Chương 28: Yanfei

Biên tập viên: Atlas Studios

"Yanfei, swallows in flight. What a nice name." Gu Yuan smiled and clapped. He was obviously supporting Gu Yanfei.

The Patriarch originally wanted Gu Yuan to persuade Gu Yanfei, but seeing him say this, he stopped persuading her. He focused on adding the words "Gu Yanfei" to the name of the eldest branch and wrote her birthday.

Then, the tip of the brush dipped into the inkstone again. The Patriarch changed Gu Yunrong's name to the second branch, under Gu Jian and Madam Wang. As the eldest daughter of the two, she was third in line in the Marquis Mansion.

"Yuan'er, you're the eldest brother, so even if Rong'er was just adopted to the second branch today, she's still your sister. You have to take good care of your siblings and be their role model!"

"Yanfei, although you've had some hardships in the past, you'll receive blessings in the future."

"…"

"We are all members of the Gu family. We have to remember that we are bound together for good or ill. You all have to prioritize the family's glory and future…"

The Patriarch gave some instructions, then everyone went to the ancestral hall at the back.

Smoke curled up from the ancestral hall. Layers and layers of memorial tablets were placed on the altar. They were placed step by step like terraces, magnificent and dignified.

The Patriarch respectfully placed the memorial in the ancestral hall and led the Gu family to kowtow and offer incense.

After a series of complicated procedures, it was already an hour and a half later.

The sun was high and warm as summer.

When everyone came out of the ancestral hall, most of them were relieved. They felt as if they had watched a climax early in the morning.

At this moment, the ladies from the other families were looking at Gu Yanfei differently from before. They were thinking too much.

Gu Yunrong stood quietly under the eaves and looked at Gu Yanfei and Gu Yuan in front of her with a handkerchief in her hand.

Her gaze landed firmly on Gu Yuan's well-defined side profile. She opened her mouth slightly, as if she wanted to say something to him. In the end, she held back and her expression was a little lonely.

"Rong'er," Madam Gu held Gu Yunrong's hand lovingly and chatted with her, "Didn't Princess Changqing send you a post yesterday? Did you reply?"

"Not yet." Gu Yunrong shook his head. "Princess Changqing invited me to play polo at Prince Jing's Manor in a few days."

"If you want to go, go ahead." Madam Gu smiled and said, "I've heard that Princess Consort Jing likes black tea. I have a century-old black tea here. I'll get someone to send it to you later."

Madam Gu wanted to make up for the grievances she had suffered today.

"Thank you, Grandma." Gu Yunrong smiled obediently.

Gu Yanfei, who was walking in front, also heard this. Her eyes darkened as she thought to herself, Prince Jing's Manor… The manor that ruined Gu Yunzhen's life turned out to be "at this time".

Gu Yuan gently patted her slender left shoulder, her heart aching for the bone under her palm. She reminded her, "Sister, I'm going back to the military camp. If you need anything, get Wu Tong to look for me."

Gu Yuan was still worried. Everything that had happened in the ancestral hall today had verified his thoughts. His grandmother might be Gu Yunrong's good grandmother, but she could not be considered his sister.

He had to think of a way to transfer back to the capital as soon as possible. Otherwise, if anything happened, his sister would probably be alone in this Marquis Mansion.

Gu Yanfei came back to her senses and replied, "Big Brother, go ahead."

She knew that Gu Yuan was ambitious. He wanted to make a name for himself and dreamed of washing away the stain on his father one day. She would not stop him.

One or two long birdsongs sounded in the distance. Seven or eight birds flapped past the treetops and flew away.

The crowd scattered like birds, each to its place.

"Chirp chirp chirp …"

"Meow, meow, meow…"

Qing Guang was quite satisfied with its new home, which was bigger than the house in Danyang City. There were more birds to play with, a bigger garden to run in, more trees to sharpen its claws, more servants for it to enslave and order around. And there was an unlimited amount of fish soup to drink in the garden…

It had only been a few days, but Qing Guang had visibly gained weight. Its fur was glossy under the sun.

"Snap!"

Gu Yanfei casually snapped her fingers. The kitten, who was squatting on the window sill and sunbathing, turned to look at her and yawned.

