Chapter 57: Gu's Residence

In the floral sanctuary, Gu Hansheng was delicately wielding pruning shears to refine the foliage.

As Liang Shu approached, she caught a snippet: "Behold, hues of purple and red bloom everywhere, akin to adorning the forsaken wells and crumbling walls..."

She paused, a sudden recollection surfacing.  Qu An had mentioned Sir's penchant for enjoying theatrical performances during leisure moments. This was indeed the renowned opening line of the Kunqu Opera "The Peony Pavilion". The melodic charm of the renowned actress's singing echoed, casting an illuminating spell.

Upon seeing Liang Shu's silhouette at the doorway, Gu Hansheng beckoned her forth.

Approaching, Liang Shu felt the man take her hand, gesturing towards the gardening shears at his side. "Try it."

Observing several plants he had already tended to, each one exuding allure, she pondered. This man must be considered quite proficient even among amateurs.

She shook her head, "I lack the skill."

However, he handed her the gardening shears, insisting, "I'll teach you, take them."

The weight of the gardening shears in Liang Shu's hand felt substantial, and the lush growth of the bamboo before her seemed formidable.

Before even beginning, Liang Shu glanced at Gu Hansheng, the melody of the Kunqu Opera lingering in her mind, evoking memories of accompanying the wives of the Lu family to the Flower Drum Tower on Jinling Road to watch performances during her childhood.

She never cared for such pastimes; being young, she couldn't appreciate them.

But the wives of the Lu family enjoyed them, not out of genuine fondness but to appear different from other families, so they attended.

Liang Shu never liked watching the plays back then, but she enjoyed the dances at the end.

The performers on stage sang tirelessly until the end, while the audience below gradually dispersed.

Those who played cards had ever-changing rules and were well-off.

Sometimes, the losers faced punishment; they occasionally played the games common among ordinary families, and someone would bring a tray of cooled charcoal. The losers would have their faces painted as a penalty.

Once the rules were set, they couldn't be changed.

One day, someone lost and was teased about having drawings on her face. She took off her bracelet, padded her hand with a cloth, and grabbed a piece of charcoal, eyes full of unabashed laughter, "Let's not tease our own people, there's a ready-made option here."

Everyone turned to look at Liang Shu under the stage, all showing smiles of agreement.

"You certainly know how to find amusement. Enough, enough, I'll spare you."

Then someone forcibly brought Liang Shu forward. She was young at the time, and anyone could easily handle her. Having her face scraped by rough charcoal wasn't the worst of it; her ears were filled with their voices:

"I think this face might kill quite a few people in the future."

"Be careful, you might face retribution later."

This person coldly snorted, "I won't like things that turn into fox spirits."

Finally, someone tossed the charcoal in their hand, complaining as they wiped their hands, "This stuff is filthy, not enjoyable to play with."

Once they had their fill, Liang Shu was led aside.

She seemed unaffected, bearing a face now smudged and tainted, staring intently at the stage.

It was unlike the preceding play, more akin to a dance.

The performer wore embroidered shoes with a gold-threaded green fish pattern, dancing on the large stage covered in red silk. The silk flowed smoothly as she leaped, faltered momentarily, then gracefully recovered, eliciting a perfect and dazzling arabesque.

Liang Shu watched quietly, locking eyes with the performer on stage, who smiled confidently at her.

Later, Liang Shu learned that it wasn't a scene from a play but rather a performance of water sleeve ballet.

At that moment.

Seeing her bewildered expression, Gu Hansheng couldn't help but smile wryly, taking her right hand firmly in his own. Without hesitation, he decisively pruned a tall and neatly groomed bamboo shoot.

The woman's fingers trembled slightly, somewhat surprised. "This one was growing so well, why..."

"Take a closer look, don't all of them grow well?" he asked.

She examined them carefully. Indeed, this pot was lush and vibrant, and upon closer inspection, each plant seemed to thrive splendidly.

Gu Hansheng smiled, then pointed to a certain plant closer to the center. Liang Shu pursed her lips, raised her hand, and resolved it.

