Chapter 5
Dingguo Duke’s Mansion.
It was already around 3 o’clock in the afternoon (15:00-16:59).
Since the snow stopped during noon, the wind gradually subsided. Although the outside was still covered in white, the hazy sky finally showed some bright colors.
In the main mansion where the old lady of the Gu family lived, the maids wrapped in thick padded jackets were sweeping the snow, while the servant girls in the corridor had red faces from the cold but stood with proper posture, even though no one was watching. Their mouths were tightly closed, not uttering a word.
It can be seen that discipline was very strict here.
The atmosphere outside the mansion was very quiet. Behind a sandalwood curtain embroidered with red auspicious patterns, the silence inside the room was the same.
The female relatives of the mansion were sitting below.
Sitting on the right was a woman in her thirties, dressed in a red jacket with floral patterns and a blue satin skirt. Her hair was piled up in a bun, adorned with phoenix hairpins worn diagonally. Although she was not particularly beautiful, her features were well-defined, with clear eyes and a hint of dignity between her eyebrows.
This woman was called Fu Jiang, the concubine of Duke Dingguo Gu Wuji, and she was also the mistress of the Duke’s Mansion.
Opposite her was Liu Shi, with willow-shaped eyebrows and a melon seed face, looking very shrewd. She was dressed even more lavishly, with pearls and jade ornaments stacked on her, and even had two pure gold bracelets on her fair wrists, exuding more luxury than Fu Jiang.
The atmosphere in the room was strangely quiet.
The maids and servants all kept their heads down. Liu Shi was someone who couldn’t sit still. She put down the tea in her hand, bored, and said, “It’s been almost two hours. Why hasn’t Xiao Wu returned yet? Could it be—”
Her eyes glanced at Fu Jiang, and she chuckled, “She doesn’t want to come again, right?”
Fu Jiang, who was drinking tea, paused at these words. After a while, she said calmly, “Rong has personally gone to pick her up. Why wouldn’t Xiao Wu come back? Today’s snowstorm was heavy, so there might have been delays on the road.”
“You can’t be certain about that.”
Liu Shi narrowed her eyes and smiled. “Our Xiao Wu has done this kind of thing before, hasn’t she? But…” She paused and asked, “Has she said how long she’ll stay this time? She usually comes back only during the New Year celebrations. Isn’t it too early for her to return now?”
Upon hearing this, Fu Jiang frowned.
She couldn’t drink the tea anymore and placed it aside, looking at Liu Shi with furrowed brows. “What do you mean by that, Third Mistress? This is Xiao Wu’s home, and she can stay as long as she wants.”
Seeing her reaction, Liu Shi couldn’t help but click her tongue lightly in her heart.
After all, she was not the real mother of Xiao Wu. She didn’t believe that Fu Jiang was really happy about Gu Wuyou’s return. Every time that child came back, did it ever please the people in the house? That child, like a thorn all over, whoever touched it would suffer.
Of course.
The ones who suffered the most were Fu Jiang and her son.
Thinking of the sharp words that the bright and beautiful young girl had said, Fu Jiang probably already hated Gu Wuyou in her heart.
But there’s nothing she can do.
Who made Gu Wuyou have such good luck? Not only did he have the Wang family as a backing, but also an aunt who became the empress, and was even granted the title of Princess County when he was still in swaddling clothes. Even their Duke Dingguo, he doted on her.
There was no point in disliking it, one could only endure it.
She playfully played with the gold bracelet on her wrist and wanted to tease Fu Jiang a bit more. Just when she was about to say something, the old lady of the Gu family sitting on the bed suddenly spoke, “Xiao Wu is not leaving this time.”
As soon as she said that, Liu Shi’s smile froze on her face. She turned her head to look at the old lady on the bed wearing a purple sandalwood armor, with her eyes closed, holding prayer beads, and exclaimed, “What?!”
Thinking of the letter that arrived ten days ago, she continued in disbelief, “Could it be true? Xiao Wu really broke off the engagement with the Zhao family?!”
No one answered her.
The old lady kept her eyes closed, holding the prayer beads, her face as calm as ever.
Fu Jiang remained silent.
Although she was Gu Wuyou’s stepmother, she had no say in these matters.
Liu Shi seemed still immersed in her immense surprise, murmuring, “What is she thinking? She was perfectly fine, yet she suddenly wants to break off the engagement? What kind of person is the young master of the Zhao family that she would be willing to do this? She seems to be getting more and more unreasonable… ”
She hadn’t finished her sentence.
The old lady opened her eyes. At fifty-five, her eyes were clear, and her expression was solemn, without a hint of a smile, appearing very dignified. She stared at Liu Shi without saying a word, which made Liu Shi involuntarily stop talking.
When Liu Shi fell silent, the room remained quiet for a while.
The old lady started playing with the prayer beads again and calmly said, “This matter is already settled. There is no need to mention it again in the future. Tong Jiaye, pay attention to it. If anyone in the mansion brings up Xiao Wu’s marriage again, punish them according to our family rules.”
Fu Jiang responded with a “Yes.”
“Xiao Wu is the legitimate young lady of our Gu family. This is her home. If someone without any sense talks nonsense, don’t bring it up in front of her.” Although this statement did not directly mention any names, it was clearly directed at Liu Shi.
