Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside Chapter 1237: Shocking News

Brother Cheng’s face darkened upon hearing this: "It’s definitely not an issue for Brother to be among the top three in the Imperial Examination, but earning merits that would make the Emperor decree a marriage—that’s really tough."

Probably an entire lifetime wouldn’t suffice for such a great achievement, and then Brother would remain a bachelor for life?

Gu Jinli: "So, this isn’t something we can help with, and based on Brother’s personality, he wouldn’t want us to interfere."

Brother originally just wanted to secretly admire Third Miss’s affections, but we guessed his intentions, and he’s already quite frustrated; if we dared to do something, Brother would definitely explode in anger.

"However, as Brother’s siblings, we can’t just do nothing; we should indeed help Brother out."

Brother Cheng listened with delight and asked, "How can we help? Second Sister, please tell."

Gu Jinli looked at the cake in her hand and said, "Naturally, start small, first establish a good rapport with Third Sister, and once we have built a good relationship with her, Brother and Third Sister will naturally have more opportunities to interact."

She stood up and said, "Come on, let’s go to the kitchen to make cakes. Tomorrow, you bring them to Third Sister and say we tried the cake she made, found it excellent, and made a few for her to taste."

"This is what Second Sister means by starting small? I get it; I’ll go help Second Sister." Brother Cheng rolled up his sleeves and followed Gu Jinli into the kitchen. They worked for two hours, and when the sky was completely dark, they carried several trays of cakes back to the courtyard.

Lights were already lit in the courtyard, and Gu Jinxiu was waiting for them. Seeing their return, she said, "Are these cakes for Third Miss?"

Brother Cheng was surprised: "Big Sister, you knew?"

Gu Jinli’s mouth twitched; whatever, Brother, just don’t hide your crush anymore; your sister, brother, and younger brother all know it.

Gu Jinxiu nodded: "With such a big fuss, it’s hard for me not to notice."

Also, being twins with Good Brother An, she knows his temperament very well; any slight change, she notices, and while she’s happy, she’s also saddened that Good Brother An finally likes a girl, but there’s an eighty percent chance he won’t marry her.

"I heard Third Sister practices martial arts; girls handling swords can hurt their hands. I made a pair of hand guards for her. You accompany the cakes and send them altogether." Gu Jinxiu handed the hand guards to Brother Cheng: "It’s better to have two pairs for replacement, so once I finish the other pair later, you send them to Third Sister again."

Big Sister, you have a backup plan; that’s great, give more embroidery gifts and maintain the relationship.

Brother Cheng laughed, took the hand guards in the silk bag, and said, "Don’t worry, Big Sister, I’ll definitely deliver the hand guards."

Gu Jinli took out some pretty boxes, packed the cakes she made, one portion for Third Miss and one for Master Ouyang.

As for Miss Wu, who is she? No idea, no gift. Now that ingredients are expensive and her family is poor, they need to save.

"Alright, when you go to school tomorrow, bring these to the Ouyang Family for Third Sister." After putting everything together, Gu Jinli added four bottles of mixed new wine and handed them to Brother Cheng.

She instructed further: "I know you care about Brother and want to help him, but remember, Third Sister has her own thoughts; we cannot out of concern for Brother do anything too overt, causing trouble for her. Do some small things, and let the rest depend on Brother and Third Sister’s fate."

Simply put, they can care for Brother, help Brother, but cannot force Third Sister or overdo it, causing trouble for her.

Brother Cheng nodded heavily: "Understand, I won’t overstep."

Brother has said that the world doesn’t always give us what we want; liking someone is personal, and we can’t force others to like us back.

After Brother Cheng spoke, he carried the big bags himself and left.

Now it’s dark, and Da Tuan and Xiao Tuan can’t enter the inner house, so only he can carry the items; however, he doesn’t feel tired, is quite happy, and hopes these will help Brother.

...

The next morning, Brother Cheng got up early and went enthusiastically to class. Upon reaching the Ouyang Family, he presented the gifts to Master Ouyang: "Teacher, the cake Third Sister made yesterday was very delicious, my family really liked it, and Second Sister thought we shouldn’t eat Third Sister’s things for free, so she made cakes for me to bring here for her, and you also have a portion."

Master Ouyang was delighted to hear he had a portion, happily accepted it, and asked the maid to send the other portion to Ouyang Ming.

Ouyang Ming expressed a degree of surprise upon receiving the Gu siblings' presents, remarking, "The Gu sisters are truly too gracious; they've even reciprocated."

"Do not praise them; those sisters harbor ulterior motives!"

Picking up the silk pouch containing the hand guards, Ouyang Ming opened it, and genuine astonishment filled her. "One only knew Miss Gu excelled at embroidery; I never anticipated such thoughtfulness?"

The hand guards were adorned with a vivid depiction of a victorious battle scene. One army was clearly defeated while the other waved their triumphant banners. Eagles soared overhead, and the sound of drums seemed to emanate from the stitches, fully immersing the viewer in the battlefield and stirring a fervent passion within.

"Miss Gu has never witnessed a battlefield, yet she has embroidered such a masterpiece. This artwork is undoubtedly on par with that of an embroidery master." Ouyang Ming found herself drawn to anything connected with battles, and this particular embroidery perfectly suited her tastes.

Furthermore, the new wine from Gu Er offered a single sip that made her feel like a triumphant general herself.

Initially, Ouyang Ming had no intention of returning gifts to the Gu Family, aiming to avoid a cycle of endless exchanges. However, prompted by the exquisite embroidery and the delightful wine, she felt compelled to reciprocate.

With such a back-and-forth flow of gifts, within a span of five days, they had exchanged presents on two separate occasions.

On the fifth day, after Gu Jin’an returned home from dealing with the contract, he noticed the invitation Ouyang Ming had extended to Gu Jinli and Gu Jinxiu.

He was taken aback, questioning himself what Xiao Yu and the others could have possibly done to warrant Third Sister personally inviting them as guests.

Noble families adhered to their own unwritten rules, typically not associating with those from humble farm backgrounds. Consequently, despite the amiable relationship between his family and Master Ouyang, Third Sister had been in the area for a considerable time without ever receiving an invitation from the Ouyang Family.

Gu Jin’an harbored worries that Gu Jinli might have committed some impropriety during his absence, and that this invitation was a summons for a joint 'interrogation'.

Gu Jinli recounted the event of sending gifts to Third Sister and her subsequent reciprocation. "Brother, we truly did nothing else; your intentions are known only to us, and all of this is simply fate."

"Fate, my foot! Relying on gifts to forge a friendship with Third Sister, becoming friends through such a contrived 'fate,' how can you still utter such words with a straight face?"

Nevertheless, Gu Jin’an was deeply pleased and touched. After a moment of quiet contemplation, he simply expressed, "Thank you."

Gu Jinli listened with a grin, maintaining a facade of nonchalance while inwardly brimming with excitement.

Indeed, Gu Jin’an was internally ecstatic. Despite being worn out from constantly running errands and suffering from sleep deprivation, to the point of near collapse, his spirits soared at this very moment. After eating, he gleefully gathered two white cabbages as gifts for his fiancées and happily departed for the county town.

Upon his arrival at the new bank, startling news began to circulate.

Complications had arisen due to tax-related issues in Zhili, Central State, Jianghuai, and even extending to Jiangnan.