Seeking Happiness

Chapter 225 Wife, your medicine

When the old maid lifted the curtain to go out, she saw Gu Xiran. She hurriedly retreated to the side and said, "Second young master."

Gu Xiran waved her away with his hand and entered. He didn’t mention what he heard before and just looked at Shu Huan with a smile. "It's getting late, this humble one came to invite second young mistress to dinner."

Shu Huan knew he was outside the curtain as soon as she heard the words 'second young master'. She reckoned that he was afraid that Lin shi had put her at a disadvantage and came because he was worried. Her heart instantly became warm. After she heard him say that, she couldn’t hold back but smile. However, she ignored him and turned to Liangchen and said, "This new servant works rather hard. Let the account reward him one silver liang."

• Shi: clan

Liangchen looked down and said, "Yes."

When Meijing saw them echoing each other, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud. This made Chen shi's maid who had just arrived outside the curtain and coming to urge them to eat, stun and didn’t understand why the room was full of laughter. Moreover, it was the mourning period at the moment, they shouldn’t laugh so unbridled. However the atmosphere in Gu household had been gloomy and depressed for so long, so when this maid heard this long-lost laughter, the corner of her lips couldn’t help but also show a smile.

At this moment, there were two branches at Gu residence in Suhe City; including servants and maids, there were really a lot of people. If each branch ate separately, it would be troublesome and chaotic. So these days, all the masters ate together and then all the servants ate together. However, today there were two guests, Ji Danqing and Du Qiu, present in the residence. Du Qiu's identity was somewhat awkward. He couldn’t be considered a relative but he was also not a guest. It wasn’t easy to play host to him but Gu Xiran had always respected him, so he (GXR) said to Chen shi's maid that he had to keep the guests company and let her bring the food to his and Shu Huan's place.

Chen shi had already let people clean up their place from very early on. It was a very small courtyard but also very exquisite. The wall was covered with dark green vine leaves, with the blowing wind bringing its fragrance.

At this moment, a spacious table was set up in the middle of the small courtyard with everyone sitting around it. Even if they couldn’t drink alcohol and there was no flourishing music but it was also very leisurely with only chatting and laughing and enjoying the scenery after a busy day.

Everything is fine except for one small defect. It was that the smile of mother Du and concubine Yun was somewhat sad and forced. Du Qiu had already told them about Gu Xiran's plans. Mother Du wanted to interrupt several times to ask Gu Xiran and Shu Huan to reconsider and allow her daughter to continue be a concubine, but seeing them (GXR and SH) talk tacitly and smiling at each other from time to time, giving an extremely affectionate look, she (D) couldn’t speak and could only sigh.

• Everything is fine except for one small defect: a fly in the ointment/ a minor irritation that spoils the success or enjoyment of something.

Concubine Yun was surprised to see Gu Xiran and Shu Huan returning together, but she kind of heard about what they did today. She knew that it was useless to ask. He and Shu Huan couldn’t tolerate a third person, so unlike mother Du, she didn’t want to talk or beg. She just looked at Gu Xiran when no one paid attention. She wanted to remember him more deeply because from now on, she wouldn’t have the chance to get close to him like this again.

There were six people at the table, two of them were unhappy, Ji Danqing didn’t make a noise and Du Qiu had always been taciturn and he was in a difficult position. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward. Fortunately, when Gu Xihe didn’t see Gu Xiran at the dinner table, he wasn’t happy. He immediately put down the bowl with rice, ran to here and let people add a bowl and chopsticks for him. With him here, it was noisy and full of laughter. That awkwardness disappeared without a trace.

This meal was eaten until the whole sky was full of stars. Gu Xihe went to play with Shang Xin somewhere. After Liangchen and Meijing cleaned up the table, they brought a large plate of fresh fruits such as pomegranates, autumn peaches, fresh jujubes, oranges and such.

Shu Huan reached out and picked up a huge orange, held it in her hands and glanced at it repeatedly. She was just thinking she could gouge out the orange meat to make an orange lamp out of the orange peel, but who had thought that a bowl of dark decoction was handed to her by Gu Xiran.

The smell of the medicine was pungent to the nose. Just by the smell, it was extremely bitter.

Shu Huan looked puzzled and asked, "What is this?"

Gu Xiran glanced unnaturally at Ji Danqing and said, "Medicine."

"I know it is medicine." Shu Huan pushed the bowl of medicine a bit away from her in dissatisfaction. "I'm asking you what kind of medicine is this! I'm not sick. What do I drink it for?"

