Chapter 6
“Who?”
Gu Rong wasn’t sure if he had understood it correctly or not, he turned his head and asked.
“He is…” Gu Wuyou was still feeling shy.
This was the first time she had mentioned her general after waking up. She lowered her head, blushing, clutching the sachet tightly in her slender fingers, feeling embarrassed and awkward, even her heart was beating a bit faster.
“Boom boom boom boom,” like firecrackers on New Year’s Eve.
“Li Qinyuan from the Duke of Wei’s mansion, he…”
Gu Wuyou, still blushing, raised her head and looked at her third brother, asking, “Brother, do you know him?”
“Why are you suddenly asking about him?”
Gu Rong seemed to have understood this time. He frowned, his usually gentle and smiling face showing a rare discomfort, as if he looked down upon something. Gu Wuyou was puzzled by his expression.
She couldn’t understand what was happening. The general in her memory was highly respected and beloved. Even her father praised him greatly. In her impression, everyone seemed to like the general. They respected and revered him, almost treating him like a god. So why would her brother show such disdain and disgust, seemingly not even wanting to mention this name?
Gu Rong also had questions in his mind. He didn’t understand why his young cousin, who had always lived in Langya, suddenly asked about the person from the Li family?
It seemed that Xiao Wu had never seen him before. How come she mentioned his name as soon as she returned, and… Gu Rong recalled the way Xiao Wu talked about Li Qinyuan earlier, it was clearly the shy demeanor of a girl.
His brow furrowed, his gaze fixed on Gu Wuyou, scrutinizing every possible reason for what had happened. Not knowing what he thought of, he suddenly grabbed Gu Wuyou’s arm, his voice stern, “Did you see him at Jintai Temple? What did he do to you?!”
Gu Rong usually smiled a lot, but now he looked serious. Gu Wuyou was shocked by his change of demeanor and hesitated for a while before stammering, “… No, I didn’t see him.”
If she had seen the general just now at the temple, why would she return so easily? She must have followed him. However, Gu Rong didn’t believe her and turned his gaze to the maids, Bai Lu and Hong Shuang, behind Gu Wuyou.
The two girls were obviously also frightened by his appearance. Bai Lu, who was a few years older, had a stern expression and pulled Hong Shuang, whispering softly, “While you were with Miss just now, did you see anyone?”
Hong Shuang snapped out of it and shook her head, “No, just… a few monks, no one else.”
Gu Rong’s expression softened when he heard this. He breathed a sigh of relief, released Gu Wuyou, and comforted her softly, “Don’t blame your brother for being so worried, Li Qi always causes trouble, your brother is afraid you will be bullied.”
Gu Wuyou remained silent, still in a daze. She wasn’t frightened by Gu Rong’s appearance, but by his words – “Li Qi always causes trouble, your brother is afraid you will be bullied.” Did she mishear it? Was her brother talking about… the general?
Wasn’t it just a coincidence that there was someone with the same name and surname as the general? However, it didn’t make sense – not to mention the prestigious Li family name, even if it was a coincidence, it wouldn’t be a coincidence to have the same ranking.
Gu Rong was about to say something else, but they had arrived at the Duke’s mansion. He glanced at Gu Wuyou and decided to put aside his thoughts for now. “Miss, we should get off the carriage now,” Bai Lu looked at Gu Wuyou’s pale face and gently pulled her sleeve.
“…Mmm,” Gu Wuyou regained her senses and softly responded.
No matter what, go and greet our grandmother first. As for the matter of the general, let’s have someone investigate it later. Although San Ge has never lied to her, she absolutely does not believe that the general could be such a person. There must be a problem in this!
Main Hall.
Gu Wuyou bowed to Madame Gu, greeted Fu Jiang and Liu Shi, and then stood there listening to Madame Gu’s “speech”.
Madame Gu, holding her prayer beads in her hand, still had the same calm demeanor as before. She was neither warm nor cold in attitude. “You must be tired from the journey. Originally, we were supposed to dine in my mansion tonight, but I am not feeling well these days. Without your company, I wouldn’t enjoy the meal, so it’s better for you to go back to your own room for dinner.”
“I understand,” Gu Wuyou softly replied. And then, seemingly remembering something, she added, “Grandmother prepared many medicinal herbs for me. There is a medicine that you used to take in the past. I will have it sent to you later.”
Her words were ordinary, but they caused a momentary pause among the people in the room.
Not to mention Fu Jiang and Liu Shi, even the usually emotionally stable Madame Gu stopped counting her prayer beads and lifted her eyes to glance at Gu Wuyou. After a moment, she nodded and said in a mild tone, “You are considerate.”
She seemed tired and unwilling to continue. After a few more words, she said, “Alright, you have seen everyone you needed to. Your father will return tonight. As for your second sister, seventh sister, and ninth brother, they are still at school. You will probably meet them tomorrow.”
“Alright, you may all go back now.”
After she finished speaking, she paid no further attention to them. With the help of someone, she stood up and went into the inner room. The remaining people naturally exchanged polite farewells before rising when she was out of sight.
Gu Rong had already greeted Madame Gu earlier and went on to do her tasks. She did not pursue the imperial examination route but managed the family’s business, which kept her busy most of the time.
Now, in the room, apart from the maids and servants, there were only Gu Wuyou, Fu Jiang, and Liu Shi present.
