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"Second brother, my baby brother really likes you." Gu Jinyu said enviously. "Whenever I hold him, he cries, and even when I try to comfort him, it doesn"t work."
"Newborn babies don"t understand the concept of likes and dislikes." Gu Chengfeng replied, trying to sound nonchalant, but he couldn"t help but raise an eyebrow. Does the little one really like him more? Does the little one actually like him? Does he?
"Ahem." Gu Chengfeng cleared his throat and added solemnly, "It"s probably because you don"t know how to hold him properly, making him uncomfortable."
What was the big deal if the baby liked him anyway?
After all, he wasn"t his full-blooded younger brother!
He didn’t want his affection!
Gu Jinyu was puzzled, "How should I hold him then?"
"Like this." Gu Chengfeng gently picked up the little one and demonstrated it for Gu Jinyu.
Gu Jinyu thought to herself, I held him the same way earlier though.
Unconvinced, she decided to try again. However, as soon as she held the baby, he started crying again. When Gu Chengfeng took him back, the baby stopped crying, leaving Gu Jinyu feeling embarra.s.sed.
Little did she know that the more embarra.s.sing part was yet to come.
When Gu Jinyu held the baby once more, he peed.
When she held him again, he p.o.o.ped.
Unfortunately, she didn"t know how to change diapers, and even her attempts to clean the baby"s bottom were ineffective, leaving the baby wailing.
In the end, Gu Chengfeng couldn"t bear to watch anymore and took the little one from her. "Alright, you can go. You"re not needed here."
Gu Jinyu was no longer the pampered precious young lady she used to be. She had worked at the child care residence and done some manual labor there. Even so, she had never looked after such a small baby before, and she felt completely helpless.
What was more. She didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but it seemed like the little one didn"t like her at all!
This lack of affinity became even more apparent when the three young men of the family who didn’t like being home returned. Gu Chengfeng took the baby to the west room, and the three young men took turns trying to play with him, but the little one seemed quite indifferent and rarely paid them any attention.
However, he didn’t cry either.
He didn"t cry when anyone else held him, except when Gu Jinyu did.
When Yao shi woke up, Marquis Gu had already been called to the yamen. Gu Jinyu sat by her bedside with reddened eyes.
Seeing Gu Jinyu with a look of grievance and distress, Yao shi couldn"t help but ask, "What"s wrong?"
Gu Jinyu, teary-eyed, said, "My baby brother doesn"t like me."
Yao shi said in disbelief, "How could he not like you?"
For such a young baby, how could he understand the concept of liking or disliking someone?
Gu Jinyu replied, "It"s true. He cries as soon as I hold him, but he"s fine when someone else holds him."
Yao shi said, "It must be because you don"t know how to hold him properly."
Yao shi had the same explanation as Gu Chengfeng.
Yao shi had Grannie Fang bring the baby from the west room, fed him, and then handed him over to Gu Jinyu, "Try again."
Gu Jinyu tried, and to her amazement, the baby, who had been crying loudly in her arms earlier, suddenly became quiet.
Yao shi smiled and said, "See, isn’t it working fine now?"
Gu Jinyu was left dumbfounded, "But, just a moment ago…"
Yao shi explained, "It must have been because you were holding him uncomfortably."
Gu Jinyu swore that she had been holding him the same way!
He was perfectly comfortable! He just wanted to cry!
Gu Jinyu bit her lip.
Yao shi looked at Gu Jinyu, who seemed upset and angry but was holding back her emotions. She sighed softly and said, "Jinyu, I know you have grievances in your heart. When Yan’er was still young, he didn"t like you, and whenever you approached him, he would cry. But that was because his sister"s presence had changed, and you were a stranger to him. He couldn"t accept you right away, which is why he acted that way. But the situation with your younger brother is different. He"s just arrived in this world. JiaoJiao is his older sister, and so are you. As long as you treat him sincerely, he will see you as his real sister. Please don"t hold any prejudice against your youngest brother just because of Yan’er"s situation."
"Mother, I don"t have any prejudice!" Gu Jinyu truly felt an unspeakable bitterness. When did she ever have prejudice against her youngest brother? Clearly, it was her youngest brother who disliked her.
"I"ll be right back." Yao shi said as she needed to use the latrine. With Grannie Fang"s support, she left for a moment.
As soon as she left, the baby in Gu Jinyu"s arms pouted his little mouth!