Only then did the man explain, "In potted plants, the emphasis is on overall aesthetics. The first plant was the best in this pot, but it was too tall and ostentatious. The second one is easy to identify; its roots are rotting, it's diseased and needs to be eliminated."

Liang Shu set the shears aside, her lips still pursed. "So what you're saying is to prevent them from developing their own personalities. Each plant should grow almost the same to suit the preferences of capitalists like you."

Someone suddenly became angry. Gu Hansheng held her left hand in his, pinching it. "Wouldn't it make sense for the sake of standardization?"

He only pinched lightly, but it elicited a soft cry from Liang Shu, "Ouch."

"Sensitive," he retorted. "I didn't use much force."

At his words, Liang Shu reluctantly offered her left hand, revealing a small cut on her plump fingertip. The man frowned, "How did this happen?"

She withdrew her hand, placing it behind her. "I cut it while chopping vegetables last night."

It was her lack of skill. Liang Shu couldn't cook; Aunt Mei never allowed her to, and in this regard, she had indeed been pampered by Aunt Mei.

Left unattended overnight, the wound had slightly opened, with the skin around it turning red.

Gu Hansheng went to fetch a bandage, but Liang Shu stopped him. "It's almost healed, no need to bother."

Unable to persuade her, he relented.

For the rest of the time, Liang Shu merely watched him. She listened when he spoke and observed when he pruned. Occasionally, when he felt like it, he handed her the shears to let her try on her own.

But the results were rather mediocre.

The time slipped away unnoticed in the flower house until Qu An came to remind them, "Sir, it's already half-past ten."

Only then did Gu Hansheng realize, taking the nearby handkerchief and offering it to Liang Shu, while he himself began to tidy up.

Once everything was arranged, he took Liang Shu's right hand and led her outside, saying, "Go upstairs to tidy up, we're going out in a while."

Going out?

This caught Liang Shu by surprise, and she asked, "Where are we going?"

"You'll find out soon."

As they passed through the corridor, Gu Hansheng, with his keen eye, noticed the thorns on the ground, furrowing his brows immediately. He led Liang Shu all the way to the lobby.

At that moment, Qi Zhen happened to be passing by, carrying a large bouquet of flowers. Gu Hansheng stopped her.

"Sir," she glanced at Liang Shu, "Madam."

"Where are these flowers going?"

Qi Zhen smiled and replied, "These are fresh roses, growing exceptionally well. Just got Qu An's approval to place them in your bedroom, as they're beautiful and festive," she paused briefly, then added, "I think Madam will surely like them too."

The roses in her hands, a blend of red and pink, were indeed beautiful.

Liang Shu nodded, "Yes, they're beautiful."

However, Gu Hansheng's face showed no signs of pleasure. His gaze moved away from the blooming roses, and he said, "There's no need to have any flower arrangements in mine and Madam's bedroom. Take these flowers away."

Qi Zhen was taken aback, then lowered her head, "Understood."

Gu Hansheng added, "The corridor outside the flower house has some thorns scattered around. Make sure to clean them up."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Zhen's expression changed slightly, her teeth biting her lip, "I suppose they fell while everyone was moving the flowers. Sir and Madam, are you both alright?"

Gu Hansheng glanced at Liang Shu, who shook her head, and without a word, he led her towards the staircase.

After a while, Liang Shu asked, "Those flowers looked quite nice. Your bedroom is too simple and austere. It wouldn't hurt to have some flowers for decoration."

But Gu Hansheng replied, "It's unnecessary. If you like them, we can place them elsewhere."

"I don't particularly like them," Liang Shu pouted.

Liang Shu didn't understand these things, but Gu Hansheng did.

The strong fragrance of roses, once inhaled deeply, could make those with poor health or weak constitution feel chest tightness and discomfort, even struggling to breathe.

Putting such things in the bedroom was a big taboo.

Liang Shu didn't know what occasion it was today. She casually picked out two pieces of clothing according to her own preferences and compared them on herself before taking them out to ask Gu Hansheng.

