Gu Nian regained her composure, intending to startle Chu Zhaoyang, but unexpectedly, he turned around suddenly, startling her instead.
Startled, she instinctively took a small step back, only to be pulled back by Chu Zhaoyang.
"How did you know I was here?" Gu Nian asked.
"I knew the moment you entered," Chu Zhaoyang said smugly.
It was quite miraculous; wherever she was, he could sense her presence without seeing her.
"Then why pretend not to see me?" Gu Nian muttered.
"Seeing your mischievous look, I was curious to see what you were up to," Chu Zhaoyang chuckled, glancing at her. "But I never expected that even at this age, you'd still be so childish."
Gu Nian: "..."
"They say pregnancy makes one absent-minded for three years," Chu Zhaoyang continued. "When you were pregnant with Little Millet Cake, you were absent-minded for three years. Now, it seems like another three years of absent-mindedness."
Gu Nian: "..."
Did this man really joke about his own wife like this?
"When did you come over?" Gu Nian decided not to argue with him on this matter.
Okay, she admitted her behavior just now was a bit childish, somewhat like Little Millet Cake.
Little Millet Cake also liked to startle her for no reason.
Chu Zhaoyang raised his wrist to check the time. "About an hour and a half ago. I woke up early and had nothing to do, so I came to see if there were any books on pregnancy or childcare. I didn't expect the collection here to be so extensive, including books on this subject."
Seeing her still blushing, clearly just awake with a face full of sleepiness, Chu Zhaoyang felt she seemed even more beautiful.
Her skin was moist and seemed like it could drip water if squeezed.
Maybe it was because she had just woken up, her big eyes still carried a charming innocence.
Chu Zhaoyang closed the book, lowered his head, and kissed her on the lips. "Just woke up?"
There were many tourists around, and Gu Nian felt a bit embarrassed by his kiss.
Fortunately, there were bookshelves around.
Gu Nian blushed and nodded, "I woke up and saw the note you left, so I came over."
"Are you hungry?" Chu Zhaoyang asked.
Gu Nian's eyes lit up, "Did you buy the spicy skewers?"
"As luck would have it, I had the clan department go out and they found a hot pot restaurant from the North City in Y Country. So, all the equipment, skewers, everything was prepared."
"Well, we should thank them and encourage them to open more branches worldwide," Gu Nian said with a big smile. She hadn't expected Yan Beicheng's hidden foodie tendencies to be so helpful.
The more Gu Nian thought about it, the more she craved it, urging Chu Zhaoyang to hurry to the restaurant.
Inside the castle's restaurant, the original decor and atmosphere were preserved.
Exquisite and intricate crystal chandeliers illuminated the restaurant grandly.
In the middle was a long dining table where if you sat at either end, you'd have to shout to converse.
Guests who wanted to dine in the restaurant had to sit together at the long dining table; there were no small tables to separate them.
Because of this, Chu Zhaoyang had informed the restaurant in advance, arranging for a hot pot meal today to avoid disrupting other diners.
The guests visiting here were either accustomed to Western cuisine or simply not fond of it.
Those accustomed to Western food were unimpressed by it, but they were particularly interested in exotic dishes, especially renowned Chinese cuisine.
On the other hand, guests not used to Western food were overwhelmed with joy upon seeing the hot pot, their eyes teary with excitement, eager to dive right in.
As a result, everyone was exceptionally happy, with no objections from any guests. Instead, they spread the word, encouraging others who didn't know about it to come and try the experience.
Despite the large amount of ingredients brought back by the clan department, it seemed insufficient. Fortunately, the kitchen itself was well stocked, requiring minimal preparation beyond slicing and processing.
For their first dinner at the castle, everyone ate with great satisfaction.
Several fair-skinned foreigners tried the spicy hot pot ingredients, their faces turning red and their necks thickening, tears streaming down as they kept sniffing, yet persistently continuing.
While crying, they also gave a thumbs-up, which amused Gu Nian to no end.
***
Gu Nian had only come to experience what it was like to stay in a real castle. So after staying here for two days, she left with Chu Zhaoyang.
They didn't tell their family about leaving early to return to B City.
When they arrived at the old mansion, Chu Zhaoyang was infected with a mischievous idea by Gu Nian.
The two stopped at the gate of the old mansion. Chu Zhaoyang turned to look at Gu Nian and saw her smiling like a cat that had stolen fish, urging him to ring the doorbell quickly.
At this time, Mu Lanshu was also in the old mansion chatting with the old lady, and Little Millet Cake was playing motion-controlled games barefoot on the carpet, jumping up and down while playing virtual tennis with a game controller in his hand.
Since he was moving around like this, the old lady didn't stop him.
When they heard the doorbell, Aunt Gao walked to the entrance and pressed the video intercom.
The sight on the screen surprised Aunt Gao.
"Young Master, Young Madam!" Aunt Gao exclaimed.
The old couple and Mu Lanshu were also surprised when they heard Gaoshen's exclamation.
"What's going on?" the old lady and Mu Lanshu looked over together, and the old man raised his eyebrows.
Little Millet Cake held the controller and stood still, stunned.
"The Young Master and Young Madam are back," Aunt Gao said quickly, opening the door for them.
"Weren't they supposed to be away for half a month? How come they're back so soon?" the old lady worried that something had happened to them outside.