Besides Gu Xi, the one who was anxious was also Gu Xi's maid He Xiang.
Since she came along, she must be Gu Xi's confidant. Gu Xi tried his best to move into Pei's house but got nothing. She knew better than anyone else.
Seeing Gu Xi pacing back and forth, she was also worried and could not help but whispered: "Miss, I have found out everything about that day."
Gu Xi was cheered up.
She accidentally overheard the conversation between Lao An and Yu Tang. The intimacy revealed in their tone made her very uneasy, and the things they said in a few words made her extremely alert. She sent He Xiang to inquire about it, but He Xiang never responded to her.
"What's going on? Tell me quickly!" Gu Xi stopped in front of He Xiang.
He Xiang hesitated for a moment, thinking that if Gu Xi knew about this, he would be angry, but if she didn't tell Gu Xi, and let Gu Xi make a wrong judgment, it would lead to more serious consequences. She lowered her voice and said, "It was the third master. Seeing that Miss Yu's cloak was a little thin, he specially sent someone down the mountain to get a white mink cloak for Miss Yu."
Before she finished her words, Gu Xi's face changed drastically. She exclaimed, "What did you say?"
He Xiang pursed her lips nervously and continued in a low voice: "The Third Elder had someone send it directly to Miss Yu. Somehow, Old An found out about it and said that the Third Elder didn't know much about household affairs in the past and treated Miss Yu as a family member, so he was not so polite."
Gu Xi felt as if these words were stabbing him with a knife.
What does family mean?
What does informality mean?
It is so difficult to pass the two imperial examinations, but Pei Yan passed them. If he was determined, how could he not understand these etiquettes?
Pei Yan clearly had a different opinion of Miss Yu.
And what does Old An mean? Is he trying to cover up the truth? Is he becoming more and more satisfied with Miss Yu, and is he treating her as his son's wife?
Gu Xi felt a surge of resentment in his heart.
Miss Yu is pretending to be deaf and dumb, why is she suppressing her without saying a word?
Gu Xi was originally considering whether or not to get along well with the first wife, but at this moment, it seemed as if there was a fire burning in her heart, which not only ignited her rationality but also made her feel suffocated.
Yu Tang wants to marry Pei Yan, but that depends on whether she agrees!
When Gu Xi thought of this, not only did his courage double, but he also developed the courage to go forward without looking back.
She smiled and said, "Shall we go to the greenhouse to look at the orchids? I've heard from the elders in my family that the first wife is an orchid expert and has loved growing orchids since she was a child. The orchids she grows are loved by many people in Guangzhou, not to mention the capital. Someone even went to great lengths and paid a large sum of money to buy the orchids grown by the first wife. Since we're here, we have to go and take a look, lest someone asks us about it and we don't know anything."
This is the normal case, but isn't the situation special now?
He Xiang advised, "Why are you doing this? The eldest master said that you came here just to let Old An know your face. He will make his own decisions on other matters. You just need to stay at home and wait for news."
After all, being too proactive not only makes people feel frivolous, but also makes you look too low-key.
Gu Xi is a man with his own ideas, and he will not change his mind just because of a few words from his trusted maid.
She nodded absentmindedly, but in her mind she was thinking about finding an excuse to go to the greenhouse more often so that she could meet the first wife.
This opportunity came soon.
After sending Zhang Shao away, Lao An rested in his yard for a few days. Yu Tang, Gu Xi and the young ladies of the Pei family did not need to go to Lao An to greet him and arranged their own affairs. The second young lady and Gu Xi often talked in private, the third young lady and the fourth young lady often practiced calligraphy together, and the fifth young lady came to Yu Tang's place every day to play and learn how to make silk flowers from Yu Tang. Moreover, the fifth young lady seemed to be very talented in this aspect. Not only did she do it well from the beginning, but she also boldly matched the colors. Unlike Yu Tang, who tried to make artificial flowers, she made all kinds of silk flowers with contrasting colors. Once, she even made a peony flower that was half pink and half pink.
Yu Tang was speechless, but had to admit that this kind of silk flower looked beautiful in a different way.
The fifth young lady happily gave it to Mr. An.
Old Mrs. An praised the Fifth Miss and gave her a lot of snacks, but she did not keep her in her yard to talk.
Yu Tang felt something was wrong.
But because I lived in the inner courtyard, I had no way of knowing what happened.
People are most afraid of the unknown, so she couldn't help but feel a little anxious and asked about Pei Yan's whereabouts.
Miss Wu didn't know, and didn't know why she asked these questions. But Aunt Ji whispered to her: "The Third Master is hiding in the mountains. No one wants to see him. Old An even exempted him from the morning and evening visits. I heard from my in-laws that there are rumors outside that the Third Master is recuperating in the other courtyard."
Aunt Ji’s relative is the shopkeeper Tong.
Yu Tang let out a long sigh of relief.
As long as Pei Yan is safe and sound, we will be able to live a stable life.
At this time, Mrs. Shen started coughing for some reason and called a doctor, who said it was because she lived in a house with a burned-out floor heating and it was too dry.
Gu Xi was secretly delighted and suggested buying some kumquats. He said, "Kumquats can relieve coughs. The weather is getting colder and colder. Although getting people out and about can reduce coughs, the change from hot to cold can easily cause colds. It's better to boil kumquats and drink them. This can relieve coughs and nourish the lungs."
