Chapter 611: Chapter 613: Returning to the Village

"There’s no turning back now," Xu Nuo said. "Besides, I trust Gu Lehuan. He’ll protect us.

"But that’s on one condition—as long as we don’t cause any trouble, we’ll be in the right."

She understood Sanhua’s worries. Deep down, she was just as apprehensive.

Although she had a small fortune of her own, she was still an orphan. Marrying Gu Lehuan was considered a step up for her.

If it weren’t for the Gu Mansion’s protection over the past few years, she didn’t know what would have become of her by now.

Especially her own biological father—when he learned her wedding was approaching, he actually got the idea to come and get involved.

If she hadn’t invoked Mrs. Gu’s name, she might not have been able to scare him off.

Hearing a faint clamor up ahead, Xu Nuo immediately sat up straight. She took a mirror from a compartment in the carriage and checked her makeup.

Seeing such an expensive glass mirror just left casually in the carriage made Xu Nuo feel even more conflicted. ’I wonder if the Gu family is really as kind as Gu Lehuan says.’

"Bro, you’re back!" Gu Lexi had been tasked by his father to wait at the village entrance these past few days. The moment he saw the carriage, he shouted with joy.

Gu Lehuan waited for the carriage to come to a complete stop before jumping down. He hugged his younger brother and gave him a little spin. "You’ve put on weight, you little rascal! I can barely lift you anymore."

’Who would have thought?’ The once scrawny kid was now a whole size bigger. With a body this round, he couldn’t have managed another half-spin even if he’d wanted to.

"What do you think? Don’t I look prosperous?" Gu Lexi proudly puffed out his round belly and gave it a pat. "It wasn’t easy packing on all this meat."

Since Gu Lehuan had just been reunited with his brother, he chose his words carefully. "...Actually, being a bit thinner is good too. At least you’d be more agile..."

"I don’t want to be all skin and bones like before. This is much better. Whenever I go out, everyone says I look prosperous. They say I’ll definitely be a landlord someday." Gu Lexi had his own sense of aesthetics and thought being chubby was great.

Gu Lehuan sighed. "...Whatever makes you happy. Have you been waiting long? Let’s head back first.

"By the way, are we still living at Eldest Uncle’s place?"

"We moved out of there a long time ago. Didn’t Dad write to you about our new house?"

Gu Lehuan tried to remember, but he couldn’t recall any such letter. "He probably forgot. So where are we living now?"

Gu Yuanmu: "..." It seemed he really had forgotten...

"It’s not far from Grandpa’s place. Knowing you were coming back, Eldest Uncle and his family have been helping out at our house these past few days.

"Oh, right, where’s my sister-in-law? Is she in the carriage behind us?"

Gu Lehuan quickly stopped him from going to the back. "We’re almost home. You’ll meet her sooner or later. Let’s get back first, or the family will get anxious waiting for us."

"Right, right! Let’s go. Bro, let me tell you..."

As the carriage began to move again, Xu Nuo quickly asked Sanhua, "Check me over. Is anything out of place?"

"Miss, should you perhaps wear a bit more jewelry? Isn’t your attire a little too plain?" Sanhua suggested after a moment’s hesitation.

’Miss’s mourning period is over. She can wear brighter clothes and more jewelry now.’

"We can worry about that tomorrow. We’re dusty from the road. If I’m dressed too extravagantly, it will look forced." Xu Nuo knew first impressions were important, and since she was just arriving from a long journey, a simpler look was more appropriate.

Sanhua didn’t quite understand, but her mistress always had a mind of her own, so she didn’t press the matter. "It looks lovely. Not a single thing is out of place."

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Just then, they could hear the sound of greetings from outside the carriage, confirming their arrival.

Any sense of ease Xu Nuo had felt earlier vanished. The handkerchief she was clutching was already wrinkled.

"Miss Xu, we’ve arrived." Gu Lehuan had just finished speaking from outside the carriage.

When a cheerful female voice rang out, "Your grandparents are waiting for you up ahead. Leave things here to your aunts.

"Don’t you worry, we’ll take good care of your bride for you. Go on now."

"Then I’ll leave her in your care, Aunts." Gu Lehuan didn’t leave right away. He stood outside the carriage and explained to Xu Nuo, "My aunts will be taking care of you for the next few days, Miss Xu. If you need anything, you can have Sanhua come find me."

Xu Nuo knew that the bride and groom weren’t supposed to meet or live together before the wedding, so this arrangement was perfect.

"I understand. Thank you for your trouble, Aunts."

Liu Liu shooed away a few boys who were still gawking, then had Dazhuang drive the carriage to her courtyard.

Once the carriage stopped, Liu Liu lifted the curtain. "We’re here. Let’s go inside and rest."

Xu Nuo didn’t dare remain seated, so she quickly stepped onto the ground with Sanhua’s support.

Looking at the women before her, all adorned with gleaming jewels, she had no idea how to address them.

Just then, the same cheerful voice from before spoke up. A kind-faced woman said with a smile, "What a beautiful girl. That boy Lehuan is a lucky one.

"You don’t recognize us, do you? Let me introduce everyone.

"I’m Lehuan’s Fourth Aunt. This is his Third Aunt, and this is his Fifth Aunt.

"Let’s talk inside. The boys in this village are all dying of curiosity, and we’re not about to satisfy it."

Laughing as she spoke, she walked ahead and pushed open the courtyard gate. "You’ll be staying with me for the next few days. Don’t worry, it’ll just be me, you, and my daughter."

This had all been arranged by her mother-in-law beforehand. As for Gu Yuanhuo and Le Kai, they had moved over to Li Cuicui’s to be filial for a few days.

"If you need anything, just tell your Fourth Aunt," Li Xiaohua added with a smile. "There’s nothing in this village she can’t handle."

"Thank you for your trouble, Aunts. My apologies for imposing on you all."

"She speaks so pleasantly," Liu Liu said, pleased by the girl’s poised and graceful demeanor. "We’ll be one family soon, so there’s no need for such formalities.

"Come, let me show you your room. See what you think. If you don’t like it, we can find you another one."

It was a small courtyard house with four main rooms and eight side rooms. A single glance was enough to tell it had been meticulously prepared.

Liu Liu led her to the west wing. The rooms there were all small suites modeled after a design by Jin Qianqian. They didn’t look large from the outside, but they had everything one could need.

"This is wonderful. It’s even nicer than my house in Shangjing." Xu Nuo truly hadn’t expected to find a house like this in a village.

When they first entered the village, it wouldn’t have been proper for her to lift the curtain and look outside, so she hadn’t known what to expect. It now seemed that conditions here were much better than she had imagined.

"Oh, this is nothing. This entire courtyard of ours probably wouldn’t even trade for a small room in Shangjing," Liu Liu said with another laugh. "The main room up front is mine. If you need anything at all, just come find me.

"The room next to yours is my daughter’s. She’s at school right now but will be back later. I’ll introduce you two then."

Xu Nuo was taken aback. "...Your daughter is very fortunate."

’Even when I was young, I was only taught by the nannies in the household. I never would have dreamed of attending a proper school or academy.’

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