also made sense.

"I understand."

After Lu Zhengliu left, Nanny Yan came in and told Old Madam Lu, "The heir has gone to see her."

Old Madam Lu snorted coldly. "We'll let it pass on the first day. Keep a closer eye on her from now on. She doesn't want to be a concubine and even dreams of becoming the mistress of the household. Let's see whether she can bear this hardship."

"Wild fantasies come at an enormous price."

"I understand."

Ge Bao'er had already redone her hair and makeup, changed into a new outfit, and removed her veil.

Nanny Yan had settled her in a side room connected to the Hall of Longevity's small Buddhist shrine. Lu Zhengliu entered through the shrine's back door and met her inside.

"Brother Azhen, I really didn't do it on purpose..."

Ge Bao'er threw herself into Lu Zhengliu's arms and began to cry, calling him by the "childhood name" he had given her back when they were in Liyang, the Lu family's ancestral home.

Lu Zhengliu didn't blame her.

But he wasn't one for comforting people, so he simply held her in silence.

Only after Ge Bao'er had cried her fill did she lift herself from his arms and ask cautiously, "Brother Azhen, is the old madam angry with me?"

Old Madam Lu was the elder Lu Zhengliu respected most, and the only person in the Lu family's inner household who could protect Qing now. Ge Bao'er had no wish to offend her at all.

Lu Zhengliu said, "The old madam wants you to live in the Hall of Longevity from now on."

She had offended the old madam after all.

Ge Bao'er froze, then flushed. "Brother Azhen, we clearly agreed before I entered the residence..."

She was to live in the courtyard by the southwest side gate of the Wuding Marquis Residence. The courtyard connected to the side gate, making it almost like a little courtyard of its own, and it would be very convenient for Lu Zhengliu to come and go through the gate as usual.

Now she had to live with the old madam, with the Buddhist shrine right next door, and they even wanted her to wear those aloeswood-colored clothes!

She was still young. How could she bear a life of dim lamps and ancient Buddhas, without even wearing makeup?

But Lu Zhengliu said, "This is a good chance for you to spend more time with the old madam. Once enough time has passed, she'll know your true nature."

Ge Bao'er thought for a moment.

If the old madam came to like her, wouldn't she treat Qing better too?

For her son's sake, this was all she could do.

She secretly resolved to serve the old madam well from now on.

"Brother Azhen, when can I see Qing, then?"

At the mention of her son, Ge Bao'er's eyes lit up.

"Wait a few more days. Once the people in the residence stop watching you, you can have a proper meeting with him."

Ge Bao'er had barely nodded when she heard Lu Zhengliu continue, "It'll be some time before I can come see you again too."

She immediately bit her lip, and her clear, moist almond-shaped eyes showed a touch more grievance.

How long is some time? Is he going to leave me here and forget about me?

"Brother Azhen, I'd have been better off not coming back with you. I could have looked for my birth parents on my own, and I could have supported Qing too..."

Ge Bao'er wept bitterly.

Without another word, Lu Zhengliu gripped her chin and said in a low voice, "I spent seven whole years looking for you and our son. I can't let you leave me again."

He lowered his head and sealed her lips with his.

Ge Bao'er struggled a little at first, but gradually stopped, and they kissed until they couldn't pull apart.

In the end, she still couldn't let go of him.

"Get some rest early, and don't let your thoughts run wild."

After Lu Zhengliu left, Ge Bao'er's heart was as sweet as honey.

Liyang was her adoptive father's hometown and the site of the Lu clan's ancestral residence. As a child, Lu Zhengliu often returned to play at the Lu Family Estate in Liyang. They had met there more than ten years ago, so calling them childhood sweethearts was no exaggeration.

Lin Yunwan might come from a good family, but how could she compare?

"Such soft fabric..."

Ge Bao'er stroked the silk she wore, rubbing it between her fingertips. Though it wasn't a brilliant red or purple, even the wealthiest family in Liyang town couldn't afford clothes like these.

A smile gradually spread across her face.

Early the next morning.

Lin Yunwan and Lu Zhengliu arrived at the Hall of Longevity at the same time, with Lu Changgong and Qing following behind them.

A servant went in first to report to the old madam. "The heir and his wife have arrived with the two young masters."

"Two young masters?"

Holding a bowl of congee, Ge Bao'er spoke in surprise.

She had risen before dawn and gone to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the old madam herself.

This was what she did best.

Fortunately, it tasted good, so the old madam hadn't refused it and had let her stay in the side room to help set out the dishes.

Old Madam Lu gave Ge Bao'er a cold glance and said, "You may leave."

Ge Bao'er lowered her head and put down the bowl.

As soon as she went out, she ran into Lu Changgong coming in and heard a maid actually call him "eldest young master."

Ge Bao'er's heart tightened. Not only was her son not the only legitimate son, but another child had actually been given the status of eldest legitimate son!

What on earth was going on?