Chapter 21: Pleading for Gu Xuejiao!
This skirt fits her figure perfectly, with every pleat being just right, as if it was tailor-made for her. The hand-sewn stitches are especially fine, adding a touch of elegance compared to machine-sewn stitches.
The light yellow fabric accentuated her fair complexion, while the loose batwing sleeves exuded a relaxed and casual air. The cinched waist cleverly accentuated her slender waistline. The dress wasn't short, reaching roughly her calves. The hem featured a multi-layered, irregular cut, with cascading ruffles that shone as she moved, revealing a glimpse of her ankles.
She originally wanted to boldly adopt a backless design for the back, but she was afraid of being criticized by people of this era, so she held back and hollowed out the neck area, and then crisscrossed it with several thin straps, which showed fashion and charm without being too exposed.
In short, she was very satisfied with the dress. Her eyes flashed and she decided to wash her face first, and then do a proper makeup for the dress to make full preparations for tomorrow's visit.
When she left the house, she repaired the torn cheongsam and Shen Yanzhi's shirt and hung them in the closet.
When she arrived at the yard, she couldn't help but frown. There was no hot water in the whole yard, nor was there any firewood for burning. If she wanted hot water, she could only go to the front hall to find it. Thinking of this, she felt it was troublesome, so she simply went to the bathroom, scooped a few scoops of cold water from the gourd ladle in the water jar, and put it in the basin to wash her face.
After washing her face, she went back to the inner room to start her skin care and makeup. In order not to overshadow the main subject, she only put on light makeup. After finishing her makeup, she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled with satisfaction.
Finally, the only thing left was the hairstyle. She held her chin and thought about it. The concept pursued by the Bohemian style is passion, vitality, freedom and casualness, so she wanted to perm her hair slightly curly.
Thinking of this, she looked at her loose straight hair and began to worry. There was no curling iron here. Just when she was feeling embarrassed, she heard someone knocking on the door.
She couldn't guess who would come to see her at this time. She opened the door full of confusion and saw that it was the nanny of the Gu family standing outside. She remembered hearing Gu Yunting call her Aunt Wang in the afternoon.
She curled her lips slightly and asked politely, "Auntie Wang, do you have something to talk to me about?"
Aunt Wang looked at her with a smile on her face, "Miss Su, the master asked me to take you to his study."
Su Mengxue's lips twitched slightly: "Auntie Wang, is there something Grandpa Gu wants to talk to me about?"
Aunt Wang smiled and replied, "Miss Su, you'll know when you get there. Let's go."
Su Mengxue took a look at her clothes and found them a bit flashy. She wanted to change back into the khaki shirt, but seeing that Aunt Wang looked a little anxious, she had to give up.
After she answered, Wang Ma walked in front to lead the way, and she followed closely behind. The two of them walked all the way through the backyard corridor, turned a few corners, and finally stopped in front of a door in the front hallway.
Aunt Wang raised her hand and knocked lightly on the door. Soon Gu Changhe's steady voice came from inside: "Come in!"
Aunt Wang turned her head and signaled to her that she could go in. She nodded at Aunt Wang and went in.
When she entered the room, she was greeted by the heavy smell of tobacco mixed with old newspapers. She saw Gu Changhe sitting upright on a rattan chair, and Gu Xuejiao standing opposite him with her head down and her hands covering her mouth, crying. Beside her stood Gu Weiguo and Sun Suqin with serious expressions, and Gu Yunting stood on the other side of the three of them.
Su Mengxue noticed the dull atmosphere, so she calmed herself down, took a few steps forward, and asked knowingly, "Grandpa Gu, why did you ask me to come?"
Gu Changhe's expression softened a bit. He looked at her with a gentle expression and said, "Mengxue, I've already understood what happened at noon. I didn't deal with it then because we had guests. Now that the outsiders have left, it's time for our family to close the door and take care of family affairs."
A family? Su Mengxue lowered her eyes. Gu Changhe's words fully approved of her marriage with Gu Yunting. He was also speaking up for her and warning Gu Weiguo's family not to bully her.
