My name is Chang An, your name is Gu Li

Not long after, Huaiqin and Zhener brought lunch in. At this time, Fang Yi also came in with a box in his hand. When Gu Li saw him, he greeted him warmly:

"Ayi, come and eat hot pot!"

"Li'er, this is what I brought you from Yangzhou. You should like it." Fang Yi put the box in front of Gu Li and said. Then he saw the table full of raw vegetables and was stunned for a moment.

Gu Li didn't hesitate and took the box directly. He opened it and took a look - there was a hairpin lying quietly inside.

The main body of the hairpin is made of pure silver, and the whole body is smooth and the lines on it are very smooth and delicate. The design of the hairpin is exquisite, like a dancing butterfly. The head of the hairpin is inlaid with a dazzling gem, which is crystal clear. There are also some small pearls dotted around the gem, which contrast with the gem and make it more gorgeous.

"Li'er, this...this is all raw, how should we eat it?" Fang Yi asked at this time.

"Whatever you want to eat, just put it in the pot, and eat it with the sauce after it's cooked." Gu Li explained, "Later, Ayi, you can watch me and Chang Lang eat first, and you will learn it once you see it."

"Okay," Fang Yi nodded, and then asked, "By the way, Li'er, this is a silver hairpin made by a famous artist in Yangzhou. You like to collect hairpins, so I bought it for you. Do you like it?"

"I like it very much." Gu Li nodded, then closed the box, handed it to Huaiqin and said, "Huaiqin, help me put it inside the house."

"Yes, Sanniang."

Soon, five people including Huaiqin Zhener sat down at the table and started eating. Fang Yi didn't know how to eat hot pot, so he watched the people around him eat it, and then tried to imitate them.

Seeing Fang Yi put the meat into his mouth, Gu Li asked, "Ayi, how does it taste?"

"It tastes good." Fang Yi nodded and asked, "Where is this food from? Why have I never seen it before?"

At this time, Gu Li said proudly: "This is the food that my Chang Lang researched. It is naturally not available anywhere else."

Fang Yi was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help being a little surprised - this great marquis who looked like a scholar in front of him could actually cook? But Chang An gave him a look as if it was a matter of course, and then continued to eat, and occasionally added dishes to Gu Li's bowl.

After finishing their meal, Chang An and Gu Li sat in the pavilion, and the latter was drinking medicine. At this time, Chang Wenmeng's voice came from outside the courtyard: "Yonghe! Yonghe!"

Chang An and Gu Li were both stunned for a moment. After looking at each other, Chang An said, "Mother Gu, you drink the medicine here first. I'll go see what's going on."

Gu Li nodded, and then watched Chang An leave. Soon, Chang An came back. Gu Li put down the bowl and asked, "What's wrong, Chang Lang? Is there something important for father?"

"Today is the summer solstice. Aunt Qing is back and we are going to worship our ancestors now." Chang An said.

"Should I go then?" Gu Li asked.

"Mother Gu, you don't have to go this time. Just rest at home. If you feel tired, you can go to the study and read a book."

Chang An touched the top of her head, kissed her and left, not forgetting to add a sentence before leaving:

"Wait for me at home and I'll come back and make you some noodles."

"Okay!" Gu Li responded to him with a smile, and watched Chang An's figure disappear at the gate of the courtyard.

After Chang An left, Gu Li also finished the medicine and returned to her room out of boredom. Before lunch, Fang Yi placed the hairpin and the box on her dressing table. She took the box, opened it, took out the hairpin, put it on the table, and put the box in the drawer.

She looked up and saw the mirror and her own reflection in it. Suddenly she remembered what she had heard from Madam Cui when she went to Wang Wei's house last time - that after getting pregnant, her face would not look so pretty soon.

"If I become ugly, will Chang Lang no longer like me..."

Gu Li suddenly became a little nervous, so he moved closer to the mirror to see if his appearance had changed.

Well... now she is at home without any make-up, her face is still plain and white, without anything that shouldn't be there. She gently pinched her face again, it was very soft and not sagging.

Gu Li is young, and she usually goes out without makeup. Even if she goes out, she just puts on light makeup. Her face is rarely damaged by cosmetics, so her skin is naturally good.

She was still worried, so she continued to rub her face with her hands, imitating the way Chang An rubbed her face. It felt quite soft, and it felt quite comfortable to rub against her face - she finally understood why Chang Lang always liked to rub against her face.

"Chang Lang also likes the sweet smell on my body..."

