C5

　　Dingguo Gongfu.

It was already the time of Shen (15:00-16:59).

Since the snow stopped at noon, the wind had gradually diminished, and although it was still white outside, the foggy sky was finally showing some brightness.

The old lady of the Gu family was in the main courtyard, wrapped in thick coats, the maids were sweeping the snow in the courtyard, the maids under the corridor were frozen red, but still stood firmly, even if no one was watching here, they didn’t dare relax, their mouths were also tightly closed, they didn’t utter a word.

　　It was clear that the rules were very strict.

The atmosphere outside the courtyard was very quiet, and inside the sandalwood-colored curtain embroidered with the red ground and the Ruyi pattern of Tianhua brocade, had the same silent atmosphere.

At the bottom of the room were the ladies of the house.

The woman sitting at the right was a thirty-year-old woman, she was wearing a big red flowered jacket with sleeves and a green satin skirt, her hair was piled up into a Ruyi bun, with a phoenix hairpin worn diagonally, although her appearance wasn’t outstanding, her looks were decent, her eyes were clear, and there was a hidden heroic aura between her eyebrows.

This woman’s name was Fu Jiang, she was the Gu Wuji’s Second Wife, now the mistress of Dingguo Gongfu.

And sitting opposite her was Liu Shi, with willow eyebrows and a round face, she looked very smart and she wore makeup and pile of beads and emeralds, her white wrists had two gold bracelets, she looked more noble than Fu Jiang.

The atmosphere in the room was oddly quiet.

The maids all stood with lowered heads, Liu Shi was used to being idle, so she put the tea in her hand aside and gossiped in boredom: “It’s almost two hours since we left, why hasn’t Xiao Wu come back? Could it be…”

Her gaze moved and landed on Fu Jiang, she lightly laughed, “Refusing to come again, right?”

Fu Jiang was drinking tea, hearing these words, her movements paused for a while before she said lightly: “Xiao Rong personally went to pick her up, how could Xiao Wu not come back? With today’s wind and snow, the road must be bad.”

“It’s hard to say.”

Liu Shi’s smile widened, “Hasn’t our family’s Xiao Wu done such a thing? But …… ” She paused and asked,” how long will she stay this time? She always comes during New Year’s Day, but it’s already New Year. ”

The moment Fu Jiang heard this, she frowned.

　　The tea in her hand couldn’t be drunk anymore, so she put it aside, and looked at Liu Shi with wrinkled eyebrows: “Third Sister, what is the meaning of these words? This is Xiao Wu’s home, she can naturally stay as long as she wants.”

When Liu Shi saw her like this, she couldn’t help but let out a soft tsk in her heart.

The child wasn’t her biological child, she didn’t believe that Fu Jiang was really happy Gu Wuyou came back, the times that the child came back in the past, which time hadn’t she caused pain to the family? The child seemed like she had a body full of thorns, whoever touched her suffered.

Of course.

The most affected was Fu Jiang and her son.

Thinking about the mean things that the bright-looking girl had said, if she were Fu Jiang, she would have hated Gu Wuyou so much in her heart.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Who let have such Gu Wuyou good fortune? There was not only the Wangs behind her, but also an aunt who was the Empress. She was sealed as a princess when she was born. Even their Lord Dingguo, who was a hard-headed man, submitted.

It was useless to look at her, so she could only bear it.

She smiled and fiddled with the gold bracelet on her wrist, and wanted to stab Fu Jiang a few more times, when Old Lady Gu, sitting on the Luohan bed, suddenly spoke up, “Xiao Wu is not leaving this time.”

As soon as these words fell, the smile on Liu Shi’s face froze, she turned her head towards the old woman on the Luohan bed wearing a pewter-colored gown, with eyes closed as she held a rosary bead, “What?!”

Thinking again of the letter that was delivered ten days ago, she continued incredulously, “Can that be true? Did Xiao Wu really withdraw from the Zhao family?!”

No one answered her words.

The old lady Gu continued to keep her eyes closed, holding her rosary beads, as if she was always so silent.

Fu Jiang didn’t say anything.

Although she was Gu Wuyou’s stepmother, she wasn’t in charge of her affairs.

Liu Shi seemed to be still immersed in her shock, and muttered under her breath: “What was she thinking? How dare she want to withdraw from the marriage for no good reason? What kind of person is the Zhao family’s son, how could she be willing to do that? I think she is getting more and more unbelievable nowadays ……”

She hadn’t finished speaking.

The old lady opened her eyes, she was now fifty five, but her eyes were clear, without a trace of smile, her face looked very serious, she just opened her eyes and looked at Liu Shi, but Liu Shi immediately stopped speaking.

The house was quiet for a while after she stopped speaking.

The old lady Gu fiddled with the rosary beads in her hand again, and said lightly: “This matter has been decided, there is no need to speak about it again in the future,  if anyone in the Gongfu speaks about with the marriage of Xiao Wu, the family law will be used to deal with them.”

　　Fu Jiang answered, “Yes.”

“Xiao Wu is the Gu family’s proper first-born young lady, this is her home, so don’t say that nonsense in front of her in the future.” Although the person she was addressing wasn’t named, they were clearly meant for Liu Shi’s ears.

