Chương 24: Siblings
Biên tập viên: Atlas Studios
The siblings walked around to the backyard of Benevolent Harmony Hall and turned east. They passed through a passage and headed east until they arrived at a quiet courtyard.
Compared to the liveliness of the Benevolent Harmony Hall, Yuheng Garden was quiet and peaceful. There was a lush green shade that moved with the wind everywhere.
The autumn breeze brushed the hem of the siblings' clothes and the ends of their hair.
"Young Master." A skinny old woman in her early 50s bowed to Gu Yuan cautiously.
The servants who stayed in the courtyard were all scullery maids. They did not have the chance to serve the masters of the Marquis Mansion, so their actions and words were a little stiff.
The old woman bowed and carefully sized up Gu Yanfei.
Ever since Madam Gu took the eldest daughter to Danyang City, there had been rumors in the residence that there would be a new second daughter. Could it be this girl?!
"The Second Lady will live here from now on," Gu Yuan said as he casually scanned the desolate courtyard.
Most of the eldest branch's old servants in the capital were now serving Gu Yunrong. It was not appropriate to transfer these people back to his sister. He had to choose some more loyal and reliable people.
Gu Yuan was thinking about where he could transfer some people over, but he said, "Whatever the Second Lady says, you can't disobey her. Otherwise, even if the eldest branch is no longer the same as before, I can still deal with the few of you."
He gave the old woman a casual sideways glance. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, and he had an aura of authority.
The old woman immediately summoned the others in the courtyard and greeted the two masters.
The arrival of the siblings caused a commotion in the lifeless Yuheng Garden. The servants began to tidy up and clean up in a hurry.
"Sister, let me show you around."
When Gu Yuan faced Gu Yanfei, his expression softened again. He calmly led Gu Yanfei inside and matched her pace.
Every blade of grass and tree here held memories of their parents.
"After Father and Mother got married, they lived here. Father personally built this swing for Mother."
"Mother planted this small bamboo forest the year I was born. She also planted those chrysanthemums… Mother likes to grow flowers very much, so Father specially separated this garden from it."
"The Taihu Stone used in this fake mountain was sent by my uncle's men from thousands of miles away."
"…"
Gu Yanfei listened with relish to all the new information.
In her previous life, Gu Yanfei listened to Madam Gu in everything. Under her arrangements, she stayed in Caiwei Courtyard, which was located in the northwest of the Benevolent Harmony Hall. She had never set foot in Yuheng Garden.
Along the way, Gu Yuan talked a lot about the eldest branch, including their father, the Marquis of Dingyuan, Gu Ce, who died on the battlefield eight years ago. The former Emperor used Gu Yuan's young age as an excuse to let Gu Ce's younger brother, Gu Jian, inherit the title of Marquis of Dingyuan.
After about half an hour, the siblings arrived at the main room.
The house was brightly lit and spotless, except that it was empty. Apart from some cupboards, tables, chairs, beds, and other necessary furniture, there was nothing else.
"Sister, in the future, when you live here, you can decorate the room however you want. Don't let yourself suffer…" Gu Yuan was about to say something when he was interrupted by a soft meow.
The sleeping kitten jumped up from Gu Yanfei's arms and flew from the window to a big tree outside the window. It first stretched, then happily rubbed its claws on the branch while meowing.
Gu Yanfei casually stroked her sleeve that was wrinkled by the cat and smiled faintly.
Gu Yuan also smiled, his eyes as gentle as water.
His sister was almost of age. He did not know what he could do for her…
He racked his brains for a long time and suddenly slapped his forehead. He took out a few banknotes worth a few hundred taels from his pouch and stuffed them all into Gu Yanfei's hands.
"If there's anything you want to buy, buy it. Don't let yourself suffer. If it's not enough, let me know."
There were only 400 taels. It was not a lot, but Gu Yanfei knew that this was all her brother had.
There was a saying that parents did not separate from the family. Madam Gu was still alive, so the Marquis Mansion had never separated from the family.
The eldest branch of the family did not have any private assets. Even the dowry of his mother, Madam Xie, was managed by Madam Gu. Gu Yuan's salary had to be handed over to the public. Usually, he only relied on the monthly salary of the Marquis Mansion to survive. At most, he would occasionally have some external income which he saved.
"Thank you, Big Brother." Gu Yanfei took the banknotes and smiled brightly.
The young girl was in her prime and had a beautiful face that did not need any makeup or jewelry. She only needed to smile slightly, and she would be like a hundred flowers blooming, beautiful beyond compare.
Gu Yuan felt an indescribable feeling in his heart.
