"I've also heard from Xiao Niu that his second brother is a brave man," Gu Sinian said after a pause.
Qi Zhenzhen invited the man into the main room. Yun shi, who was in the east room, heard the commotion and came out. She had never met Gu Sinian and didn't recognize him, but from his attire and demeanor, she could guess his extraordinary status. She looked at Qi Zhenzhen inquiringly. Qi Zhenzhen quickly said, "Mother, this is the heir of the Protectorate Duke's mansion. He came with Xiao Niu. Xiao Niu went to the backyard to tether the horses."
Yun shi curtsied and greeted him.
The wicked ancient times, where the disparity in status was an insurmountable chasm. Let alone their family being country folk now, even if they were still in the Marquis of Changping's mansion, and she was a concubine and Qi Zhenzhen a young lady of the Marquis of Changping's mansion, they would have to bow to Gu Sinian.
Zhang Xiaoniu came in, rubbing his hands. Seeing that everyone in the room was very reserved, he grinned, "Auntie, Zhenzhen, the heir is a very good person. You don't need to be so reserved. If you're this reserved, I feel uncomfortable."
Qi Zhenzhen glared at him, wishing she could be as carefree as him.
"Xiao Niu is right, just be casual. Speaking of which, Miss Qi is my savior," Gu Sinian said calmly.
Previously, she didn't know Gu Sinian's identity, but now that she did, how could she dare to be too presumptuous? If she accidentally offended him, it would be difficult to explain. Yun shi sat for a short while and then excused herself to find Qi Yi and left. Although Yun shi felt it wasn't good to leave Qi Zhenzhen alone, she was uneasy staying there. With Xiao Niu present, he was familiar with Zhenzhen, so it wasn't as if a man and a woman were alone.
Qi Zhenzhen wanted to ask Zhang Xiaoniu why he was back, but with Gu Sinian present, she didn't dare to ask. What if he had some secret mission, and her asking would be considered spying? But sitting there stiffly wasn't an option, so Qi Zhenzhen's eyes darted around, and she brought out some dried persimmons.
"These are the dried persimmons I sun-dried myself this year. Heir, please try some?"
Gu Sinian glanced at the brown persimmons with white frost on the plate and hesitated slightly. He picked one up with two fingers.
On the other side, Zhang Xiaoniu had already grabbed one in each hand and stuffed his mouth, speaking with a muffled voice, "Delicious, delicious, Zhenzhen, your cooking is really good. I've bought dried persimmons from shops before, they're too sweet, sickeningly sweet. You don't want to eat them after just one bite."
Looking at Gu Sinian and then at Zhang Xiaoniu, Qi Zhenzhen felt a pang of emotion. People were truly different. In terms of eating, one was elegant and refined, while the other devoured his food.
The plate only held six pieces. Gu Sinian ate two, and Zhang Xiaoniu finished four.
"Zhenzhen, do you have anything else to eat? We've been traveling since morning and haven't eaten. Our stomachs are empty right now," Zhang Xiaoniu said unsatisfyingly after swallowing the last bite of dried persimmon.
Gu Sinian also had a hint of anticipation in his eyes. Qi Zhenzhen resignedly lowered her gaze, "You two sit here for a while, I'll go make something for you to eat."
Simple, delicious, and quick. Qi Zhenzhen didn't need to think twice and prepared to make Rou Jia Mo.
The white wheat cakes were always kept at home and just needed to be heated on a special iron griddle. The stewed meat was simmering on a small stove. Once taken out and chopped, it was ready to be used.
Ten Rou Jia Mo were brought over. Zhang Xiaoniu eagerly took them, "Heir, please try this. This is no worse than the exquisite dishes made by the chefs in your mansion. Alas, Zhenzhen, just eating Rou Jia Mo is dry. How about some soup?"
Qi Zhenzhen gritted her teeth and smiled, "Alright."
She muttered to herself that once Gu Sinian left, she would deal with Zhang Xiaoniu, who was getting greedy and pushy.
The weather was very cold. A bowl of hot and sour noodle soup would be a good choice. The noodles were ready-made. Cook them and serve with hot and sour soup, add a couple of pieces of stewed meat, and sprinkle some chopped scallions for fragrance. It would be ready in a moment.
When the noodles were brought into the room, the small bamboo baskets in front of Gu Sinian and Zhang Xiaoniu were already empty. Both of them looked as if they hadn't had enough.
In the time it took to cook the noodles, they had eaten ten Rou Jia Mo. Qi Zhenzhen had long known Zhang Xiaoniu could eat, but Gu Sinian... a person who looked like an immortal, ate so much like an ordinary mortal?
After each eating a bowl of noodles, they even drank the soup clean. Zhang Xiaoniu looked satisfied and let out a burp, "You eat very quickly."
Although Gu Sinian didn't have any rude movements, the faint pleasure on his face showed that he was very satisfied.
"Zhenzhen, you chat with the heir. I'll go back and call my second brother," Zhang Xiaoniu said as he stood up.
Qi Zhenzhen stopped him. She was about to say that if he took the person to his house, wouldn't that be enough? But thinking of Gu Sinian's status, she swallowed her words. How could she ask someone of noble status to go and see Zhang's second brother? Naturally, Zhang's second brother should come to pay his respects to him.
"Then be careful, don't always be so rash," Qi Zhenzhen admonished helplessly.
Zhang Xiaoniu responded, but still ran out gleefully.
"I don't know what to say about him. He ran off right after dinner, isn't he afraid of indigestion?" Qi Zhenzhen muttered.
"I often eat while walking quickly," Gu Sinian suddenly said. "At first, I wasn't used to it, but after starving a few times, I got used to it. Because if you don't eat while walking, you won't have time to eat when you're fighting, and you'll have to fight on an empty stomach."
Huh? Qi Zhenzhen was stunned for a moment before realizing that Gu Sinian was talking about her complaining about Zhang Xiaoniu.
"Why would someone like you, born with a silver spoon in your mouth, go through such hardship?" Qi Zhenzhen asked him.
Why? Could he say that he was never favored by his father since childhood? His father always wanted to give the position of heir to his elder brother? If he didn't work harder, he would be seen as a good-for-nothing dandy who occupied the position of the legitimate son without any achievements. His father would hate him even more, right?
"My grandfather killed countless enemies on the battlefield, and my father was also invincible. As for me, I naturally cannot disgrace their names," Gu Sinian said faintly after a moment of silence.
That was true. Noble families paid great attention to the cultivation of their legitimate sons. If a legitimate son was a good-for-nothing, he would eventually ruin the family.
"I've always wanted to ask you, why did you go to the capital?"
Gu Sinian suddenly asked this question. Qi Zhenzhen stared at him blankly, and after a long time, she realized what he was asking.
"It was just a coincidence, I had something to do," Qi Zhenzhen pursed her lips and smiled, saying casually.
Including this time, this was their third meeting. Was it a bit too abrupt to ask such a question?
Gu Sinian stared at her without blinking. He was too curious about her.
A country girl, who rode away with the best horse from the horse market. Let alone her equestrian skills, but Chase the Wind, a spirited horse, was quite difficult to tame. It took him considerable effort to gradually develop a tacit understanding with it. However, Chase the Wind still refused to let strangers touch it. Only towards her did it show great affection. Then there was the matter of her saving them from the mountains. The brown bear was incredibly strong. Legends said it could break a tree with a diameter of a person's embrace with a single swipe of its paw. He had practiced martial arts since he was young, and he had passed out after being slapped. How did she, a young lady, drive away the brown bear?