Returning to the Zhou Mansion in glory
Chapter Four
"Why are you spacing out?"
Realizing there was someone else beside her, Zhou Yulin came to her senses.
“Although I admit I’m somewhat good-looking, you don’t need to stare like that…” Zhou Yulin patted Gu Ling’s shoulder in response to his teasing and somewhat narcissistic smile. “I didn’t see any good looks, but I did see a bit of narcissism.”
Gu Ling snorted and curled her lip. "No way, no way, is there really no one who doesn't have eyes to see beauty?"
Zhou Yulin nodded and smiled, tacitly agreeing, "Yes, I'm blind."
"So, you won't even admit you're blind and praise me for being handsome!" Gu Ling raised his voice in disbelief.
Zhou Yulin had no time to discuss this issue with Gu Ling. She had only one thought in mind when she held the purple spirit stone: to sell it and get money!
"What are you doing following me?" Meeting the young boy's cool and aloof face, Gu Ling stopped abruptly and turned his head. "What do you mean, 'following you'? Can't I just be going the same way?"
"This road leads up to the mountain, where there's only one Guanyin Temple. Where are you going?" Gu Ling pondered for a few seconds, crossed his arms, and leisurely asked, "What are you going there for in the middle of the night?"
"There's nothing I can do. My sins are too heavy. I don't dare to burn incense and pray to Buddha during the day. I can only secretly pray at night." Zhou Yulin didn't even blink when she said this lie.
Realizing the other person had gone up the mountain and was about to leave, Gu Ling hurriedly called out, "Hey, I forgot to ask you, what's your name?" The bright moon hid among the cotton-like, light clouds, casting its radiance upon the world.
On a clear night, countless stars dotted the dark sky like pearls. After a long while, a voice from the mountain boy called out, "Ah Jin." Gu Ling was taken aback, unsure whether the person was calling him or if this was his name.
"My name."
Gu Ling looked up and met a pair of bright eyes, like the stars of Jupiter. The person was standing on the hillside, looking down at him from above.
When I looked again, the other person's back gradually became a dot in my field of vision.
As the last candle flickered in the sky, he remained there to make sure Zhou Yulin had safely made it up the mountain before turning to leave.
"Heh." He chuckled self-deprecatingly, unable to describe how he felt.
What a coincidence!
My name is A-Jin, and his name is also A-Jin.
It's obvious that they don't believe in themselves and are lying to others.
He really is a complete fraud!
As the night wind blew by, in the dim light, he put the white veil over his eyes again.
On the other side, June excitedly told Zhou Yulin, "Miss, you are so clever! The Xu family has replied in just a few days!" Dusk filled the sky, dark and silent. June saw Zhou Yulin's figure from afar in the house and hurriedly came up to her, excitedly reporting the day's progress.
At first, no one noticed, but when Zhou Yulin stepped from the darkness into the light, June couldn't help but gasp, "My God—"
Just as Zhou Yulin was about to ask what was wrong, Liu Yue suddenly hugged her and exclaimed infatuatedly, "Miss, you're so beautiful!"
Seeing June's infatuated expression, Zhou Yulin sighed helplessly, "What, is your young lady not pretty usually?"
A little embarrassed, June stared at her toes. "Miss, you know, like repels like, and opposites attract. Even if you look beautiful normally, we've seen you for over ten years, so we're used to it..."
"However, Miss, dressed like a dashing young gentleman, I would say you are infinitely more handsome than that heartless man. Only that shameless scoundrel can't see how good Miss is. He's greedy for both Miss's beauty and the Zhou family's wealth."
"The Zhou family's wealth?"
June replied matter-of-factly, “Yes! Jiangning isn’t big, but the Zhou family originally moved here from the capital. So, calling them the richest family in Jiangning is just us being modest. If we’re really talking about it, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Zhou family is the richest family in the whole country!”
Wow!
When Zhou Yulin woke up, she found herself to be the daughter of the richest man in the world.
Good news: This daughter is quite pretty.
Bad news: This daughter is just a pretty face.
"When did I find out in June that I had a useless spiritual root?"
Faced with this question, June thought for a long time before answering, "Actually, Miss wasn't born with a useless spiritual root, it's just that when she was six years old..."
