Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 338 - 174: Blossoming Feelings
Mrs. Gao was a personal attendant; if she were not competent, she wouldn’t have been chosen by Yao Mengxian’s birth mother back in the day.
She had already caught the look in that man’s eyes and wanted to wait until the room was almost tidied up to report to Gu Chengyu. She always felt that the man’s gaze was not one of mere curiosity, there was malice, and she needed to warn Mr. Gu.
Gu Chengyu watched as Yao Mengxian and the others entered the room, then led Ming Mo and the others into the side room of the main house. The room was bare, with only a square table and a kang bed beside it. It seemed to be a guest room at the village chief’s house—it was dust-free, apparently just cleaned not long ago.
Without needing instructions, Ming Mo and the others busied themselves, wiping down the room before placing their items in order.
"Ming Mo! We have a lot of items in our carriage, and with Miss Yao and the others, starting tonight, someone must keep watch at night. Those guards, I don’t think we can rely on them. For the next ten days or so, until we reach Jingyuan Prefecture, you’ll need to make some extra effort. Including me, we’ll take turns standing guard."
It was his oversight, thinking their skills were sufficient and not considering hiring an escort agency. Whether in the wilderness or staying at an inn, someone must surely stand guard. When staying at an inn, with so many belongings, it’s impossible to bring everything inside; otherwise, it would take a long time to pack everything before departure.
Relying solely on Ming Mo and the others would be too much—during the day, they also have to take turns with the driver, who can’t drive the carriage all day either.
The three of them taking turns might barely manage, and he could nap in the carriage during the day.
Ming Mo and the others had already anticipated this issue. Although the customs are simple and honest, it’s not to the extent that doors are unlocked at night. With so many things on the carriage, standing guard is necessary. But, how could they let their master stand guard?
"Master, Ming Yan and I are enough. How could we let you stand guard?"
Ming Yan quickly agreed as well; a master is a master, how could they let the master stay awake while they went to sleep?
"Now is not the time to stand on ceremony, we have more than ten days to go! How can you manage by yourselves? Let’s do it this way: tonight, one person for half the night; I’ll take the second half. Have Brother Sun bring the carriage with the luggage over here, and keep the valuable small items close to us."
Gu Chengyu waved his hand, not wanting to argue further. He always felt that the village chief’s son’s gaze was strange, perhaps intending to cause trouble, so it was better for him to guard the second half of the night.
What a troublesome situation he’s gotten into—there were just a few families in the village. He already sized them up, and the other families didn’t have many rooms; his family alone probably wouldn’t have room for them!
Meanwhile, Mrs. Gao surveyed the room, shocked by its simplicity. Inside, there was only a kang bed and a small kang table, and in the corner, some clutter was piled up, all farming tools. This room was connected to the other room through a door, and there was a kang in that room as well.
In such a setup, everyone essentially slept in one room, which was close to the young lady’s room.
Luckily, the room was at least clean.
"Miss! There’s nothing in this room, we need to go to the carriage and fetch some items."
Actually, Lianxin thought it was better without anything—they used their own belongings anyway, so it was just right to bring down the tea sets to use. They were only staying for one night; having a kang was sufficient.
"Very well! You all may go!" Yao Mengxian took off her veil and held it in her hand. Although the room appeared clean, there was still some dust on the kang.
Lianxin and the others first cleaned the kang and then tidied up the room, and by the time they finished, night had completely fallen.
"Miss! This old servant feels that the village chief’s son looks untrustworthy. I should go find Mr. Gu to tell him so they can be alert at night and prevent our valuable items from being stolen."
Mrs. Gao lowered her voice, worried about being overheard, as she spoke to Yao Mengxian.
In fact, she didn’t just want to talk about this; it’s just that the young lady was too young to discuss such sordid topics in front of her.
Yao Mengxian agreed, "You should hurry and go, Mama!"
Nearby, Qing Dai was fetching water from the stove and overheard Mrs. Gao’s conversation, impossibly perking up her ears.
When she heard the words "Mr. Gu," her hand, which held the copper basin, lightly caressed it.
"Miss! We don’t know if it’s cold at night here; we should go and talk to Mr. Gu! We don’t know if the kang is usable, and the bedding we brought is thin!"
Qing Dai pretended not to have heard the conversations, walking in nonchalantly and then bringing up the matter of the kang.
Upon hearing this, Yao Mengxian immediately looked toward Qing Dai who had entered the room. Actually, there was nothing wrong with her words, her thoughts were meticulous; this is the Northern region, and it was already September, surely cold at night.
Their brought quilts were thick enough, but the house was built of earthen bricks and might be drafty. If it got cold at night and there was no heated kang, how could they endure?
But, should this matter really trouble Mr. Gu? Wouldn’t it be better to look for the village chief? Mr. Gu isn’t the host; they’ve troubled Mr. Gu so much along the way over minor issues; how could they bother him even more?
All of them in the room were clever—and they sensed something was off. Initially, they thought Mr. Gu was just a young man and hadn’t considered things in this light.
Qing Dai was now twelve years old; if she were a young lady, she would start thinking about prospective matches, while Gu Chengyu was only a year younger than Qing Dai!
Young masters from great families typically had servant girls two years older, for the purpose of becoming concubines. Could Qing Dai really have this in mind?
Mrs. Gao felt it was incredible. Never mind that Mr. Gu was merely their benefactor, unrelated to the Duke Mansion, not to mention that strictly speaking, Mr. Gu was still considered the young lady’s elder! Why would Qing Dai think this way?
Mrs. Gao’s face turned stern. How short-sighted! Could Mr. Gu possibly set his eyes on her? He is a scholar, destined for great things, and would never fancy someone like Qing Dai as a maid. Even as a concubine, she would not suffice; once he became an official, what reputable young women wouldn’t he have?
Though Qing Dai looked decent, she was only somewhat attractive!
No, Qing Dai must be strictly controlled. If she found an opportunity to cozy up to Mr. Gu, she would bring disgrace upon the young lady.
Her gaze then shifted to Lianxin, who appeared rather honest. However, given Mr. Gu’s gentle and handsome demeanor, when he looked at you with those peach blossom eyes, it seemed as if affections were hidden in his gaze.
She knew it was due to his natural disposition, for Mr. Gu was as proper as can be. Yet, young maidens are inclined towards early infatuations; if one-sided affections arose, leaving the other oblivious, wouldn’t it be more tragic?
Her eyes finally turned to her own young lady! No, this must also be guarded against. Even if her young lady was conscientious, could blossoming feelings between youths be easily contained? The best way was to minimize their encounters.
Yao Mengxian saw Mrs. Gao looking her way and mistakenly believed it was due to the matter with Qing Dai, so she nodded at Mrs. Gao. Having been raised by her, Mrs. Gao would understand her intent.
"This is nonsense! Mr. Gu is already quite busy; how could we keep troubling him? I will just go and ask the village chief."
Qing Dai initially wanted to go out and find Mr. Gu, but Mrs. Gao’s rebuke made her face flush with embarrassment. She wasn’t foolish; she realized her previous words were inappropriate and had made Mrs. Gao and the others suspicious.
She had spoken without thinking and regretted it afterward.
