NCCnovel Chapter 163 The 1st Rain
Chapter 163 The 1st Rain
The corner of the blanket was lifted as she got up.
The cold air rushed into the warm bed, startling Gu Peiyan into opening her eyes, sitting up, and tilting her head to ask, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, I just had a really strange dream." Wei Dongning rubbed her face, trying to wake herself up from the absurd dream: "I dreamt about a bunch of things that don't exist."
"Dreams are always the opposite of reality; just forget about them when you wake up. It's getting late, let's get up and pack. We'll head out in a bit."
Yesterday, after they finished dinner, they went to Gu Song's courtyard.
Gu Peiyan gave him a general overview of what had happened at the Censorate recently.
He also explained what he was going to do today.
They thought Gu Song would stop them, but he just nodded knowingly and told them to have fun today.
After finishing breakfast, Wei Dongning excitedly pulled Gu Peiyan into the carriage.
Gu Peiyan has many official duties, and she also has many things to deal with at home.
Their free time was enough for them to wander around the capital.
If you want to go somewhere a little further away, you don't have much time.
Wei Dongning lifted the curtain on the car window and peered outside: "I've always said I wanted to go out and have fun, but I could never find the time. Now this wish can finally come true."
"I remember someone rejected this offer yesterday?" Gu Peiyan scratched Xiao Wu's chin twice, listening to its comfortable purring, and casually turned the book on Xiao Wu's back to the next page.
Wei Dongning could tell he was "mocking" her, but she pretended not to care. The next second, she poked him in the soft flesh of his waist and said, "I call that being responsible, okay?"
"Yes, yes, yes, A-Ning is the most responsible. I am ashamed of myself."
"It's good that you know. I've had a very tough time too."
When she combed her hair this morning, she noticed that she had been losing more hair than before due to recent fatigue, which made her very distressed.
Although Zhuangzi lived a short distance from the capital, it wasn't too far away.
In addition, they left relatively early today.
Therefore, when they arrived at the village, it was not yet lunchtime.
Wei Dongning was very satisfied with this: "From now on, all actions will be arranged by me. Do you have any objections?"
"No."
“Very good.” Wei Dongning clapped her hands sharply. “Then, Xiao Fu, take Qian Rong to find the fishing gear. Gu Peiyan and I will wait for you by the river.”
"Young Madam, do you need some firewood? The fish we caught can be grilled directly."
Wei Dongning's thoughts wavered for a moment.
After thinking it over carefully, and realizing that he knew nothing but fishing and eating, he gave up the idea: "No need, I don't even know if I can catch anything."
"Alright." Xiao Fu was a little regretful, but still handed over the kite she was holding to them and took Qian Rong to the storeroom to find a fishing rod.
Gu Peiyan took the kite from him and followed Wei Dongning and Xiao Wu towards the river.
“I’ve got it all planned out. When we get to the river, we’ll fly kites while we wait for them to bring the fishing rods. If we’re lucky enough to catch some fish, we’ll have fish soup for lunch.”
"it is good."
"If we still have energy this afternoon, let's ride horses and take a ride around the nearby hills."
"it is good."
Wei Dongning realized that no matter what she said, this person was like a human machine, only answering "okay" repeatedly. She immediately had the idea to tease him: "Then you fly the kite later, and I'll watch you, okay?"
"it is good."
"I'll leave the fishing to you as well."
"it is good."
"I want to eat what you made for lunch."
Gu Peiyan subconsciously replied "okay" again, but then, thinking of her lackluster cooking skills, she wanted to back out.
But Wei Dongning raised her hand and covered her mouth: "A gentleman's promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Or are you unwilling to cook for me? I've already made noodles for you."
Gu Peiyan silently swallowed her refusal, but helplessly gave her a heads-up: "If my cooking is bad, please don't complain."
"Don't worry, if it doesn't taste good, I'll just have a small bite."
Su Yizhuo once said, "Wei Dongning would never lose anything but her mouth."
Besides, Wei Dongning knew that Gu Peiyan had never cooked before, nor did she have any illusions about his culinary skills.
Xiao Wu, too lazy to listen to their flirtatious banter, shook his head and walked ahead of them as if inspecting his newly acquired territory.
He muttered to himself, "I should have gone with Sister Xiaofu and the others to get the things."
The two people and the cat found a suitable spot for fishing by the river.
There is also a pavilion not far away, which can provide them with a place to rest.
Little Wu squatted by the water's edge, constantly pawing at the surface with his little paws, stirring up ripples on the calm water.