"I was kidnapped by bad guys, but a kind person rescued me and took me home. After arriving home, I was found to have a useless spiritual root," Zhou Yulin explained, trying to justify his actions.
After a while, seeing that June hadn't responded, Zhou Yulin blinked, thinking about the bizarre situation: "Could it be that I really was right?"
Unexpectedly, June just rolled her eyes at Zhou Yulin and said reproachfully, "Miss can joke now? It's almost like the storybooks I've been reading lately..."
"That's not true at all! Miss has loved reading and studying since she was a child, and she doesn't like fighting. So, when that Taoist priest who came down from the mountain said that Miss has extraordinary talent and will definitely become a great person, Master beat that Taoist priest away. Oh, I forgot to mention, if Master hadn't disappeared, he would be 42 years old this year and have reached the Golden Core stage."
In Zhou Yulin's view, the Golden Core stage was nothing special, since there were plenty of inner disciples in the Xuanling Sect who could reach the Golden Core stage.
However, for ordinary people, this is indeed a very impressive achievement.
"Then what?"
In June, she continued, "Then, to prevent anyone from disturbing Miss in the future, the master simply had someone destroy Miss's spiritual root."
Zhou Yulin: ...An unexpected development
"It's ruined?"
"Yes, the master asked the young lady about it, and she nodded."
"Six years old?"
Zhou Yulin laughed in exasperation. What could a six-year-old know? This was nothing but deception!
"Yes, when I was six years old..."
Zhou Yulin resisted the urge to tear the house down. After calming down for a few seconds, she couldn't hold back any longer and rushed out with a stool in her hand.
"Miss, where are you going?" June yawned as she leaned against the window. "It's so late, aren't you sleepy?"
Tired? Zhou Yulin spent the entire night thinking.
It wasn't because I'd come to terms with it, but because it was dawn.
The more Zhou Yulin thought about it, the less she could understand. If he loved her, why did he break her wings, leaving her without even the ability to protect herself?
Isn't this the cruelest thing to do for her?
As dawn broke, June stepped out of the house and immediately spotted Zhou Yulin, who had been sitting there all night. She said with concern, "Miss..."
"The master left a letter for the young lady in the mansion, saying that she could pick it up after her sixteenth birthday."
June comforted her, "Perhaps that letter contains a method to restore Miss's spiritual roots." After saying that, June smiled knowingly.
Indeed, the capital is ruined. No matter how much we complain or what we do, it won't change anything. Anyway, we're going back to the capital soon, so we might as well do what's in front of us well.
"Bring me Madam Xu's letter."
Seeing Zhou Yulin's renewed spirits in June, she couldn't help but laugh and say, "Alright, Miss." The letter contained some condescending words, which Zhou Yulin naturally ignored.
The key information is that Wu Chi's wedding to the third young lady of the Zhou family is in five days. At that time, the person in charge of the Zhou family, Zhou Yulin's second uncle, plans to give him the jade thumb ring, which symbolizes the power of the Zhou family, on the wedding day.
Madam Xu promised to bring Zhou Yulin back within three days, and with the pomp and circumstance befitting the eldest daughter of the Zhou family. As for the money, Madam Xu certainly didn't skimp on it. June asked nervously, "Miss, the amount of money..."
Zhou Yulin looked at the letter thoughtfully, then waved her hand dismissively at June's questioning, saying, "Money is not a problem."
Unaware of Zhou Yulin's gambling skills, June silently said, "No, Miss! Money is a problem, a very big problem!"
"Prepare your luggage; the Xu family's carriage will arrive in the next day or two."
As soon as Zhou Yulin finished reading, she looked at June's jaw almost dropping to the ground with a puzzled expression, slowly turned her head, and almost couldn't help but swear.
"Miss, please tell June that she must be dreaming."
In June, she tugged at Zhou Yulin's sleeve, her tone still somewhat incredulous.
The slowly approaching carriage was covered on all four sides with precious mermaid silk, which shimmered in the sunlight.
The mahogany window railings, normally made of elm wood, were decorated with gold. Under the blazing sun, the golden light reflected off them was so intense that it hurt the eyes if stared at for too long. Even the white horses pulling the carriages wore golden armor.
