mtl008 Chapter 286 Lu Tao nodded
Chapter 286 Lu Tao nodded
Chapter 286, Lu Tao nodded.
Gu Yu let out a suppressed groan, gripping the chair, his face pale. "It hurts..."
"Lord Duke?" Lu Tao stood up in surprise.
Gu Yu looked up, beads of sweat already forming on his forehead. "My back...it suddenly hurts..."
Upon hearing this, Lu Tao's heart clenched.
She quickly came to Gu Yu's side. "Lord Duke, don't move. Let me help you press it."
Gu Yu nodded obediently.
Lu Tao gently pressed her hand on his back, massaging it with moderate pressure.
Gu Yu's previously stiff muscles gradually relaxed...
"Didn't you use the things Tian Tian gave you properly?" Lu Tao asked while massaging him. "Didn't I tell you to use them every day?"
Before she could finish speaking, she felt Gu Yu's body trembling slightly.
Lu Tao thought he was in a lot of pain, so she sped up, saying, "Just bear with it, it'll be over soon."
Gu Yu nodded...
Lu Tao pressed it gently...
But as she continued pressing, she suddenly realized that the other person had stopped talking.
He turned his head suspiciously, only to find Gu Yu secretly laughing, showing no signs of pain at all.
"You!" Lu Tao was stunned, then realized what she meant. "You lied to me?!"
Her face flushed bright red instantly. "Lord Duke, how could you do this?"
She pulled her hand back, but Gu Yu grabbed it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lie to you."
Lu Tao was both ashamed and angry, and insisted on pulling her hand back, saying, "You, you've gone too far."
Turn around and leave.
Seeing this, Gu Yu quickly pulled her back.
"Mrs. Lu, I'm sorry."
"I really didn't mean it."
Gu Yu: "I just wanted to test whether you care about me too."
Lu Tao froze, and her struggling movements stopped.
Gu Yu said sincerely from the bottom of his heart, "Madam Lu, you don't know, the first time you came to the manor to teach the housekeeper how to use that air conditioner... I felt that you were very special."
"And then I... developed feelings for you."
"Later, you brought me breakfast." Gu Yu's voice was soft, but exceptionally clear. "No one has ever cared about me like this before."
"It makes me feel very warm."
Lu Tao's heart raced and her face burned. Thinking that the two children had gone to order food and would be back soon, she said, "Lord Duke, you, you don't need to say anymore. His Highness and Tian Tian will be back soon."
She would be so embarrassed if the children saw her.
To everyone's surprise, Gu Yu held her hand tightly and pulled her back to face him.
"No, I have to say it."
"His Highness and Sweetie will not be returning for the time being."
Lu Tao was slightly taken aback. What did this mean? Could it be...?
“These days, I’ve been thinking... whether my feelings for you are romantic or sibling-like.”
"After all, I've never had any romantic experience, and I'm afraid I'll make a mistake..."
Lu Tao felt her heart was about to jump out of her chest. She lowered her head in embarrassment, but couldn't find a crack in the ground to hide in.
Gu Yu didn't mind. "I've thought it through now, Madam Lu. I love you, not in a brother-sister way, but in a romantic way."
"I want to protect you."
Lu Tao stammered as she opened her mouth, "But...you are the Duke, a hero of Daqi, while I am just a peasant woman, and my husband died young..."
"In my eyes, you are the person I love, no matter what you are like, I love you."
I liked it twice. It felt awkward when I first said it, but once I said it, it came out naturally.
"Madam Lu, I love you."
Lu Tao's eyes welled up with tears... "I'm not good enough for you..."
"Don't talk nonsense," Gu Yu stopped her. "You are the best."
Lu Tao's heart wavered at that moment.
She slowly raised her head and met Gu Yu's deep gaze.
His gaze made her heart race.
"Peach...er, may I call you that?"
"Would you...would you be my Duchess?"
“I swear, I will treat you sincerely, and I will also treat the children sincerely.”
Lu Tao hesitated again upon hearing this question...
What will the children think?
Gu Yu looked forward to it...
But Lu Tao was really worried about the children's reaction.
“I… I want to ask the children what they think first,” she said.
Gu Yu sighed helplessly, "Tao'er, let's not worry about what the children think for now. Tell me your thoughts first... so I can put my mind at ease."
Lu Tao looked up and saw his face filled with expectation and worry.
Her heart softened, and she nodded slightly.
Gu Yu blinked, afraid he was seeing things, "Tao'er, you, you're willing?!"
Lu Tao then hummed in agreement.
Gu Yu was overjoyed and pulled the person into his arms, saying, "That's wonderful, that's wonderful."
