Do you know? Do you know? It should be the first volume of Green Fat and Red Thin: The Bean Mustard Head, February 2nd, Chapter 107.

  Minglan's shy and demure expression only lasted until she returned to her room. As soon as she entered, a large hand reached out to hold hers, and when she looked up, she saw Gu Tingye looking at her with concern and a hint of apology in his eyes: "Sorry, I forgot about you?"

  Minglan didn't seem to be too angry, but the intense battle on their first day of marriage had left her somewhat tired. She let out a soft sigh and said, "Being your wife is really not easy." Gu Tingye remained silent for a moment before gently pulling Minglan along as they walked inside. Suddenly, Minglan caught a whiff of delicious food and looked up to see that the small table in the inner room was already set with all sorts of dishes: golden snowflake sugar corn pancakes, red bean coconut rolls emitting a milky fragrance, several plates of seasonal snacks, and even Minglan's favorite three-fresh cat ear soup. The rich aroma wafting from the high-soup filled her with joy, and she happily sat down, turning around to smile brightly at Gu Tingye: "Was all this prepared for me?"

  Gu Tingyan was a bit out of sorts, but seeing Minglan's childlike excitement, he couldn't help but feel a little better: "You just got here, and your mother is already so quick with her hands." He handed the chopsticks to Minglan as he spoke, "Hurry up and eat something, there's still work to be done in the afternoon."

  Minglan hesitated for a moment: "It's almost time for lunch..." "Are you going to put down your chopsticks in front of them?" Gu Tingye raised an eyebrow and asked back. Minglan immediately picked up the first chopstick; seeing Minglan eating so deliciously, Gu Tingye also smiled and ate some more.

  "Don't worry, no one is competing with you." Gu Ting Ye's mouth curved into a smile as he gazed at Ming Lan's plump and rosy cheeks, which still maintained an elegant demeanor despite her efforts. The snow-white complexion retained the morning dew's radiance, while the pink tender lips resembled June's fresh lotus root. Looking at such a face, his heart felt inexplicably brightened and warmed up.

  "Just now... are you afraid?" Gu Ting Ye asked hesitantly, and with his understanding of his relatives, he reckoned they wouldn't let Minglan off easily, and must have bullied his little wife mercilessly with words.

  Ming Lan puffed out her cheeks and shook her head, making an effort to swallow the food: "No way, I even spoke up for you and defended you!" It's always easy to say good things, but in this day and age, it's not popular to do good deeds without leaving a name.

  Gu Tingyan's interest was piqued, and he raised an eyebrow to ask: "You're talking back?" As soon as Minglan mentioned her own achievements, she immediately became enthusiastic, put down her spoon and chopsticks, and gave a clear and concise account of what had just been said. She perfectly mimicked the tone of Old Master Lu, and vividly described the facial expressions and movements of everyone present at the time. Gu Tingyan listened with shining eyes and a curved mouth like a crescent moon.

  Minglan finished speaking, and seemed to have more to say: "...Fortunately it was me, if it were my elder brother, tsk tsk...with a whole speech about loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness, I'm afraid the fourth uncle and fifth uncle would be kneeling in front of our ancestors' shrine today!"

  This is no joke. Zhang Bo rarely speaks, but once he opens his mouth, every word is like a knife, cutting deep into the flesh. His own mother, Wang, has had a profound experience of this.

  Gu Tingyan's gloomy face finally broke into a smile, and he reached out to gently scratch Minglan's small nose. His eyebrows and eyes were filled with deep affection, his low voice like aged fine wine: "I almost lost you to the wolves just now, I was so scared that I broke out in cold sweat." Minglan bit her chopsticks, smiled brightly, blushed slightly, and whispered: "I'm not afraid of wolves, but I'm afraid no one will stand up for me."

  Gu Tingyan's heart melted: "I'll back you up! Whatever you want to do, I'll back you up!"

  Minglan was delighted and showed her lovely side, bringing out the tricks to amuse Old Madame. She leaned on Gu Tingye's shoulder, giggling like a small smiling calabaza, and busied herself serving him porridge and dishes with the agility of a little squirrel. Even Gu Tingye, who had seen much of the world, was charmed, his bones softened by half. He only regretted that it was now broad daylight, which made things rather inconvenient.

  Gu Tingyan coughed unnaturally twice, picked up a cherry blossom-shaped steamed meatball from his bowl and changed the subject: "You... don't want to ask about Fourth Uncle and Fifth Uncle's affairs?" Generally, newlywed brides wouldn't they all be eager to ask their husbands about this? Minglan suddenly realized: "Oh, right; why is that? Didn't you say that Old Madame had already agreed to let us move out? What did they do to make her treat you so badly?"

