Gu Yao’s face suddenly flushed, but she still tightened the reins, "How am I being stingy? I’m just worried about you..."
"Worried about what? That old flames might reignite for him?" Yang Ruxin’s lips twitched, and she slapped Gu Yao’s head, "What are you thinking? You have so little faith in me?"
Gu Yao pursed her lips.
"Ayao, he seems to be heading back to the village. It would seem rather petty for us to pretend not to recognize him," Yang Ruxin smiled, "Besides, he has never been a match for Gu Qingheng, because he never had the status... Your brother isn’t worried, and here you are fretting over nothing..."
"I just don’t like him; he makes me feel uncomfortable," Gu Yao glanced at Yang Ruxin, "In your words, I think he’s posing..."
"Haha..." Yang Ruxin laughed, "Not bad with words, but shouldn’t we give people a chance to correct themselves?" With that, she climbed out of the carriage and looked back at Guan Qingshu, who had approached, "What a coincidence, Scholar Guan."
Guan Qingshu was taken aback. When he saw it was Yang Ruxin, his face flashed with embarrassment. He was walking home to save on carriage fare, but the girl he had once scorned now had her own carriage. Such was the difference...
"Heading home?" Yang Ruxin smiled, "If you don’t mind, I can give you a ride for part of the way..."
"Great... Xinxin... I..." Guan Qingshu had regained his composure and wanted to decline, but he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to be alone with Xinxin. Of course, he wasn’t under any illusions that she was still interested in him; he understood that Xinxin was just offering a ride as a fellow villager.
"Why are you dithering like a woman, such a big man?" Yang Ruxin couldn’t help but roll her eyes, "Either hop in so we can get going, or just flat-out refuse. We can make our way without you. You’re hesitating like a maiden, it’s aggravating to watch..."
Guan Qingshu immediately felt a headache: "I mean... if it’s not too much trouble..." He knew if he didn’t make his stance clear, the girl would absolutely turn around and leave.
Only then did Yang Ruxin reach out to take a stool used for boarding the carriage and flung it to the ground, "Hurry up and get in."
Guan Qingshu quickly scrambled up.
"We still need to make a trip to Little Liu Village; it won’t delay Scholar Guan, will it?" Gu Yao jumped down and tossed the stool back in the carriage, reminding him in a rather annoyed tone.
"No, it won’t delay me..." Guan Qingshu hurriedly shook his head, "I’m just going home; it doesn’t matter if it’s a bit earlier or later..."
Yang Ruxin’s gaze flickered, and for some reason, she suddenly thought of Guan Qingyue. She wondered if this big brother was going back to discuss matters related to Qingyue. After all... But she didn’t ask. Those were family affairs, and she wouldn’t meddle.
The carriage soon arrived at Little Liu Village, so named because most of the peasant households there bore the surname Liu.
The head of the village was Liu Genmao, already in his sixties, a mature and stable man. His family had lived in this village from his grandfather’s time, truly old settlers. Despite many changes in village ownership, Liu Genmao’s status as head of the household had never wavered.
The village peasants, knowing the new master had arrived, crowded around the entrance of Liu Genmao’s house.
Yang Ruxin inquired briefly about the situation and population of the village, then prepared to leave. Any changes would have to wait until tomorrow, the beginning of spring. Yet just as she stepped out of the gate of the Liu Family’s courtyard, she caught a glimpse of a woman walking away from the crowd. The more she looked, the more she felt the figure was familiar...