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All the old grudges had passed, and the misunderstandings that needed to be cleared up had long been resolved.

Yao shi was not a malicious stepmother, and Gu Changqing was also a good elder brother.

For the sake of Gu Yan and Gu Jiao, he had risked his life more than once. In Yao shi’s heart, there was no longer any resentment from the past, only deep gratitude and heartfelt emotion.

But having no resentment in her heart was one thing; bridging the gap between them openly was another matter entirely.

She had said she had no expectations, yet at this very moment, she realized she had been waiting for this one word of ‘Mother’ all along.

“Look at you, why are you crying now?” Marquis Gu, seeing Yao shi holding a teacup with tears falling down her cheeks, hurriedly took out a handkerchief to wipe them away for her. “It’s just someone calling you a name, what’s the big deal?”

Though he grumbled as such, in his heart he understood perfectly well. Yao shi had been waiting for this moment for far too long.

When their sons were young, he had tried countless ways, both gentle and harsh, to make them show respect to Yao shi, to call her Mother. But the three brothers were as stubborn as iron, each of them would rather be beaten to death than yield.

The Old Madame, distressed for her grandsons, forbade him from forcing the boys any further, and so the matter of addressing her had been delayed indefinitely.

Now that the eldest son had taken the initiative to speak, truth be told, Marquis Gu was quite surprised.

But when he thought of how they had gotten along over the past few years, it all felt perfectly natural like water flowing into a river.

Yuan Baolin looked at Yao shi, then at Gu Changqing beside her, whose expression remained calm though his heart was surely stirred with emotion. She took the teacup from a servant, held it with both hands, and presented it respectfully to Yao shi. “Mother, please have some tea.”

“Yes, yes!” Yao shi accepted the daughter-in-law’s tea with a tearful smile.

She also gave Yuan Baolin a box of jewelry as a gift. It was something she had chosen together with Gu Jiao at the shop. The designs were fresh and elegant, simple yet dignified, perfectly matching Yuan Baolin’s temperament.

Yuan Baolin could tell at a glance how much thought had been put into this gift. Smiling, she said softly, “Thank you, Mother.”

The young couple stayed in Yao shi’s courtyard for lunch.

After leaving the courtyard, the two walked back together. When they passed the small garden, Gu Changqing suddenly stopped and said to Yuan Baolin, “I have to go to the military camp later. I might not be back tonight. You should rest early.”

Before Yuan Baolin could reply, Old Marquis came striding over, hands clasped behind his back.

“Grandfather.” The two greeted him respectfully.

Old Marquis nodded. “I’m going out. You two can return to your courtyard.”

“Grandfather is going to the military camp?” Gu Changqing asked. “I’ll accompany you.”

Old Marquis gave him a strange look. “What would you follow me for? You’ve been granted leave. You don’t need to go to the camp this month; stay home and spend time with Baolin.”

Gu Changqing was momentarily speechless. “I…”

Yuan Baolin’s lips curved slightly upward.

“I’m leaving.” Old Marquis said lightly, then walked away.

Yuan Baolin smiled and said, “Grandfather, take care.”

“Mm.” Old Marquis, already two steps ahead, answered sternly without turning back.

Yuan Baolin looked at Gu Changqing with regret. “Oh no, what should we do? Grandfather won’t let you go to the camp.”

Gu Changqing was at a loss. Since childhood, he had practiced martial arts; at fifteen, he followed his grandfather to the battlefield. His life had always been filled with drills and bloodshed; he truly wasn’t used to being idle.

He sighed. “I’ll go to the back mountain to practice swordsmanship for a while.”

Yuan Baolin blinked and murmured softly, “You… still have the strength to practice swordsmanship?”

Gu Changqing didn’t understand for a moment. “Of course I do…”

But as he spoke, realization dawned upon him as to what she meant.

It had only been two days, and the awkwardness between them had yet to fade. He cleared his throat and said seriously, “I’ll see you back to the courtyard first.”

Gu Changqing sent Yuan Baolin back to their newlywed chambers before heading to the back mountain to train.

He practiced straight until evening.

When he returned to the courtyard drenched in sweat, he found Yuan Baolin sitting inside, waiting for him. On the table were several delicate and appetizing dishes, though they seemed to have long gone cold.

“You’re back?” Yuan Baolin greeted him.

He nodded slightly and asked, “You… were waiting for me?”

“Yes.” After answering, Yuan Baolin turned to the servant girl beside her and said, “Yue’e, take these dishes to the kitchen and have them reheated.”

“Yes, young miss.” Yue’e replied, carrying the food away.

Yuan Baolin handed him a handkerchief. He paused for a moment before taking it, then said, “If I come back late in the future, you should eat first. You don’t have to wait for me.”

Yuan Baolin replied, “If I eat alone, it’ll look strange. Someone might notice and realize we’re just pretending to be husband and wife.”

Gu Changqing thought for a moment, she did have a point.

“Then I’ll… try to come back earlier.” He said.

After dinner, the two washed up and prepared to go to bed separately.

Gu Changqing was dressed from head to toe, buttoned all the way up to his collar. His clean, austere appearance exuded a kind of cold, restrained aura.

Yuan Baolin wasn’t dressed as formally, but her clothes were also perfectly proper.

She lifted the red gauze canopy and climbed into bed. When Gu Changqing closed the door and went to fetch his bedding for the floor, he found that the quilts in the cabinet were missing.

He frowned.

Yuan Baolin poked her head out from behind the bed curtains. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Gu Changqing said with a frown, “The bedding’s gone.”

“How could that be?” Yuan Baolin asked.

He remained frowning. “Perhaps the servants saw it was dirty and took it away to be washed. I’ll go tell them to bring some fresh ones.”

“Hey! Gu Changqing!” Yuan Baolin stopped him. “If they really took it because it looked dirty, and you sleep on the floor again tonight, what happens tomorrow morning when they see it dirty again? Once or twice might pass, but if it happens too often, they’ll start to suspect something.”

In novels, when the husband refused to share a bed with his wife and made a pallet on the floor, it seemed like a flawless plan. But in reality, the flaws became obvious fast.

Were the servants blind?

How could they possibly not know the bedding had been used on the floor?

Gu Changqing hadn’t thought that far ahead, mainly because he hadn’t expected his grandfather to forbid him from going to the military camp. If the bedding stayed dirty for an entire month, anyone would start to suspect something was off.

“Just come up here and sleep.” Yuan Baolin said. “The bed is large enough anyway.”

Gu Changqing looked toward the door, which was securely bolted.

Yuan Baolin followed his gaze and said, “The servants are keeping watch outside. If you go to sleep in the study, the whole estate will be gossiping tomorrow that our marriage is already strained.”

Gu Changqing glanced at the long benches in the room. “I can sleep on a bench.”

“Oh.” Yuan Baolin’s tone was light.

Gu Changqing arranged the benches and lay down, but the moment he did, the bench collapsed beneath him.

Gu Changqing, dazed from the fall: “…”

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Description:

In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.

When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.

The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.

From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.

***

Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.

After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"

Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"

Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”

Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

He hasn't finished his lines yet though…

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