Quietly Changing

"Go and help!" Xu Weibei strode forward and pulled Gu Wanning aside. He took the rain cape from Gao Lan and forced it over her shoulders, then ordered the guards to go help.

Gu Wanning struggled, but then she heard Xu Weibei say through gritted teeth, "Look at the state you're in!"

Gu Wanning was slow to catch on, but she was no fool. She thanked him, put on the rain cape, and went over to watch the guards work.

The rain came down harder and harder, and the wind grew fiercer. The door panels were difficult to secure, and Gu Wanning watched the corn seedlings swaying in the wind and rain, her heart burning with anxiety.

Seeing this, Xu Weibei gave an order. "Men, pitch a tent!"

They marched and fought in wars, so this was what they did best.

The corn patch was pitifully small. A slightly larger tent could cover it completely.

"Step back." Xu Weibei pulled Gu Wanning behind him.

Gu Wanning knew she couldn't help, so she stayed out of the way.

Watching the guards work, she felt bad and quietly gave Er Ya a few instructions.

"All right, I understand. I'll go right away."

As they spoke, Second Concubine, Third Concubine, and Fourth Concubine were also awakened by the commotion and came over to see what was happening.

Seeing how bedraggled they were from the rain, Gu Wanning hurriedly said, "Hurry back and rest, all of you. The Marquis has brought people to help."

She found it a little strange that First Concubine wasn't there.

But things were so chaotic that Gu Wanning didn't give it much thought.

After more than an hour of work, the tent was up.

And the rain stopped.

Gu Wanning: "..."

After all that fuss, this was what it gave her in the end?

Thieving heavens!

Er Ya brought everyone ginger soup and, following Gu Wanning's instructions, gave each person a tael of silver, fifteen taels in all.

Although parting with the silver pained Gu Wanning, it had always been her principle not to shortchange those who helped her.

The guards waited until Xu Weibei gave his approval before accepting the silver. They thanked Gu Wanning, each drank a bowl of ginger soup, and withdrew.

Xu Weibei frowned. "What are you standing there for?"

If she didn't go back and change soon, she'd make herself sick and waste silver!

Gu Wanning beamed at him and ladled him a bowl of ginger soup. "Thank you for lending a hand, Marquis. When the corn grows, I'll send you some to try first!"

Not standing by with folded arms when those around him were in trouble was one of Xu Weibei's fine qualities.

This man really made her evaluation

system

go haywire.

But right now, Gu Wanning was genuinely grateful that he had offered to help.

Chapter 29: Quietly Changing

When Gu Wanning returned, Er Ya was carrying hot water into the room.

"Hmm?"

"The Marquis wants a bath. What a bother." Er Ya rolled her eyes.

Gu Wanning said, "...All right, he did it all to help me, so don't complain."

Er Ya took two buckets of hot water into the washroom, then brought in two buckets of cold water. She snickered. "It's still a little hot, but that's all right. The Marquis has thick skin and tough flesh."

Gu Wanning said, "...All right, thank you for your hard work. Hurry back and rest."

Xu Weibei had gone somewhere and still hadn't returned.

Perhaps he was leaving her some

space

to tidy herself up?

But no sooner had the thought occurred to her than Xu Weibei returned.

Gu Wanning was in a good mood and spoke first. "Didn't you ask for hot water for a bath, Marquis? Er Ya has already brought it."

"No need. You took so long that I've already washed outside."

Gu Wanning said, "...We aren't as quick and decisive as people in the army, after all. Please forgive us, Marquis."

If he wasn't going to bathe, she would. She couldn't waste the hot water.

But the water really was hot.

When Gu Wanning came out of the bathroom, her cheeks were flushed from the steam.

Xu Weibei was lying on the bed. He glanced at her "inadvertently," then looked away, the tips of his ears slightly red.

Xu Weibei didn't know what Gu Wanning used to wash her hair, but it had a delicate fragrance that he could smell whenever she came near.

Perhaps Xu Weibei had grown accustomed to it, for he no longer disliked this scent of powder and rouge, which he had once firmly put in the category of things to stay away from.

After bathing and changing, Gu Wanning drank another bowl of ginger soup and sat on the daybed, wringing out her hair with a large towel.

She wasn't wearing socks, and her feet had also turned pink from the steam. Her neatly trimmed toenails were small and delicate, smooth and full.

Xu Weibei's face suddenly grew hot.

He had seen over the past few days that this woman had no interest in him, so there was no question of her trying to seduce him.

She was simply absentminded and seemed not to care at all about showing her feet in front of a man.

Xu Weibei felt his body tighten and didn't dare think any further. He took a deep breath and silently recited the Heart-Clearing Mantra.

It was his secret weapon whenever he couldn't calm his mind.

He realized that he seemed a little confused, always forgetting that Gu Wanning was Old Thief Gu's daughter, someone he ought to draw a clear line with.

Besides, he had never fallen for a woman before, so why did he have that uncontrollable physical reaction to Gu Wanning?

This wasn't right.

It had to be because they lived together and were too close.

When on earth was Nanny Chu leaving?

If things went on like this, he feared he would grow stranger and stranger.

Gu Wanning lay on the daybed, not very sleepy either. For some reason, she felt a little uneasy.

Thinking it over, the rain had stopped and the tent was up, so there was nothing left to worry about, was there?

She didn't know how long it took before she finally managed to coax herself toward sleep by counting sheep.

She drifted off and had a strange dream.

In the dream, she and First Concubine were talking at the door. It seemed First Concubine had come to bring her a summer gown, made of pale green fabric embroidered with countless butterflies, its gold threads shimmering in the sunlight...

First Concubine thanked her for looking after her. Her beloved had returned, she said, and she was going to marry him. She was leaving the gown for Gu Wanning as a keepsake.

Gu Wanning politely declined, saying it was too precious and that First Concubine should keep it herself.

First Concubine said she was plumper than Gu Wanning and couldn't fit into it.

Gu Wanning even joked with her, thrusting out her chest and saying, "So what if your breasts are bigger? I have them too!"

As they laughed and talked, a door panel suddenly fell and came crashing down.