Ji Danqing's eyes flashed a look of understanding and then smiled.

No matter how thick Gu Xiran's skin was, his face also felt hot at this moment. Fortunately, it was dark at night, one couldn’t see it. So, he acted as if nothing had happened, coughed softly and said, "Tonic! Uhm, one has to take a tonic in the autumn. Your body is weak and you've been busy lately, you need some tonic to keep you healthy."

• As if nothing had happened: calmly/ nonchalantly.

He didn’t lie! Ji Danqing said that this medicine wouldn’t harm the human body and several nourishing herbals were added too, which could moisturize the skin and nourish the face.

"I'm not drinking it!" When she thought of tonics, she recalled those tonics that concubine Yun had simmered before. Shu Huan's stomach started churning again and pushed that medicine bowl further away and shouted, "Liangchen, take it away."

Gu Xiran didn’t say anything. He just looked at Liangchen, revealing a so unfathomable smile that Liangchen felt a chill in her heart. How would she dare to touch the medicine bowl and just tried to persuade too, "Second young master has personally filtered it. For the sake of this kind intention, second young mistress, please drink it."

When Shu Huan was about to say something, she saw Ji Danqing suddenly stand up and cupped his hand. He said, "It was a long journey to here. I'm a little tired. This humble one will leave to rest first. Second young master and second young mistress should also go rest early."

As soon as he said that, although the others didn’t understand what he meant, they also felt inconvenient to sit and disturb others from resting. Whether they were willing or unwilling, they also left. For a moment, all the people had left the courtyard. Liangchen was also afraid that Shu Huan would call her again to take the medicine away and she would be warned by Gu Xiran's gaze again, she also made an excuse to leave and dragged Meijing out.

There was nobody around them, so Gu Xiran wasn’t afraid to be laughed at by others and became more shameless. He personally put the medicine bowl against Shu Huan's mouth and softly said, "Wife, drink the medicine!"

Shu Huan turned her face away and said, "Bitter!"

Gu Xiran immediately got up and said, "I'll get you a candied fruit."

Shu Huan looked at him and then looked at the medicine bowl, "I still don't want to drink…."

She had always been afraid of bitterness. It was imperative to drink medicine when she was sick but why drink medicine when she wasn’t sick at the moment? Wasn’t she just asking for a suffering?

Since the soft method didn’t work, Gu Xiran decided to do it the hard way. He looked at the medicine bowl, his lips showed a wicked smile. "Are you going to drink it by yourself or…."

Shu Huan was unmoved by both soft and hard tactics and said with a raised eyebrow, "Or what?"

Gu Xiran wanted something at the moment, he didn’t dare to offend her so he said with a bitter face, "I will drink it!"

"Pfff…." Shu Huan couldn’t help laughing, "Medicine can't be drunk indiscriminately…."

Before she could finish speaking, she saw that Gu Xiran really took a big mouthful of medicine from the medicine bowl. She couldn’t help but laugh again and then she saw that instead of swallowing the medicine, he smiled and came closer with his face. She suddenly understood what his intention was. Her face couldn’t help but turn red and hot. She was panicking and wanted to dodge but had no strength because of laughing too hard and thus was caught by him. She then hurriedly begged for mercy, "Don't…don’t…I…I'll drink it myself…."

Gu Xiran's evil scheme was a success. He revealed a smug smile. As he just wanted to spit out the bitter medicine in his mouth but didn’t think that Gu Xihe rushed in with Shang Xin and excitedly shouted, "Second elder brother, I'm back!"

He was startled. His control on his throat slipped and he swallowed that bitter medicine with a gurgling sound. He was dumbfounded. Then, he remembered the use of this medicine. He couldn’t help but be unable to either laugh or cry.

After Shu Huan saw his sorry look, she laughed again and was convulsed with laughter.

Gu Xihe was baffled and at a loss. He suddenly saw Gu Xiran turn his face and looked unkindly at him. He (GXH) became more and more bewildered, "Second big brother…what…what happened…."

Before he had finished speaking, he heard Gu Xiran grit his teeth and said, "Get out! Now! Immediately! I don’t want to see you again until dawn!"

The words were said very light but were full of threats.

Although Gu Xihe didn’t yet understand what had happened but he knew that it was best not to provoke this angry-looking second big brother of him at the moment, so he (GXH) shrunk his neck and then stuck his tongue out. Amidst the happy laughter of Shu Huan, he turned around and dragged Shang Xin out with him.