Thinking of this, Gu Li raised his hand again and sniffed his body like a kitten. He couldn't smell anything fragrant, but why did Chang Lang say he smelled good every day? How strange...

Just when Gu Li was somewhat puzzled, Fang Yi's voice suddenly came from outside the yard: "Li'er?"

Gu Li's thoughts were pulled back, so he stood up and went outside. Fang Yi was standing outside at this time, so he asked, "What's wrong, Ayi? Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing, I just felt a little bored and wanted to talk to you." Fang Yi said.

Gu Li then turned sideways and said, "It's a bit hot outside, let's talk inside."

Fang Yi nodded slightly, followed Gu Li into the room, and sat down at the low table with her. Fang Yi looked at the layout of the room, which was neat and clean, spacious but not empty.

"What's wrong? What does Ayi want to say?" Gu Li smiled at Fang Yi.

"I just want to talk about the past."

"Things from the past..." Gu Li also began to recall, "I do remember that Ayi would come to play with me every day after finishing his homework."

Fang Yi smiled and said, "That's true, and I'll go there as soon as I finish my homework."

"Just like today, as soon as I arrived in Beijing, I wanted to come and see you, Li'er."

But when Gu Li heard this, he was a little confused and asked, "But Ayi, you don't know where I live?"

"At first I thought that you, Li'er, were not married yet, so I went directly to Gu's house to look for you. But after I learned that you were married, I realized you were here." Fang Yi said.

"That's my fault. I didn't reply to your letter last time." Gu Li said apologetically.

"I came back this time just for one thing, a very simple thing." Fang Yi said.

"whats the matter?"

"Just...propose to your family and want to marry you." Fang Yi felt a little embarrassed and a little sad at this moment.

Gu Li was stunned for a moment: "Ah."

"I have even prepared the betrothal gifts and originally wanted to come here with the carriage convoy. But I was anxious, so I bought a horse on the way and came with the gifts. But I never thought that you were already married and pregnant." Fang Yi said bitterly.

Gu Li didn't know how to respond now, so he could only listen to Fang Yi continue: "I saw a lot of things and learned a lot during my time in Yangzhou over the years."

"In fact, my father has always wanted to find a good match for me in Yangzhou, but I have always refused. I think marriage should be decided by oneself, not by parents. Otherwise, once the veil is lifted, your life is set."

"So I thought, you and I shouldn't be married by our parents' orders and matchmakers' words, so I want to propose marriage to you in person. Doesn't the current Tang law also allow for private marriage?"

In the Tang Dynasty, although men and women were allowed to get engaged privately and were given legal protection, most of the time, it was up to their parents to decide, and the possibility of free love was still very low. But Fang Yi wanted to go beyond the secular world with Gu Li and escape the matchmaking of his parents.

"But Ayi...even if you want to make your own decisions in life, no one will approve of it." Unlike Fang Yi, Gu Li does not agree with this.

"If it is according to what you think, Ayi, you and your future wife will be having an affair without a matchmaker."

"But I think that following the matchmaking of parents will not bring happiness. Because sometimes, two people can be said to not even know each other, but after getting married, they will be husband and wife for life." Fang Yi said.

Gu Li said, "Even so, it is still possible to divorce. Divorcing and remarrying is common in the Tang Dynasty and it is not shameful."

"Besides, being arranged by parents doesn't mean we are unhappy. Chang Lang and I both obey our father's orders. You saw it today. Are we unhappy?"

Fang Yi was stunned for a moment, because in his impression, this so-called parental order and matchmaker's words were dregs. Recalling that when he was in Yangzhou, he once saw a poor family who had to marry someone they didn't love because of a word from their parents.

At that time, the groom could only walk to the bride's house, and the bride had no sedan chair to sit in, so she had to be carried on the groom's back. At some point, a breeze blew up the bride's veil, and he still remembers the bride's expression.

Her eyes revealed helplessness, tears welled up in the bride's eyes. But today was the "big day", she couldn't cry on the way to the bride's house, she could only slightly raise her head, close her eyes in despair, and try to let the tears flow back into her eyes. Her face was pale, and it was unclear whether it was caused by the low-quality rouge makeup or the heartbreak. She wanted to use the veil to cover her trembling lips, but now the veil was blown away, she could only purse her lips.

Seeing this scene, Fang Yi first thought of Gu Li. What if Gu Li was also like this? He immediately rushed back home, bought some things, and then rushed back to Chang'an.

Gu Li looked at Fang Yi's absent-minded expression and said, "Ayi, I don't know why you said such a thing, but I hope you won't say it again in the future, okay?"