At that moment, Gu Hansheng, already dressed, was standing by the French window making a phone call. His figure was tall and straight, with one hand in his pocket. Even a slight tilt of his head revealed his sexy Adam's apple and perfectly sculpted profile.

Male charm, after all, was enticing enough.

Gu Han Sheng had already spotted her and waved to her. Liang Shu approached him with the clothes, and when she reached him, he had just finished the call.

"What's the occasion later? Or shall we just go out for dinner?"

The nature of their marriage, Liang Shu is very clear.

So she does not think she can step into Gu Hansheng's life and social circle. However, since the two are already united, some occasions are naturally unavoidable, and this Liang Shu is very aware of.

Gu Hansheng shook his head, reaching out to take the clothes she was holding in her arms, then walked towards the cloakroom. "Simple and elegant will suffice, no need to be too deliberate."

She put on makeup, the makeup was relatively restrained, and she didn't apply lipstick.

Following the two main points of simplicity and elegance, Liang Shu applied a lipstick in a nude color tone, and then Gu Hansheng had already picked out the clothes for her.

Inside was a white sweater paired with a slightly longer knit skirt, and outside was a simple A-line military green wool coat.

Just as they were about to leave, Gu Hansheng still held a thick women's long down jacket in his hand. She looked at him in confusion, and the next moment, Gu Hansheng draped the down jacket over her, "It's cold outside, wear this on the way."

Liang Shu resisted a bit, standing at the door quietly watching him, which could be considered as a silent protest.

"What's wrong?" This man even asked knowingly.

She took off the down jacket on her, handing it to him. "I don't need to wear this yet, it's not cold enough at this moment."

Moreover, even when it's the coldest in Yucheng, she has never worn such a down jacket.

This thing is the most cumbersome and least flattering.

Gu Hansheng took it and said, "Just wear it outside, and change into something else when we get inside, is that okay?"

Liang Shu didn't want to waste time, shaking her head firmly, "Wait until it gets colder."

"Madam, Sir is also for your own good, Yucheng has always been cold, the weather forecast says it may snow again in a week."

In the end, it was still Gu Hansheng who compromised.

Today, Gu Hansheng was driving, Liang Shu sat in the passenger seat, halfway through she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Where are we going exactly? You are the lofty chairman of Zhen Corporation. If I embarrass you later, don't blame me."

The man skillfully turned the steering wheel, his gaze looking ahead, "It's not a daunting place, it's okay to make mistakes."

Liang Shu leaned against the side and looked out the window at the passing scenery, "That's good then."

Around eleven thirty.

The Land Rover slowly entered the slightly historical old carved gate, someone had come to greet him earlier, opening the car door for him, "Sir, you're finally back. The old lady has missed you for a long time. I heard you didn't rest well last night."

What was the reason for not resting well, Gu Hansheng knew very well.

But he only smiled and asked, "How could I not rest well?"

The maid shook her head, "I don't know, you can ask her yourself later."

As she was about to open the passenger door, she was stopped by Gu Hansheng. He went around to the trunk first, pointing to the things inside, "These few items, have someone bring them into the house. They are gifts from Master Jing for the old lady, be careful when moving them."

After everything was arranged, Gu Hansheng then headed towards the passenger seat.

Liang Shu didn't sleep well last night, and she fell asleep shortly after getting in the car, still not awake at this moment.

Gu Hansheng didn't indulge her, he directly opened the car door, and the cold wind rushed in, abruptly waking up the woman leaning against the seat.

Still feeling dazed, she shook her head, then saw the man standing by the car door.

It seemed to be an open-air parking lot somewhere, surrounded by some exquisite scenery, but because it was winter, the landscape inevitably felt desolate.

Yucheng is not a southern city, and this season, apart from pine and cypress, there are hardly any evergreen plants visible.

But such scenery has its own charm, the bare plane trees, with their branches reaching toward the sky, looked oddly beautiful.