  This question is well asked, as soon as he opened his mouth, he was already condemned, and Gu Tingyan's eyebrows were greatly relieved. He swept away the gloom and smiled: "I have been mischievous since I was a child, and my stepmother has always been careful not to speak out of turn due to her status; many things are like this every time, it is always Uncle or Aunt who reports to Father."

  Minglan slowly savored the meaning of these words, lightly cutting them in her heart with a hint of a smile, flashing big eyes, biting her pink lips, and slightly lengthening her tone: "The Gu family is really good, the uncle and aunt are harmonious, the sisters-in-law are friendly, and the whole family is happy and harmonious. Being able to marry into this family is truly my good fortune." Gu Tingye smiled, he especially liked Minglan's tone when speaking, it was as if a mischievous child was intentionally pretending to be stupid and innocent, but couldn't quite pull it off. After chatting for a while, someone came from outside to announce that dinner was ready. Gu Tingye held Minglan's small hand and walked out with her, reminding her of some matters in a soft voice along the way.

  Actually, Minglan thought that Gu Tingye didn't need to worry about this anymore. Just now, they had just made a scene, and when they went to the banquet, they were probably going to create a harmonious atmosphere. Yao Banshan was indeed famous for nothing, and at the banquet, everyone stopped mentioning the unpleasantness from earlier. At the men's table, Gu Tingye no longer had a cold face, and he showed respect as a junior at the right time. The two uncles also knew when to stop, knowing that being tough wouldn't work, so they drank a few cups of wine to apologize. At the women's table, Minglan still used her usual shy and reserved 'abab' sentence pattern to respond to most questions, but when she couldn't avoid answering, she had to answer honestly.

  The old lady saw Minglan's conversation was not ordinary, and couldn't help but ask: "Have you ever attended a girls' school? Which teacher taught you?" Gu Tingcui, who was sitting across from her with her head down quietly eating, suddenly looked up at Minglan's response.

  Minglan put down her chopsticks, smoothed out the golden wind chime decorations on her sleeves, and smiled: "I've never attended a girls' school, but when I was six or seven years old, my grandmother at home invited an elderly woman who had retired from the palace to teach my sisters and me for a few days."

  Gu Tingcuan heard that it was a governess, the corner of his mouth twitched, and he lowered his head again. The old lady shook her head: "No, most governesses teach etiquette and manners. Have you invited other teachers?"

  Minglan had no choice but to say, "That year, Father was promoted to be the Magistrate of Dengzhou. Since several of my elder brothers were going to take the imperial examination, Father invited Mr. Zhuang from the capital city to be our tutor. At that time, my sisters and I were still young, so we also followed him to study for a few days."

  This time, Gu Tingcui came with enthusiasm, his eyes shining brightly, his lips moving but not opening, Mrs. Taifen smiled warmly and elegantly, the large pearl on her silver hairpin swaying gently: "Is it Mr. Zhuang who used to run a private school in Linzhuang, Shenzhou?"

  Minglan paused for a second, then her expression returned to normal: "Yes." The old lady clapped her hands and laughed: "That's really a good gentleman. You sisters are lucky to be able to listen to his teachings! I wonder why you speak so eloquently, it turns out that your teacher is from a famous school; in the future, you several younger sisters should learn from you, no wonder your brain is not clear and you speak nonsense, today don't blame your sister Cui, she has been spoiled by me since childhood." Tingcui finally couldn't bear it anymore, the green jade pendant on her earlobe slightly shaking, as she pouted at the old lady: "Mother, it's all because of you! From a young age, you didn't find a good teacher for me, now you're talking about us sisters!"

  The old lady's face changed, but she didn't dare to scold her in public. However, the big madam beside her laughed and said: "You! That Mr. Zhuang is not a teacher for young ladies, he teaches students who are going to take the imperial examination! If you want to blame someone, blame your several brothers for being ignorant! Alas... it's no use expecting them, fortunately, your brother Xian and the few nephews from the fifth house are quite promising, so we can put our hopes on them in the future!"

  This remark made the Fifth Elderly Lady and Madam Zhu both radiant with joy, and everyone was satisfied. Minglan secretly took a few more glances at Eldest Grandmother-in-law, and saw that although she appeared somewhat straightforward and rough in her speech, her actions were actually quite considerate and thoughtful, especially towards her younger granddaughter, Tingying, the only daughter of the Fourth Elderly Lady. In comparison, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Fifth House was not particularly impressive, seeming rather timid and lacking confidence. On the other hand, the Fifth House's illegitimate daughter, Tingling, was extremely gracious and affable in conversation.