Sun Suqin, standing nearby, was furious at Su Mengxue's arrogant demeanor. Sun Weiguo, though unhappy, remained silent. Gu Xuejiao, on the other hand, lowered her head and sobbed quietly, feeling deeply dissatisfied.
Only Gu Yunting had different thoughts from the others. His attention was focused on Su Mengxue's clothes. Even though he had never paid attention to women's clothing, he could tell at a glance that this dress was different from others.
This time she didn't comb her hair up, and her long, beautiful black hair fell casually on her shoulders. He saw that she had light makeup on her face, and her whole person exuded a lazy and delicate vibe. Paired with this skirt, she looked even more radiant and charming.
Who was she going to meet, dressed so formally? He thought of her chatting with Shen Yanzhi at noon and frowned silently.
Gu Changhe glanced at Gu Xuejiao and scolded her, "Xuejiao, why are you crying like that? Could it be that I have wronged you in this matter?"
Gu Xuejiao stopped crying immediately after hearing this. She looked up at Gu Changhe and choked up as she explained, "Grandpa, you said I was wrong and I dare not deny it, but I just had an argument with Sister Mengxue at the time. I was so angry that I pushed her by mistake. I never intended to really push her down. Instead, Sister Mengxue, she, she..."
When Gu Xuejiao turned to look at Su Mengxue, her eyes widened unconsciously, and she suddenly fell silent because she was too surprised.
She had never seen the dress Su Mengxue was wearing in Jiangbei before; it was not only unique but also beautiful. Furthermore, Su Mengxue had put on makeup, which made her look calm and dignified. Her every move no longer resembled that of a country bumpkin, but more like that of a daughter of a wealthy family who had studied abroad.
How could she have changed so much all of a sudden? Although Su Mengxue was pretty before, she was never this outstanding. Especially her skin, which used to be rough and dull, now suddenly became moist and bright.
In the past, every time she came to Jiangbei, she wore ill-fitting clothes, and her hairstyle was the same as always with two ponytails. She spoke in a timid manner and didn't dare to look up at people. She exuded a petty air.
Now she is completely transformed into a different person.
Gu Xuejiao sighed with emotion, and a wave of jealousy rose in her heart. Su Mengxue's success was due to her uncle's wealth, which was why she started to paint her eyebrows and wear beautiful clothes. She was just a country bumpkin, so how could she suddenly become a phoenix from a sparrow?
Especially when she thought about how Chen Yanzhi spoke up for her at noon, she hated Su Mengxue so much.
"She what? Xuejiao, are you still trying to shirk responsibility now? Don't you know how to reflect on yourself?"
Gu Changhe's cold words brought Gu Xuejiao back to reality. After she came to her senses, she shook her head and begged for mercy: "Grandpa, I didn't do that. I really know I was wrong. I accept the punishment. I only ask you not to send me to the countryside."
Gu Changhe knew that Gu Xuejiao wasn't truly admitting her mistake. He sneered and said sternly, "Your reckless words have not only hurt Meng Xue, but have also made our Gu family the talk of the town for no reason. If you continue to stay in Jiangbei, who knows what kind of trouble you'll get into in the future. If I had known you were so ignorant, I should have sent you to the countryside a few years ago to gain experience, and you wouldn't have made the mistake you made today."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present understood that Gu Changhe was determined to send Gu Xuejiao to the countryside.
When Gu Xuejiao thought of the harsh environment in the countryside, she suddenly lost her strength. She collapsed on the ground, curled up into a ball, and cried inconsolably.
"Grandpa, I beg you, please don't send me to the countryside. I really can't stand the environment there. Please, Grandpa, I really know I was wrong. I promise you that I will never say anything nonsense again. Grandpa, I beg you..."
Sun Suqin's face darkened. Just as she was about to speak, Su Mengxue spoke first, "Grandpa Gu, Gu Xuejiao and I were both at fault for what happened this afternoon. She even fell into the water because of it. Why don't we just let this go?"
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