A curious little fish swam over and saw its "natural enemy" by the water's edge. Its strong survival instinct made it use a "dragon tail swing" to swim back to the depths of the river.
Xiao Wu felt somewhat frustrated.
As a kitten, it couldn't even catch a small fish.
They patiently wait for the next prey to walk right into their trap.
Unfortunately, it seems that the little fish went back and told on us, because we didn't see another little fish for quite some time.
The calm water surface is like a mirror, reflecting the clouds in the sky.
Before long, Xiao Wu saw something that looked familiar.
Looking up, I realized I was right.
It was that kite with the three of them drawn on it, flying in the sky, looking down at them.
He immediately jumped to Wei Dongning's side and watched with her as Gu Peiyan flew the kite higher and higher.
However, the difference is that Xiao Wu is looking at the kites in the sky.
Wei Dongning was looking at Gu Peiyan, whose very hair exuded ease.
After years of tension, Gu Peiyan was visibly relaxed at this moment.
These are the things Wei Dongning most wanted to see on his face.
Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate. Before Xiao Fu and the others could even get their fishing rods and other equipment, the sky gradually darkened.
It's probably going to rain soon.
If there is thunder, the kite in Gu Peiyan's hand is the best tool to attract lightning.
Wei Dongning quickly cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and shouted loudly at Gu Peiyan, "Gu Peiyan, quickly put the kite away. It's going to rain."
Gu Peiyan also noticed the change in the weather and began reeling in her line as soon as Wei Dongning's voice rang out.
Not long after he finished reeling in the line, and Wei Dongning carrying Xiao Wu into the pavilion, a curtain of water appeared before their eyes.
"Is this the first rain of the year?" Wei Dongning listened to the pattering sound of raindrops and wanted to reach out, but Gu Peiyan pressed her hand back down.
"It's cold. Be careful." Gu Peiyan carefully put the kite back into its original cloth bag and answered her question: "It's not the first one."
But it was the first one they witnessed together.
Wei Dongning didn't have many romantic thoughts in her mind: "Huh? I didn't hear that it rained the other day."
"The first rain fell the night before last. It stopped shortly afterward."
He hadn't returned from the Censorate that day.
The task of organizing was nearing its end, and they all wanted to finish it as soon as possible.
Everyone stayed up all night to finish the last few tasks.
On my way back to my temporary lodging, I was hit in the face by fine raindrops.
However, the rain didn't last long, so much so that if Gu Peiyan hadn't experienced it firsthand and heard the discussions among her colleagues, she would have thought she was hallucinating.
Wei Dongning wasn't really fixated on an answer. Looking at the increasingly heavy rain, she said, "Oh, I wonder where Xiao Fu and the others are now? If they haven't set off yet, they might be able to avoid this rain."
If you're already halfway there, that's not a good sign.
After all, there was nowhere to shelter from the wind and rain along the way from there.
There's no guarantee that the two of them won't get soaked to the bone.
Gu Peiyan couldn't answer that question either.
Wei Dongning could only pin her hopes on Xiao Wu.
Before Xiao Wu could even answer, Wei Dongning saw two figures running towards them in the rain: "Young Master! Young Madam!"
"It seems they weren't as lucky as us," Gu Peiyan said, staring at their figures.
Wei Dongning nodded in deep agreement: "If I had known, I wouldn't have let them go on this trip. There's no hot tea here to warm them up."
During the conversation, Xiao Fu and Qian Rong had already run into the pavilion.
Fortunately, they ran fast enough that they didn't get completely soaked.
They all look quite pitiful, though.
Wei Dongning took out the silk handkerchiefs that she and Gu Peiyan always carried and handed them to the two of them: "Hurry up and wipe yourselves."
Gu Peiyan looked expressionless and did not say anything to stop it.
But Qianrong hesitated and was too embarrassed to accept it.
Wei Dongning clicked her tongue: "Why aren't you hurrying up and wiping yourself down? Are you planning to catch a cold?"
Xiao Fu chimed in, "That's right, we'll have to trouble Bao Xing to take care of you then."
"Take it."
After all three of them said so, Qian Rong's slight embarrassment completely disappeared. She took the silk handkerchief from Gu Peiyan and thanked her.
The handkerchiefs didn't solve much of the problem of how wet they were; they were better than nothing.
Fortunately, the rain didn't last long, and the sky gradually cleared up again.
