Lord number 02

As a narcissist, Gu Jiao collected handsome men in her previous life, but none of them... to be precise, all of them combined were incomparable to the one before her.

This man has an exceptionally clean face, his brow and eye contours were delicately chiseled like jade, his pair of eyes were bitterly cold, they were as deep as a cold pool.

His face exhibits an unhealthy pallor, but it is tinged with a blush of embarrassment. Surprisingly, this makes him appear somewhat enticing.

Also considering his age, Gu Jiao thinks he is more of a lad than a man.

"Have you seen enough?" Xiao Liulang asked through gritted teeth.

"Not enough, but..." Gu Jiao glanced at the man's body, her phoenix eyes squinting a bit, "I was afraid I'd crush you."

Saying this, Gu Jiao pretentiously stood up.

However, although she stood up, her eyes still stayed on him, as if they were spinning around him, exploring him.

"Gu Jiao, you…" Xiao Liulang got angry and embarrassed under her gaze.

"Do you want me to help you up?" Gu Jiao reaches out her hand with a grin.

"No need!"

Xiao Liulang coldly turned his body to the side, using a chair nearby for support to stand up.

It was clear that his movements were inconvenient, yet he still rejected Gu Jiao's kindness.

Then, he ignored Gu Jiao and hobbled out of the room.

At this moment, Gu Jiao remembered who he was, he was the original owner's husband, Xiao Liulang.

Xiao Liulang was rescued by Gu Jiao. After he woke up, the Gu Family inquired about his situation. They found out he was an orphan with nowhere to go. Without a second thought, they forced Xiao Liulang to marry Gu Jiao by reminding him that man should not receive gifts from a woman, that their daughter had saved his life, and that it would be proper for him to marry her to preserve her reputation and so forth.

Although they were supposedly married, it was more like he married into her family. Their current dwelling was provided by the Gu Family and the land they cultivated was also allocated by the Gu Family, both being the poorest quality.

When they got married, Gu Jiao didn't know that Xiao Liulang was disabled. Once she found out, she gradually started to despise him, and turned to flirt with Young Master Xiaoqin in the town.

The villagers felt that Xiao Liulang was wronged and often said that a pretty flower has ended up in a pile of cow dung. Xiao Liulang was the flower, and the cow dung was her.

Gu Jiao didn't know what Xiao Liulang was thinking. However, by ignoring her in such a miserable state, his disgust towards the original owner was evident.

Gu Jiao opened the cupboard intending to change out of her wet clothes, but she was disappointed to find that there was not a single clean dress in there.

"Brother Xiao, are you there?"

A delicate voice suddenly came from outside the door.

The voice belonged to a young woman dressed in a purple floral jacket. The young woman had her hair polished and wore makeup. She was carrying a basket on her arm, covered with a floral cloth that obscured whatever was inside.

Gu Jiao quickly dug up this character from the original owner's memory – Qingquan Village's young widow, Xue Ningxiang.

Xue Ningxiang was their neighbor and loved to knick in their house. Most of the time she would come when the original owner wasn't home, but sometimes, the original owner would run into her. The original owner was not so bright, and she had

been tricked by Xue Ningxiang quite a few times.

The news of Xiaoqin's visit to the village was also forwarded to the original owner by Xue Ningxiang.

"Oh, isn't this Sister Ningxiang? Coming over at broad daylight, what brings you to our house?"

Xue Ningxiang was startled by the sudden appearance of Gu Jiao. Then she said disappointedly, "Why is it you?"

Gu Jiao smiled, then gently knocked on the door panel and said, "This is my house, isn't it odd to see me here? What are you disappointed about?"

Xue Ningxiang was choked by her words. Obviously, she was disappointed not to see Xiao Liulang.

Xue Ningxiang took another look at Gu Jiao.

She was still the same person, but now she seemed somewhat unfamiliar. She was no longer as wooden as before, her eyes were filled with spirit. Despite being all wet, she didn't seem at all embarrassed. On the contrary, she exuded an intimidating aura.

She must be seeing things. How can a dunce change her demeanor so dramatically?

Xue Ningxiang raised her chin and said, "I'm here for Brother Xiao!"

Gu Jiao gave a faint smile. "Brother Xiao, you seem really close, are you and my husband good friends?"

"Get out of my way!" Xue Ningxiang couldn't be bothered with her.

"And what if I don't?" Gu Jiao blocked her way.

Xue Ningxiang didn't take Gu Jiao seriously at all, and pushed her away without a second thought.

Gu Jiao easily stepped aside, hooking her foot as she went.

"Ahhh—"

Xue Ningxiang toppled over, taking the basket with her in an undignified sprawl.

"You simpleton Gu! You tripped me!"

This kind of scene had played out many times before, only this time Xue Ningxiang was the one who ended up on the ground.

Gu Jiao crossed her arms, half-leaning against the doorframe, her gaze seemed to say, So what if I tripped you? Why don't you try tripping me back?

Xue Ningxiang seriously wondered if she was seeing things.

In fact, there had long been animosity between her and the original host. The village's two notorious women were Gu Jiao and the widow Xue Ningxiang. But Xue Ningxiang was beautiful and diligent, so she felt superior to Gu Jiao.

When Xiao Liulang fainted at the entrance of the village, it was Xue Ningxiang and the original host who found him. Xue Ningxiang, afraid of the trouble he might bring, went to call for help from the villagers, but the original host brought the stranger straight home.

After it was confirmed that Xiao Liulang was a harmless scholar, Xue Ningxiang regretted her initial reluctance.

Just as Xue Ningxiang was about to launch into a tirade, Xiao Liulang walked out with a cold expression.

Seeing him, Xue Ningxiang immediately switched her demeanor and cried out pathetically, "Brother Xiao, she bullied me! She tripped me with her foot!"

Gu Jiao turned to Xiao Liulang, with an innocent shrug, "She pushed me first."

Xue Ningxiang gasped, "Brother Xiao, you heard her—she admitted it—"

"Sister Ningxiang, did you come for something?" Xiao Liulang cut her off.

Xue Ningxiang was taken aback.

She looked at Xiao Liulang, then at Gu Jiao, picked up her fallen basket and said, "I...uh... I haven't properly thanked you for helping me with that letter last time. I heard you had nothing to eat at home, so I dug up some sweet potatoes for you... "

"That won't be necessary, Sister Ningxiang. We still have cornmeal at home. You should take these home and eat them yourself," Xiao Liulang said.

Xue Ningxiang bit her lip, "But... "

Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow, "He just told you to take them back, didn't you hear?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but her eyes, seemingly amused yet not, hid an intimidating coldness.

Xue Ningxiang felt a tingling sensation on her scalp. Not daring to stay a moment longer, she left with her basket in tow.

Gu Jiao smiled at her cheap husband, "I never would've guessed, a little cripple like you has quite the female following."

Xiao Liulang gave Gu Jiao an indifferent glance and limped back into the house.

"Ouch—"

Her wound started to hurt again.

Gu Jiao, holding her head, went back to her room as well.

She sat on a stool, touched her wound, it was quite a gash, not too deep but if not disinfected in time, it would likely get infected. But this was ancient times, where was she supposed to find the means to disinfect the wound?

"If only my first aid kit was still here."

As the thought crossed her mind, she felt a sharp pain in her head which knocked her unconscious.

When she woke up, she was surprised to find a box on the table in front of her.