Inside Gu Yaoniang's room, two figures were moving about quietly.
"Miss? Do we really have to crawl through a dog hole? It's so dirty!" Although her words were full of disdain, Bitao's voice contained a hint of excitement. She was eager to try: "Can't we climb over the wall? In the stories, masters can fly over rooftops and scale walls!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Yaoniang stopped packing her small bundle and gently tapped Bitao's forehead with her hand: "Are you an expert? Didn't you secretly try it before? Can you flip over? Can I flip over?"
"Don't read so many stories!" She ignored Bitao and folded the clean clothes in her hands.
Bitao pouted, feeling wronged: "That doesn't mean we have to get up so early to climb through the dog hole! Climbing at night is more discreet." Who would get up so early just to climb through their own dog hole?
"Silly girl!" Gu Yaoniang couldn't help but glare at Bitao. "There's a curfew tonight. Where would you go if you crawled out? There's no one on the streets in the city early in the morning, so you won't be discovered. The city gates are open too. You can get out of the city right away. Isn't that great?"
Upon hearing this, Bitao couldn't help but admire her young mistress's thoughtfulness.
"Miss, it's such a pity you didn't become a thief..."
"Um?"
Bitao immediately shut her mouth.
Madam Gu pushed open the door and came in: "What's a pity?"
The two people in the room were caught off guard by her sudden entry and hurriedly tried to hide the items on the bed. Madam Gu glanced at them, sighed inwardly, and understood.
She didn't show it on her face, but pulled Gu Yaoniang down to sit and said, "Don't take your father's words to heart today. You know him, he's sharp-tongued and doesn't think before he speaks, so he may not really mean it."
Seeing the mother and daughter talking, Bitao discreetly retreated to the outer room. Gu Yaoniang, recalling her father's words from earlier that day, felt another pang of pain in her heart. What kind of father would say his daughter was eager to become a concubine? She was already heartbroken due to recent troubles; her father's words were far too hurtful. She assumed her mother had come to mediate on behalf of her father, and kept a tight-lipped expression, refusing to speak.
Madam Gu sighed softly. After so many years of marriage, she knew her husband's sharp tongue best; it was the kind of tongue that offended the most people. Otherwise, he wouldn't still be just a minor county clerk, never given a significant position. She knew her husband meant no harm, just had a sharp tongue, and even that was hard for him to accept; Yao Niang was in her prime, with a very strong sense of self-respect, how could she not take it to heart?
Knowing that Gu Yaoniang's inner turmoil was difficult to resolve, she didn't try to persuade her further. She gestured for Yaoniang to come closer, then took out a hairpin adorned with pearls, agate, and kingfisher feathers from her sleeve and placed it in Yaoniang's hair, which was not yet adorned with pearls or kingfisher feathers.
Night had fallen, and the candlelight inside was dim, obscuring the texture and patterns of the hairpin. It stood out among the black hair, its pearly sheen shimmering and gleaming, perfectly complementing the beautiful woman's unadorned face.
Gu Yaoniang was wondering why her mother had suddenly given her a hairpin when she heard Madam Gu say:
“I know you really liked the hair ornaments your second uncle gave you when you came of age, and you were always heartbroken that your grandmother threw them away. This auspicious hair ornament, although not as luxurious as the one your second uncle gave you, was given to me by my mother when I got married.”
Madam Gu seemed to be recalling something extremely happy, a smile playing on her lips.
"Back then, she said that if I had a daughter, I would give her this hair ornament when she got married. I wish her all the best, peace and happiness in the future. But now, you have encountered a hurdle, and you are unhappy. So now I will give you this auspicious hair ornament."
She raised her hand and gently adjusted Gu Yaoniang's hair ornament, her fingertips lightly tracing the auspicious patterns engraved on it.
"I hope my son will be graceful and prosperous, and that all his wishes will come true."
Seeing her mother's rare display of emotion, Gu Yaoniang felt a tremor in her heart, and the grievances and resentment she had been hiding for days surged up. Her voice trembled slightly, and her nose stung with tears. Yaoniang took her mother's arm and called out sweetly, "Mother."
Madam Gu stroked Yao Niang affectionately. She sighed softly, "When you were little, your grandmother thought I didn't know how to take care of children and was worried about letting you live with me. You didn't grow up in front of me, and I didn't know how to treat you well on a daily basis, so we weren't as close as we were in life."
"But you are my only two children, and you are both my precious treasures."
Gu Yaoniang could no longer hold back her tears and leaned against Madam Gu, sobbing softly. Madam Gu gently stroked her thin back: "Cry! It'll be better if you cry it out! We women are bound by rules from birth. At home, we listen to our fathers; after marriage, we listen to our husbands. Even if a man has a thousand faults, it's all because the woman isn't gentle, kind, or magnanimous enough, and hasn't offered any advice."
"But in front of those heartless men, if they don't care about you, they won't consider you in any way, and whatever you do will be wrong."
“My dear, you are much braver than your mother.”
Gu Yaoniang looked up in astonishment. What did her mother mean by saying this?
Madam Gu laughed. "Why are you looking at me like that? Isn't that what you think? It's clearly Qin Yuxiu who has wronged you, you're the one who's been wronged, but the rumors will only say that you're not good enough, that you're incompetent and couldn't keep him."
"You're angry! You insist on finding Qin Yuxiu and making him admit that he wronged you, that the top scholar betrayed his promise and fawned over the powerful, while Gu Yaoniang has never done anything wrong. Isn't that right?"
Gu Yaoniang never expected that in the end, it would be her mother who understood her best.
She nodded: "I'm just indignant. Why is it that I've suffered so much injustice, yet everyone says it's my fault? Why is it that even though he's clearly wronged me, his mother can still be so cheerful and dismissive of me? He's wrong, he's wrong, whether he had no choice or not, he's wronged me."
"But Yaoniang, the strong are easily broken. Not everything can be judged as right or wrong. Have you considered that even if you find Qin Yuxiu, what if he is also helpless? What will you do then?"
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