The Powerful Minister I Forcefully Married Won't Warm Up; After Rebirth, I Give Up the Chase - Chapter 8

Nianxi’s Side Business and Appearance

Separated by a past life and the present, Nianxi had forgotten what the neighbor boy from the South looked like.

She vaguely remembered him being her height, with delicate features, obedient and well-behaved, always playing with her.

In her previous life, she was probably genuinely sad about it for a time.

However, as soon as she arrived in the capital, she met Pei Jian, and from then on, her heart was only set on him.

Madam Li laughed, “You’ve loved handsome faces since you were little.”

She assumed Nianxi had forgotten the neighbor boy because of Gu Ci.

Nianxi opened her mouth to explain, but realized she couldn’t clarify the situation at all, so she quickly changed the subject. “I plan to make the fruit drinks at home daily, measure out a batch, and take it to the shop to sell. All I need is for you to assign me an assistant to handle the accounts, Mother.”

Nianxi still wanted to attempt the fragrant drink shop she failed to open in her previous life.

The drink stall at the silk shop was her first trial step.

The response was surprisingly good.

Women who came to buy fabric would almost always buy a bowl to try. If they liked it, they would often take some home.

Gradually, this small drink stall gained a little notoriety.

After subtracting costs, it brought in a considerable income monthly. Coupled with the twenty taels her mother had given her, Nianxi finally sent a satisfactory set of head ornaments to her cousin before the wedding.

She also had her eye on a gold-chased armlet, intending to buy it for herself. As the days grew warmer, the armlet would be perfectly subtle and elegant peeking out from under a sheer gauze top.

Unfortunately, when she went to buy it, the armlet had already been purchased.

The shop owner enthusiastically recommended other styles, but Nianxi didn’t like any of them. She used the remaining money to buy extra fabric and made new clothes for her entire family.

With over a decade of extra experience, her sense of aesthetics was naturally different from before.

Take, for instance, the popular makeup look of the time—applying thick layers of lead powder to the face, then dotting scarlet rouge heavily on the cheeks and cupid’s bow.

With their pale, pale faces and crimson, crimson lips, they looked like ghosts come to life.

Yet, this was the most fashionable look for unmarried ladies.

The more solemn the occasion, the whiter the face and redder the cheeks.

Nianxi used to wear this makeup until one time, when she got close to Pei Jian, she left an entire red-and-white face print on the chest of his dark robe. The scene was utterly awkward and bizarre.

The thought still made her hair stand on end.

Therefore, on the day of her Cousin Mu’s wedding, Nianxi wore an embroidered, layered, gauze pink-crimson silk skirt, with only a light touch of lip rouge. Standing in the crowd, her eyes were dark and spiritual, shimmering like spring water. She was delicate and slender, strikingly eye-catching.

She stood in stark contrast to the mass of ladies with thickly powdered faces.

And, unsurprisingly, she garnered Gu Ci’s astonishment.

Gu Ci’s Proposal

This was the third time the two had met.

Since the farewell at the Marquis of Xingwu Manor, Nianxi and Gu Ci hadn’t seen each other again.

With the martial arts exam imminent, Gu Ci was busy preparing and hadn’t been to the Imperial College much recently, focusing on daily practice at home.

“What have you been busy with lately?”

Facing Nianxi, Gu Ci was always nervous, unable to be completely relaxed and natural.

He knew it was a foolish question, but seeing the girl’s porcelain-like profile beneath the flowering tree, he couldn’t think of anything better to say.

Nianxi lifted her gaze, her eyes flowing. “Just some trivial matters of the boudoir. But what about you? How is your preparation for the martial arts exam going?”

“No problem.”

Gu Ci curved his lips, answering with absolute seriousness.

Though born into wealth and splendor, he was always ambitious. With his father and brothers guarding the northern border, he viewed the care of his mother and three sisters remaining in the capital as his responsibility.

He had trained diligently in martial arts since childhood and carried none of the arrogance typical of noble young men. Instead, he possessed a delicate thoughtfulness beyond the ordinary gentleman.

“If I win first place,” Gu Ci asked tentatively, feeling a bit anxious, “will it be alright for me to send an invitation for you to come to my manor?”

Nianxi caught his meaning and smiled brightly. “Not alright.”

Gu Ci was momentarily stunned.

Nianxi was amused by his bewildered, foolish look. “Of course not alright. You are my riding instructor, sir. If the teacher wins first place, how can I, the student, be so ill-mannered as to require the teacher to personally send an invitation?”

