The Noble Lady's Rebirth: She just wants to Rest in Peace!-Chapter 268 - 269: Conversation
After sending off Chancellor Liu and his wife, Lin Youning followed her elder brother back into the mansion.
Walking alongside him, Lin Youning said, "Originally, I didn’t want to call you, elder brother, but Grandfather here keeps saying he wants to see you. I don’t know what he’s up to. Considering he is an elderly person, with possibly many thoughts on his mind, I had someone send you a message."
Lin Youning also knew that it was not appropriate to call her elder brother over for such matters, especially since he’s merely an officer.
"Your grandfather and grandmother also care about you; they always want to see how well your husband treats you. It’s perfectly normal for older folks to have such thoughts." Gu Yifeng remarked, hinting at something.
His expression didn’t change as he continued to walk forward with large strides. Upon hearing his words, Lin Youning felt a tightening in her heart. She sneakily lifted her head and glanced at her brother out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that he had no other intentions, she thought to herself that she must be overthinking things.
"Yes, older people tend to worry more about these things, even if they’re high-ranking officials. They can’t escape from them." Lin Youning carelessly added. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
"Have you packed everything? Bring more of the things you like. I’ve also had Li Si prepare some things for you. After all, you’re unfamiliar with the place, and you never know what you might need that is not easily found there. Some seemingly ordinary items are hard to come by once you get there. Li Si has prepared all of them, so if you’re ever lacking something, just ask Li Si." Gu Yifeng had already changed the topic. He thought Sister Ning was like a sensitive little hedgehog; as soon as you got close, she would raise all her spines.
He and Sister Ning always treated each other as siblings. He was not in a hurry, feeling he had plenty of time to slowly change Sister Ning’s perception of him, and gradually alter the nature of their relationship in a subtle way.
"In the future, I’ll leave Li Si with you. I see you don’t have anyone to run errands for you." Gu Yifeng added.
"How can that be right? I still have Nanny Guo’s husband here. I don’t go anywhere often, so I don’t need anyone. Li Si should stay with you, elder brother." Lin Youning hurriedly declined.
This wasn’t the first time her elder brother tried to assign Li Si to her side. She had refused before and did not want to agree now. After all, her elder brother truly needed Li Si beside him, especially now that she had Hidden Guards around her, making Li Si unnecessary.
Her elder brother did not reveal everything, and Lin Youning couldn’t speak up, so she played dumb here.
"In the Northwest, we’ll all stay together. I will mostly be at the military camp, and Li Si will primarily be with me. There’s nothing much for him to do here, so I’ll let him stay with you in town. That way, if anything arises, he can report to me directly." Gu Yifeng said, straightforwardly settling the matter without saying much else.
Lin Youning felt somewhat frustrated. Wasn’t her elder brother seeking her opinion? Yet, every time, he would domineeringly settle things on his own in the end.
Seeing her remain silent, Gu Yifeng’s expression showed confusion, "With Li Si accompanying you, when you reach the Northwest, if you don’t want to stay in the mansion all the time, he can accompany you for a walk around the city. He’s familiar with the area and understands the local customs."
Was he explaining why Li Si would be with her?
Lin Youning felt she was being unreasonable. Her elder brother had good intentions, yet she was getting upset and felt childish about it. Her face slightly heated up, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
"The Northwest is quite sandy and dry most of the year. I saw this written in geographic records. I wonder what kind of vegetables they can grow there?" Lin Youning, embarrassed to dwell on the issue, indirectly agreed to it.
Seeing the conflict in her expression, Gu Yifeng’s lips curled up as he answered her question.
"They have a type of white melon, which can be eaten as fruit or used as a vegetable. Importantly, the white melon helps replenish body fluids, making it a highly favored fruit there." Seeing her bewildered look, Gu Yifeng continued to explain, "The white melon is smaller than a watermelon, and inside it’s yellow. It’s not very sweet, but good. Especially after drinking wine, eating some white melon can help dispel intoxication."
"That’s really amazing."
"White melons can be stored for a long time, in a cellar for a whole year without spoiling." Gu Yifeng continued explaining, "The seeds were developed by an old farmer grafting them. They also have some specialty teas made with dates and rock sugar, which are very refreshing."
Given the lack of water, arid climate, and frequent sandstorms there, people create things that can quickly relieve thirst.
As they spoke, they walked all the way to the main residence. Lin Youning then asked about his preparations, "How are the preparations coming along, elder brother?"
"On my end, I just need to make some arrangements in the suburbs. This time, when we head to the Northwest, Aunt Wu will be joining us." Gu Yifeng sat down and carefully discussed the matter with her, "Both the Wu Mansion and the Duke Mansion support the Eldest Prince. Since Aunt Wu entered the mansion, I’ve kept her at a distance, not wanting to involve Wu Mansion. This time Mrs. Dong is letting Aunt Wu go with us to the Northwest, and I think it’s a good idea. Instead of leaving her in the mansion where she could have contact with the Wu Mansion and secretly do something, it’s better to take her with us. This way, with our people around her, she won’t be able to send letters out. Regardless of her intentions, we must be prepared for all possibilities."
The little lady showed no displeasure when he mentioned Aunt Wu, making Gu Yifeng realize how far he still had to go to affect this little lady’s feelings. Making her jealous seemed impossible at this moment.
Lin Youning nodded along, "So elder brother had this plan in mind. I will have Shanmoi and the others keep an eye on things along the way."
Gu Yifeng nodded, "There’s no need for that. My plan is to head Northwest first, with Aunt Wu and the carriage following behind more slowly. Once we reach the Northwest, you can monitor her in the mansion."
As he said this, Gu Yifeng paused for a moment, "Mrs. Dong wants Aunt Wu to accompany me for personal care, as she mentioned to you before. When Aunt Wu entered the mansion, she said it was to repay a debt. I also never intended to get close to her. The incident of my assassination attempt hasn’t been uncovered yet."