Qing Guang hopped lightly onto the desk and sauntered toward her. He cocked his head at her. "Meow—"

Gu Yanfei stuffed a talisman into the small pocket on the cat's pocket and instructed, "Go to work."

Qing Guang raised its round bottom and stretched. It was both elegant and coquettish.

Gu Yanfei gently patted the base of its tail and urged it, "Go."

"Meow, meow!" the kitten purred contentedly, swishing its fluffy tail and leaping briskly out of the open window.

It was almost dusk. The gorgeous sunset was like a burning flame piled up in the sky, covering the dense and rugged canopy with a colorful veil.

Qing Guang had never taken an ordinary path. It avoided the crowd and nimbly shuttled between the branches, eaves, and walls. Occasionally, he would startle a group of birds among the trees.

It ran fast and lightly, taking a shortcut through the residence. In a short while, it arrived in the backyard of Benevolent Harmony Hall.

In a corner of the Benevolent Harmony Hall, there was a small willow tree. Golden willow leaves hung from the drooping branches. When the wind blew, the golden willow branches swayed back and forth in midair.

The sight caught its attention instantly. Its green eyes glittered as if it had seen a rare treasure.

"Meow!" Qing Guang leaped out and slapped a willow branch with its claw. It turned around and chased after another willow branch that was swinging.

The evening wind and sunlight spilled into the house through the bay window, and the cat's cry was carried in with the wind.

Madam Gu, who was leaning on the beauty couch, closed her eyes and said unhappily, "Bai Lu, why is there another meow?"

The maidservant, Bai Lu, was massaging Madam Gu's legs. She lowered her head and said obediently, "Madam, a wild cat outside must have sneaked in."

Madam Gu opened her eyes and instructed calmly, "Get Granny Xu to deal with it quickly."

"Yes, Madam," Bai Lu acknowledged respectfully, her expression indifferent. Or rather, she was used to it.

Everyone in the residence knew that Madam Gu did not like cats. Over the years, Madam Gu had gotten Granny Xu to kill many stray cats that had accidentally entered the residence.

Bai Lu got up as quietly as she could, stepped back from the green gauze cabinet, and carefully closed the door of the partition.

After Madam Gu closed her eyes, she felt a strong sense of sleepiness. She had no idea that there was a little kitten under her couch.

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Chương 29: Nightmare

Biên tập viên: Atlas Studios

Qing Guang tried its best to take out the talisman from its bib and casually patted it on the beauty couch. Then, it casually licked its claws.

In the corner was a green lotus leaf-patterned three-legged incense burner. Wisps of green smoke curled up from the mouth of the stove and slowly dispersed in the air.

The fragrance of chrysanthemum lingered in Madam Gu's nose.

Madam Gu felt dizzy and half-awake.

"Meow!"

A demonic cat's meow sounded in Madam Gu's ear, as if it was right next to her ear. She was so frightened that she shivered and sat up.

"Bai Lu!" Madam Gu shouted sternly, but what came out of her mouth was a meow.

Madam Gu was stunned and vaguely realized that something was wrong. Before she fell asleep, she was clearly in her own room, but now she was in a garden surrounded by huge flowers and trees.

She raised her voice to shout for more help, and once again heard the high-pitched mewling of a cat.

Madam Gu frowned tightly and wanted to stand up. Only then did she notice that her hands and feet had turned into furry black claws.

"Meow, meow!" Madam Gu panicked. She was terrified. Her roars were hoarse and her entire body was cold.

She finally realized that the mewling was coming from herself. She had turned into a cat!

"Gah!"

A pitch-black crow swooped down at her from above. Madam Gu instinctively raised her arm to swat it, but she was pecked by its sharp beak.

Madam Gu screamed. The crow flapped its wings and pecked at her again, cawing.

In her panic, she ran wildly. Everything around her was unfamiliar. Buildings, houses, trees, flowers… At this moment, they were all huge. There was a sense of oppression that came from the dark clouds.

Behind her, the raven in the air refused to give up. It followed her like a shadow, pecking at her back and head.

She ran through a few chrysanthemums in a panic and saw a wide and flat racecourse ahead. In the field, young boys and girls in high spirits were riding tall horses with their hooves flying.

A bowl-sized polo ball flew between the galloping horses and the swaying staves.

