punishment.Soon, they reacted, their eyes glancing resentfully at the other three maidservants who hadn't joined in gossiping, as if blaming them for not speaking up to warn her. Then they curtsied t...Gu Jingxi was just a little surprised and didn't want to dwell on this small matter, but seeing the little girl blushing shyly and avoiding his gaze, he couldn't help but tease her: "My lady treats me like a maid, doesn't she"

Hearing this, Meng Jin Yao suddenly looked at him. The man smiled at the corner of his mouth and looked at her with a teasing gaze. In an instant, she felt embarrassed and couldn't help but retort: "Is it not that my husband wants to be a maidservant Isn't this fulfilling my husband's wishes"

Gu Jingxi saw that things were getting out of hand, and it wouldn't be good to make the little girl cry. He smiled and replied: "Mmm, my wife is right, it was me who volunteered. Now I have something to attend to, wife, please eat."

He said this, placing the lychee rind and seed on the table. He then took out a blue square handkerchief to wipe his hands, preparing to leave.

Meng Jinyáo glanced at the remaining lychees and asked, "Husband, why not eat some while they are fresh before going back to work"

Gu Jingxi shook his head: "Madam, please eat. I'm not particularly interested in food," he paused and added, "However, Madam should still eat in two portions. Lychees are hot, and eating too many at once is not good. We will have dinner later as well."

Meng Jinyao responded, "Good."

After he left, Chun Liu's voice suddenly rang out behind Meng Jin Yao: "Madam, the Marquis truly loves you. The servant has never seen the Marquis treat anyone so well before, except for you."

Upon hearing the sound, Meng Jinyang abruptly turned around. She found that only Ning Dong had been instructed by her to fetch ice and had gone out of the room. Chun Liu, Xia Zhu, and Qing Qiu, three maidservants, were still there. Thinking that everything she had just done had been seen by the maidservants, the warmth that had just receded from her face surged up again.

She suddenly wanted to disappear!

When Chunliu saw her bashful expression, she giggled and said, "Madam, this is a good thing. It proves that the Marquis has you in his heart."

Meng Jin Yao glared at Chun Liu with reproach, "That's not what I meant!"

Chūnliǔ, suppressing a smile, said, "Shall I peel some lychees for you You can eat ten or eight more. Save the rest for tomorrow, otherwise, you won't be able to finish your dinner later."

Meng Jin Yao nodded.

In a blink of an eye, it was dinner time. Gu Jingxi returned from the front courtyard study on time for dinner.

Meng Jin Yao saw the man sitting at the dining table, looking serious and composed again. The awkwardness she felt earlier had completely vanished.

Gu Jingxi was just about to pick up his chopsticks when he noticed the little girl glancing at him a few times. He smiled and asked, "Madam, are you not eating Are you watching me eat my fill"

Meng Jinyao's face stiffened, and she retorted, "You didn't see how I knew you were looking at me"

Gu Jingxi replied: "People who practice martial arts have more acute senses than ordinary people and can feel..."

Meng Jin Yao: "..."

Gu Jingxi said again, "Let's eat first. We can talk about anything after dinner."

Meng Jiny Yao hummed softly, burying her head in her meal. It was hot weather, and most people's appetite would be reduced, but hers was surprisingly good; as long as the food was delicious, she wouldn't lose her appetite.

Gu Jingxi saw that she was eating with gusto, feeling that the little girl was quite easy to feed. She ate anything and everything, basically not picky at all.

However, Gu Jingxi thought too much. He wasn't picky because he ate whatever was available. It was because the chefs in his household were skilled and prepared delicious dishes every day—appealing to the eye, smell, and taste, making people drool just by looking at them. That's why he didn't have a preference for certain foods.

When Meng Jinyang was in the inner quarters, her meals were far worse than they are now. Sun shi had a kind face but a cruel heart. Besides being unfavored, as the eldest legitimate daughter, she lived even worse than the illegitimate children. Even the servants treated her poorly, and her food was mediocre.