  It's said that Ting Cai, Ting Huan, and Ting Ling, these three elder sisters were all born with beautiful appearances. Ting Cai was like a solitary lingzhi mushroom on a cliff, elegant and refined. Ting Huan was even more gentle and demure, while Ting Ling was like a flower that understands human language, delicate and charming. Before long, the meal was finished, and the maids and servants had almost finished cleaning up. Just as they were about to leave, Madame Tian came to invite Minglan to the inner chamber. Minglan's heart sank, thinking: What is it this time? Gu Tingye's face was somewhat gloomy, he lowered his head in thought for a moment, then looked straight at Minglan and said: "Later, I'll go with you, you speak less, I'll handle it."

  In the west wing of the main hall, Mrs. Tai was sitting at the top, with only Mrs. Shao and Zhu Shi accompanying her on either side. The three were chatting when they heard a maid report from the doorway, smiling as she welcomed him, but saw that Gu Tingyan had also arrived, which was quite surprising.

  Madam Wang's expression remained unchanged, Zhu Shi hastily got up and called the maid to serve tea, then sat down beside Madam Shao. Gu Tingye bowed to Madam Wang and Madam Shao, while Minglan also curtsied. Then Gu Tingye took a seat in the chair at the upper right side. Minglan was confused again - should she sit on the side of her daughter-in-law or on the side of Gu Tingye?

  Gu Tingyan coughed heavily twice, and with a glance, Minglan immediately ran over to sit down. Seeing their behavior, Mrs. Shao and Zhu looked at each other, both with deep meaning in their eyes.

  "How did you also come?" Madam put down her tea bowl and said kindly, "If your wife knows about this matter, it will be settled." Before Gu Tingyan could respond, she sighed softly, "It's also good that you came together; your daughter-in-law has only been in the house for less than a day, and there are already so many things happening. It's inevitable that she can't handle it. I'm afraid you also know why I called you both here?"

  Gu Tingyan's back was straight as a pen, and he said quietly: "It's about Rong Jie's matter, isn't it?"

  Minglan's heart skipped a beat, so it was this matter, she actually knew about it.

  The old lady smiled and nodded towards her mother, then turned around to leave. She turned back and said: "Since you've all thought of it, I won't say anything more; alas...I was thinking that after a few days, when Minglan is settled in, I would have a good talk with her, but now that you're leaving immediately, I'll just have to say it now."

  Gu Tingyan stood up, bowed deeply to Tai Furen and Shao Furen, and said in a low voice: "I was young and foolish, doing absurd things; these two years, I have been indebted to my elder sister for her help, taking care of Rong Jie'er, Tingyan is forever grateful."

  Mrs. Shao hastily stood up to return the courtesy, saying: "We are all family members, why be so polite. Rong is also a good child and is very close to Yan, to tell the truth, I didn't help much, it was all because of Hong's efforts." Gu Tingyan's face turned gloomy again, after sitting down, before he could speak, the curtain moved and two women dressed as servants led by his mother came in, followed by a little girl.

  The two women bowed to the crowd, then lowered their heads and stood at the lower end. Minglan looked carefully and saw that the woman on the left was wearing a apricot-colored slant-collared long gown with a willow-leaf edge, about 10 years old, with a pretty face, apricot eyes and peach cheeks. The woman on the right was wearing a common yellow rose-edged willow-leaf edged gown, she was older, about 27 or 28 years old, with a long face that showed a few parts of beauty; The little girl in the middle was about 7 or 8 years old, wearing a light red edging deep red wide-edged feathered gown, her body was thin and weak, her face was timid, and there were a few parts of Man Niang's beauty between her eyebrows. Old Mrs. said warmly to Minglan: "Rong sister, why don't you come to pay respects to your parents?"

  The little girl stared at Mrs. Shao with her eyes, saw her nod slightly, and then walked up step by step, knelt down and kowtowed, calling out: "Father..."

  Gu Tingyan looked at her with a complex expression and nodded slightly.

  "What about your mother?" The old lady reminded with a smile. Rong Jie was timid, stealing a glance at Minglan, biting her lip and refusing to make a sound. Minglan wanted to express some opinions, so she looked at Gu Tingye, only to see him lightly waving his hand, saying to Rong Jie: "You'd better call her Madame."

  The faces of the people present all changed, and Mrs. Shao couldn't help but say: "Just call her mother, Rong sister, hurry up!" But Rong sister couldn't bring herself to call out, the woman on the right opened her mouth several times, looked at the woman on the left, and finally didn't say anything. Gu Tingyan ignored everyone, staring straight at Rong sister, saying: "If you don't want to call her mother, then just call her Mrs."