Liu Shi had just been stared at by Madam Gu for a while, feeling a chill down her spine, her face turning pale. How could she dare to say anything now? Bowing her head, she meekly responded like a quail.
At this moment, on the official road.
Gu Wuyou had been sitting for a while and was starting to feel restless. Wrapped in a cloak, leaning against the carriage, she held a sachet filled with plum blossoms in her hand and softly called out, “Third Brother.”
Soon, the sound of horse hooves could be heard, followed by a pleasant male voice entering the carriage, “What’s the matter?”
Gu Wuyou, bored, asked, “How much longer until we arrive?”
“Almost there, just past this bend.” Gu Rong chuckled outside. “The wind has calmed down now. If you can’t sit still, you can open the curtain and take a look outside. It’s been so long, you’ve probably forgotten what it looks like here.”
Gu Wuyou’s heart stirred.
Her childhood memories had long been forgotten, but she hadn’t forgotten any memories with Li Qinyuan. Was the current capital the same as the future capital? She quietly extended three fingers and gently pulled back a corner of the carriage curtain to look outside.
The snow had just stopped, and there weren’t many people on the street, even most shops were closed. But she eagerly looked outside, noting the significant differences from her memories, with familiar and unfamiliar sights.
She remembered there should have been a tofu shop next to the Sun family scissor shop, but now it was a bookstore.
It would probably be a few more years before it opened.
The tofu shop had a particularly good smell. The first time Li Qinyuan brought her there, she was still disdainful, thinking what kind of good food could be made in such a shop? It was only with coaxing that she reluctantly took a bite.
Then, she widened her eyes.
After that, every time she came out, she had to drag Li Qinyuan to come over. Each time, she had to eat two large bowls, not knowing how many times she was laughed at as a “little glutton.”
Thinking of this, a smile couldn’t help but appear on Gu Wuyou’s face.
Beside the carriage, Gu Rong looked at her with some curiosity. His little cousin used to come back with a stern face, never wanting to smile no matter what. It was as if completing a mission; she would rush back to Langya immediately after coming home for the New Year.
Today, she had been smiling all along, her mood seemed quite good.
He held the reins and smiled as he said to her, “Xiao Wu seems different from before.”
Gu Wuyou’s face showed no unusual expression. Upon hearing this, she only withdrew her gaze, tilted her head back, and smiled at Gu Rong, “Do you think it’s good or bad, Third Brother?”
Gu Rong was taken aback for a moment, then a smile spread across his warm face. He raised his hand and lightly patted her hood, as if caressing her head, “Before was good, but now it’s even better.”
He was probably the only person in the Gu family who was close to Gu Wuyou.
Although everyone said Xiao Wu was stubborn, Gu Rong always remembered how she used to sit on a high bed, unable to reach the floor with her toes and crying with red eyes because of it.
Despite the little girl’s pride, she would deliberately put on a stern face whenever he entered, disguising her soft side like a hedgehog using its hard shell to face outsiders. But at that time, she was still too young, unable to hold back and inevitably let out a sniffle.
Then—
He remembered her flushed face, followed by the embarrassment that echoed through the entire room because of the embarrassing cry.
The more Gu Rong thought about it, the more he smiled, his gentle eyes filled with the care and affection a brother should have for Gu Wuyou. Perhaps because of this childhood memory, no matter how bad her reputation was, he couldn’t help but want to be extra nice to her.
The carriage had turned the corner.
He glanced at the sachet that Gu Wuyou held in her hand, thinking about how she had been putting plum blossoms in it earlier while sitting in the carriage. Suddenly, he joked, “Picking so many plum blossoms, are you making a sachet?”
Gu Wuyou smiled and nodded.
Gu Rong teased her, “For me?”
Gu Wuyou bit her lip, looking hesitant, but finally looked at Gu Rong and said, “No, not this one. In the future, I’ll make one for Third Brother.”
Gu Rong certainly did not lack such a sachet, but seeing her like this, he couldn’t help but tease her, “Not for me, then who? Although I usually don’t care about family matters, I also know that my little cousin has broken off the engagement with the Zhao family.”
Could it be that the broken engagement was fake?
This sachet is for Zhao Chengyou? If that’s the case, it’s possible.
While the rest of the family may not be aware, when he visited Langya last year, he saw his cousin getting along with Zhao Chengyou… Considering Xiao Wu’s delight in Zhao Chengyou, perhaps breaking off the engagement was just a temporary measure?
Gu Wuyou had no idea what Gu Rong was thinking.
She held onto the sachet and was about to say “to the general,” but considering Li Qinyuan was still a teenager, not to mention her relationship with him… blushing, she had no choice but to act cute, intending to disguise her true feelings, “Third brother!”
Gu Rong snapped back to reality, seeing her sweet and shy appearance, the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
He wanted to ask more questions, but ultimately, it was a matter of a girl, so he refrained, defeated, and said, “Alright, alright, I won’t ask.”
The siblings chatted for a while more. As they neared the Duke Gu’s mansion, Gu Wuyou suddenly whispered, “Third brother.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you…,” Gu Wuyou was a bit embarrassed, “Do you know… Li Qinyuan?”
