The Powerful Minister I Forcefully Married Won't Warm Up; After Rebirth, I Give Up the Chase - Chapter 7

Gu Ci’s Confession and Pei Jian’s Observation

“Who is it?”

“What ‘true love’?”

Before Pei Jian could speak, the two other young men in the school dormitory yard asked upon hearing the excited words.

They were all young men of eighteen or nineteen, and if not studying at the Imperial College, they would be at the age of marriage, naturally interested in such topics.

Qin Lang squinted at Gu Ci, winking, “Which young lady could manage to capture our arrogant Young Master Gu?”

Wen Qingheng had just returned from home.

Since his sister wasn’t home, he had returned to the Imperial College early that day. However, he had only recently moved into this courtyard, and he wasn’t very familiar with the other three classmates, so he just listened with a smile.

Yet, because of Wen Qingheng’s presence, Gu Ci’s overflowing desire to confide was stifled. He found it difficult to treat his future elder brother-in-law as a normal roommate.

Thus, Gu Ci was uncharacteristically reserved, a suspicious flush appearing on his face.

He cleared his throat, faced Wen Qingheng, and spoke with rare seriousness, “I will be good to her.”

Wen Qingheng was confused by Gu Ci’s earnestness, and Qin Lang let out two strange yelps, his gaze darting between Wen and Gu:

“No way, Qingye (Gu Ci’s courtesy name), even rabbits don’t eat the grass around their burrows! We shouldn’t be making a move on someone right here!”

Qin Lang’s voice wasn’t quiet. Pei Jian contemptuously moved two steps away from him, then looked at Gu Ci:

“Whose daughter is she?”

On the Shangsi Festival (Spring Outing Day), Gu Ci had mentioned meeting a special girl by the Winding Stream. Pei Jian hadn’t paid much attention at first, nor did he ask for a name.

Later, Gu Ci asked him for a horse, saying he wanted to teach the girl to ride.

Both Gu Ci and Pei Jian loved horses. Gu Ci preferred strong, spirited stallions, while Pei Jian enjoyed collecting various rare steeds.

Stepping on Snow was one of them.

Given their friendship, a single horse was a trivial matter.

Since his rebirth, Pei Jian had many matters to prepare, and he hadn’t focused much on his good friend’s activities. However, Gu Ci had been making a lot of noise lately; even if he didn’t pay attention, he heard and saw quite a bit.

Thinking of the disaster that would befall the State Duke Zhen Manor at the end of the year, Pei Jian felt that if the girl was of good character and family, then even if Gu Ci eventually had to defend the border, having a beautiful woman by his side might console his loneliness.

Hence his question.

Gu Ci naturally had nothing to hide from his good brother Pei Jian.

But with his future elder brother-in-law standing there, and his future father-in-law, Director Wen, at the Imperial College, he dared not let any information slip.

His heart was already set, but as for Nianxi’s feelings towards him…

Gu Ci had absolutely no confidence.

She was like a riddle.

At first, he only found her beautiful and gentle. Only when spending time with her did he realize she was clever, considerate, and witty.

When he was with her, he felt like a naive fool.

In this situation, he absolutely could not let Wen Qingheng know he was coveting his sister!

So, he could only be vague, “It’s a family that recently moved to the capital from the south; you wouldn’t know them.”

He felt guilty and worried that Wen Qingheng might notice something amiss, so he added, “She is… my distant cousin.”

Pei Jian paused slightly when he heard “moved to the capital from the south,” but quickly regained his composure when Gu Ci said she was a distant cousin.

“Why does everyone have a cousin?” Qin Lang thumped his chest and cried strangely, “I’m the only one without a cousin!”

“Shizhang has Miss Xu as a cousin, Qingye has a distant cousin, Jinghe (Wen Qingheng’s courtesy name), do you have a cousin?”

Wen Qingheng, true to his name, was a very gentle and courteous gentleman. Hearing the question, he replied, “I don’t have a cousin, but I do have a sister.”

As soon as he finished speaking, both Pei Jian and Gu Ci’s eyelids twitched simultaneously.

Before Qin Lang could utter another word from his “dog mouth,” they said in unison, “It’s late. Jinghe, you should go back to your room and rest.”

Wen Qingheng: “…Oh, alright.”

Qin Lang: ???

Nianxi’s Business Idea

Meanwhile, Nianxi was frowning at her vanity case.

Her cousin, Miss Mu, was getting married next month, but she didn’t even have a decent gift to give her.