Lu Tao was initially somewhat reserved, but gradually, her body softened.
The two cuddled for a while before breaking up and sitting back in their seats.
However, their eyes remained glued together, constantly looking at each other.
When Tian Tian and Ling Yao returned, they could tell at a glance that they had been separated.
"Mother..." Tian Tian called out once, and Lu Tao's face almost turned red.
"I...I'll go to the kitchen to help Third Aunt..." Lu Tao immediately fled in panic.
Tian Tian glanced at Ling Yao, then followed Lu Tao.
Ling Yao asked Gu Yu anxiously, "Lord Duke, how is it?"
Gu Yu was a little embarrassed, but he nodded and said, "Yes, Tao'er agrees."
"She is willing to be the Duchess of the State."
Ling Yao was also happy, "That's great."
Looking at Gu Yu, he thought to himself, "The Duke... he's actually quite shrewd, addressing Madam Lu as Tao'er now..."
Thinking back, he... still only called Tian Tian "Sweetie".
Later, he'll try changing his tune...
Over there, Tian Tian caught up with Lu Tao.
"Mother!" She grabbed Lu Tao's hand. "Don't run so fast!"
Lu Tao was forced to stop, her face still flushed.
"Sweet..."
"Mom, what do you say?" Tian Tian asked.
"What do you mean, how so?" Lu Tao instinctively wanted to hide it, but suddenly realized something was wrong. "How did you know...?"
She understood. "You and His Highness... knew beforehand that he... he was going to say those things to me?"
Tian Tian quickly waved her hand, "We have no idea what the Duke wants to say to Mother."
"All we know is that the Duke wants to ask Mother if she has feelings for him."
For Lu Tao, "..." means exactly that.
"Oh, sweetie, you're ganging up with outsiders to bully your mother?" Lu Tao said, her face turning red again.
Seeing this, Tian Tian raised an eyebrow and asked teasingly, "Mother, who's the outsider?"
"Is the Duke an outsider?"
Lu Tao stomped her foot in embarrassment and annoyance, "You little brat..."
After saying that, she grabbed her skirt and ran away.
Seeing her like this, Tian Tian understood everything.
Just as I was about to turn around and go back to the front hall, I saw three heads peeking out from the corner.
"Sweetie, come here." Liu San Niang beckoned.
Behind her, Tian Xiang and Qin Youyou waved.
Tian Tian walked over, "Aunt Liu? Eldest sister, third sister? What are you doing here..."
The dog is acting suspiciously?!
Liu San Niang pulled her to her side, "Tian Tian, is your mother and the Duke...done together?"
Tian Tian smiled and nodded, "I think so."
"What do you mean by 'should' or 'shouldn't'? If it is, it is; if it isn't, it isn't," Liu San Niang said anxiously.
Tian Tian nodded, "Yes, it's done."
Liu San Niang immediately turned to look at Tian Xiang and Qin Youyou, "See, what did I tell you?"
Tian Tian smiled and asked, "What did Aunt Liu say?"
Liu San Niang pointed at the two surprised people behind her, "I'm talking about them!!"
"Slow and hesitant, is there something you can't explain clearly?"
"Now that Sister Lu and the Duke are together, they might even get married before you two."
Once she heard her say that, Tian Tian understood.
Looking at Tian Xiang and Qin Youyou, both of them looked depressed.
“Aunt Liu is right.” Tian Tian took the opportunity to encourage them, “If there are any knots in your heart or any problems, you really should talk them out.”
“You’re sad, and Cui Mingyi and Qin Qingyun are also feeling bad because they can’t see you.”
Why torture yourself and the other person like this?
Tian Xiang and Qin Youyou exchanged a glance, their expressions grave.
But it's clear they are reflecting on their actions.
"Alright, let's not talk about your issues for now. You can think about it yourselves."
"The Duke is having dinner at home today, so we should go and pay him a visit."
"Let's go."
Tian Tian led the group to the front hall.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Gu Yu immediately stood up, readily accepting everyone's scrutiny.
Liu San Niang looked her over openly and generously, and finally said, "Sister Lu has excellent taste!"
Gu Yu cupped his hands in greeting, "I presume this is Madam Liu. I, Gu, greet you, Madam."
Liu San Niang covered her mouth and chuckled, "What do you mean by Madam Liu? I wouldn't dare accept that title, brother-in-law."
Upon hearing the word "brother-in-law," Gu Yu burst into a hearty laugh, "Thank you for your approval, sister."
Tian Xiang, standing to the side, was also sizing up Gu Yu.
Lu Tao has three children: Tian Jinghe is still young, and Tian Tian... she is not the original owner of this body.
