novelhk Chapter 150 The 1st time
Chapter 150 The 1st time
[The previous chapter has been completed. Those who haven't read it can go back and check it out! Mwah!]
Wen Wen was not to be outdone and lived up to Xu Jiayi's evaluation of him, replying while watching the play.
Knowing that this was how they usually interacted, Gu Lin didn't make a fuss or rush forward to mediate. Instead, he let the two bicker while he chatted with Madam Fang and the others.
As they were chatting, Wen Wen and Xu Jiayi stopped talking at some point, and the opera they were performing changed from "Zhong Kui Marries Off His Sister" to "Si Lang Visits His Mother." Wen Wen wasn't interested and moved closer to Gu Lin and the others.
"Brother Lin, the moisturizing oil you sell seems to really work. I've been using it for quite a while now, and my skin feels much whiter and clearer."
Wen Wen approached Gu Lin and whispered in his ear.
Then, he changed the subject, complaining slightly, "It just doesn't last very long. I only have one bottle left out of two bottles of moisturizing oil."
Gu Lin was quite surprised to hear this, and looked up to say, "Both bottles of lotion were full, how come you used them up so quickly?"
Mrs. Fang also found it outrageous. She applied the lotion every day, from her face to her feet, and the lotion in the bottle never seemed to decrease. How could Wenwen use it up so quickly?
Wen Wen's gaze was unfocused, and he lowered his head slightly, saying, "It's just that I accidentally poured out a little too much, which is why we used it up faster."
Seeing Wen Wen's slightly guilty expression, Xu Jiayi narrowed her eyes and said in a drawn-out tone, "I think it's more than that."
Hearing the other person's suggestive and slightly raised tone, Wenwen immediately recalled the blush-inducing scene from a few days ago. His ears burned, and his fair earlobes gradually turned pink.
But he still replied defiantly to Xu Jiayi, "If that's not the case, what else can I do? Should I stir-fry it and eat it?"
Looking at Wen Wen's seemingly calm and tough demeanor, but actually her embarrassed and annoyed expression, Gu Lin seemed to be deep in thought.
Wenwen turned her head and looked at him with anticipation.
Seeing this, Boss Gu smiled and said with a slight sigh, "Even if you hadn't said anything, I would have already made preparations. I am grateful that you all took time out of your busy schedules to attend this banquet. As a return gift, there are two bottles of moisturizing oil. You don't need to worry about not having enough moisturizing oil."
"In addition," Gu Lin said, "I also had the craftsmen improve the tools for making moisturizing oil. Soon after, when the production of moisturizing oil increased, Zhenyulou stopped limiting the sale of moisturizing oil."
Of all the people in the group, Wen Wen was the happiest to hear Gu Lin's words.
He raised his hand, picked up the wine glass on the table, and drank it down in one gulp. His stunning looks and bold actions were contradictory yet captivating, and Gu Lin couldn't help but be drawn to him.
Wen Wen was very different from many of the young men he had met.
Wen Wen raised his glass to him again and said, "Brother Lin, I'd like to toast you."
Then, Wenwen drank the full cup.
Seeing the other person's actions, Gu Lin subconsciously raised his glass and drank the full glass of wine.
Wenwen's act of drinking did not surprise the others, but the young man's actions took Xu Jiayi and the others by surprise.
The fruit wine was sweet with a hint of alcohol. Facing the surprised looks from the crowd, Gu Lin smiled broadly and said, "Thank you all for your kindness. I will not let you down."
Wen Wen and his group treated him sincerely, and Gu Lin was unwilling to act awkwardly and hurt the friendship they had worked so hard to build.
Of the noble ladies and husbands who came to the Zheng family's housewarming banquet, only one or two husbands knew Zheng Hao. The others had all received invitations from Gu Lin and came to the banquet for the newly appointed top scholar out of respect for him.
This group of wealthy ladies and gentlemen are straightforward and cheerful, disliking beating around the bush. Gu Lin is generous and genuine, treating them with thoughtfulness and consideration without being obsequious, which suits their tastes perfectly.
Mrs. Fang, Xu Jiayi, and the others exchanged glances, then smiled, raised their glasses, and drank the wine in them.
As dusk fell, Gu Lin saw off all the guests and then turned to enter the mansion.
The maidservant serving Gu Lin noticed that her husband's face was flushed and his legs were becoming unsteady. She asked softly, "Husband, shall I help you back to rest?"
After saying that, she took a small step forward and reached out her hands to help the other person.
Gu Lin's mind was in a daze. He only knew that the person next to him seemed to have said something, but he didn't hear it clearly. When he saw the other person walking towards him, he blinked and stood still without making any move.
Suddenly, just as the maid was about to touch Gu Lin's arm, a well-defined, strong arm appeared in front of her. The hand with distinct knuckles gently but firmly lifted the young man's elbow, and the long, strong right arm wrapped around the young man's thin shoulder, pulling him into her embrace.