Fearing that the two poor little ones who had been soaked in the rain would catch a cold, Wei Dongning stood up with Xiao Wu in her arms: "Let's go, let's hurry back to the front yard. I'll go tell the kitchen to make some soup to warm them up."
"Young Madam, aren't you going fishing?" Xiao Fu was still holding a fishing rod in his arms. After hearing her words, he raised it and shook it gently.
"There's no time to go fishing. Now listen to me, get up, head to the front yard, and let's go!"
Wei Dongning never actually participated in military training in her previous life because of a heart condition.
While others stood at attention or marched in formation, she sat in the shade of the tent, offering her spiritual support to her classmates.
Over time, she only learned the basics of those movements, but she mastered the instructor's commands perfectly.
Now, he's actually quite adept at directing these three people in front of him.
The group walked quickly back to the front yard, and Wei Dongning summoned the maids from the original estate: "Go and find them two sets of dry clothes, take them to change, and then tell the kitchen to cook some soup to ward off the cold."
"Yes, ma'am."
The maidservant led Xiao Fu and Qian Rong away, leaving Wei Dongning and Gu Peiyan alone in the room.
Gu Peiyan watched Wei Dongning walk around, touching and looking at everything, and asked softly, "After lunch, shall we go to the river again?"
He had finally managed to take her out for a trip, and he didn't want to leave her with any regrets.
Wei Dongning did not give a direct answer.
Looking down at Xiao Wu, he mentally communicated with it: "Check for me, will it rain this afternoon?"
"Yes. I just checked, and the probability of rain this afternoon is greater than 80%."
"understood."
Logically speaking, this weather should be perfect for fishing.
Her hesitation stems from the fact that if it rains halfway through their fishing trip, it might affect their return journey.
Seeing that she hadn't replied for a long time, Gu Peiyan didn't urge her, but just waited quietly for her to make a decision.
After thinking it over for a while, Wei Dongning still shook her head at him cautiously: "Looking at the sky, it still looks like it's going to rain. Let's finish lunch, rest for a bit, and head back early. As for fishing... we can go to the river near the capital next time you have a day off."
It's impossible to say there are no regrets at all, but there's always tomorrow.
They'll have plenty of time and opportunities later; a moment's delay won't make a difference.
Gu Peiyan concealed the complex emotions in her eyes and sighed regretfully, "I promised to take you out for a fun day, but it turned out to be raining. What a pity."
"It's not a pity. Do you know what the most important thing is when you go out to have fun?"
Gu Peiyan made a bunch of guesses.
But Wei Dongning denied every answer.
Even someone as clever as Gu Peiyan couldn't guess the answer at this moment, and humbly asked her for guidance: "Please enlighten me, Aning."
"So bookish." Wei Dongning rubbed her goosebump-covered arms and muttered a complaint, then a mischievous smile appeared on her lips: "When you're out having fun, the most important thing is, of course, to get out there."
Gu Peiyan was completely stunned by her words.
As far as his mind goes, he would never have thought of it from this angle if Wei Dongning hadn't mentioned it.
Xiao Wu also quietly moved a little further away from Wei Dongning: "Ningbao, the weather is already cold enough today, please stop adding lame jokes, okay?"
Seeing that neither of them seemed inclined to support her, Wei Dongning tilted her head and asked in an unquestionable tone, "Am I wrong?"
"Yes. As long as we're out, we can do whatever we want."
Wei Dongning was quite pleased with Gu Peiyan's understanding: "So, don't be so discouraged. Besides, you're going to cook lunch for me later, which is also a kind of fun."
Gu Peiyan hadn't forgotten the promise she'd just made. She gave her a deep look, secretly pondering what she should make for her later so it wouldn't seem too unacceptable, and ideally, something she liked to eat.
When Xiao Fu and Qian Rong returned to their side, they had already changed into clean clothes.
The maidservant also brought out a steaming bowl of hot soup to ward off the cold.
Wei Dongning started to back away as soon as she smelled the ginger.
However, Gu Peiyan had already anticipated her movements and stood behind her without her noticing, blocking her escape route.
When Wei Dongning crashed into the familiar chest, she knew she couldn't escape it any longer.
Holding a full bowl of hot soup, he muttered with a wry smile, "If I used this soup to cook sliced mutton, with sesame sauce, I could definitely eat two big bowls. And then have a couple of cloves of pickled garlic to cleanse my palate, just thinking about it makes me happy."
The more Wei Dongning thought about it, the hungrier she felt. She put the empty bowl on the table, put her hand on Gu Peiyan's arm, and earnestly suggested, "How about we have hot pot for lunch?"