Bai Yuyan glanced at her daughter, and for once, she caught a glint of sheer curiosity in her usually cool and reserved expression.
“An’an is such a lovely girl. Why does your brother refuse to acknowledge her?”
Given the Gu family’s current circumstances, it was already a blessing that someone was willing to marry into their household. What right did they have to be picky?
Su Nian’an might be a little on the slender side, but she was stunningly pretty — soft, gentle, and utterly charming. Bai Yuyan had taken an immediate liking to her.
To be honest, Bai Yuyan felt a quiet sense of relief that the Su family had sent Su Nian’an rather than Su Nianxi.
Su Nianxi was notoriously spoiled and headstrong; if she had been sent here, the whole house would surely have been turned upside down.
Yet this was the bride the old master had personally chosen — and no one dared say a word against it. In the Gu family’s present state, they simply could not afford to take in another pampered, high-maintenance young lady.
“Whether she is truly a good match remains to be seen,” Gu Qingyuan replied calmly.
At this, Bai Yuyan shot her a sharp look. “Let me tell you something — be polite to Nian’an. Do not go out of your way to make things difficult for her.”
Gu Qingyuan could only protest her innocence. Did she really have so much free time to go around picking fights?
“Mother, how could you think that of me? When have I ever deliberately provoked anyone?”
Gu Qingyuan was never one for idle gossip and women’s chatter. Perhaps it was because she had grown up alongside her grandfather at the military camp, surrounded by men and their discipline — she had always felt somewhat out of place among the gossiping wives and daughters of the compound.
“That is true enough,” Bai Yuyan sighed. “Nian’an traveled all the way from the capital just to find this place; it cannot have been easy. From now on, we shall treat her well and live in harmony.”
“So long as she causes no trouble, I shall give her no cause for complaint,” Gu Qingyuan replied.
Meanwhile, in Gu Qingyu’s room, nothing improper had occurred between the newlyweds.
Su Nian’an took out her change of clothes and turned to him. “I wish to wash up. How do I go about it?”
She had endured a long train journey followed by two transfers just to reach this remote place — covered in dust and surrounded by crowds the whole way. The thought of not washing felt unbearable. But surely bathing in the countryside would be difficult? Would she have to fetch water from a well?
Gu Qingyu sat on the bed, watching her neatly hang each garment with such natural ease. He could not help but ask, “You have no objection to sharing this room with me from now on?”
Su Nian’an nearly laughed out loud at his hesitation.
“Why would I object? And honestly — you are a grown man. Why are you so hesitant to take a wife? If you do not wish for this marriage, say so. I, Su Nian’an, will never force anyone.”
Her words left Gu Qingyu looking distinctly uncomfortable — as though he were the indecisive one, lacking all resolve.
“That is not what I meant,” he said quietly.
The old master was deeply fond of Su Nian’an — and that alone made it impossible for Gu Qingyu to refuse this union. Yet in his heart, given everything the Gu family was going through, he had never wanted to marry. How could he possibly offer a woman happiness in his current state? All she could expect was hardship.
“Then what is there to discuss?” Su Nian’an replied, finishing the last garment. “Besides — we all must live our lives. Does it truly matter with whom?”
The once-empty wardrobe now held her clothes, lending the stark room a sudden, warm touch of life.
“You need hot water to wash. I shall build a fire for you,” Gu Qingyu said, standing to leave.
“There is water in the house? Or must we draw it from the well?” If so, with the hour so late, it seemed an unnecessary trouble. Su Nian’an was perfectly content to wait until morning — she had no wish to be a burden.
“No well needed. Not long ago, every household here had running water installed — though the tap is out back. We shall draw it from there.”
“That is a relief. Let me come with you and help prepare the fire.”
Su Nian’an set aside what she was doing and followed him. Gu Qingyu said nothing, simply picked up the kerosene lamp and led the way.
There was a strange, quiet tension between them. Strangers, almost — yet bound together as husband and wife. Husband and wife — yet total strangers. Such was the way of marriages in these times, Gu Qingyu reflected. Many girls were sent to their husbands’ homes without ever having met them face to face. Was Su Nian’an’s situation truly so different?
The rest of the household had long since retired for the night. In the countryside of this era, there was precious little else to do.
Gu Qingyu, ever thoughtful, told her to wait inside the kitchen while he fetched the water. But Su Nian’an had no intention of standing idly by. She found a hatchet, chopped the firewood into kindling, struck a match, and soon had a bright, steady fire burning in the hearth.
When Gu Qingyu returned carrying a pot of water, he stopped short at the sight.
“You… you know how to tend a fire?” he asked, astonished.
Truth be told, since the Gu family’s relocation, it had taken every member of the household considerable time to learn such basic skills. To see Su Nian’an light a fire so effortlessly left him stunned.
From the moment she arrived, her manner and bearing — though modestly dressed — spoke of someone raised in comfort, certainly not the countryside. The Su family’s letter had been brief, confirming only their intent to honor the betrothal, with no further details about her background. And yet Su Nian’an carried herself with a grace far beyond that of an ordinary village girl. She had volunteered nothing of her past; Gu Qingyu had assumed she, too, was raised in the city — unlike Su Nianxi, who was so thoroughly spoiled.
“Is tending a fire so remarkable?” Su Nian’an asked with a bright, luminous smile.
She smiled so freely and genuinely that it was almost dazzling — so much so that Gu Qingyu found himself instinctively looking away.
“I suppose not,” he murmured. Before the Gu family fell from grace, he had spent his entire career in the military. He had faced battlefields countless times, yet he had never once been called upon to cook or tend a fire.
“Very well. Set the pot over the flames. Once this wood burns down, the water shall be hot enough,” Su Nian’an said.
Gu Qingyu set the pot in place and glanced at her, about to sit down beside her — when Su Nian’an spoke.
“Would you prefer to return to your room? I shall bathe once the water is ready.”
Instead of leaving, Gu Qingyu sat a short distance away and looked at her.
“Shall we talk?”
Su Nian’an arched an eyebrow, curious.
“Very well. What would you like to discuss?”
The kitchen was a small outbuilding attached to the main earthen house — private enough that no one in the main rooms could hear their conversation.
“Tell me about yourself,” Gu Qingyu said plainly. He would not take a wife of unknown origins into the Gu family — and he intended to know the full truth.