Her father was an upright and honest official, and their family’s daily expenses were not generous.

In her previous life, Cousin Mu had taken great care of her. Nianxi wanted to send a generous gift for her wedding to express her gratitude. But her current savings weren’t enough to buy even a respectable piece of jewelry from the Treasure Pavilion.

Speaking of which, that scoundrel Pei Jian was a terrible husband, but he was a first-rate official at accumulating wealth. His daily wear and use were exquisite—silk bedding, pearl curtains, jade plates, and gold bowls. Nianxi had never worried about material possessions before.

Just as she was at a loss, the maid Lanzhi brought in a cup of fruit puree/drink:

“This servant followed the recipe Miss taught me the other day and made osmanthus-flavored and rose-flavored fruit drinks. Please taste and see if they are to your liking.”

People in the current time enjoyed drinking.

They not only cooked and prepared tea but also various kinds of fruit drinks, thirst-quenchers, and syrups, which were extremely popular in the capital.

From the royal family and nobles to the common peddlers, everyone loved a bowl of it in their leisure time, the only difference being the quality of the ingredients.

There were countless drink shops in the East and West markets.

Nianxi couldn’t conjure money instantly, so she could only put her worries aside for now.

After finishing a bowl of sweet and sour rose drink, she felt much better.

Lanzhi stood by, admiring her greatly. “Miss truly has a clever mind to come up with such a delicious drink.”

Nianxi dismissed it. “It’s not that good, is it?”

In her previous life, she was accustomed to these drinks.

“Of course it is!”

Lanzhi nearly raised her hand to swear. “I’ve never had a drink like this before. The rice fragrance is intertwined with the honey and floral-fruit scent, it’s sweet and sour and refreshing. I can’t even describe the taste; it just makes me feel completely satisfied after drinking it.”

Nianxi suddenly remembered that in her past life, because Pei Jian liked drinks and always suffered from the summer heat, she had put a lot of effort into this.

It wasn’t just these fruit drinks; whether it was snow-based desserts, creamy mountains, cool syrups, or boiled water, she had searched through ancient recipes and innovated quite a few flavors.

But Pei Jian was always indifferent to the things she racked her brains to make.

Nianxi thought it didn’t suit his taste.

Until she unintentionally overheard Miss Xu, her cousin-in-law, telling her nanny, “Cousin said that only the drink I make with my own hands has the taste of home. He’s not used to what others make.”

That was when she realized it wasn’t a matter of taste but that it didn’t suit his heart.

She had once thought about opening a drink shop specializing in female customers, a place for ladies to pass the time.

At that time, Pei Jian had just been promoted to Minister of Revenue (Hubu Shangshu). Her suggestion was barely started before Pei Jian coldly shut her down, “You don’t need to show your face in public to subsidize the household expenses.”

Now…

“Lanzhi, make two fresh servings and send them to the main hall.”

Nianxi’s eyes brightened; she knew where the money for her cousin’s wedding gift would come from!

A Mother’s Misunderstanding

In the main hall, Madam Li listened to her daughter’s proposal.

“…You want to sell your drinks in our silk shop?”

Madam Li patiently finished listening to her daughter, then casually said, “Of course you can.”

It was their own cloth shop. They just needed to clear out a small area to sell drinks. What was the problem?

Nianxi had prepared a whole speech of persuasion, but at her mother’s simple agreement, she hesitated. “…It’s that simple?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

Madam Li chuckled, “What’s the big deal? It’s just a drink you can sell by setting up an umbrella and pushing a cart. Why would it require so much trouble?”

However—

“Why are you suddenly interested in selling drinks?”

Madam Li tapped her forehead. “I noticed you seemed down lately, lacking energy for everything. Are you in a better mood now?”

Nianxi was momentarily stunned.

In the eyes of those who genuinely care for you, they can detect even the subtlest emotional changes.

She had only recently been reborn, full of melancholy and despair, and her mother had seen it all. Nianxi suppressed the tears that threatened to well up and nestled into her mother’s arms.

“I just feel like things are quite good right now,” she mumbled.

She was getting a second chance to live, doing things the twenty-eight-year-old Wen Nianxi had never done.

Madam Li smiled, “I knew there were plenty of good young men in the capital!”

Nianxi was confused and poked her head out of her mother’s embrace. “What do you mean?”

Madam Li looked equally surprised. “Weren’t you unhappy a while ago because we moved to the capital and you couldn’t see that boy next door anymore?”