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“After Shedding My Armor, I Await Marriage” Chapter 55

"Could it be that she's grown tired of me…"

At the Gu family.

Mu Qingyao was not only nervous but also apprehensive.

This was because Gu Fu had told her that when Mu Heng saw her in the northern borders, he couldn’t recognize her at all.

So, Mu Qingyao was very afraid—afraid that after more than ten years of separation, her father might not recognize her either.

No, Mu Qingyao thought, it would be normal if he didn’t recognize her. After all, she had grown from a child into an adult, and her appearance naturally changed a lot.

But Mu Qingyao still couldn’t calm down. She paced back and forth in the hall, her mind racing with all sorts of wild thoughts.

She wondered if she had arranged everything properly, if there was anything she had overlooked.

She wondered if her father hadn’t told her about remarrying, then what about her brother? Had he married without telling her too?

She even wondered if she should present herself in a favorable light to leave a good impression on her father and brother, or if she should show them her true self, as she did with Gu Fu.

But soon, Mu Qingyao realized she was overthinking. When she saw her father and brother, whom she hadn’t seen for years, she had no time to choose; tears instantly streamed down her face, catching Mu Heng and Mu Shaoqing, two grown men, completely off guard.

They recognized Mu Qingyao at a glance because she looked so much like her late mother. This resemblance brought a mix of emotions for the father and son, especially Mu Shaoqing, who, upon seeing Mu Qingyao, couldn’t help but think of their mother, who had passed away early, and his eyes reddened with tears along with Mu Qingyao.

Gu Qizheng and Gu Qirong, the two brothers, were also home today. The Gu family had helped raise Mu Qingyao for over ten years, so Mu Heng and his son naturally stayed for a meal and reminisced with Gu Qizheng. By the time they left, it was already afternoon.

Most of Mu Qingyao’s luggage had already been moved to the Mu residence earlier; there were only two more carts of things left to be taken there.

As they were leaving the Gu family’s main gate, Mu Qingyao held onto Gu Fu, reluctant to part.

Gu Fu smiled and said, “If you miss me, just come and stay for a few days. I’ll have Auntie keep your courtyard for you, so you can come anytime.”

Mu Qingyao hugged Gu Fu, feeling that she had shed more tears today than she had in all the past ten years.

Mu Qingyao sat in the carriage, while Mu Heng and his son rode on horseback. Along the way, Mu Shaoqing kept his horse close to the carriage, telling Mu Qingyao about their years in the northwest. At one point, Mu Qingyao asked him, “Brother, have you married?”

Mu Shaoqing laughed and said, “Of course not. If I had gotten married, do you think I’d wait for you to ask? I would’ve told you long ago.”

Mu Qingyao lifted the carriage curtain and asked, “Then why didn’t anyone tell me when Father remarried?”

Mu Shaoqing froze on his horse.

Mu Qingyao didn’t intend to embarrass her brother, so she added, “If A’Fu hadn’t reminded me in time, making me arrange for two extra courtyards, where would you have had sister and stepmother stay when they returned?”

Only then did Mu Shaoqing breathe a sigh of relief. He repeatedly begged for forgiveness, asking Mu Qingyao to pardon him, and explained, “Back then, Lady Wu was only taken in as a concubine by Father. We didn’t think it was a big deal, so we didn’t tell you. Later, Father elevated her status and she gave birth to our third sister. He feared you’d feel sad knowing this while alone in the capital, so he kept it from you. It wasn’t meant to hurt you.”

Mu Qingyao snorted softly, “I forgive you.”

Mu Shaoqing chuckled, then remembered something and couldn’t help but ask, “Do you know about… about Gu… Gu Er, she…”

Mu Qingyao knew what Mu Shaoqing wanted to ask, but to prevent anyone from overhearing, she quickly changed the subject, “A’Fu may not be married yet, but she’s already engaged. Brother, you’d better give up.”

Mu Shaoqing was stunned at first, then his face turned red as he realized, “That’s not what I was going to ask!”

Mu Qingyao teased, “Then what was Brother going to ask?”

Mu Shaoqing stammered, “Since she’s engaged, why hasn’t she gotten married yet?”

Mu Qingyao thought about the reason behind Mu Shaoqing’s question and replied, “Ah Fu accompanied the Gu family’s old madam to Zuwang Mountain to pray. She stayed there for five years and only returned home last year on the eighth of December.”

The five years matched perfectly.

Even though Mu Shaoqing didn’t want to believe it, he had to admit that the Gu General he met in the northern borders was indeed Gu Fu.

Back at home, Mu Qingyao finally met Wu Xiao and her younger sister, Mu Baidi.

Wu Xiao was from the northwest, likely with foreign blood, as her facial features were very distinct—deep-set, with a high nose bridge, giving her a particularly striking appearance.

