Several people emerged from the county office, and Gu Yi remained in a daze. "You dare to stop my people?" The words echoed repeatedly in Gu Yi's mind. Her people? This was the first time anyone had referred to her in such a way.
The statement stirred considerable ripples in Gu Yi's otherwise calm heart.
Sunlight poured down, casting a halo around Zheng Yu, who walked ahead.
Gazing at Zheng Yu's clean, slender back, her hair, which scattered fine, subtle light under the sun, and the clearly defined profile of her face as she turned to speak with Lu Yu.
Gu Yi had to admit, she seemed to be developing feelings.
Realizing this, Gu Yi lowered her head in a fluster, raising a hand to touch the scar on her forehead. Thinking of herself as a male performer in a brothel, she slowly lowered her hand, forming a loose fist, her fingers in her sleeves constantly interweaving.
"You arrived just in time for that matter. Thank you for saving both of us, master and disciple, and for preserving my husband's reputation."
"What's there to thank? What's our relationship? Do we need to thank each other for such a small matter?"
"However, you should also thank Young Master Gu. If Young Master Gu hadn't found me in time, I might have been too late."
"Thank you, Young Master Gu."
"Thank you, Young Master Gu."
Seeing Lu Yu and Wu Shao bow to him, Gu Yi waved his hands repeatedly, "It was nothing."
The situation had indeed been extremely urgent. Someone had reported to the medical clinic that someone on the street was slandering Shen Xuan, and Wu Shao had gotten into an argument with someone on the street. Lu Yu sensed that the matter was not simple, but at that time, only Gu Yitong and Gu Yi were in the clinic.
"Yitong, can you go to Zheng Manor to find Zheng Yu?" Lu Yu looked at Gu Yitong's body with some concern.
"No problem, my injuries have long since healed. I'll go right away." Gu Yitong patted her chest and spoke confidently.
With no time to waste here, Lu Yu didn't stand on ceremony with Gu Yitong. She nodded and followed the person to find Wu Shao.
Gu Yi, worried about Gu Yitong's condition, wouldn't let Gu Yitong go out, no matter how much Gu Yitong promised.
"Sister, I'll go find Town Chief Zheng. You're injured and can't walk fast. If I go quickly, I can save time."
Gu Yitong firmly disagreed with Gu Yi going out alone. Gu Yi had gotten lost in this very way before.
"Sister, don't worry. I'm so old now, I won't get lost this time. Believe me." Gu Yi frowned slightly, looking at Gu Yitong anxiously.
Gu Yi's point was indeed valid; if he went, he would certainly be much faster than her.
"Alright, then be careful. Sister will wait for you to return at the clinic."
Gu Yi grabbed the veil hat nearby, put it on, turned, and left the clinic. As she passed by, she happened to hear those women clamoring to report to the authorities. Gu Yi rushed to Zheng Manor to ask Zheng Yu to help at the county office.
Looking at the person who ran over, panting, gazing at her pitifully with eyes full of pleading, Zheng Yu felt a pang of heartache, the first time in her life she had felt heartache for a man.
"Young Master Gu, don't worry. I'll go with you to the county office to find them now." Zheng Yu tried to soften her voice, gently soothing Gu Yi's urgent mood.
"Thank you, Town Chief Zheng." Gu Yi's eyes sparkled as she looked at Zheng Yu, deep gratitude in her eyes.
"You don't need to thank me. Lu Yu is also my sister, so I should help her." Zheng Yu reached out to support Gu Yi, who was about to bow. "Your injuries haven't healed yet, so you don't need to come along. Just rest here at my manor."
As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand and signaled to the young servant at the door, "A Yi! Pour tea for this young master. I'm going out. Take good care of this young master."
"No need. My injuries are only on my face and don't affect me. Town Chief Zheng, let's go quickly." Gu Yi put on the veil hat again, looking determined to follow.
Zheng Yu no longer insisted, only instructing the servants to prepare the carriage quickly.
To save time, the two sat in the same carriage. At first, neither of them paid attention. Gradually, they fell silent, with no conversation, and the atmosphere became increasingly awkward.
Zheng Yu cleared her throat and spoke first, "Young Master Gu, there's no one else in the carriage. You can take off your veil hat. It's not breathable in here and it's stuffy."
The moment she said this, not only did Gu Yi blush, but Zheng Yu also felt uncomfortable, thinking the remark was inappropriate.
If there were no outsiders, could there be insiders?
"Young Master Gu, I, I didn't, didn't mean it like that, I..." Zheng Yu stammered, unsure how to speak without causing Gu Yi to misunderstand.
In the end, she felt as if she were protesting too much. She hadn't meant it that way at all, and now the more she tried to explain, the worse it got, as if she were deliberately teasing him.
This was the first time she had been so nervous since becoming town chief.
Seeing Zheng Yu's rare nervousness and hesitation, Gu Yi relaxed considerably and let out a soft laugh.
When Zheng Yu saw Gu Yi laugh, she suddenly blushed and also let out a dry laugh, her hands constantly rubbing the fabric of her knees.
Gu Yi's voice was pleasant. Hearing it, it wasn't hard to imagine Gu Yi looking at her with a smile, revealing perfectly straight white teeth, under the veil hat.
"Town Chief Zheng, you don't need to explain. I know you didn't mean it that way." Gu Yi took off the veil hat, the smile still lingering on her lips.
"I told you before, you don't need to be so polite with me. I'm different from those old-fashioned officials. You don't need to be nervous."
The carriage soon arrived at the county office. Zheng Yu's回头 (huítóu - turning back) as she dismounted, and her sharp command when the guards stopped her, all tugged at Gu Yi's heart.
When they returned to the clinic, Shen Xuan and A Fu were also there, having clearly heard about the matter.
Shen Xuan stood at the entrance, his brows furrowed, constantly looking outside.
Those who knew about the incident, as they passed by the clinic, stood not far away whispering amongst themselves, occasionally glancing at Shen Xuan, who stood at the clinic entrance, with looks of disdain before turning their heads away.
But Shen Xuan didn't care anymore, because he was extremely worried about Lu Yu.
As they reached the corner of the clinic, Shen Xuan spotted Lu Yu in the crowd at a glance.
Disregarding the gazes of the passersby on the street, he strode down the steps and rushed into Lu Yu's arms, terrified.
"Don't be afraid, I'm back." Feeling the person in his arms trembling uncontrollably, Lu Yu knew she had truly frightened her timid little husband this time.
"There are so many people on the street. Aren't you ashamed?"
Lu Yu was deeply touched that her usually reserved little husband had made such a bold move today.
"I'm not ashamed. Why should I be ashamed to find my own wife? Aren't we husband and wife?"
Shen Xuan was still a little shy. He slowly withdrew from Lu Yu's embrace and took Lu Yu's hand as they walked towards the clinic, but he stubbornly repeated Lu Yu's words from a few days ago back to her.
Zheng Yu beside them also chuckled secretly. Gu Yi followed behind them with a blush, still a young man before marriage, and felt a little shy seeing the scene.