  "Madam!"

  Mrs. Shao looked regretful and stopped talking, while Zhu Shi lowered her head to drink tea. The old lady gave Minglan a deep look, making Minglan feel wronged, as she hadn't said anything from start to finish.

  A woman came over, led Rong Jie to a small stool and sat her down, offering her tea and fruit; afterwards, the old lady pointed at the two women and said to Minglan: "These two are people from Yongzheng's household, this is Gong Niangniang, in these two years Rong Jie has been indebted to her; this is Qiuniang, Yongzheng's childhood maid who later became his concubine." The two women hastily came forward to pay their respects to Minglan, who was feeling depressed. This time she hadn't brought a handbag with her, so she could only rummage in her sleeves for half a moment before taking out two gold bangles and giving one each to the women.

  When they raised their heads to thank him, both of them couldn't help but glance at Gu Tingyan. Gong Yiniang's eyes were dim and resentful, as if she was about to cry, while Hong Xiu's face was filled with excitement and joy, almost to the point of tears; however, Gu Tingyan furrowed his brow and looked at Rong Jie instead.

  After the introduction was over, Old Madam spoke to Minglan: "Since you are going to live in a separate house, they should also go with you."

  Madam Ming nodded, but before she could speak, Gu Tingye jumped in: "Of course we'll go, but those days are still chaotic over there. Let's wait a few more days until everything is settled, and then I'll send someone to fetch you." The old lady's eyes flickered, and for a moment she was silent. But Kong Yiniang quickly knelt down in front of Minglan and said: "I'm willing to go now, I may be stupid, but when the mistress is managing the household, I can at least help with errands and messages!"

  Gu Tingyan said lightly: "Aren't you supposed to be taking care of Rong Jie?"?

  Gong Yiniang's face turned pale, and Autumn Girl beside her immediately wanted to speak up. Gu Tingyan glanced at her, his tone softened greatly, saying: "You two stay here, I'll come back for you later." Autumn Girl immediately stopped talking, but her eyes were extremely agitated.

  Minglan touched the bangles on her wrist in her sleeve, thinking to herself: Why are there only two? It would be more fitting for Master Gu's reputation outside if she were to give away all the bangles on both of her wrists.

  As she pondered, Minglan suddenly understood that when Gu Er Ye left home back then, it was likely that he had been driven out of the house. Those concubines who had no future prospects probably went to seek other opportunities, or perhaps they were dismissed by their master. Why bother supporting many mouths for a prodigal son who had been driven out and would hardly return? And what about these two who stayed behind? Hmm, such deep waters indeed.

  Old Mrs. wanted to pull Minglan aside to say a few more words, but seeing Gu Tingye present, the other women all seemed somewhat uneasy and quickly dispersed. Autumn and Hongcai seemed to want to follow, but unexpectedly Gu Tingye walked very fast, and Minglan had to run to keep up with him.

  As they walked out of the east courtyard, they entered a small path through a side gate. Gu Ting Ye slowed down his pace and supported Ming Lan as she caught her breath. After she had calmed down, the two of them strolled along the shaded path.

  After walking for a while, Gu Tingyan finally said "Do... you have anything to say?"

  Minglan had been holding back for a long time, and immediately asked out her doubts: "That Autumn Mother looks older and more stable than Gong Mother, why hasn't she become the mother-in-law yet? Is it because of her status that she can't raise Rong Sister?"

  Gu Tingyan didn't expect Minglan to ask that first, and seemed to relax a bit, saying in a low voice: "Hongxiu is the maid of the Yu family's side room, she was personally lifted by Yanhong as her aunt; Autumn... it's already not easy for her to stay." Two sentences, two people, two attitudes, Minglan secretly took note. The two walked for a while longer, Gu Tingyan waited for a long time and couldn't help but say: "You, don't you have anything else to say?"

  Minglan was deep in thought, her head bowed. Mu Mu looked up and asked curiously, "What... did you say?" Gu Tingye stopped in his tracks, gazing steadily at Minglan, stating matter-of-factly, "You're unhappy." "Why would I be unhappy?" Minglan's face was full of puzzlement.

  Gu Tingyan looked at Minglan carefully, his eyes deep and dark, and said slowly: "Because of Autumn Mother and Hongcai, you are not happy." Minglan smiled: "How could that be? You're wrong..." Before she finished speaking, she was interrupted.

  "You don't like them, do you?" Gu Ting Ye asked directly. Ming Lan shook her head and smiled: "I'm not that kind of person who can't tolerate others, I think..."