In Madam Gu's eyes, those horses were like those strange monsters depicted in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. They were fierce and demonic. As long as the hooves of the horses stomped down, it was enough to take her life.

Madam Gu hurriedly stopped and widened her eyes in fear.

In the next instant, she heard a thud as a bowstaff swung hard into the polo ball. It flew toward her like a shooting star, almost too fast for the naked eye to catch.

Madam Gu hurriedly tried to dodge, but she couldn't react in time. She could only watch as the polo ball smashed into her forehead…

A bone-piercing pain spread from her head, as if the world had collapsed. Endless darkness surged towards her…

Madam Gu closed her eyes and fell back uncontrollably. She could vaguely hear a few noisy voices.

"Oh, where did this black cat come from!"

"What bad luck! Throw the damn cat out!"

"…"

Madam Gu was groggy and could not exert any strength in her body. She felt the back of her neck being roughly lifted up… The darkness drowned her like a bottomless swamp. Coldness and pain spread to her limbs and bones.

She opened her eyes with all her might and realized that she had been thrown into the smelly trash. When she opened her mouth, a nauseating slop flowed between her teeth.

Flies and gnats buzzed around her.

"Woof woof…"

Two scrawny feral dogs had come at the scent. Hungry, bloodthirsty eyes fixed on her, and saliva dripped from their long mouths. Their sharp fangs gleamed with a startling cold light.

A yellow dog howled and bit her fragile and slender neck…

...

"Meow!"

Another mournful meow sounded. Madam Gu, who was lying on the beauty couch, suddenly opened her eyes. Her turbid eyes were still in shock, and her chest was heaving violently.

Eagerly, she lifted a hand to her face, then looked repeatedly at her palms to make sure she was human, not cat, before she caught her breath.

Was it a dream now, or had it just been a dream?

She sat up on the beauty couch, distracted. Pain throbbed in her forehead. She had a splitting headache and was breathing heavily.

The talisman paper stuck under the beauty's couch had burned to ash. When she moved, the ash fluttered to the floor.

Someone outside seemed to have heard the commotion in the room. She drew the curtains and entered.

"Madam!" Granny Xu bowed to Madam Gu and reported ingratiatingly, "I brought people to search the surroundings carefully. I didn't see any wild cats outside."

Madam Gu was still thinking uneasily about the dream she had just had. The rough crow's cry still echoed in her ears, and an ominous feeling rose in her heart.

Granny Xu personally served tea to Madam Gu. When she bowed, she noticed that there were a few cat hairs on her shoes. She couldn't help but frown and sigh. "Madam, in my opinion, the cat raised by the Second Lady must have sneaked into the Benevolent Harmony Hall."

"The Second Lady is really too much. She clearly knows that you're enemies with cats, but she still insisted on raising it."

"…"

Granny Xu rambled on. She hated Gu Yanfei to the core.

She had traveled thousands of miles to a remote place like Huaibei for Gu Yanfei and had been delayed in Danyang City for three months. She had left the capital for four months, but she had not benefited at all. Even her originally good job had been taken by someone else.

For the past two weeks, Granny Xu had been holding this in her heart. She wanted to find an opportunity to teach Gu Yanfei a lesson. Now, the opportunity has finally come.

Granny Xu's lips curled up, and a hint of malice flashed across her eyes.

When she heard the word 'cat', Madam Gu's eyelids trembled violently and her pupils dilated.

Granny Xu noticed the change in Madam Gu's expression and thought that she had guessed her intentions. She said obsequiously, "Madam, leave this matter to me. I'll personally bring people to the Yuheng Garden. I'll definitely end that cat and throw it out to feed the dogs!!"

The scene of her lying in the trash could not help but appear in Madam Gu's mind. The dogs' black mouths were wide open, and their fangs were aimed at her neck…

Panic rose from the bottom of her heart and spread through her body.

"Meow!"

Outside the window, the loud meow of a cat suddenly sounded again, startling Madam Gu so much that she jumped up from the beauty couch, as if she had become a cat in a dream again.

She shoved Granny Xu out of the way. At the same time, the teacup fell from her hand to the floor. The blue-and-white porcelain cup shattered into pieces, sending shards and tea flying in all directions.

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