Old An was used to staying in a house with a ground dragon in winter. Among the youngsters, only the fifth daughter had been with the second wife since she was a child, and she had to use the brazier in winter. This spring, she had a cough because of this, but the ground dragon went out quickly, and the fifth daughter's cough soon healed. Although everyone knew about this and took it to heart, they were afraid that she would catch a cold, so they carefully observed her. Fortunately, the fifth daughter has not coughed yet.
Old An felt sorry for the Fifth Miss, so he immediately nodded in agreement, and asked Aunt Chen to send people down the mountain to the back garden of Pei Mansion to move a lot of tangerines over and raise them next to the greenhouse.
Gu Xi often went there to pick golden oranges.
Aunt Chen met Gu Xi, whose face was flushed, and said repeatedly, "If you need anything, just ask the maid to pick it for you. Why bother you to come here in person?"
Gu Xi smiled and wiped his hands and said, "Mrs. Shen is my elder after all, so I should respect her. Besides, I am not used to the floor heating in the house, it is too hot."
Aunt Chen admired Gu Xi very much for getting along well with Mrs. Shen. She couldn't help but smile when she heard this and said, "You are thoughtful. I'll ask them to burn less charcoal on the floor dragon in your room."
"No, no, no." Gu Xi repeatedly stopped him, "It's too cold in the room. Mrs. Shen will find it unbearable."
Aunt Chen didn't know what to say, and in the evening, she brought her some loquat paste.
Gu Xi smiled and gave it to Mrs. Shen.
Mrs. Shen was lying alone in the room, looking at Cheng Chen above her head, not knowing what she was thinking.
Gu Xi did not disturb her and left after delivering the things.
The next day, when she went to pick tangerines again, she met the eldest wife as she had wished.
The eldest wife looked a little more frail than the last time she saw her, and she greeted her politely with a smile.
Gu Xi exchanged a few words with her, praised the orchids she grew, and then they went their separate ways.
Old An got the news immediately and his face darkened.
Unlike Madam Shen. The first wife wanted to save face, so she might not say anything when she met Madam Shen, but Gu Xi had a brother who was a disciple of Sun Gao, the Zuodu Yushi of the Censorate, so the first wife would only have a lot of thoughts on her mind.
She asked, "Who put those oranges in the greenhouse?"
Aunt Chen said anxiously, "It was me! I saw an empty space over there, so I let them put it there. How about I move them to another place..."
"No need!" said Lao An gloomily, "There is no such thing as being a thief for a thousand days. If it rains, it will rain. If my mother wants to get married, let her do it."
Aunt Chen didn't dare to say anything else, but she reminded Gu Xi again in private.
Gu Xi achieved his goal, smiled, went to see Lao An and apologized to him.
Old An laughed and said, "What does this have to do with you? It's just that the first wife didn't like the hustle and bustle in the past, so the family rarely went there. Since you two can chat, it would be good for you to accompany her and talk."
Gu Xi agreed, but never set foot in the greenhouse again after that.
Old An nodded secretly and said to the second wife, "He is quite sensible."
The second wife followed what Old An said and laughed, "Their family is also very complicated. I guess they have experienced a lot of these things since they were young."
Old An sighed and said nothing more.
Somehow these words reached Gu Xi's ears, and a hint of smile appeared on her face.
He Xiang was puzzled and asked, "Is this all right?"
"That's all." Gu Xi said, "What the Pei family lacks now is a matriarchal wife, a daughter-in-law who is obedient and capable of managing the household. It will be enough if you can leave this impression on Old An. The rest is up to my brother."
After several days of heavy snow, the sky cleared up, making people's mood brighter.
Several young ladies from the Pei family could no longer sit still, and ran to the plum forest to enjoy the snow and plum blossoms.
This time they did not compose poetry, but drank tea instead of wine and sat cross-legged in the warm pavilion to play drinking games.
Yu Tang remembered the last misunderstanding, and this time he wore the war cape that Pei Yan gave him.
Although Lao An didn't say anything, he thought Yu Tang looked very beautiful in this outfit and looked at her with joy.
Gu Xi sneered in his heart.
There are new guests in the villa.
The wife of Old Master Yi and the grandmother of the second and third young ladies.
The second young lady hid in the house and didn't want to see anyone.
The fourth and fifth young ladies whispered beside Yu Tang: "Is the person we are meeting going up the mountain?"
"Why not see it in the temple? That's how it's played out in the plays?"
"It's so cold, what if I catch a cold in the temple?"
"Then let's wait until spring to see each other! Second sister is so beautiful, she can marry anyone she wants!"
"You are talking nonsense again." The fourth young lady said, "Even if the second sister wants to get married, she has to be seen by others. I heard from my grandmother that the son of that family will go to Beijing to participate in the imperial examination next year. He will leave for Beijing before the New Year. The engagement must be made now."
The Fifth Miss curled her lips and said in disapproval: "If they really wanted to marry the Second Sister, what would they have done earlier?"
"Why do you always argue with me?" The fourth young lady said unhappily, "I used to follow my father and brother in their posts, and I just came back to my hometown. If it weren't for the blind date with my second sister, I would have gone directly to the capital."
Going back to his hometown? Then he is the son of a nearby family?
I wonder who is the person that the second young lady is going on a blind date with?
Yu Tang was very curious.