However, all of this couldn't mask Liang Shu's anxiety. She looked at the nearby building, whose overall appearance was unclear, her heart tightening. She turned her head to the man and asked, "Where is this?"

Gu Hansheng reached out to her, pulling her down from the car, the warmest smile playing on his lips, "The Gu Residence."

The two words 'Gu Residence,' as the name implies.

Liang Shu was not stupid; naturally, she knew what it meant, but it completely caught her off guard.

Even though she already knew who lived here and their purpose for coming, Liang Shu couldn't help but ask, "What are we doing here?"

The man held her hand firmly, walking along the cobblestone path beside him towards the Chinese-style moon gate, his voice steady, "To meet mother."

To meet mother.

A plain and simple sentence spoken from Gu Hansheng's lips, yet imbued with endless warmth.

But it felt like a huge boulder crashing into the calm waters of Liang Shu's heart, instantly causing ripples of turmoil.

After hearing him, Liang Shu didn't want to continue walking, hesitating in her steps.

The man noticed her hesitation, looking down at her, "Are you afraid?"

Liang Shu tensed her face, looking down at the neatly arranged cobblestones on the ground, her voice hoarse, "Didn't you say you wouldn't bring me to meet your family's old lady?"

"When did I say that?" Gu Hansheng's deep, handsome features furrowed.

"Before, when I said I wouldn't take you to see my aunt, you also said you wouldn't bring me to see Madam Gu."

Hearing her words, Gu Hansheng continued walking with her, Liang Shu wanted to pull her hand out, but there was no way, the man's grip was too tight for her to break.

However, her steps were slow.

There were some servants moving things around sporadically nearby. They were all people from this mansion, not particularly curious about Gu Hansheng, their gazes mostly intertwining on her.

This feeling made Liang Shu very uneasy.

In her ears, Gu Hansheng refuted her words, "Think about it again."

As she walked slowly, Gu Hansheng matched his pace with hers, also slowing down his steps.

Liang Shu kept staring at the ground, as if recalling something.

[So, will you take me to see Madam Gu?]

[What do you think?]

Liang Shu gritted her teeth, pinching his palm with her fingernails, muttered, "I have no experience meeting elders."

"We are both first-time spouses, neither of us has. Understand?"

"..."

The warmth given by elders in her memory needed to be traced back, Liang Shu had basically never experienced warmth from family elders.

In the blink of an eye, the two had already entered the small garden in the front yard.

It was cold this season, and the scenery revealed still only evoked the word desolation.

But it was evident that even though they lacked the colors of other seasons, these views remained beautiful.

Natural changes cannot be stopped; just like women, their appearance will age, but their inner qualities will endure.

Liang Shu stood uneasy, stuttering, "What kind of person is your family's old lady?"

Gu Hansheng didn't directly answer her question but said, "You'll know in a moment."

...

The one who opened the door was the female housekeeper, Liang Qing.

Liang Qing saw the girl standing beside Gu Hansheng at a glance, first smiling at her, then busily saying, "We've been eagerly awaiting your arrival."

Your...

Liang Shu caught these two words and cast a puzzled look at Gu Hansheng.

Gu Hansheng first called her Aunt Qing, then quietly pointed to Liang Shu's palm, "This is the housekeeper of the Gu Residence, also our relative, Aunt Qing."

Liang Shu also followed suit and called her Aunt Qing.

"Aunt Qing, this is Ah Shu."

Liang Qing nodded repeatedly, holding Liang Shu's hand with a warm smile, "Finally, this day has arrived."

It was windy outside, and the temperature was low, not a place for conversation.

Gu Hansheng took off Liang Shu's coat as soon as they entered, then handed both their coats to Liang Qing. After Liang Qing took their attire and handed it to the servants, she brought tea and said, "Madam has just heard that you've arrived. It's almost time for dinner now. She went to the wine cellar to select wine. I said I would go with her, but she wouldn't let me. She insisted on choosing one she's very satisfied with herself."

Liang Qing noticed Liang Shu looked thin without her coat, so she had instructed the servants to bring a shawl when they entered the mansion. Now, the servant brought it over.

