Qin Yuan sat down beside Gu Baoshu and ate with everyone.

Gu Baoshu whispered, "Third Sister-in-law, thank goodness you came over, otherwise sitting there listening to their nonsense would be so boring."

Qin Yuan smiled and picked a dish for her, saying, "This is delicious."

Gu Baoshu ate it.

She added, "Originally, Mother wanted to have a good talk with Mr. Qin, but then Sister-in-law Cheng and the old lady from the side room came, and Mother couldn’t not meet them, so it turned out like this."

Qin Yuan had already guessed the situation.

Upon learning that Gu Baoshu had brought back the Qin brothers, Old Madam Gu naturally wanted to keep them for a chat to show closeness. Mrs. Dai and the old lady from the distant family could not be neglected either. Fortunately, the female guests were of age, and with many children around, there was no need to strictly adhere to gender segregation, so it all mingled together.

Qin Yuan picked another dish for Gu Baoshu.

Gu Baoshu frowned and said, "Third Sister-in-law, why are you only picking dishes for me?"

Qin Heng couldn’t help but laugh and said, "My elder sister is reminding you to stop talking and eat up."

Qin Yuan glanced at Qin Heng.

Qin Heng immediately picked a dish and put it in his mouth, chewing.

Gu Baoshu couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

After everyone finished their meal and chatted a bit, Qin Yuan stood up and said, "Mother, Seventh Sister wants to teach my brother to ride a horse; shall we all go and join in the fun? Would you and the aunts like to come along?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Old Madam Gu immediately waved her hand, "Go and play by yourselves. Don’t think I haven’t noticed; Baoshu has been restless like a monkey. If we go, you won’t have as much fun."

Gu Baoshu laughed, "Mother is good at riding too, but she’s just impatient with coaxing children, yet she blames it all on me."

Old Madam Gu ignored her and said to Qin Siyuan and Qin Heng, "My little daughter is so unruly, I hope you won’t laugh at her."

Before Qin Siyuan could reply, Qin Heng said, "Old Madam, Sister Baoshu is very lovely. My mother always says the young ladies from marquis families have a carefree life. If possible, she wishes for my sister to be like her, so she won’t be bullied after getting married."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Qin Siyuan quickly added, "Those are just children’s words. My second sister always talks about trivial issues between her and her mother-in-law whenever she returns home, and it’s inevitable that Brother Heng learns from it. Not everyone is as fortunate as your eldest daughter to meet such a wonderful mother-in-law like the Old Madam."

Old Madam Gu laughed and waved her hand, "That’s turning things around; not everyone is as lucky as this old lady to have a daughter-in-law like your eldest sister. Since she married into the Marquis Mansion, everyone likes her and respects her. She knows so much despite being so young, has foresight, and handles matters so well, all her virtues are endless. I really don’t know how the Qin Family raised such a gem."

Qin Heng listened with a face full of emotion, glancing at Qin Yuan.

Qin Yuan, afraid he might say something tactless, said, "Look how Mother praises me like a celestial fairy; I’m too embarrassed to stay. Mother, we’re leaving, you carry on talking."

Everyone laughed and took their leave.

Old Madam Gu, smiling broadly, said to Mrs. Dai and others, "You all saw it, my daughter-in-law is not only beautiful, but she also has a sweet mouth, a gentle nature, and is skilled in making incense. Nowadays, the best-selling incense pills at Ranxiang Inn are her recipe. I had trouble sleeping at night some time ago, and it was her incense that helped me. Nanny Rong took her incense pills and loves them so much she praises her every day in front of me. The plans we talked about before were all her ideas. Such a young lady, not even married into the family for six months, yet she thinks so far for our Gu Family. She’s so modest and knows her way, you just can’t love her enough."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Mrs. Dai said, "No wonder everyone says Marquis Gu is lucky. Marrying a virtuous wife blesses three generations, and besides being virtuous, Madam has so many good qualities."

Old Madam Gu loved hearing praises for her third son and third daughter-in-law, ignoring the two wives beside her whose faces turned sour with envy, and went on to praise Qin Yuan more and more.

Qin Yuan led everyone to Wutong Garden. Gu Baoshu said, "Third Sister-in-law, aren’t you going to learn to ride a horse?"

Qin Yuan said, "We’ve just had lunch and the sun is still high; let’s go to my place and chat for a bit before going."

Brother Kang and Fuguo’er seldom went to Wutong Garden and asked, "Is Third Uncle in?"

Qin Yuan laughed and said, "Why? Do you want him to be there or not?"

Brother Kang said, "I want him to be there, and I want him not to be there."

"Why?"

Brother Kang said seriously, "If Third Uncle is there, I’m a little scared of him, but I hope he would take us to ride the Kicking Snow Black Steed."

Xiao Dong said, "If the Marquis were here, he would surely take us riding. Sixteen said that Kicking Snow Black Steed is very spiritual, and without the Marquis’s permission, no one can get close. It even kicked a spy who pretended to be a coachman at the Northern Border before."

The Gu Family had all heard this story. The children, each speaking, exaggerated Kicking Snow Black Steed to be like a divine horse descending from the heavens, even more magnificent than the White Dragon Horse ridden by Tang Seng on his journey for Buddhist scriptures.

Qin Heng, hearing this, was itching with desire and, upon entering Wutong Garden, asked the gatekeeper nanny, "Is the Marquis in?"

The nanny replied, "Madam, masters, the Marquis has not returned yet."

Qin Heng was very disappointed.

Qin Yuan was also a bit disappointed but didn’t show it and said, "Just tell me what you’ve been up to with Xu Tang these days?"

Qin Heng sullenly said, "Nothing much, just played some football matches with him and his club. Sometimes he invites my second brother-in-law for tea and drinks, and he’d bring me along."

Gu Baoshu immediately looked over, curious, and asked, "Why does Xu Tang have tea and drinks with your second brother-in-law? They seem unrelated. I heard from Sixteen that Xu Tang isn’t a good person; do you have a secret? Tell me quickly."

Qin Yuan held her forehead.

Who said Gu Baoshu wasn’t smart? She turns out to be pretty sharp.

Qin Heng stiffened his neck and said, "These are matters between us men, why should I tell you?"

Hearing this, Gu Baoshu immediately got annoyed, reached out with two fingers, and pinched Qin Heng’s wrist, saying, "You’re even a year younger than me, and you strut around claiming to be a man! What’s there you can’t tell me? I’m telling you, I hold grudges. If you tell me early, you’ll suffer less."

Qin Yuan had a face full of question marks, "..."

Brother Kang, watching Qin Heng, said with a pained expression, "Brother Heng, you better say it. My little aunt’s grip is really something, even Brother Cheng is afraid of her."

Qin Heng tried to struggle, but he felt Gu Baoshu’s two fingers were like vines, slippery, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t get free.

At this time, Gu Baoshu hadn’t yet exerted her strength; he didn’t know the severity and said stubbornly, "Brother Kang, you’re mistaken. I, Qin Heng, am a true man, not one to be coerced."