Within The Sound of Swallows - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Do Whatever Makes You Happy

Gu Chaodong stood dumbfounded outside, unable to snap out of his daze. Not only was his body drenched in tea, but his face was also covered in tea leaves. He wiped his face in confusion and realized that the window in front of him had already been shut again.

He couldn’t understand why a woman who had always been gentle and kind to him suddenly turned so ruthless. Had their relationship really reached such a hopeless point?

It wasn’t until the tea trickled into his collar that he realized how cold it was. Annoyed, Gu Chaodong stormed out of the Shen residence, seething with anger all the way home.

Meanwhile, Shen Guiya was sitting in the Prime Minister’s residence, admiring her jewelry box. Life in ancient times sure had its perks; there were piles of gold, silver, and jewels everywhere. She wondered how much she could take back with her.

Usually, female leads followed a set path. They would meet the Male Lead, the Second Male Lead, and would also run into some annoying female side characters. Shen Guiya was convinced that she was the main character; therefore, Shen Guiyan must be the supporting one. She was determined to build her own harem of men in this ancient time. Anyone who stood in her way would meet a terrible end!

Setting the box aside, Shen Guiya picked up a large bottle nearby. It was filled with something she had specially ordered her people to track down.

She had already prepared a grand ‘wedding gift’ for Shen Guiyan, one that would send her straight to the depths of hell from the very start. It was to ensure that she would never have the chance to cause her any trouble in the future.

Just as she was lost in thought, the door was pushed open. Startled, Shen Guiya turned around and saw Gu Chaodong walk in with a grim expression.

Shen Guiya didn’t have much affection for this ancient-era husband. At first, she thought he was decent, but compared to Gu Chaobei, he lacked charm and, worse, wasn’t loyal to her, constantly running off to see Shen Guiyan. After it happened a couple of times, Shen Guiya grew tired of him. But even if she didn’t like him, she still couldn’t be negligent. After all, in ancient times, a husband was like the heavens.

“You’re back?” Shen Guiya walked over with a smile and gently helped him change out of his clothes. “You should get some rest.”

Gu Chaodong grabbed her hand, his expression pained. “Why is Yan’er resisting me so much now?”

Shen Guiya’s smile stiffened for a moment before she pressed her lips together and said, “Women, after all, are more cherished when they act reserved. Someone like me, who throws herself at you, naturally won’t be treasured.”

Gu Chaodong paused and glanced at her belly. He pulled her into his arms and said. “Who says I don’t treasure you? It’s just that… with Yan’er, after all these years, I still can’t quite let her go.”

“I understand, and I don’t blame you,” Shen Guiya inwardly rolled her eyes, but still smiled brightly. “I can wait for the day when my lord truly falls in love with me.”

A man’s ego needed to be stroked. The frustration Gu Chaodong had suffered at Shen Guiyan’s hands was now completely alleviated by Shen Guiya’s words. His frown eased, and he found her even more pleasing to the eye. “Mm, that day will come. Let’s get some rest.”

Shen Guiya gave a sweet smile and helped him onto the bed.

The next morning, Shen Guiya got up and decided to check out the layout of the northern courtyard. Unsurprisingly, she ran into Gu Chaobei.

“Where are you off to, Chaobei?” Shen Guiya asked with a smile.

Gu Chaobei glanced at her and stopped walking. He curved his lips slightly. “Just taking a stroll. What brings you to this side so early, sister-in-law?”

“I’m out for a walk too,” Shen Guiya said, looking around. Her maid, Yushu, tactfully stepped back to keep watch.

“Since I ran into you, there’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about,” Shen Guiya wasn’t well-versed in ancient speech phrasing, so she addressed him casually. Fortunately, Gu Chaobei was a rule-breaker himself and was somewhat curious about what she had to say. He raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

Shen Guiya sighed softly and stepped in closer. “Lately, your elder brother has been coming home very late—probably going to the Shen residence to see Third Sister again. If Third Sister weren’t betrothed, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but she’s already engaged to you. I can’t stop your brother, so maybe you should try to talk some sense into him.”

Gu Chaobei’s eyebrow twitched. “He’s still going?”

He hadn’t gone himself, yet this guy was still sneaking over there?

Shen Guiya nodded with another sigh. “It’s probably because Third Sister hasn’t rejected him, so he keeps going.”

Gu Chaobei pursed his lips, thinking for a moment before glancing at Shen Guiya’s face. He chuckled lightly. “I see. Thank you for the heads-up, sister-in-law.”

Shen Guiya shook her head. “You should pay more attention, too.”

Then, imitating the manners of ancient women, she gave him a formal bow and left.

In ancient times, communication was inconvenient, so rumors were especially damaging. Shen Guiya knew Gu Chaobei might not fully believe her, but she could take it slow. If the first attempt didn’t work, there would always be a second one.

Watching her retreating figure, Gu Chaobei scoffed before turning and heading straight for the Shen residence.

It was considered inauspicious for the bride and groom to meet before the wedding. Therefore,  Gu Chaobei didn’t use the main gate. Instead, he climbed over the wall again. Relying on his years of experience sneaking around, he easily made his way into the Swallow Pavilion.

Since it was still early, there were only a few people around to notice him. Once inside the Swallow Pavilion, Gu Chaobei casually climbed upstairs without a care in the world.

Baoshan caught sight of him and nearly dropped the washbasin in shock. “Fourth Young Master?!”

“I’m here to see your young lady,” Gu Chaobei said with a grin. Taking advantage of her dazed state, he slipped into Shen Guiyan’s room.