No one would protect her. As a young girl, she wouldn't stand a chance even if she wanted to resist. If Grandma found an excuse to send her to the countryside estate, what would happen to Chengzhang Chengyu had already been murdered by Sun Shi, so she had to stay in the manor to watch over Chengzhang.

Having tasted the bitterness of hardship, she now lives a comfortable life with good food and clothing. What else could she possibly ask for She is very content with her current situation.

After dinner, Meng Jinyao walked around the courtyard for a while to aid digestion, then bathed and changed her clothes, preparing to rest.

It is said that as couples spend more time together, they become more relaxed and comfortable with each other, unlike the initial awkwardness of newlyweds.

Gu Jingxi felt that what she said was reasonable, but the one who could let go wasn't him, it was the little girl. When she first got married, she would still be reserved, sleeping soundly and peacefully, afraid of accidentally touching his body.

He hadn't done anything out of line for these days, and the little girl grew more and more trusting of him.

Or perhaps the young girl simply didn't see him as a man.

Just like now, he had just finished bathing and returned to his bedroom. He saw the young girl lying soundly asleep in bed. Because she was greedy for coolness, she didn't even cover herself with a quilt, only wearing a thin nightgown. The silk fabric was very light and thin, so you could even see the pale pink undergarment inside.

Gu Jingxi stood by the bed and glanced at her, then shifted his gaze and got onto the bed. He silently pulled over the thin blanket beside him and covered her with it, obscuring the almost-visible spring light.

However, soon after, the little girl unconsciously kicked the blanket open with her feet again. He covered her up again, but it was kicked open soon after. He simply covered her upper body, so her legs couldn't kick it off.

It must have been really hot, Meng Jinyao woke up directly from the heat. She opened her eyes in a daze, threw back the covers, and grabbed the fan on her bedside table, fanning herself. Being woken up by the heat while sleeping well made her mood a little gloomy. The more gloomy she felt, the hotter she became, until finally, she was completely awake.

Gu Jingxi also knew he had done something wrong, disturbing her sleep. He opened his eyes directly and reached out to take the fan from her hand: "Madam, go to sleep. I'll fan you."

Seeing him awake, Meng Jin Yao turned her head, looking at him with resentment and asked in a bad tone, "The quilt you made for me"

Gu Jingxi coughed lightly and stammered, "I'm afraid Madam will catch a cold."

Meng Jin Yao's mood was very bad, and her tone wasn't good either: "In this heat, would I catch a cold No wonder I felt like someone was covering me with a blanket in my half-sleep state, no matter how much I kicked it off. It turns out you did this."

Gu Jingxi had never seen the little girl angry with him before. He said softly, "My wife, don't be angry. It was my fault. Now I will fan you to apologize, how about that"

Meng Jinyao took a deep breath and lazily said to him, "Fan it, fan harder. It's really hot."

Gu Jingxi smiled knowingly and, following her lead, continued to fan her.

Meng Jin Yao was also unable to sleep for the time being. She chatted with him in a half-hearted manner. Seeing him fan her, but still keeping his eyes closed and not looking at her, she felt something was strange. She lowered her eyes and glanced at herself, seeming to understand what was going on. No wonder he covered her with a blanket.

However, the nightgown was a bit thin, and there was a smaller undershirt underneath. It covered anything that shouldn't be seen.

Meng Jin Yao said in puzzlement: "We are husband and wife, even if you really wanted to do something to me I wouldn't refuse, let alone just take a look. I don't care as a young woman, what do you, a big man, care about"

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi opened her eyes and looked at her: "What"

Meng Jin Yao's eyes looked strangely at him, her words chillingly calm: "Could it be that on such a hot day, you want me to dress as warmly as in winter Since you are so concerned about your gentlemanly demeanor, why not put some thought into protecting yourself Who knows what I might do to you" wanting to see me make a fool of myself Not only would they watch my embarrassment, perhaps they'd even find ways to humiliate me"Chun Liu remained silent, only nodding slightly. Indeed, that was the...