His sister was no longer an ignorant and naive child. What was missed had been missed. All he could do was spoil her and be as good to her as possible so that she could smile as openly as she did now.
As they spoke, Juan Bi served the siblings hot tea.
Gu Yuan took a sip of tea and frowned slightly. Then, he summoned the old woman and instructed, "Go to my place and find Wu Tong to get a few jars of good quality… Forget it, I'll go back myself."
He couldn't help but sigh. His sister lacked more than a jar of tea leaves!
At the thought of this, Gu Yuan could not be bothered to drink tea anymore. He reminded Gu Yanfei, "Sister, you've just arrived. You must be tired from the journey, so rest well first. There are still many things to do later on." With that, he left in a hurry.
Gu Yanfei watched his back disappear at the entrance of the courtyard before going to the beauty couch to rest.
The sun gradually set in the west. When Gu Yanfei woke up, she was pulled by Juan Bi to visit her new boudoir while in high spirits.
The boudoir had been mostly tidied up. The few pieces of furniture in the house had been rearranged neatly.
Just like in Danyang City, there was a large desk by the window. However, there was nothing on it and it seemed empty.
There was no pond outside the window, so Juan Bi placed a large blue and white porcelain vat the size of a washbasin on the desk. The vat was also empty.
Juan Bi smiled and said, "Miss, there are no fish now. I'll go out of the house in two days to buy two goldfish."
"Meow!"
The kitten heard her and jumped happily into the blue-and-white porcelain vat. It agreed with Juan Bi's suggestion. After all, fish soup was tasty!
Gu Yanfei walked around the house. Just as she sat down, an old woman came to report with a smile on her face. Granny Li from the Benevolent Harmony Hall had come to see her.
Granny Li was Madam Gu's most trusted aide. She had always interacted amicably with everyone, so not only was she quite prestigious in this residence, but she was also quite popular.
"Second Lady." Granny Li curtsied with a wide smile. Her face was calm as she looked around the house that was still being cleaned up. Her lips pursed.
If not for the Eldest Young Master's insistence, Madam Gu would have wanted the Second Lady to stay in Caiwei Courtyard. Before going to Danyang City, she had instructed her to clean up the courtyard.
Now that Caiwei Courtyard had been tidied up, although it was small, it was better than Yuheng Garden in terms of facilities.
The Eldest Young Master was a man and was not attentive enough.
As this thought flashed through her mind, Granny Li did not intend to remind Gu Yanfei that she could ask Madam Hou for some decorations from the storeroom. She only smiled and said, "Madam Gu wants you to come to the ancestral hall tomorrow at 9 pm."
Chương 25: Twins
Biên tập viên: Atlas Studios
Today, Yuheng Garden was very lively. As soon as Granny Li left, Gu Yuan sent someone over. Not only were there people, but there were also some broken things. Gu Yuan almost thought of something and sent them over.
Tea leaves, incense, the Four Treasures of the Study, chessboard, buttercup, rattan ball, glass beads, goat's milk, jade pendant, jade ring… Just packing up these trivial things made Gu Yanfei happy.
Juan Bi counted them one by one.
"These are top-quality fur tips. I have to keep them myself."
"This jade pendant and chessboard are for you."
"These should be for Qing Guang."
"…"
"Meow!" Deeply satisfied with this, the kitten slapped a paw on the rattan ball.
The small rattan ball rolled around and around as the kitten chased it. The crisp ringing of the bell was endless.
Gu Yanfei fell asleep under the sound of the bell and was woken up by the ringing again.
She slowly ate her breakfast before Granny Li led her to the Gu family's ancestral hall on the west side of the Marquis Mansion.
The white stone path that led to the ancestral hall was clean. Pine trees and cypress trees lined both sides of the stone path, the atmosphere solemn and quiet. A plaque hung at the entrance of the building in front of them. The words "Gu Family Ancestral Hall" were written in a flamboyant manner.
It was a beautiful day. The sky was blue and the sun was shining. The five main rooms under the blue sky and white clouds were quiet and still.
When Gu Yanfei arrived, the building was already filled with the fragrance of clothes and hair. Women of various families were all present in the Marquis Mansion. Laughter sounded continuously, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
"Second Lady, this way." Granny Li smiled and led the way for Gu Yanfei. She was friendly but not overly so.
The people in the building also noticed Gu Yanfei's arrival. More than ten burning gazes surged towards Gu Yanfei like a tide. These gazes were sizing her up, or full of curiosity, contempt, and casualness.
Madam Gu also looked at Gu Yanfei with a burning gaze. Gu Yuan's words to her yesterday rang in her ears again.