Liu Shi had just been stared at by the old lady for a while, and felt cold to the bone, and her face was pale. How could she dare to say anything more? She lowered her head, like a quail, and gently nodded.

*

At this time on the road.

Gu Wuyou sat for so long, but she couldn’t sit still anymore. She was wrapped in a cloak, leaning against the carriage, and holding a sachet full of plum blossoms in her hand, she gently shouted, “Third Brother.”

The sound of horses’ hooves came in a short while, followed by a pleasant male voice coming into the carriage, “What’s wrong?”

Gu Wuyou was bored, “How long will it take for us to arrive?”

“Soon, we’ll be there after turning this corner.” Gu Rong gently laughed, “The wind will be less, if you can’t sit still, lift the curtain to look outside, it’s been so long since you came back, I guess you’ve forgotten what it looks like here.”

Gu Wuyou’s heart stirred.

The memories from her childhood had long been forgotten, but those with Li Qinyuan weren’t forgotten at all. She stretched out three fingers and quietly pulled open a corner of the curtain to look outside.

The snow had only just stopped, there weren’t many people on the streets, even those stores were mostly closed, but she still looked out with interest, there was indeed a big difference with her memories, some were familiar, some weren’t.

She remembered that next to the Sun Ji’s shears should be a restaurant, but now it was a book store.

It would probably open after a few more years.

The food in the restaurant was particularly good, when Li Qinyuan first brought her over, she was very disgusted, what kind of good food could be made in such a store? But she was coaxed into taking a bite.

Then, her eyes widened.

After that, she had to drag Li Qinyuan over every time she came out, and she had to eat two big bowls every time, she didn’t know how many times people laughed at her for being a “little glutton”.

Thinking of this.

Gu Wuyou’s face couldn’t help but reveal a smile again.

Gu Rong was near the carriage and saw her smile. It was a bit strange to see her like this. Every time she came back, she always had a blank expression, and she didn’t like to laugh at all. It was like she was completing a task. She came home every year and hurried back to Langya after the end of the year.

She had been laughing all the time today, and she was in a good mood.

He held the reins in his hand, lowered his head, and smiled with her: “Xiao Wu looks different this time.”

Gu Wuyou’s expression didn’t change, hearing this, she withdrew her gaze, tilted her head and smiled at Gu Rong: “Then does third brother think it’s good or bad?”

　　Gu Rong was stunned, then he revealed a smile, he raised his hand on Gu Wuyou’s hood and gently patted it, as if stroking her head, “Before was good, but this is better.”

In the Gu family, he was the only one who was close to Gu Wuyou.

Although everyone said Xiao Wu was domineering, Gu Rong always remember her as a child sitting on a high bed, because her toes couldn’t reach the floor and because she couldn’t get off the bed, she started crying with red eyes.

It happened that the girl was proud. When she saw him go in, she deliberately kept a blank expression, disguising her soft side like a hedgehog, and faced outsiders with a hard shell. But at that time, she was still too young, and she couldn’t hold back and cried.

And then–

He remembered her red face, followed closely by the cries that resounded throughout the house because of the loss of face.

The more Gu Rong thought about it, the thicker the smile on his face became, his gentle eyes was fixed on Gu Wuyou, like an older brother filled with care and compassion. It was probably because of this memory of her that no matter how bad his little cousin’s reputation was, he couldn’t help but want to be kinder to her.

The carriage had already turned the corner.

He glanced at the scented bag that Gu Wuyou grabbed in her hand, thinking of the way the little girl sat in the carriage just now to fill it with plum blossoms, he suddenly laughed: “Picking so many plum blossoms, is it to make a scented bag?”

Gu Wuyou smiled and nodded.

　　Gu Rong then teased her, “For me?”

　　Gu Wuyou pursed her lips and looked very hesitant, but finally looked at Gu Rong and said, “No, I’ll make another one for third brother later.”

Of course Gu Rong didn’t lack such a fragrant bag, but looking at her like this he couldn’t help but tease her, “If not for me, who are you going to give it to?” Although he usually didn’t care about the family’s affairs, he also knew that his little cousin had withdrawn her marriage with the Zhao family.

Was it possible that the withdrawal of marriage was fake?

Was this incense bag still made for Zhao Chengyu? If that was the case, it was possible.

The rest of the family may not know, but when he went to visit Gu Wuyou in Langya last year, he had seen his cousin and Zhao Chengyou getting along ……

Gu Wuyou didn’t know what Gu Rong was thinking.

She grabbed the incense bag and opened her mouth to say “for the general”, but not to mention that now Li Qinyuan was still a teenager, even her relationship with him …… She blushed and had to be petulant, trying to hide it, “Third brother!”

　　Gu Rong pulled back from his thoughts, looking at her delicate and shy appearance, the more he thought about it, the more likely it was, he wanted to ask more questions, but this was in the end a girl’s business, he wasn’t curious enough to ask again, defeated, he helplessly responded, “Okay, okay, I won’t ask.”

The two siblings talked for a while.

When they were almost at the Gongfu, Gu Wuyou suddenly shouted in a low voice, “Third brother.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you know ……” Gu Wuyou was a little shy, “Li Qinyuan?”

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TN:

I think it’s funny that she’s expecting the ML to be exactly like his older self, she isn’t even thinking about how life and circumstances made him mature into a general. Poor ML is just a young person trying to get by.