The white marble disc shattered with a clap of glass; the curtain was made of strings of white marble, all of superior quality, and under the sunlight, it was crystal clear, smooth and translucent.
The carriage in front of her certainly lived up to her expectations.
It even exceeded the budget.
Zhou Yulin now believed what Liu Yue had said: money was a problem, a very big problem.
"Mermaid silk, Miss! The mermaid silk I saw last time was only used to make hairbands. This is the first time I've ever seen it used so extravagantly as a carriage curtain."
The coachman respectfully dismounted from the carriage, bowed, and handed Zhou Yulin a piece of paper.
Mermaid silk, worth a thousand gold pieces
Vajra Armor (Horse) 500 Gold
Diamond Armor (Chariot) 300 Gold
One hundred gold coins for a Ferghana horse
The round trip for a highly skilled professional groom costs a total of twenty gold coins.
Labor fee: one hundred taels of silver…
Zhou Yulin stared at the bill and fell silent.
"We're the richest people, right?"
June: "Miss, I'm suddenly not so sure either."
—
The most talked-about event in Jiangning recently is the marriage of Wu Chi, the county magistrate's son, and the third daughter of the Zhou family, the richest family in the country.
The story of their perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, spread among the common people.
Jiangning is a famous ancient capital. Although it is far from the capital, it is economically prosperous. The streets are full of dazzling arrays, and people are enjoying drinks. At this time of noon, the restaurants are the liveliest.
"Hey everyone! Have you heard? That young lady is coming back!"
"That Miss Zhou who cried and sobbed, and jumped into the river because of the magistrate's son?"
"Being a woman, I'm a bit jealous, but for the sake of that face, I wouldn't hesitate to spend a night with her..."
His banter was cut short when his colleagues laughed at him, saying, "Hey—you're dreaming too much."
"Don't even mention you, even the emperor himself probably couldn't resist the allure of this beauty. How do you compare to an emperor?"
"To be honest, Miss Zhou is indeed beautiful, and so beautiful that it's irresistible..." The sound of a rice bowl being slammed upside down on the table interrupted the drunken banter.
At the next table sat a young man with his eyes covered by a white veil, holding a celadon wine cup. He smiled and asked, "Is Miss Zhou really that beautiful?"
"Why are you asking so many questions, you little blind man?"
Faced with the mockery, Gu Ling remained nonchalant, holding his wine glass with a hint of regret, "Alas—it's precisely because I can't see her that I'd love to hear more from you all. So, is that Miss Zhou truly exceptionally beautiful?"
"certainly."
"Compared to Jiang Ling, who is renowned for her beauty and talent in the capital?"
Jiang Ling is the daughter of the Prime Minister. At the age of thirteen, she became famous throughout the world for her guzheng performance of "Flying Swallow". At the age of sixteen, she was found to have an ice spiritual root and was directly accepted as a disciple by the Qingyun Sect.
"In terms of looks, no one can rival Zhou Yulin."
Jiangning's beautiful but resentful young woman, my name is Zhou Yulin, remember that.
"What's going on? There's the sound of firecrackers outside!" someone asked, frowning, and looked out the window.
Willows swayed along the embankment, the sound of white marble clashing against each other was crisp and pleasant, and a gentle breeze stirred the beaded curtain, as if ripples were spreading across the water.
Not to mention how astonishing it was to see such a glittering, gold-decorated carriage suddenly appear on an ordinary street.
"The suona begins!" a loud voice shouted.
A loud suona horn blast shattered the clouds, breaking through countless layers of dark clouds and soaring straight into the sky, shaking people's ears.
The musicians, who had been lying in ambush all along, followed neatly behind the carriage, their playing suggesting either a coffin being opened or a wedding procession.
Faced with this display of power, Zhou Yulin felt like a mythical beast in a spirit beast pavilion, with everyone wanting to take a second look at her. At that moment, an unexpected sense of shame welled up in her heart.
What should I do? It feels like I'm digging a tower out of my toes.
However, toes can get tired too.
Zhou Yulin can only maintain her composure now.
June couldn't take it anymore. She sat up straight next to the coachman and said seriously, "Um, uncle, do you have any black cloth?"
