Brother Cheng: "..."

He had been found out, but absolutely couldn’t admit it, otherwise he’d be punished by our elder brother again!

Gu Jin’an then looked at Gu Jinli and said, "And you, Brother Cheng learned it all from you. You’re already grown up and should learn more from our elder sister, being a bit more ladylike is always better. Don’t be so gossipy, or you’ll end up like Aunt Da Gui."

Gu Jinli: If I were as ladylike as our elder sister, I’m afraid you’d be exhausted, elder brother.

However, she replied obediently, "Yes, elder brother, I’ve realized my mistake. Let’s hurry inside and see what gifts Third Sister has sent you."

Gu Jin’an was frustrated, how come after he’d just mentioned it, her gossipy nature had not diminished but increased?

He was helpless and could only tell Da Tuan, who was holding the gift, "Da Tuan, take the items to the main room."

The courtyard of Gu Jin’an and his brothers was the same as that of Gu Jinli’s sisters, with the main hall being empty for receiving guests and the side wings used for living.

"Okay." Da Tuan placed the gifts in the main room, left the courtyard, and took the mule cart back to the stable.

Gu Jinli and Brother Cheng went into the house, sat around the table, and looked at Gu Jin’an with eager expressions, "Elder brother, open it and take a look!"

Gu Jin’an: "..."

Clearly the gifts were for him, why were the two of them so excited?

Also, their gazes were too gossipy, making him blush.

Gu Jin’an was actually very excited too. The gift chosen personally by Third Miss for him, even though it was a reconciliation gift without any other meaning, still made him happy.

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he slowly unwrapped the gifts, and when he saw the Criminal Law, his eyes lit up, and he quickly picked it up and opened it. Seeing the Feng family seal at the corner of the preface, he exclaimed with joy, "It really is the Feng family’s Criminal Law!"

He had thought it was a transcript from some bookshop, but didn’t expect it to be the original work.

After Mr. Feng was placed under house arrest, many books from the Feng family were hard to find. He didn’t expect to get a copy with the Feng family seal; it truly was a stroke of luck!

"How did Third Miss... know I like Criminal Law? Was it you who told her?" Gu Jin’an asked.

Brother Cheng nodded, "Yes, Third Sister and the teacher called me to the study, asked what elder brother liked, so I told them. After hearing, Third Sister said she happened to have a Criminal Law, so she sent it over to elder brother."

He then pointed to the Criminal Law and said, "This is an heirloom from Third Sister’s father."

"Mr. Cangyun’s heirloom." Gu Jin’an was startled, gripping the Criminal Law tighter, "If Master Ouyang or Third Miss asks, just tell them, I will definitely treasure and cherish it."

Third Miss’s father, although not serving as an official, was very famous among scholars, known as Yi with the courtesy name Zixiao, and the style name Cangyun; scholars respected him as Mr. Cangyun and he left many enlightening works.

Unfortunately, he passed away young, which is deeply regrettable.

Brother Cheng nodded, "Yes, yes, I will definitely relay elder brother’s words to Third Sister."

With a smack, Brother Cheng got a tap on his head again, "Only say it if Third Miss asks, do not speak unnecessarily," Gu Jin’an advised.

He then proceeded to look at the other gifts.

There were four gifts in total, in addition to the Criminal Law, there was also silver frost paper, Plum Blossom Ink, and a Jade Pendant from the Ouyang family.

With this Jade Pendant, no matter where he went, if he encountered difficulties, he could seek help from an Ouyang family shop.

"This Jade Pendant is even more valuable than the Criminal Law," Gu Jinli remarked to Gu Jin’an, "Perhaps, elder brother’s wish is not such a far-fetched dream after all."

Master Ouyang granting this Jade Pendant to elder brother indicated great affection towards him, and she had heard that Third Miss had no parents or brothers, making it hard for such a girl to find a good family in the Capital...

Upon hearing this, Gu Jin’an shook his head, looking at them earnestly, "I know you’ve guessed elder brother’s thoughts and wish to help me, but the disparity between our family’s status and the Ouyang family’s is too great... You must not do anything that would harm others just to help me."

There were other ways to marry Miss Ouyang, but those methods were not perfect, and he didn’t want to use them, nor did he look down on them.

Gu Jinli nodded, "Don’t worry, elder brother, we understand."

Just feeling sorry for elder brother.

Dear heavens, his elder brother was almost twenty years old, kids his age in the village already had two children, and his elder brother had just begun to have feelings; it’s not easy.

With elder brother’s temperament, having feelings for Miss Ouyang might mean he wouldn’t be able to hold anyone else in his heart for the rest of his life.

Getting her would mean a household full of descendants, but if not, it might mean a lifetime of bachelorhood.

Gu Jinli thought it would be too cruel if her noble-minded elder brother remained a bachelor for life.

"Elder brother, if, after you’ve tried your best, you still can’t achieve your desire, what will you do?" Gu Jinli asked, staring intently at Gu Jin’an, watching the expression on his face change.

Gu Jin’an’s eyes shifted briefly, then quickly returned to calm, facing her directly, "What else could I do? Naturally, I’ll carry on with my planned path: passing the imperial exams, entering officialdom, protecting the family, doing some things for the people, and finally retiring to be a free and unrestrained rich man."

Gu Jinli: "Elder brother, your answer is too perfunctory."

Gu Jin’an didn’t say more, instead catching Brother Cheng, sniffing him, then disdainfully remarked, "What have you been up to all day? You’re starting to smell sour! Go take a bath and wash your hair."

Brother Cheng: "Do I smell sour? No way! Elder brother, you’re fibbing, I smell really nice!"

Gu Jin’an snorted, "Nice? Why should a boy smell nice? It’s July, hot as fire, you sweat easily, and when that mingles with fragrance, just imagine how bad that smells, hurry up, go bathe."

Without giving Brother Cheng a chance to argue, he picked him up and headed to the bathhouse in the courtyard.

Seeing this, Gu Jinli knew that Gu Jin’an didn’t want to talk more, wisely rose and left, calling out towards the now-closed bathhouse door, "Hurry up, dinner will be ready soon."

With that, she walked away.

Sigh, the matter between elder brother and Third Miss is really troublesome, this cursed difference in social status!

Yet, the world expects this. Even if elder brother has growing affection for Miss Ouyang and is exceptional, the distance between their family and the Ouyang family is like heaven and earth. Without major changes, they could never be intertwined in a lifetime. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Inside the bathhouse, Gu Jin’an was instructing Brother Cheng, "Make sure to wash thoroughly."

Yet, in his mind, he was pondering Gu Jinli’s question: If he really couldn’t achieve his desire, what would he do?

He pondered for quite a while, even until Brother Cheng finished bathing, got dressed, and came running to him, "Elder brother, I’m done, please wring my hair."

Wringing his hair was a bit of a hassle, every time he washed, it was elder brother who helped him.

Gu Jin’an took Brother Cheng to the courtyard, sat on a stone stool, and began wringing his hair with a dry cotton cloth.

"Elder brother, if you really can’t marry Third Sister, will you cry?" Brother Cheng asked Gu Jin’an, then added, "Third Sister is really nice; I want her to be my elder sister-in-law."