Gu Xingzhi's residence is located in Yongyangfang, a district in Shuojing where powerful and wealthy people gather. After entering the city, one must pass through a bustling street.
The carriage rumbled along the cobblestone street, the cries of vendors filling the air. Gu Yaoniang peeked through a corner of the window curtain and caught a glimpse of a young man riding a horse through the street, the hooves clattering with youthful exuberance. Nearby, stalls and shops lined the street, the vendors mostly selling small, miscellaneous items like food, cosmetics, and trinkets, while the shops offered more exquisite or larger pieces.
The road was bustling with people, men and women, including common women in simple clothes and young ladies from wealthy families with maids and servants. They all had one thing in common, which was very different from what Gu Yaoniang had seen in Qingyun County before—none of the young ladies were wearing veils!
Gu Yaoniang found it quite novel and didn't notice that her gaze lingered on a young woman. The young woman was tall and slender, adorned with pearls and jade, and was chattering happily to the maid beside her, while a group of servants behind her were carrying numerous boxes.
The young lady seemed to sense Gu Yaoniang's gaze, but instead of showing shyness or anger, she smiled generously at Gu Yaoniang. Gu Yaoniang then realized her rudeness, smiled sheepishly at the young lady, and lowered the window curtain.
Upon seeing Gu Yaoniang's appearance, Gu Xingzhi's handsome face revealed a kind and gentle smile that seemed out of place for his age, and he remained silent.
"Second Uncle, do the ladies of Shuojing not need to wear veils when they go out?"
Gu Xingzhi didn't answer, but instead asked, "What else did you see?"
What else did you see?
"Is this the famous Le Bao Street in Shuojing City?"
Gu Xingzhi raised an eyebrow: "You know Le Bao Street?"
"I heard about it from people when I was at home. Le Bao Street in Shuojing City is the most bustling street in Shuojing. Most of the other markets only sell one kind of goods, but Le Bao Street has all kinds of things, food, household items, and toys. There's nothing you can't buy on Le Bao Street!"
Gu Yaoniang thought for a moment, lowered her head slightly, and whispered, "I've also heard that the food on Lebao Street is unique. The various stalls and restaurants always have some dishes that can't be found elsewhere, so people always come here because of its reputation."
Gu Xingzhi was taken aback when he heard this. He saw Gu Yaoniang speaking with a shy expression and her head down. He thought it was something important, but he didn't expect... it seems she was afraid that he would laugh at her for being greedy!
He laughed loudly: "No problem! Once you're all ready, your second uncle will take you to eat your way through Le Bao Street!"
Upon hearing this, not only Gu Yaoniang, but also Bitao looked on with anticipation.
As the carriage entered Yongyangfang, a completely different scene unfolded. The hustle and bustle had vanished, leaving only the rumbling of the wheels. High walls stood tall, and pedestrians were almost nowhere to be seen.
Several people were already standing at the entrance of the Gu family mansion, waiting for Gu Xingzhi and his party. Leading them was a young woman in the prime of her life, who came to greet the carriage as it approached.
Upon seeing Gu Yaoniang, the woman approached her warmly, took Yaoniang's hand, and asked, "This must be Yaoniang?"
Gu Yaoniang didn't know who she was, and regretted not asking whether Gu Xingzhi was married or not. Now she didn't know how to address the woman in front of her, and just looked at her curiously.
The woman was beautiful, with extremely white skin, like jade and porcelain, but she had a very long pink scar that snaked from under her eyebrow to her chin. Although the color had faded, because her skin was naturally fair, even the faint scar looked like a flaw in a perfect piece of jade. Yao Niang sighed inwardly at the pity.
“Yaoniang, this is Qiaoniang,” Gu Xingzhi said. After thinking for a moment, he added, “My friend.”
Friends? What friends? Gu Yaoniang was clearly taken aback. Qiaoniang noticed as well, and then smiled at Yaoniang, saying, "Look at me! I completely forgot!"