Zheng Hao lowered his eyes slightly. The young man, weak from being drunk, leaned against him. When the young man was sober, his clear and bright eyes became watery and hazy, and two blushes rose on his fair cheeks. With each breath, he exuded a sweet aroma of fruit wine, which was so enchanting that it made one's soul linger.
Zheng Hao's Adam's apple bobbed. After a moment, he raised his eyes and glanced at the maid beside him, then ordered in a low voice, "Go and fetch some hangover soup for my husband's courtyard."
The maidservant obeyed and immediately withdrew.
Turning his gaze away, Zheng Hao looked down at the person in his arms. He saw that the other person's eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, as if he was about to fall asleep. He spoke softly, "Uncle Gu, don't sleep. I'll take you back to your courtyard."
Gu Lin's consciousness was hazy. He felt as if he were lying on a bed that hadn't been properly made. The bed was very hard and uncomfortable, but he was too sleepy, so he endured the discomfort and continued to sleep. However, the hard texture prevented him from falling into a deep sleep.
When Zheng Hao's voice reached his ears, Gu Lin's long black eyelashes trembled slightly, and his eyes slowly opened. His light brown eyes were bright and misty. When he saw the familiar face in front of him, Gu Lin's eyes flickered, and then a trace of clarity flashed across them.
“…Xiao Hao…”
Gu Lin opened his mouth and called out. His voice was slower and longer than usual, and his soft breath came out with his red lips, spraying onto the handsome young man's face.
Zheng Hao lowered his eyes slightly, his voice a little hoarse: "Uncle Gu, you're drunk. Let me help you back to the courtyard. Can you walk now?"
Gu Lin's reaction was somewhat slow, and he did not respond quickly. Zheng Hao did not urge him, but instead put his arm around Gu Lin's shoulder to prevent him from slipping down.
Feeling the soft body beneath his arms, Zheng Hao remained calm, but his heart was pounding.
After a while, the young man slightly parted his lips, which, due to the alcohol, appeared exceptionally rosy, and a faint fruity fragrance wafted out as he spoke.
"...I'm fine...Let's go back."
Slowly and clearly, the young man finished speaking six words, then left the person behind him and stood up straight with the other's help.
After they were in position, he urged Zheng Hao, "Let's go quickly. Don't stay outside. There are mosquitoes. They bit me so much at the banquet."
He muttered a complaint under his breath as he walked forward, his steps a little unsteady but his posture normal.
Seeing that Uncle Gu could walk normally, Zheng Hao was relieved and helped him back home.
Back in Gu Lin's courtyard, the room was filled with servants and maids who were there to attend to Uncle Gu. Zheng Hao frowned, realizing he still needed to return to Yueming Mansion as soon as possible to bring the people over.
Although Zheng Hao had the indentures of the servants in his possession and the power to deal with them, the law was in place. On the surface, neither high-ranking officials nor ordinary wealthy households could arbitrarily beat or kill their servants. Therefore, Zheng Hao did not get too close to Uncle Gu in front of them.
He placed Gu Lin on the bed, made him lie flat, and then covered him with a blanket.
Zheng Hao stood up, turned around, and instructed an ordinary-looking young man: "Take off your husband's outer clothes, shoes, and socks."
"Yes," the ordinary, taciturn boy replied.
Seeing the other person approach Uncle Gu, Zheng Hao was about to help him take off his clothes when he stepped into the outer room. At that moment, the maid who had brought the hangover soup returned.
Zheng Hao said, "Give me the hangover soup."
The maidservant obeyed, taking out a warm hangover soup from the food box and handing it to the other person.
A moment later, the dull-witted boy came out and reported to Zheng Hao, "Master, I have already taken off my husband's outer clothes and shoes."
As instructed by the master, he did not wipe his husband's body or change his clothes, but only took off his outer garment, so it did not take much time.
Zheng Hao nodded slightly, then carried the hangover soup in his right hand into the inner room.
Seeing that Uncle Gu had taken off his outer clothes and was only wearing his inner clothes, lying peacefully and sleepily on the bed, his rosy lips opening and closing slightly with his breathing, Zheng Hao stood by the bed for a moment, and then, without disturbing him, placed the hangover soup on the counter beside the bed.
Taking a few steps closer to the young man, Zheng Hao leaned down slightly, his handsome face and elegant features separated by two fingers. The candlelight in the room flickered weakly, and Zheng Hao half-hid the candlelight, his handsome face half hidden in darkness and half exposed in the firelight, while the young man on the bed was completely shrouded in the shadow of the young man's tall figure.
The young man, fast asleep, was completely unaware that the obedient and filial youth who used to be so devoted to him now had dark eyes that stared at him like a hungry wolf.