The uncle was a worldly man. After thinking for a moment, he pulled out a pair of large black pants from his chest and handed them to June.
Then, June pulled a pair of scissors from her sleeve and neatly cut two holes in the middle of her pants before putting them over her head.
Two trouser legs lay comically to the side, and only June's eyes were visible. The once well-behaved and lovely woman had transformed into a ruthless bandit in broad daylight.
Zhou Yulin, who witnessed all of this: ...You all have some problems.
June: "Why do you always carry trousers with you?"
Driver: "Because my Thai pants are hot."
The driver rolled his eyes. "And what about you? Why do you always carry a pair of scissors with you?"
"Because I want to find money."
"Scissors money." After explaining in June, she smiled shyly, "After all, our goal is to become a rich woman who can adopt all the handsome men in Jiangning."
Before they knew it, children playing on the street corner, vendors selling goods on the street, and aunties chatting under the trees all followed the carriage. The large group of people finally stopped in front of the Zhou Mansion.
"Who exactly is this woman inside?"
"Zhou Yulin, the eldest daughter of the Zhou family and the richest man in Jiangning!"
"O-something terrible has happened!" The servant rushed into the hall. The man sitting in the main seat took a sip of tea and said unhappily, "What a hasty and disorderly manner!"
"Second brother, you don't know, that girl Yulin is back!" It was the first wife of the third son of the Zhou family who spoke.
"It's good that she's back. The important thing is that the girl knows she was wrong. To err is human, to forgive divine." The man in the main seat stroked his beard, displaying an air of profound wisdom.
"Brother, what I mean is... is there a possibility?" Zhou Rong chimed in, having received his wife's hint.
"Arong, the Zhou family must have sent you to school quite a bit, right?" The adult man on the seat raised his head, his eyes sweeping over everyone below him, his fingers propping up his head, his tone somewhat impatient.
Distracted by this question, Zhou Rong was a little confused and replied, "Hmm."
How many points did you get on the last test?
"Hmm... Ding Deng." As the name suggests, it means one of the last few.
"So...aren't you going back to your studies?"
Zhou Rong: ...
Zhou Yuanling's gaze finally turned to the servant. "What do you want now?"
servant: "Miss has returned in a golden carriage."
Zhou Yuanling didn't think much of it and just said calmly, "Oh." After taking a sip of tea, she felt like something was off.
He spat out a mouthful of water.
"Why did you say she came back by that?!"
“A golden carriage. A carriage made entirely of gold. I think the mermaid-like gauze and white marble on that carriage must be very valuable.”
"..."
"Mermaid gauze! White marble!"
Zhou Yuanling almost choked on her breath. She was about to smash the teacup on the ground, but then calmly put it back down. "Let her come in quickly."
The servant said cautiously, "The young lady said that you, Second Master, must personally go out to greet her... otherwise, she said she won't come in. There's a bunch of onlookers outside the gate now."
Zhou Yuanling asked Zhou Rong fiercely, "Is this what you were just trying to tell me?"
Zhou Rong looked innocently at her smiling second brother, patted her shoulder, and said with a proud expression, "My niece is back. As her third uncle, you should go out and greet her."
Thus, this important task once again fell to Zhou Rong.
The clear-headed yet foolish Zhou Rong grabbed his sword and went out, completely unaware of what he would see the next second after pushing open the door.
The carriage, gleaming in the golden sunlight, caught Zhou Rong's eye. Zhou Rong's face stiffened slightly, then she looked at the two people driving the carriage. The one in white should be the coachman, but...
Who's that guy with the black pants over his head?!
But then he noticed his gaze; the other person's eyes crinkled into a smile, and they even waved at him.
The two trouser legs swayed in the air with the other person's movements. The scene was so beautiful that Zhou Rong dared not look at it.
Where is my beautiful niece?
Give me back my beautiful niece!
"We're back, Third Master."
Wait, could that voice be Yu Lin's personal maid, Liu Yue?
Zhou Rong stepped forward and asked, "Where is your young lady?"
June pointed behind her, saying, "They're sitting in the back."
But when she lifted the white jade curtain, the carriage that had been occupied was now empty except for a fallen white jade hairpin, which was now just a wisp of white jade.
"Ah—Miss is gone!"
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