Compared to Fu Jiang’s awkwardness when facing Gu Wuyou, Liu Shi was very affectionate, holding Gu Wuyou’s hand and sighing, “Poor thing, why do you look so thin? I heard that you fell into the lake while in Langya. Is your health still good?”
Gu Wuyou nodded and withdrew her hand. “Third Aunt’s concern is appreciated, I am fine.”
She was still not accustomed to being so close to people.
Seeing her reaction, Liu Shi thought it was normal. Gu Wuyou had unexpectedly offered a caring comment earlier, making it a bit uncomfortable.
She thought for a moment and then glanced at Fu Jiang, who seemed hesitant to approach them. With a lifted eyebrow, she continued smiling and said to Gu Wuyou, “Your brother recently went on a sea voyage and brought back many good things from overseas. When you have time, come and see if there is something you like.”
Gu Wuyou nodded without speaking.
Beside her, Bai Lu knew that she did not want to continue the conversation, so she stepped forward and said, “Madam, Third Madam, Miss has been tired on the journey here. Let me accompany her back to the room to rest.”
Liu Shi naturally agreed.
Fu Jiang also added, “Go on quickly. I have already had the floor dragon lit up, the bed curtains changed, and the brocade quilt replaced…” Her words showed genuine concern without pretense. She wanted to say more but thought she might annoy Gu Wuyou with her former reactions, so she stopped herself.
Despite experiencing more in this lifetime, Gu Wuyou still found it challenging to interact with people.
She had been like this in her previous life, unable to speak or socialize properly, often unintentionally offending many people. She also felt that Fu Jiang had undermined her mother’s position, so she often couldn’t help but be resentful towards her.
However, in reality, Fu Jiang had not really done anything wrong.
Her mother had passed away early, leaving only her as the sole blood relative. Although there were many cousins in the family, there were no legitimate male heirs from the main branch. So, against her father’s wishes, her grandmother had brought the child inside.
Moreover –
Fu Jiang had actually treated her quite well.
Over the years, no matter how she acted or misbehaved, she had never been mistreated. Even when she lied and shifted blame to Fu Jiang, she never complained.
Gu Wuyou couldn’t help but wonder how the general would handle a situation like this if he were here. He definitely wouldn’t let things become so awkward like she did, but she just couldn’t help it… despite her past life experiences, her relationship with her stepmother had improved a lot, but when they were alone, it still felt awkward and uncomfortable.
She sighed softly in her heart.
She missed the general more and more whenever faced with such situations.
“Miss?” Bai Lu called out softly from the side.
Gu Wuyou snapped out of her thoughts. After a moment of contemplation, she pursed her lips and quietly said to Fu Jiang, “…Thank you.” With those words spoken, she paid no heed to the stunned expressions of those in the room and led her two maids out.
“What’s going on with her…”
Liu Shi watched Gu Wuyou’s figure until they disappeared behind the curtains, then asked hesitantly, “What’s wrong?”
Fu Jiang seemed even more stunned than Liu Shi. After a moment, a smile started to creep up at the corner of her mouth. She found that she was lacking the grace of a mistress in front of the servants, but she tried to suppress her rising joy. However, the inner happiness and excitement made it impossible for her to contain it.
After barely managing to say they should leave first, once outside, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Grabbing her personal maidservant Qingdai, she exclaimed excitedly, “Did you hear that just now?”
Qingdai smiled, “Yes, Fifth Miss thanked you.”
Fu Jiang is all smiles, his voice unable to contain his happiness, “Remember to have the kitchen prepare some of her favorite dishes, she loves sweet food, especially that sweet and sour pork, make sure the kitchen doesn’t forget.”
Qing Dai nodded repeatedly, seeming to hesitate for a moment, then asked, “Would you like to accompany Ninth Master to have a meal with Duke Tonguo and Miss Wu today?” In the past, she wouldn’t have asked such a question, everyone knew that Miss Wu didn’t like their lady, and as a result, Ninth Master didn’t like her either.
But today.
The attitude of Gu Wuyou made Qing Dai unable to keep silent.
“It has been almost a month since you dined with Duke Tonguo,” not to mention anything else.
Fu Jiang shook his head, his voice weakening, “No, the father and daughter have finally met, I’m afraid I will upset them again by going.” Seeing Gu Wuyou being a bit nicer to her, she didn’t want to ruin this hard-earned relationship.
On the other side.
Hong Shuang also asked, “Why are you being so polite to her today, Miss?” Frowning, looking puzzled, she blinked, and whispered, “Miss, is this your new way of teasing people?”
Gu Wuyou helplessly glanced at her, “No.”
“Then–”
Hong Shuang wanted to say more, but Bai Lu interrupted her, she was calm and rational, and said, “Miss is doing the right thing now, after all, she is the mistress of the house. If Miss is going to stay in the Gu family in the future, she will have to deal with the women in the capital. It’s not wrong to get along with her.”
“Okay.”
Gu Wuyou nodded, accepting Bai Lu’s explanation.
Otherwise, she couldn’t just say, “I’m actually over thirty years old now, not the child who would throw a tantrum if she didn’t get candy before. Although she still couldn’t see Fu Jiang as a mother, she wouldn’t treat her as she did before.
However, there was one more thing.
She hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke, “Hong Shuang, go find out about Young Master Li Qiuyuan at Duke Wei’s residence for me.” She wanted to see what was going on with the General, and why her third brother was saying such things.
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