Chapter 222: Mutual Affection

housand streams of water, my son only wants this one cup."Seeing this, Gu Jingxi didn't ask any further and lightly nodded: "Since you've already made up your mind, then please have the matchmaker go...Before Gu Jingxi replied, Meng Jinyao was still anxious and began to wonder if she had misunderstood things in the past. She had mistakenly thought so and sent him a sachet embroidered with a pair of mandarin ducks.

Recently, their relationship has been very close, even bordering on ambiguous. But neither of them dared to pierce that layer of window paper. She thought about it for a long time before finally gathering the courage to break through it herself.

Actually, she made two sachets. One was embroidered with red beans, but fearing they weren't noticeable enough, she hesitated and then made another one embroidered with mandarin ducks.

A pair of mandarin ducks cuddling together, Gu Jingxi wouldn't be able to understand it if he was anything but a fool or pretending not to.

Now that she heard Gu Jingxi's reply, the worry in her heart finally eased, and she felt an unprecedented sense of security.

She looked down at the pair of mandarin ducks she had put back in her hand, then looked up at the gentle man smiling in front of her, blushing and softly replied: “Okay.”

With that, she personally hung the sachet on Gu Jingxi's waist. She was actually quite dexterous, but her movements at this moment were clumsy.

When her hand touched Gu Jingxi's clothes, it trembled uncontrollably. Her heart pounded wildly, like a restless rabbit in her chest.

It's not cowardice, it's nervousness.

She personally put on the pouch embroidered with a mandarin duck pattern for him, making him feel like she had stamped her own mark on him, declaring her unique feelings. It took her a while to get the pouch fastened.

Gu Jingxi saw the young girl looking at him shyly and timidly. Her bright eyes were like spring water, and her cheeks were flushed red. He felt a twinge in his heart and reached out to pull her into his arms, holding her delicate body close.

A gentle autumn breeze rustles through the leaves, and the air is filled with lively chatter. In my arms, a soft and fragrant beauty melts away.

Gu Jingxi's mind was being occupied little by little by the girl in his arms. Her soft and smiling voice held a hint of dominance: "Madam, this is what you provoked. It's too late to regret it now."

Meng Jinyáo, upon hearing this, felt a wave of bewilderment. She didn't understand what he meant, nor did she know why she had provoked him. Wasn't it he who took the initiative to hug her first

She whispered, "It was actually your husband who made the first move."

Gu Jingxi only thought the young girl was shy, after all, it took courage for a woman to give a man such a sachet. So he smiled and said, "Alright, let the husband take the initiative first.

Meng Jinyao raised her head, her eyes shy but without a hint of evasion. She looked at him intently, her voice as soft as a mosquito's whine, "Husband, do you think we are truly in love now"

Gu Jingxi's face turned pale, and he retorted, "How is it not"

The little girl liked him, and he was not without interest in her.

After he was previously jilted, he never thought about getting married. Because of his health, marrying a woman would only be a burden on her.

But who would have thought that one day, the always obedient son suddenly turned into a rebellious child. On his wedding day, he eloped with someone else, leaving himself as the groom for his future daughter-in-law.

Now, I really have gambled everything away.

Meng Jinyao looked into his eyes, they were gentle and affectionate, reflecting her own image. He didn't say a word about liking her, yet it felt like he had said everything.

A sweetness bloomed in my heart, a feeling of fullness and an inexplicable joy.

Love at first sight, it turns out, is this kind of feeling.

For a moment, Meng Jinyao buried her face back into his embrace. The sound of his powerful heartbeat echoed in her ear, a mesmerizing rhythm that sent her heart racing again. She found herself reaching out to grasp his slender waist involuntarily.

Gu Jingxi noticed her movement and pulled her closer, deepening the curve of his lips. He asked her in a soft voice, "My wife, are you hungry"

Meng Jinyo listened and truly felt a bit hungry. They hadn't had dinner that evening, she had been so engrossed in playing that she had only casually eaten some street food to tide her over.

She nodded in response. "I'm hungry."

Gu Jingxi let go of her body and said softly, "Then let's have dinner first."

Having said that, he took the little girl's hand and led her back to sit down. He then instructed the crew on the pleasure boat to bring out the food. Pleasure boats generally prepare meals, fine wine, as well as fruits and snacks according to the guests' needs.

After dinner, it was getting late. Gu Jingxi only then allowed the boatman to dock. The couple then made their way home.

When they went out today, they didn't bring any maidservants, only a carriage driver. This was Meng Jin Yao's deliberate decision; she didn't want to be watched by maidservants when spending time with Gu Jing Xi, it was more comfortable for the two of them to be alone.

In the carriage.

Gu Jingxi felt the little girl's gaze never left him, her eyes burning with intensity, staring straight at him. He turned his head and met those bright eyes, a low chuckle escaping his lips as he asked, "Why does my wife keep staring at me"

Meng Jin Yao gently shook her head: "It's nothing, just feel strange, for a moment I didn't know how to get along with my husband."

She was telling the truth. Before she poked through that layer of window paper, she felt things were natural and quite ambiguous between them. But when she took the initiative to poke through it, she didn't feel the same way anymore. She wasn't sure what had changed, but she could be certain that she liked Gu Jingxi.

Gu Jingxi froze, his eyes fixed on her, and asked: "Madam, do you regret it"

Meng Jiny Yao retorted, "Regret what"

"Regret telling your husband about your feelings" Gu Jingxi said more directly. Seeing her stunned, before she could answer, he continued, "I told you a while back, regret is useless."

Meng Jin Yao upon hearing this, immediately shook her head. "No regrets, Husband, don't misunderstand," she said, glancing at him and lowering her voice slightly, "I just feel like suddenly I can't get along with you anymore."

Gu Jingxi pondered for a moment and quickly understood the situation. This kind of thing should have been initiated by the man, but in their case, it was the young girl who took the lead. He accepted it naturally, but as a young lady, she had thin skin and was the one who made the first move. If he didn't take the initiative afterwards, the young girl would appear reserved in this relationship and even be in a weak position unconsciously.

Thinking of this, Gu Jingxi reached out to take her hand and said softly, "My lady, there's no need to worry yourself. This is my own problem. But before I met you, I had no experience interacting with a woman like you. My lady, perhaps you could give me some time to figure things out."

Meng Jinyao stared at him blankly, as if she understood his words, but also as if she didn't. How did this become his problem again

However, the next moment Meng Jinyao grasped the key point and confirmed with him, "Husband, you didn't get along with your previous fiancee"

Gu Jingxi honestly told him: "There is no

He was afraid the young girl might overthink things, so he added, "My lady, don't worry too much. Although my former fiancée and I had a betrothal, we never spent time alone together privately. Even when we met, there were always other people present."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyu was greatly surprised.

Actually, the local customs here are quite open. It's normal for engaged couples to go boating, admire flowers, or even stroll down the street together. She assumed Gu Jingxi and his former fiancée were the same way, but now she learns that they never did any of those things, which shocked her as much as finding a thousand taels of gold on the street.Gu Xiuhong nodded and said, "Yes, Grandmother."Gu Xiuming listened to their conversation, thinking that his grandmother would mention him later. Unexpectedly, his grandmother steered the topic elsewhe...