Mu Baidi, who was twelve years old, ran over in a light yellow dress. She first called out “Father” and “Brother” to Mu Heng and Mu Shaoqing, then grabbed Mu Qingyao’s hand and pouted, “You must be Sister, right? Sister, your courtyard is built over the water—it’s so beautiful! I want to live in your courtyard! Sister, can you give it to me?”

Mu Qingyao looked at Mu Baidi, and a gentle yet helpless smile naturally appeared on her face, tinged with a bit of uncertainty, as if she was used to being accommodating and didn’t know how to refuse others.

Seeing this, Mu Heng suddenly remembered Gu Fu’s words, and a wave of guilt and regret surged within him. He then scolded Mu Baidi, “Stop being so capricious! How could you, so careless as you are, stay in a waterside pavilion? What if you fall into the water?”

Mu Baidi was unhappy but remembered her mother’s advice. So, though reluctant, she pouted and muttered a begrudging “Oh.”

At this point, Wu Xiao stepped in with a smile, “Baidi is still young and doesn’t know any better. Qingyao, don’t hold it against her.”

Mu Qingyao didn’t say much, only offering a respectful greeting to this new stepmother.

Wu Xiao warmly responded, “Oh, no need for that,” and then, in front of Mu Heng, told Mu Qingyao that she had never been to the capital before and was overwhelmed by its grandeur. Many things in the mansion were unfamiliar to her, and she found them quite fascinating. However, the servants in the mansion were purchased by Mu Qingyao, and since their deeds were in her hands, they didn’t listen to Wu Xiao Niang much. She asked Mu Qingyao to give her some authority so she could manage the household servants better.

Mu Heng had been somewhat upset with Wu Xiao earlier, feeling that she had almost caused him to forget to pick up Mu Qingyao due to her lack of understanding. But after hearing her words, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pity for her. He thought to himself that Wu Xiao, being from a small family in the northwest, couldn’t be expected to know the proper etiquette like those from a prominent family. He then forgave her and even considered favoring her by letting her take over the household management.

Mu Qingyao didn’t miss the change in Mu Heng’s expression.

So, before Mu Heng could speak, she said to Wu Xiao, “Step-mother, no need to worry. You’re new to the capital and aren’t familiar with the prices here, nor do you know what gifts are appropriate for social visits. If you take over too hastily, mistakes could be made. So, for now, I’ll keep the account books and tokens. You and my sister must be tired from the journey, so rest for a couple of days. After that, I’ll teach you everything. Once you’ve learned, even if you ask me to help with the household management, I’ll pretend not to hear and run off to spend time with my poetry society friends instead.”

Mu Qingyao wasn’t incapable of consolidating power; it’s just that when she lived at the Gu residence, everything went smoothly, and there was no need to compete.

Now, with Wu Xiao’s arrival, using her origins to gain Mu Heng’s pity and attempting to seize control of the household, Mu Qingyao decided to leverage the situation to expose Wu Xiao’s inadequacies, making it clear to Mu Heng that Wu Xiao lacked the ability and insight to manage the household affairs.

As expected, Mu Heng did not rashly use Mu Qingyao’s connections in the capital to indulge Wu Xiao and instead advised Mu Qingyao to take her time teaching Wu Xiao so she wouldn’t tire herself out.

Back at her waterside pavilion, the maid beside Mu Qingyao was puzzled, “Miss usually doesn’t care about such matters; why this time…?”

Mu Qingyao calmly replied, “Just because I don’t care doesn’t mean others can simply take what’s mine.”

After speaking, Mu Qingyao paused briefly and then slowly let out a breath: she hadn’t expected that living in her own home would be more exhausting than staying at the Gu residence.

After seeing Mu Qingyao off, Gu Fu noticed it was still early and decided to return to the academy.

The academy was strictly managed; even with her identification jade plaque, she had to go through multiple layers of inspection to enter.

The academy was vast and picturesque, with the scenery dividing it into three sections: one for the students’ living and dining, another for the classrooms, and the last for the training grounds for horse riding and archery.

Besides Gu Fu, there were three other supervisors at the academy, all women. Two were elderly maids who had served in the palace, and the third was the Princess of Yong’an County.

The two palace maids were strict in temperament, while the Princess of Yong’an was gentle and kind. Gu Fu, with her balanced position among them, often acted as a mediator and had the most influence despite being the youngest of the four.

When the academy first opened, the Princess of Yong’an noticed that many girls were secretly crying and wanted to temporarily halt classes until they adjusted to the new environment.

The two palace maids, however, believed it was better to keep the girls busy with classes to distract them from their homesickness.

Unable to reach an agreement, Gu Fu stepped in, persuading the Princess of Yong’an to continue the classes while assigning her the responsibility of comforting the girls who were struggling emotionally.

Now, the girls had adapted to life at the academy and even formed various clubs based on their shared interests, such as poetry, tea, and painting.