"Grandma, now that we've found my sister, shouldn't we open the ancestral hall as soon as possible? I think there's no time like the present. Why don't we choose tomorrow?"
Madam Gu narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips into a straight line.
For the sake of the marriage between the Gu and Fang families, she had originally planned to open the ancestral hall and change the family tree as soon as she returned to the capital. However, it was different from Gu Yuan asking her to do it. The latter made her feel threatened.
Madam Gu was unhappy. Before her second granddaughter returned, Gu Yuan had always been very filial to her.
Gu Yanfei's gaze swept across the people in front of her. Those familiar faces matched the names in her memory.
She stopped outside the building, the sun a faint golden halo around her.
The morning light fell into her eyes, making her pupils sparkle. Her fair skin shone like pearls.
Besides her beautiful face and noble bearing, she also exuded a temperament as bright as the sun.
A few girls from the Gu family hid behind the ladies and whispered to each other. Occasionally, words like "the eldest branch," "the second sister," and "looks like her elder brother" floated over.
"Second Sister." It was Gu Yunrong who spoke first.
She smiled sweetly, and a pair of shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks. She was gentle, generous, and amiable.
"What a lovely young lady!" A beautiful middle-aged woman in her early 30s with an oval face praised Gu Yanfei affectionately. A gentle smile appeared on her fair face. "This must be my second niece. She really looks like my sister-in-law… I'm your second aunt."
This beautiful woman was Madam Wang of the Dingyuan Marquis Household.
Gu Yanfei bowed to Madam Gu and Madam Wang. "Madam Gu, Second Madam."
This form of address made everyone's expressions a little subtle. They secretly exchanged glances. They wondered if this girl was wooden and slow or if she knew the rules too well.
Madam Gu's expression was as calm as water. She directly vented her anger on Gu Yanfei and said coldly, "Come earlier next time."
As she spoke, her gaze swept across the strands of yellow and white hair on Gu Yanfei's shoulder. She frowned and said, "Hurry up and get rid of your cat. That cat is strange. It must be a demon!"
She felt uncomfortable at the thought of a cat in the residence.
Gu Yanfei smiled without saying anything and sat down.
"…" Madam Gu's heart burned with anger, and the undercurrents in her eyes surged.
Amidst the stiff atmosphere, a gray-clothed old woman hurried over to report that the Marquis and the Patriarch had arrived. Hence, all the women, including Madam Gu, looked straight ahead.
The five doors ahead were wide open. From outside, a group of men of various ages and appearances filed in.
At the front was an old man in a black robe with a white beard. He walked with vigorous steps and was full of energy.
"Thank you for your trouble today, Uncle." Beside the old man was a blue-robed man in his 30s. He was tall and had handsome facial features. Unfortunately, his figure was slightly bloated. It was the current Marquis of Dingyuan, Gu Jian.
Gu Jian was very respectful to the Gu family's patriarch.
"It's my duty, there's no need to exchange pleasantries with me," the Patriarch said, stroking his beard and smiling broadly.
The two masters from the fourth and fifth families of the Marquis Mansion followed closely behind. They were also talking to the elders harmoniously.
Gu Yuan followed behind without a word. He was only 17 years old, and his handsome face still had a hint of childishness, but he was tall and stood out from the crowd. His every move exuded arrogance.
The women surrounded Madam Gu and took a few steps forward. They greeted each other politely.
A moment later, everyone sat down in the front hall of the ancestral hall. Gu Jian and the patriarch sat side by side at the head of the table. Madam Gu was at the bottom. The others sat down one by one.
On such a big occasion, most people had no right to speak at all. Most of them were silent. Some were playing with their handkerchiefs, some were absent-minded, some were yawning secretly, and some were secretly sizing up Gu Yanfei.
After some small talk, Madam Gu finally got down to business. She raised her hand and pointed at Gu Yanfei, who was sitting beside her.
"Patriarch, this girl is Rong'er's twin sister. Back then, their mother, the Xie family, had a difficult labor. After giving birth to the two of them, she passed away."
"You also know that at that time, the border area was in chaos. The wet nurse took care of the two sisters alone and was unable to do anything. She accidentally lost this girl and only carried Rong'er to the capital…"
Madam Gu had already come up with an excuse. She did not care about everyone's reaction and spoke confidently.
The chief and the elders looked at each other, silently exchanging glances.
The story of the twins was outrageous. It was obviously made up, but no one questioned it.
Madam Gu had already spoken to the Patriarch and the others. Yesterday, she had asked her trusted aide to hint at them. To put it bluntly, the Patriarch and the others had only come today to go through the motions.
It did not matter what the truth was. The key was that this matter was beneficial to the entire Gu family.
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