Of all the people, Tian Xiang had the deepest impression of her father, Tian Zhiyuan.
In her heart, she had blamed Tian Zhiyuan countless times for not being able to protect her mother and the three siblings.
No matter how strange he is, he is still his father.
Now that her mother is going to be with this man, she is filled with mixed emotions.
Actually, Tian Xiang had considered the issue of Lu Tao remarrying before.
At that time, she felt that her mother had suffered too much in her life.
Fortunately, my younger sister is capable and has made our lives prosperous.
Otherwise, she didn't even dare to imagine what her family would be like after her father passed away.
Life is getting better, so if Mother wants to remarry, that would be a good thing.
She felt she could accept it.
But when that day actually came...
Tian Xiang found herself still very worried.
She worried about her mother's problems just as much as she worried about her own.
She worried whether the man in front of her could truly be good to her mother for the rest of his life.
She worried that the man in front of her would one day regret it.
"Lord Duke, will you be good to my mother for the rest of your life?"
Will you never regret it?
“My mother was married and had three children.”
"You really don't mind her?"
When Tian Xiang asked these questions, everyone in the room looked at her.
Tian Tian's eyes welled up with tears. She knew that the question Tian Xiang asked was also a knot in Tian Xiang's own heart.
At this moment, Lu Tao went to the kitchen but didn't see anyone. The food was already prepared, and there was nothing to do, so she returned to the front hall.
Hearing Tian Xiang's question, she stopped outside.
She also wanted to hear Gu Yu's answer.
"I don't know what the future holds, but my heart tells me right now that I will be good to Tao'er for the rest of my life."
"I won't regret it."
"So what if your mother was married and had children? What does that matter to me?"
"That's how she was when I loved her."
"I only feel that I'm not good enough for her, how could I possibly look down on her?"
Gu Yu paused for a moment, "Even if I regret it someday, it will be my fault, not her fault."
Lu Tao, standing outside the door, was deeply moved...
Tian Tian was very surprised.
Many people, when faced with a sudden and unexpected relationship, are always afraid that the other person might regret it someday.
When one party regrets something, the other party always questions themselves, feeling that they are not good enough, which is why the other party regrets it.
Questioning oneself leads to self-deprecation.
But as Gu Yu said, the other party's regret is because they did not hold on to their original intentions, not because the other party was not good enough.
After listening to Gu Yu's words, Tian Xiang and Qin Youyou suddenly understood.
Lu Tao wiped away her tears and bravely walked in. "Alright, everyone, let's go to the dining room. The food is ready."
She walked towards Gu Yu with a bright smile, "Let's go."
Gu Yu opened his eyes wide and responded heavily, "Yes."
The two walked out of the front hall side by side.
The others followed...
Upon arriving at the dining room, Lu Tao sat down with Gu Yu quite naturally, and the two even passed food to each other...
"Peach, you eat."
"Brother Yu, you should eat too."
Tian Tian really didn't expect that middle-aged people could be so cloying.
She picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and placed it in Ling Yao's bowl in a sweet voice, "Brother Yao, please try this. This is the most popular dish at Tea Fragrance Pavilion."
Ling Yao cooperated readily, "Thank you, Tian'er."
Lu Tao gave Tian Tian a coquettish look...
Gu Yu comforted her, "Tao'er, ignore them. Young people can be affectionate, why can't we?"
After dinner, the family sat down.
Gu Yu then formally addressed Lu Tao and the others, saying, "Since Tao'er and I are of the same mind, I plan to request the Emperor's decree to grant us a marriage tomorrow."
"I hope the young lady, the princess, and the two county princesses will agree."
Liu San Niang, Tian Tian, Tian Xiang, and Qin Youyou looked at each other.
Lu Tao also looked at them.
Liu San Niang smiled awkwardly, "This... I have always hoped that my sister could be happy. I have no objection, and in fact, I am very happy."
She gave Lu Tao a supportive look.
Tian Tian also chimed in, "I have no objection either."
Marriage is a personal matter.
But she looked at Gu Yu and said, "I only hope that the Duke can really treat my mother as he says he will."
Then she looked at Lu Tao and said, "Mother, if the Duke ever regrets his decision, I will come and bring you back immediately."
Upon hearing this, Lu Tao nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "Yes."
Qin Youyou glanced at Tian Xiang, but seeing that she didn't intend to speak, she said first, "Of course I have no objection. I also hope that Aunt Lu can be happy."
Finally, everyone looked at Tian Xiang...
Tian Xiang gave a relieved smile. "I have no objection either."
"Mom, congratulations."
Gu Yu hesitated, glancing at everyone, "Then... what about Jinghe..."
Tian Jinghe is still at Qingya Academy...