The next day, Gu Yaoniang got up early and busied herself in the kitchen.
When Gu Pingsheng got up in the dim morning light and prepared to go out, Gu Yaoniang was already waiting for him at the door with a small tray, smiling.
Gu Xingzhi and Qiaoniang were also waiting at the door, but Gu Pingsheng was taken aback and felt a little overwhelmed by the star-studded treatment.
On the tray were two delicate little dishes, one containing a Ding Sheng Gao (a type of rice cake), and the other containing a small zongzi (sticky rice dumpling).
Gu Pingsheng was very surprised: "Why are there zongzi at this time of year?"
Gu Yaoniang glanced at Gu Xingzhi, her voice smug: "The double happiness zongzi leaves that Second Uncle found, I wrapped them last night and have been simmering them over a low flame. They're just right now!"
"Why eat so much so early in the morning? You'll feel sleepy if you eat too much."
Gu Pingsheng clearly did not understand this arrangement.
Gu Yaoniang looked at him with disdain: "Ding Sheng Gao, Ding Sheng! Zong Zi, Zhong! Gao Zong, Gao Zhong! You're so stupid!"
Knowing that his sister must have put in a lot of effort, Gu Pingsheng was both touched and somewhat amused: "Sister, how come you still have an accent after high school?"
Gu Yaoniang rolled her eyes at him: "Hurry up and eat! If you keep dawdling, you'll be late."
Gu Pingsheng was carrying a basket of exam papers, wanting to eat but unable to free his hands, feeling somewhat lost.
Qiaoniang took the examination basket from him, and only then did Gu Pingsheng have a moment to peel off the slightly yellowed skin of the zongzi after it had been simmering overnight, revealing the glistening rice grains filled with red dates.
Gu Pingsheng's face immediately scrunched up: "Sister! I don't want to eat dates! I don't want to eat them!"
"Dumplings and rice dumplings, good morning and noon! Be obedient throughout your life!"
Before Gu Yaoniang could speak, Gu Xingzhi eagerly spoke up.
Gu Pingsheng was both amused and exasperated, and looked at Gu Yaoniang: "Sister!"
Gu Yaoniang ignored Gu Pingsheng's plea for help: "Just this once, I specially made a small one for you, so you can eat it in one bite."
Gu Pingsheng had no choice but to swallow the zongzi and Dingsheng cake with a bitter face.
He took the teacup from the servant beside him, rinsed his mouth, and turned to walk outside.
Gu Xingzhi chased after him, shouting, "Don't run! Don't run! I'll call Ta Yu to take you!"
Watching Gu Xingzhi and Gu Pingsheng disappear into the Jade Pavilion and head towards the examination hall, Gu Yaoniang took Qiaoniang's arm, and the two walked intimately inside.
The two didn't go anywhere else, but went straight to the dining room.
Zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) and honey were already laid out there.
The honey was made by Yao Niang using brown sugar, and she also added crushed roasted peanuts, making it very sweet.
"Ping Sheng is finally gone, we can finally eat again!"
Gu Yaoniang peeled a zongzi and handed it to Qiaoniang's bowl. The zongzi was very small, and even a woman could finish one in two or three bites.
"Try my syrup!"
Gu Yaoniang's eyes sparkled.
Having done everything that needed to be done and prayed for good omens, there was nothing more to be done. Gu Yaoniang felt a great weight lifted from her heart, and her mood became very relaxed.
Under her earnest gaze, Qiaoniang took a small bite, her eyes lighting up.
In the leisurely afternoon, Gu Yaoniang lazily fanned herself in the outer courtyard of the Gu family's silver vault, listening to Bitao talk about the interesting things that happened on the street that day.
This is a heavily guarded warehouse used by the Gu family for large sums of money. Even its layout differs from the courtyards near Shuojing. Other courtyards are all quadrangles, with even the larger ones consisting of only one courtyard on top of another.
The Gu family's courtyard was constructed with multiple "回"-shaped courtyards, enclosed inside and out, and heavily guarded. The walls and the central gate also had specially designed mechanisms, each guarded and operated by different people. These multiple layers of security protected the silver within the courtyard.
No one, except the owner, can open any two doors at the same time.
Even the guards in the courtyard would find it extremely difficult to steal from the premises.
Her gaze kept drifting towards the door. Today was the day the Lu family would send money each month.
The previous few times the money was delivered at noon. Gu Yaoniang had already eaten and even taken a short nap. The sun was already setting, but the money still hadn't arrived.
Gu Yaoniang had her doubts and sent someone out to check what was going on.
The people she had sent away had not returned for a long time, and Gu Yaoniang was getting a little anxious. Just as she was about to pick up her teacup and drink another cup of cold tea, Bi Shuang stopped her with a gesture: "Madam, it's not good to drink too much."
Somewhat helplessly, she placed her hands on her knees and rubbed them together, then picked up the round fan on the table and started fanning herself vigorously.
Bizhu and Bishuang exchanged a glance, and Bizhu tentatively asked, "Wife, why don't we sisters go out and take a look?"
Gu Yaoniang frowned, seemingly lost in thought. Just as Bizhu was about to speak again, a commotion erupted outside the courtyard, and a servant rushed in.
He came in covered in dust, his robes were so dirty that some of them had become strips of cloth hanging on his body, making him look extremely disheveled.
There appeared to be abrasions on her face and bloodstains on her arms, though it was unclear whether they were her own or someone else's. Although she walked quickly, it was obvious that she was enduring pain, as the weight was unevenly distributed between her left and right feet.
Although the Gu family guards were few in number, they were all capable individuals. Anyone who could enter Gu Yaoniang's place, unless they forced their way in, must have been someone the guards trusted to let them pass.
The newcomer's face was obscured, but Bizhu and Bishuang flanked Gu Yaoniang, protecting her from the middle. Bitao stepped forward to examine him and exclaimed, "It's Brother Ping'an!"
Ping An was a江湖人 (jianghu person) found by Gu Xingzhi. He was extremely loyal to the Gu family and his martial arts skills were not bad either. Ever since the Gu family and the Lu family started doing large-scale business and transporting large sums of money, Ping An had been the escort for the Gu family. Whether it was from the Gu family to the Lu family or from the Lu family to the Gu family, he accompanied them every time money was transported.
Everyone in the flower hall was startled. Gu Yaoniang stood up abruptly. Before the newcomer could even bow, Gu Yaoniang had already stepped forward and hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
Seeing that Ping An was in a sorry state, covered in blood and dirt, he asked again, "Are you alright?"
Ping An replied with a solemn expression, "Thank you for your concern, Madam. I am fine. We encountered a robbery today, which caused the delay. Boss Lu has also arrived and is waiting outside the courtyard."
The first courtyard is the outermost courtyard of this complex, while the innermost courtyard, where the silver and money are kept, is the sixth courtyard. Apart from a few members of the Gu family and their trusted associates, no one has ever entered the sixth courtyard.
Gu Yaoniang was currently in the third courtyard.
Upon hearing that Lu Zhaoan had also arrived, she quickly stepped outside, asking as she went, "Where's the silver?"
"The silver is fine, the brothers protected it."
Gu Yaoniang nodded: "Tell me about what happened today in detail."
Ping An said in a deep voice, "We brought silver from the Lu family today. As instructed by my wife, we pretended to be ordinary merchants and went to several shops to put the money into other boxes before coming this way."
Not long after, we discovered that someone was following us. Seeing that we had been spotted, they recklessly tried to steal the silver. Our brothers fought desperately to protect the cart.
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