One girl, in particular, had the creative idea of recruiting Gu Fu into her club. After waiting for Gu Fu for half a day, she finally approached and asked Gu Fu what she liked, declaring that she would start a club based on Gu Fu’s interests.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Fu replied, “A martial arts club?”

The girl hesitated, “Gu Supervisor likes dancing? The spinning dance or long-sleeve dance?”

Gu Fu clarified, “I meant the ‘wu’ in martial arts.”

The girl responded, “…Goodbye.”

In the evening, Gu Fu went as usual to Qitian Tower. The first thing she asked Fu Yan was, “Did you eat properly?”

Fu Yan replied, “I did.”

Gu Fu glanced toward the staircase. “Senior Brother isn’t here?”

“He felt stifled from being cooped up indoors, so he went out of the city this afternoon.” Fu Yan assumed that Gu Fu was asking because she didn’t want anyone to interrupt them, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation, waiting for Gu Fu to send Yi Ye away.

But instead of paying attention to Yi Ye, Gu Fu sat down beside Fu Yan and started chatting, moving from talking about Mu Qingyao’s stepmother to the academy. She mentioned how one student asked if she could stay at the academy during the ten-day break because she found it more comfortable there than at home. Gu Fu had refused her request.

After talking for a while, Gu Fu got thirsty. She drank a cup of tea but noticed the teapot was empty, so she looked at Yi Ye.

Yi Ye, understanding the cue, went downstairs to fetch hot water. Gu Fu put down the empty teapot and continued discussing the academy. “Some of the girls, perhaps because they see me as being around their age, come to me with all their troubles and worries. It’s becoming a bit overwhelming for me.”

“Hmm…” Fu Yan put down his pen. “Supervisor Gu.”

Gu Fu responded with a confused, “…?”

What did you just call me?

Fu Yan seemed oblivious to Gu Fu’s confusion and continued, “I have troubles too. Can you listen to mine?”

Gu Fu chuckled, “Go ahead.”

Fu Yan said, “My fiancĂŠe, for some reason, has been neglecting me recently.”

Gu Fu straightened up, her face clearly expressing, “Did I really?”

Fu Yan looked at her, his expression and tone calm, but his words were filled with a subtle sorrow. “Although she comes to see me every day, she always talks about someone else. Could it be that she’s grown tired of me…”

His words trailed off softly, and Gu Fu, holding Fu Yan’s face with one hand and pressing the back of his head with the other, kissed him. The bitter taste of tea mingled with their gentle kiss, spreading through both their mouths.

When they finally parted slightly, Gu Fu whispered in a voice only Fu Yan could hear, “My mouth may talk about others, but it’s you I’m savoring.”

Without waiting for his breath to steady, Fu Yan leaned in again and bit Gu Fu’s lips.

It wasn’t until Yi Ye’s footsteps grew closer that Gu Fu pulled away from Fu Yan, sighing softly into his ear, “Why does time pass so slowly?”


Translator’s notes:

The conversation  between Gu Fu and the girl trying to make a club was a misunderstanding between two homophones in Chinese: “舞” (wǔ), which means “dance,” and “ć­Ś” (wǔ), which means “martial” or “military.”

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After Shedding My Armor, I Await Marriage

After Shedding My Armor, I Await Marriage

卸甲后我待字闺中 Xiè Jiǎ Hòu Wǒ Dài Zì Guī Zhōng
Score 9.2
Status: Completed Type: Author: Released: 2020 Native Language: Chinese

In the ninth year of Yongqing, General Gu Fu died in Qi Huai. The current emperor posthumously honored him as Marquis Zhongshun.

In the twelfth month of the same year, the second Miss Gu, who had accompanied her grandmother to the mountains to perform Buddhist rites for five years, returned home. The first thing she faced upon arrival was punishment—kneeling in the ancestral hall. In the ancestral hall, the elder of the Gu family scolded her, telling her not to act recklessly in the future and to obediently wait for the elders to arrange a marriage for her. However, she responded with a single sentence that made him storm off in anger. An unaware aunt and younger sister came to visit, seemingly out of concern, but they were actually mocking her. She calmly countered their remarks. Finally, her elder brother arrived. The scholarly eldest son of the Gu family paced back and forth in front of her, eventually blurting out, "The military camp is full of men! Do you know that if word of your disgraceful behavior spreads, it will bring shame to the family's daughters?" Gu Fu finally shed her carefree demeanor and replied seriously, "Defending the country is not a disgrace." Upon hearing that the Gu family wanted to marry off the second Miss Gu, the current emperor immediately sought out the empress, earnestly saying, "I regard the second Miss Gu as my own daughter. I can't let her marry just anyone. If empress has time, perhaps you could help me by looking for suitable candidates for her in the capital." The empress: "..." Understood, Matchmaking 101 it is.
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