He leaned slightly forward, his thin lips landing on Zheng Hao's rosy lips. The coolness and heat clashed, and a sweet taste seeped into his mouth. Zheng Hao's prominent Adam's apple bobbed up and down.
His expression was inscrutable, the clear-headed indifference in his brows and eyes gradually fading, replaced by a burning infatuation in his eyes and expression. A faint sweet aroma of fruit wine seeped from the young man's lips and teeth. Zheng Hao's dark eyes surged with emotion. He closed his eyes slightly, restraining his desires. After a while, his long-standing bent-over posture changed. He stood up, and their lips parted.
Zheng Hao glanced at the young man on the bed with his dark eyes filled with intense desire, then turned and left Gu Lin's room.
Before leaving, he said to the two young men serving him in the inner room, "My husband didn't drink the hangover soup. Be careful tonight. If anything goes wrong, send someone to the front yard to find me."
The two servants bowed their heads respectfully in response.
Leaving Gu Lin's courtyard, Zheng Hao didn't have to go through a long detour back to the front yard. The courtyard where Gu Lin was staying was carefully selected by Zheng Hao, and it was very close to the front yard, separated by only a wall. When renovating the mansion, Zheng Hao also invited craftsmen to build a door between his and Uncle Gu's courtyards, so that it would be convenient for them to visit each other's courtyards in the future.
Upon entering the courtyard, Zheng Hao dismissed the servants inside the house. He went to the bed, lowered the curtains, took out a snow-white handkerchief from his chest, lowered his head slightly, and placed his thin lips on the handkerchief. It was as if he could still smell the fruity and peach blossom scent on the young man.
He covered his face with a handkerchief, and after a moment, breathing began to rise from inside the curtain, sometimes heavy and sometimes light.
The next day, Gu Lin woke up from his sleep. Because he had only drunk a few glasses of fruit wine the day before and had several years of drinking experience, he did not feel any headache or nausea, even though he had not drunk any hangover soup the night before.
Gu Lin got up and dressed, the rustling sound of him putting on his clothes attracting the attention of the servants outside.
The young man who was waiting outside asked, "Husband, are you awake?"
After getting dressed, Gu Lin replied, "I'm awake. Bring in a basin of water; I need to wash up."
The young man outside should be.
A moment later, the other person walked up to Gu Lin and stood in front of him, carrying a basin of water.
At first, Gu Lin was very uncomfortable with the servants holding a basin of water and standing in front of him to help him wash his face, and this continued even after several days.
But without rules, there can be no order. He couldn't rashly break the social rules, so Gu Lin didn't tell them not to serve him when he washed his face. Instead, he told them to put the basin on a shelf next to him each time they washed their faces. At first, the boys hesitated slightly, but they still obeyed. They were relieved when they saw that the master didn't blame them.
After washing up, Gu Lin picked up a clean towel to dry his face and then went to the table to eat the breakfast that had been prepared in advance.
After breakfast, Gu Lin arrived at Zhenyulou by carriage. As soon as he entered, a waiter handed him an invitation. Gu Lin took it, opened it, and then looked up at the waiter and said, "You watch the shop. I'll be back later."
After saying that, Gu Lin took Da Zhu out of the house. They didn't go too far, but instead went to a restaurant near Zhenyu Tower.
Following the room number on the invitation, Gu Lin went up to the second floor and arrived at a private room. Without Gu Lin's prompting, Da Zhu raised his hand and knocked on the door, then stepped back behind Gu Lin.
The door to the private room opened, and Gu Lin stepped inside.
"Mr. Cui has an appointment, and I apologize for disturbing Mr. Gu's business at Zhenyulou."
Upon seeing Gu Lin, Cui Jianda stood up, smiled, and cupped his hands in greeting.
Gu Lin smiled and returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Third Master Cui must have something important to discuss with me. How could I possibly disturb him?"
Cui Jianda smiled, then gestured for the two men behind him to step forward. Gu Lin glanced at them and saw that each of them was holding a gift box.
Cui Jianda said, "A few days ago, I was away in the capital and missed the imperial examination. When Zheng Zhuangyuan was listed on the list of successful candidates, I was unable to send him a congratulatory gift in time. I was also unable to attend the opening of Mr. Gu's new store. These two gifts are my belated congratulatory gifts."
Gu Lin considered it carefully before asking Da Zhuo to accept it.
After seeing that the other party had accepted the gift, Cui Jianda turned the thumb ring on his thumb and said, "Mr. Gu, we can be said to have become friends through a fight, so I won't beat around the bush. I have a business deal to discuss with you."
Gu Lin said, "Third Master Cui, please speak frankly."
Cui Jianda said, "I would like to purchase moisturizing oil, perfume, and lotion from Zhenyulou. I will pay 40% of the price of each item. Is that acceptable?"
Finally! Finally!