Seeing Liang Shu sipping tea with small sips while holding the teacup, Liang Qing put the shawl aside, looking at Liang Shu, "Ah Shu, don't be nervous. Madam and I get along very well."

A faint curve appeared at the corner of Gu Hansheng's lips. He took the cup from Liang Shu's hand and set it down, listening to her shaking her head, "Aunt Qing, I... am not nervous, not nervous at all."

The little girl was meeting her partner's parents for the first time. Although she said she wasn't nervous, her trembling hand while drinking tea and the thin sweat on her forehead had already revealed her true feelings.

Gu Hansheng probably wanted to say something to Liang Shu, but Liang Qing found an excuse to go see Wen Mingting, which cleared the space for them.

Meanwhile, Wen Mingting had just come out of the wine cellar with half a basket of wine. Liang Qing happened to come over, and Wen Mingting, forgetting the cold, came over and asked, "Have they arrived?"

Liang Qing nodded, "They've arrived and are in the living room."

"How are they?"

"Well, Hansheng has a good eye. She's an extremely outstanding and gentle girl."

Wen Mingting smiled at this, took a step forward, and arrived in the living room in less than two minutes.

After Liang Qing left for a while, Gu Hansheng had just wiped the sweat from Liang Shu's forehead with a tissue. The sound of footsteps approaching from afar resounded again. Liang Shu suddenly straightened her back and glanced at Gu Hansheng.

The man's big hand patted her hand back reassuringly, "Don't be nervous."

Liang Shu had no experience in this regard. On the contrary, with the previous experience in the Lu family, her impression of the mother-in-law in a wealthy family was not very good.

It could be someone decked out in gold and silver with a haughty air, or someone with a sharp tongue, cynical, or someone who smiled on the surface but harbored ill intentions in private.

But Wen Mingting exceeded Liang Shu's expectations.

Earlier, when she saw Liang Qing, her opinion of Wen Mingting had already improved quite a bit. She should be a wealthy lady without airs.

But in reality, Wen Mingting was even better than Liang Shu had imagined later.

Gu Hansheng introduced Liang Shu to Wen Mingting, "Mom, this is Ah Shu, your daughter-in-law."

In an ordinary family, let alone a wealthy family, it would be considered very wrong for a son to get married without informing his parents, let alone a family like Gu Hansheng's.

However, there was hardly any blame on Wen Mingting's face. She held Liang Shu's hand, her excitement evident in her words, "What Liang Qing said is right. It's finally happening for me."

Liang Shu still felt a bit uncomfortable. She glanced at Gu Hansheng, feeling embarrassed as she said to Wen Mingting, "Mom, when we registered our marriage a few days ago, we didn't have time to inform you. It's all my fault, I'm sorry."

Wen Mingting patted her hand, "If anyone's at fault, it's Gu Hansheng's fault. What fault could you have?"

After saying that, Wen Mingting gave Gu Hansheng a stern look.

Gu Hansheng took the shawl prepared by Liang Qing and draped it over Liang Shu's shoulders, "It's all my fault. It's dinner time, let's talk while we eat."

Wen Mingting reacted, "Right, right, are you hungry? Let's go eat."

It was evident that Wen Mingting liked Liang Shu very much. She didn't want to let go of her hand after holding it, "I've brought out some good wine. It just woke up. You can taste it later. Aunt Qing cooks well, you should taste it later too."

Liang Shu nodded repeatedly along the way. After they sat down in the dining room, tears welled up in her eyes.

Gu Hansheng noticed this, taking advantage of the moment when Wen Mingting went to the kitchen with Liang Qing. He draped his right arm over the back of Liang Shu's chair, leaning down to look at her, "What's wrong? Don't feel pressured."

She lifted her hand to dab at the corners of her eyes, feeling a bit emotional, but she remained composed, "You never said your mother-in-law was so nice."

Gu Hansheng reached out to pat her head, then chuckled, "Some things, you have to experience for yourself."