Gu Ci’s emotions shot from heaven to earth and back again, following Nianxi’s words.

He was left only with a silly grin.

“I just worry that sir will dislike my meager congratulatory gift,” Nianxi’s apricot eyes were dark and clear, shimmering with his reflection.

Gu Ci quickly said, “How could I!”

Her acceptance was the best possible outcome.

Inviting her to the manor with an official invitation was different from the time he taught her riding; this would be an invitation to the entire Wen family.

The two had been in contact for some time. Gu Ci wanted to use the celebration day to formally solidify their relationship with Nianxi.

Because Nianxi was truly too wonderful.

He heard from Wen Qingheng that quite a few presumptuous young gentlemen in the capital, who clearly hadn’t looked in a mirror, were frequently appearing before her, and some had even gone to the Wen Manor to propose marriage!

Gu Ci was not arrogant enough to assume Nianxi would definitely marry him, but for a match to be made, it still required the consent of the parents.

He first had to make himself visible to Nianxi’s parents and brother, rather than having to communicate with her while constantly avoiding the Wen family’s notice as he was doing now.

Yet, Gu Ci didn’t want to pressure her, which was why he had asked for Nianxi’s willingness.

Nianxi’s usual frankness made Gu Ci feel somewhat shy.

“The ambergris drink you made is especially good.”

“Did my brother share the drink with you?” Nianxi blinked at him. “It seems you and my brother get along well.”

Nianxi had previously made various flavors of fragrant drinks at home for taste tests, which Wen Qingheng naturally enjoyed greatly.

Wen Qingheng was never one to boast or show off, except when it came to Nianxi. Regarding having a gentle and considerate sister, he couldn’t resist bragging about her to everyone he met.

Apart from academic discussions, what Wen Qingheng talked about most at the Imperial College was “My sister…”

Gu Ci didn’t know what others thought, but every time he listened to Wen Qingheng talk about his sister, he was utterly captivated and felt a sense of honor by proxy.

So, he wrote to Nianxi in a letter, saying he also wanted to try those delicious fragrant drinks.

Although the two couldn’t meet, they had been writing frequently since the time at the Marquis of Xingwu Manor.

Truthfully, drink shops were everywhere on the street; this was merely an excuse for Gu Ci to correspond, and he didn’t sincerely expect to receive the drinks. Who knew that the very next day, a whole cartload of fragrant drinks was delivered by a servant from the Wen Manor?

Wen Qingheng alone couldn’t possibly finish all of that!

So, the other three people in the courtyard, including Gu Ci, all got to drink Nianxi’s creations.

The drinks were truly delightful.

Even the habitually silent and reserved Pei Jian was momentarily stunned and lost in thought.

Gu Ci’s excitement, however, was beyond measure.

He was deeply touched by Nianxi’s straightforward enthusiasm.

Especially when the Wen Manor servants repeatedly moved the food boxes into the courtyard, the fragrant drinks filling the entire serving table—at that moment, he even felt a sense of being pampered.

This was Nianxi’s gift to him!

Wen Qingheng, Pei Jian, and Qin Lang were only enjoying them because of him!

A secretive yet passionate emotion surged in Gu Ci’s chest, threatening to burst forth.

In that moment, he desperately yearned to announce to everyone openly:

Nianxi is the girl he likes.

Thinking of this, Gu Ci felt his ears flush. He handed over a wooden box.

“This is a return gift.”

It was the first time he had given a gift to a young lady. His eyes darted away, and his movements were a bit awkward. “I don’t know if you’ll like it?”

Nianxi opened it to find a gold-chased armlet and a gold filigree bracelet inlaid with gemstones.

The armlet was the exact one she had seen and liked earlier.

The gemstone bracelet was composed of two semi-circular gold pieces, inlaid with thirteen assorted gems—rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and aventurines—making it exquisite, gorgeous, and dazzling.

They formed a matching set of wrist ornaments.

If Nianxi were just a fifteen-year-old girl, she might have felt the gift was too valuable and refused it.

But having been Madam Pei for ten years, she had seen countless types of jewelry. This set of gold and jade only delighted her; it wasn’t enough to astound her.

The true value lay in Gu Ci’s heart.

How many years had it been since she received a gift like this?

Nianxi extended her hand, revealing a section of her fair, snow-white wrist, her voice soft and sweet.

“Quick, help me put it on.”