Gu Jinyu stood up with the baby in her arms and exclaimed, "Mother! He"s going to cry again!"
Yao shi and Grannie Fang hurried back.
The baby yawned widely, stretching his tiny mouth.
Yao shi explained, "He"s just yawning."
Gu Jinyu argued, "No, he was definitely about to cry just now!"
Yao shi sighed, "He"s such a well-behaved baby."
Well-behaved? No way!
He hated her!
Gu Jinyu had a hard time defending herself. She swore she hadn"t been mistaken. The baby was definitely about to cry just now!
It was just that as soon as Yao shi returned, he stopped crying!
……
At this moment, Gu Jiao was unaware of Gu Jinyu"s recent struggles with the baby. She had just come out of the medical hall. Yesterday, she had treated several critically injured patients from the brawl at the gambling den, and now they were in the care of Physician Song and Physician Lu.
She decided to visit the Liu Residence.
Liu Yisheng was surprised to see her.
"Is it convenient to come in?" Gu Jiao asked.
"Ah, yes, it is." Liu Yisheng stepped aside, opening the courtyard gate wider.
A white blur rushed out and jumped into Gu Jiao"s arms.
"Ah, Little Ten." Gu Jiao held the heavy white cat dumpling. "You"ve gotten fatter."
Little Ten let out a soft meow.
It’s not fat at all! Not one bit!
"Why did you come here today?" Liu Yisheng asked.
"I came to find Yuan Tang." Gu Jiao replied.
"Did you hear that, cousin? She"s here to see me!"
Accompanied by a cheerful voice, Yuan Tang walked out of the main room, swaying a folding fan as he strolled towards them.
He stood in front of Gu Jiao and used his folding fan to tap the white cat"s head, humming, "You heartless little thing, you"re not even this enthusiastic when I come here."
Little Ten buried its head in Gu Jiao"s arms and gave Yuan Tang a big b.u.t.t shake!
Liu Yisheng glanced at Yuan Tang, his eyes somewhat cold.
Yuan Tang pretended not to notice the daggers coming from his cousin"s eyes and smiled at Gu Jiao, saying, "Alright, speak up. What business do you have with this prince? It better not be related to matters between men and women, or my cousin here will get jealous. I promised my cousin that my heart belongs to him alone."
Liu Yisheng really wanted to kick this guy out!
"It"s a serious matter." Gu Jiao replied.
Yuan Tang looked relieved, "Should we discuss it in the yard or in the house?"
His tone was that of a host.
Gu Jiao said, "Either is fine."
There were no outsiders in Liu Yisheng"s home, only a mute servant and an elderly nanny, both of whom were trustworthy.
The weather was clear and cool, perfect for sitting in the yard and enjoying the sun.
Eventually, the three of them sat down on stone benches, facing each other. Yuan Tang and Gu Jiao sat across from each other, with Liu Yisheng in between.
Liu Yisheng didn"t rush to sit down. He first went into his own room and brought out a plate of fresh tangerines.
When Yuan Tang saw the bright and juicy oranges, his eyes widened, "Cousin, are you really that biased? You actually have all these delicious things hidden away? I"ve been here for so long and haven"t seen you bring them out!"
He said this with a hurt expression on his handsome face.
He said to Liu Yisheng, "Peel one for me, and I"ll forgive you."
Liu Yisheng did peel a tangerine, but not for him.
"Grannie, here."
Yuan Tang: ...My heart hurts!
Gu Jiao also peeled a tangerine and fed a piece to Little Ten. She had never raised a cat before and didn"t know if other people"s cats ate tangerines, but Little Ten seemed to enjoy it.
"Alright, you said you had something to discuss with me. What is it?" Yuan Tang"s tone was sulky because of his cousin"s actions.
Gu Jiao said, "Do you know about the large army from the State of Chen heading southwest?"
A hint of caution flashed in Yuan Tang"s eyes, "Why are you asking about this?"
Gu Jiao fed another piece of tangerine to the fat white cat on her lap, "Just tell me if you know."
Yuan Tang looked deeply at Gu Jiao, opened his folding fan, and raised an eyebrow, "Although I"m a hostage here, I have my own sources. There was a mutiny on the State of Chen"s border, and my uncle led the army to suppress it."
Gu Jiao removed the pith from her tangerine slice, "Suppress a mutiny? That"s a convenient excuse."Raz P."s Thoughts
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