She got pregnant after the swap marriage, and the scumbag's family regretted it so much they cr

Gao Yan's determined gaze warmed Lu Huan's heart.

In the past, Gao Zhongbao would only ask Lu Huan to help him more and be more understanding of the difficulties he faced in leaving for the government office early in the morning, but he never mentioned protecting Lu Huan from the wind and rain.

In fact, many of the storms were brought about by him.

Lu Huan murmured, "Ayan, thank you!"

"Why are you thanking me!" Gao Yan stroked Lu Huan's face. "I should be thanking you for giving me a home."

The two hugged each other tightly, as if the whole world consisted only of the two of them.

"Master, I've come to bring you your dinner!" It was He Niang's voice again.

"come in."

Lu Huan was flustered and tried to push Gao Yan away.

Who knew that this man would have a fit of temper and wouldn't let go.

Fortunately, He Niang had learned her lesson and kept her head down when entering the house, only looking at the area three feet in front of her toes, and never glancing around.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the landlady's embroidered shoes stepping on her son-in-law's black boots by the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and she buried her head even deeper.

Finally, he turned his back to Lu Huan and the others, took out all the dishes from the food box, and placed them on the round table. "Master, son-in-law, I'll be going now."

"Well, let's go."

Lu Huan watched as He Niang walked out quickly, as if she were being chased by bandits.

She gently nudged Gao Yan and scolded him playfully, "Look at you, you scared He Niang away!"

"As long as you weren't scared away by me!" Gao Yan put his arms around Lu Huan's back and the back of her legs and suddenly stood up.

The sudden feeling of weightlessness startled Lu Huan, who clung tightly to his waist and shoulders.

Gao Yan smiled, revealing a set of bright white teeth, and even deliberately weighed it in his hand. Lu Huan was afraid of dropping it, so she didn't dare to let go even a little.

It's a pity the heated kang (traditional heated platform bed) was only a few steps away from the round table. We reached it before we'd even finished holding it.

Gao Yan slowly bent down and gently placed Lu Huan on the round stool, then very naturally picked up the porcelain bowl in front of Lu Huan.

"Huan'er, let me serve you some rice."

“I’m not a child, why would I need…” Lu Huan swallowed the last few words, lost in Gao Yan’s gaze.

On the other hand, the backyard wasn't so cozy.

Lu Ruyi, as if she had no bones, sat down next to Gao Zhongbao with a seductive air.

Gao Zhongbao's nose twitched slightly. "You changed the incense?"

Lu Ruyi stiffened and reached up to sniff her sleeve. Was it that obvious?

She smiled and said, "Yes. I went to the horse market today, and I smelled terrible. So on my way back, I stopped by a cosmetics shop and bought some new incense and bath powder. Do you like them, Brother Zhongbao?"

Gao Zhongbao frowned slightly. "Too much effeminate mannerisms; it has nothing to do with being dignified and elegant."

Subtext: Too vulgar, not elegant at all.

Lu Ruyi's smile froze on her face, her fingers digging fiercely into her palm, the pain bringing her back to her senses immediately.

"Since Brother Zhongbao doesn't like it, then I won't use it anymore."

Gao Zhongbao, completely oblivious to her unusual behavior, continued, "A woman should be virtuous and gentle, staying at home to support her husband, raise her children, and serve her parents-in-law. I think my sister-in-law is a good example; even when she goes out, her brother accompanies her."

The rest is self-evident.

Lu Ruyi almost scratched her palms raw, forcibly suppressing the anger in her chest.

She forced a look of grievance and tugged at Gao Zhongbao's sleeve.

“I also wanted Brother Zhongbao to stay with me, but when I came back from Mother’s room this morning, Brother Zhongbao had already gone out…”

"Ahem—" Gao Zhongbao interrupted Lu Ruyi. He really didn't want to think about what had happened when he went out today.

"By the way, have you bought your carriage yet? I'll be going out frequently these next few days, and my classmates at the academy, hearing that I'm going to Jinling to study, all want to hold a farewell banquet for me. I really can't refuse."

Without a carriage, going into town is still somewhat inconvenient.

Lu Ruyi went to Li Rong to inquire about information today and didn't go to the horse market at all.

Her knowledge of horses and carriages came from Yulan's brief mentions, but she knew nothing more in detail.

Her smile seemed somewhat forced.

“Brother Zhongbao, the money for buying a carriage is no small sum. We should think about it carefully.”

That makes sense, but Gao Zhongbao always felt that Lu Ruyi was just giving him the runaround.

If it were Lu Huan... no, Lu Huan bought a mule cart for the family on the second day after she married into the family!

Thinking of this, Gao Zhongbao's face turned even uglier.

"Didn't your father-in-law give you four hundred taels of silver? Why do you still need to think about it further?"

Speaking of the four hundred taels of silver, Lu Ruyi felt as if she had swallowed a handful of lotus seeds in one gulp, feeling extremely bitter.

“Brother Zhongbao, Grandma… she said this is a travel allowance my father gave to the Gao family, for expenses along the way, not for buying a carriage…”

Gao Zhongbao nodded. "What Mother said makes sense. We agreed before that the cost of Father and Mother's carriage would be shared by our two branches of the family."

If Mother were to take out these four hundred taels, it would be a betrayal of Father-in-law's good intentions.

Lu Ruyi rolled her eyes inwardly. Zhou Shi said all those nice things, but she just didn't want to give back the money she'd already swallowed!

She touched the two hundred taels of silver notes and a gold hairpin tucked in her sleeve.

Fortunately, she didn't place all her hopes on Gao Zhongbao.

Based on her understanding of the officialdom in the North from her previous life, she could use Lu Huan's name to occasionally sell some private information to Li Rong, which would be enough for her to reap considerable benefits.

However, one shouldn't make too much money like that. Li Rong wasn't stupid; too much of a show of force will eventually lead to its collapse.

Lu Ruyi snapped out of her thoughts and said sweetly, "Don't worry, Brother Zhongbao, I will definitely buy it back as soon as possible!"

"Yes! I believe you can definitely help me." Gao Zhongbao patted Lu Ruyi on the shoulder, then stood up.

Before he knew it, he had finished his dinner.

"I'm going to take a bath. Oh, and please put some extra silver in my purse. These past few days, my classmates have been treating me to banquets, and I can't possibly not reciprocate each time!"

After saying that, he walked straight to the outer room without waiting for Lu Ruyi's reply.

It took Lu Ruyi a while to realize that this man was asking her for money!

However, she dared not refuse, fearing that Gao Zhongbao would say again that he was not as good as Lu Huan.

Gao Zhongbao was mostly immersed in hot water, and the rising steam made his face look exceptionally handsome.

A pair of delicate white hands lit a fire on his shoulder, and seemed to be sliding down.

However, these hands were not particularly soft; some of the fingertips even had a thin layer of calluses.

Cai Die said sweetly, "Second Young Master, you must be tired from your journey. Miss asked me to help you with your bath."

Gao Zhongbao grabbed her hand. "What's wrong? Your young lady isn't jealous anymore?"

A hint of resentment flashed in the butterfly's eyes, but it quickly faded away.

"Miss cares about you too much. But the second young master's literary talent is enough to make him an official. In the future, there will definitely be many people around you who admire your talent. Miss will understand then!"

Gao Zhongbao relaxed completely, leaning against the side of the wooden tub. Although the maid's praise was somewhat clumsy, it still brought him joy.

He seemed to have experienced some of the pleasure he felt in that dream.