  "Are you jealous?" Gu Tingyan's eyebrows were deeply furrowed.

  "No! Listen to me, 'Nu Jie' says..." Minglan tried to explain, but was interrupted again. "Shut up!" Gu Tingye suddenly growled, startling Minglan.

  Gu Tingyan took a deep breath, his expression gloomy, his eyes dark and unfathomable, his body naturally exuding an aura of power, his tall stature looming over like a mountain, making Minglan too afraid to speak. He said slowly: "I've had enough lies in this lifetime, I want you to tell me the truth, from your heart!"

  Minglan couldn't speak the whole truth, or she would be burned as a demon! Minglan lowered her head and remained silent. Gu Tingye quietly waited, using the oppressive silence to force her to speak. Finally, Minglan couldn't bear it anymore, let out a soft sigh, and changed the subject, saying ambiguously: "The Taizu Emperor of our dynasty loved to bestow beauties upon his ministers, but whenever he rewarded them with women, he always avoided those who were still unmarried princesses or the wives of high-ranking officials. Why was that? They all fought for the empire, they all received titles and positions, they all had outstanding merits, so why did he give to some and not others?"

  Gu Tingyan's pupils slightly contracted, his eyes flashing, Minglan smiled and looked at him, quietly saying: "Even if it were the great emperor himself, a heroic figure who doesn't bother with trivialities, he would also understand in his heart. In fact, you men are very clear about this in your hearts, why ask again?"

  It's a pity for one's own daughter, but if the wife were to see her husband taking a concubine, she would be overjoyed. Why didn't the emperor first consider the princess? The history of emperors bestowing beauties dates back to ancient times. In the past, Fang Xuanling's wife drank what was suspected to be poisonous vinegar and finally settled the matter, setting an example for shrewd women resisting the bestowed beauties. Taizu was a lecherous ugly man who measured others by his own standard, so he liked to bestow beauties the most. It is said that at that time, the wife of the Duke of England stood in front of the door with two kitchen knives, declaring that if the beauty dared to enter, she would let them die on the spot. Then she staked her life, and the Duke of England was so frightened that his soul flew away, and he knelt on the stone steps of the Golden Temple, begging bitterly for three days before the emperor withdrew his order.

  Emperor Taizong of the Wu dynasty also occasionally rewarded beauties, but at that time, the wife of the Korean public was even more fierce. She brought her young son and daughter with her, spread out hay and oil, and said that if those beauties entered the house, she and her children would not survive. The Korean public was so scared that his soul flew to heaven, and he hugged Emperor Taizong's legs, crying and begging for half a day before calming down. Of course, there were also many men who happily accepted the beauties and took pride in it. In fact, the problem lies with the men themselves. This remark was quite novel, and Gu Tingye nodded quietly, staring straight at Minglan: "But I already have a concubine."

  "Yes." Minglan's eyebrows and eyes curved up, smiling: "So I will take care of Rong Jie'er, get along with Qiu Niang and Hong Shuang, and be very virtuous! Really!"

  Men and women of ancient and modern times have not evolved much. The wives of rich men on the Forbes list can hold their breath, but the wives who sell vegetables at stalls, even if they don't get divorced, will at least pick up a kitchen knife and make a fuss. The reason is simple: power and wealth are fleeting; now she is the daughter of a fourth-rank official, he is a prominent and powerful nobleman of the second rank, his fist is bigger than hers, so she can only be 'virtuous'.

  It's just that simple. Minglan's words were sincere, and Gu Tingye could also believe that her words were reliable, but his face turned even uglier, his eyebrows deeply furrowed, his eyes became fiercely fierce, and he glared at Minglan with hatred, as if he wanted to swallow her whole.

  Minglan was very alert, and as soon as she saw that the situation wasn't right, she hurriedly made another guarantee, even pounding her chest to swear: "I absolutely won't have any bad intentions! You have to believe me, I'll treat them well! If you don't trust me, just watch!" It's really a pity, if she had been so sincere when she applied to join the party back then, she would have succeeded long ago!

  Gu Tingyan's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, with dark clouds gathering in his eyes, his expression gloomy, and his heavy breathing blowing onto Minglan's face. The two stood facing each other for a while, Minglan feeling anxious and wondering if she should make a solemn vow to express her sincere feelings.

  After a long while, Gu Ting Ye let out a deep breath and took her hand, continuing to walk forward with his head down; Ming Lan stared blankly ahead, carefully glancing at his profile, thinking she had been subtle enough in what she said, and had also expressed her firm determination, so why was he still angry?

  Men and women are indeed from different planets.