Shen Guiyan had just gotten up and was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking half-asleep. Last night, although she had managed to drive Gu Chaodong away, the incident left her unable to sleep, making it hard to get up this morning.

Her head swayed drowsily, threatening to collapse back onto the pillow. Witnessing this,  Gu Chaobei muffled his laughter. He caught her shoulders and steadied them. “Did you go stealing cattle last night?”

Shen Guiyan squinted at him through her bleary eyes, unable to recognize who he was for quite a while. Groggily, she mumbled, “Sleepy…”

Even with half-asleep eyes, she was still a beauty. Gu Chaobei cleared his throat softly. He took the towel from the basin Baoshan was holding, wrung it out, and began carefully wiping her face.

Baoshan stood frozen to the side, staring at Young Master Gu’s side profile, swallowing hard.

By the time her face was wiped clean, Shen Guiyan had finally come to her senses. Recognizing the man before her, she gasped in surprise. “Why are you here?!”

Instinctively, she glanced toward the door. This shameless rascal had a habit of barging into her room, and it was always at the worst possible moments!

“Did you miss me?” Gu Chaobei grinned cheekily at her. “I woke up this morning somehow thinking about you, so here I am.”

Shen Guiyan shoved him away and dragged Baoshan behind the folding screen. “Fourth Young Master Gu, save your sweet talk for someone else. I prefer people who act rather than hear them talk.”

Baoshan immediately set the basin down and hurriedly helped her change. Shen Guiyan kept glaring through the gaps in the screen, worried that this rascal might suddenly charge in on an impulse.

Gu Chaobei sat obediently on the edge of her bed and clicked his tongue. “Yan’er, you really have no sense of romance. Anyone else I said that to would’ve said they missed me too.”

“I could never say something like that!” Shen Guiyan retorted, now dressed in a green long skirt with a yellow overcoat, looking fresh and refined.

Gu Chaobei’s eyes lit up, pulled her over and said, “That outfit of yours is just perfect. Come out with me today, alright?”

Shen Guiyan was startled and immediately shook her head. “I can’t leave the residence. I still have to finish embroidering my wedding dress.”

“Just have your maid cover for you,” Gu Chaobei said, pouting slightly. “I wanted to take you to Luoxia Mountain.”

Luoxia Mountain? Shen Guiyan frowned. That place was full of graves. What was there to see? Gu Chaobei had always been eccentric, but she had no intention of following him into his madness. If they were both punished later, it would be utterly absurd.

“I’d rather—”

Before she could finish her words, something was stuffed into her mouth, her hands were grabbed, and everything around her spun. 

“Mmph! Mmph!” Gu Chaobei!

Gu Chaobei grinned at the horrified Baoshan. “Good girl, I’m taking your young lady out to have some fun, so she doesn’t have to go around scowling all day. A bride like her should be happy. Stay here and cover for her. I promise to bring her back before dark.”

“But—” Baoshan wanted to protest that she couldn’t possibly cover for this, but before she could even finish her sentence, Fourth Young Master Gu had already whisked her mistress away in a blur.

Getting into the residence undetected could already be considered fortunate, but how could the two of them leave without being noticed? Shen Guiyan’s eyes widened in panic as she watched Gu Chaobei pull out two pieces of black cloth. He tossed one over her head and used the other to cover his own face.

And just like that, he dashed straight past the gatekeeper with her in tow.

The gatekeeper stood there stunned, clearly never having seen something like this. By the time he snapped out of it and started running after them, Gu Chaobei had already leapt onto his horse with her and galloped off.

“A kidnapping!” The gatekeeper didn’t know what else to shout, so he could only yell these words.

Seated on the horse, Shen Guiyan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This mess had gotten way out of hand. Once the manor was checked, they would know for sure she was missing. What was the point of covering her head?

“Hahaha!” Gu Chaobei glanced back at the pursuers and laughed heartily. Shen Guiyan yanked the cloth out of her mouth and angrily bit his arm.

“Tsk, your bite isn’t hard enough. Don’t they feed you meat in that residence?” Gu Chaobei looked down at her and laughed. “Come on, this big brother will take you out to eat some meat!”

Shen Guiyan was on the verge of tears from frustration. She had always been proper and obedient—how could she have ever encountered such a scoundrel! Leaving the residence like this today, how could she expect to have any good outcome when she returned?

“You bastard!”

“Oho, so you can actually curse?” Gu Chaobei raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were some kind of temple-carved Bodhisattva, all gentle and soft-spoken. Who knew you had it in you?”

Look at her, all that liveliness in her spirit was suppressed under the heavy weight of rules. He thought it would always stay buried like that forever.

Shen Guiyan snorted coldly and gritted her teeth. “If I didn’t curse at you for being this outrageous, you’d think you did nothing wrong. Fourth Young Master Gu, it’s not too late for us to go back right now.”

“Since we’re already out, what’s the point of going back?” Gu Chaobei scoffed. “Just do whatever makes you happy. Why worry about what’s proper or not?”

Shen Guiyan frowned and thought for a moment. She then mustered all her strength to drive her elbow hard into his ribs.

“Ugh!” This time it really hurt. Gu Chaobei’s face turned slightly pale. He looked at his left shoulder, both annoyed and amused at the same time. “What was that for?”

“Didn’t you say ‘do whatever makes you happy’?” Shen Guiyan said coolly. “In that case, if it makes me happy, killing you wouldn’t be a crime.”

***

✒️ TL Note:

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