She smoothed the slightly upturned strands of hair at her temples, and as she led Yao Niang into the courtyard, she gestured to the servants to take over the small amount of luggage that Yao Niang and the other two had brought with them and put it away properly. It was clear that everything had been arranged in advance.
She said, "My name is Zhang Qiaoqiao, you can call me Qiaoniang. A few years ago, Second Master saved me when I was desperate, and now I am a manager in Second Master's business."
She smiled and said, "Second Master said I'm a friend, which means he thinks highly of me. Second Master is my boss!"
Gu Xingzhi's smile never faded after entering the house. Hearing this, he glanced at Qiaoniang with a smile and said to Yaoniang, "If you need anything in the future, you can ask Qiaoniang. She will live with you in the mansion, so it will be convenient for her to take care of you."
Gu Yaoniang was startled! She wasn't her second aunt, yet she managed the Gu family's private residence; she was just a friend, yet she lived in the mansion?
She felt something was off, but she didn't want to pry into her elders' affairs directly, so she just smiled and agreed.
Qiaoniang led Yaoniang and her entourage to the residence prepared for Yaoniang. Along the way, they saw winding corridors, long bridges spanning the water, and verdant mountains, all exquisitely crafted.
The courtyard where Yao Niang lived was built by the water and named Tinglan Residence. The scenery was beautiful and elegant, and a faint fragrance wafted in the breeze. The curtains inside swayed, clearly indicating that it was a carefully decorated boudoir for a young lady.
Gu Yaoniang felt that Qiaoniang was meticulous and her arrangements were to her liking, so she couldn't help but feel close to her.
Seeing the two whispering to each other like close friends, Gu Xingzhi felt at ease. He ordered his precious carriage to be prepared and prepared to take the two of them to have a meal.
Gu Yaoniang had heard Gu Xingzhi mention the extremely comfortable carriage at home many times during the journey, and knew that her second uncle treasured it very much. He had even named the carriage "Ta Yu" (meaning "stepping on jade"). Now that she saw it, she realized just how extraordinary it was.
From the outside, the Jade Carriage is nothing more than a taller, larger, more elaborately patterned, more ornately decorated carriage, and more like a small building than an ordinary carriage. But once inside, one understands the origin of the name "Jade Carriage".
Ordinary carriages would typically have cushions or carpets placed in front of the seat for the owner to rest their feet. However, Tayu only placed a Persian carpet in front of one half of the seat, while the other half had cork footrests inlaid with warm jade. The warm jade was warm to the touch, lustrous, and each bead was round and full.
Seeing that Yao Niang seemed interested in the warm jade foot mat, Gu Xingzhi proudly introduced it to her. It turned out that when Gu Xingzhi was traveling as a merchant, his feet often felt tired, but he didn't have the time to find a masseur to relieve the fatigue. Unexpectedly, one day he met a doctor who told him that he could place smooth pebbles on the mat and walk on it, pressing against the ground to relieve fatigue.
After experiencing the benefits of the pebble mat once, Gu Xingzhi was extremely satisfied. If he placed it in the carriage, he could relax while traveling to the next destination without wasting time, which was very satisfying for Gu Xingzhi, who was racing against time at the time.
But Gu Xingzhi was not the kind of person who would use ordinary pebbles. He knew that warm jade was gentle and nourishing, and extremely useful in relieving fatigue, so he had a flash of inspiration and replaced the ordinary pebbles with it, placing it in front of the sedan chair.
Qiao Niang whispered to Yao Niang, "You don't know yet, when the Second Master first made the warm jade cushion, he only placed it on one side of the carriage for convenience. As a result, the warm jade cushion was much heavier than the carpet on the other side, and once when we were going a little too fast at a street corner, the carriage tipped over."
Yao Niang and Bi Tao covered their mouths and chuckled upon hearing this. No wonder the benches on both sides were now divided in half, symmetrically arranged, one half for warm jade and the other for a carpet. It was a lesson learned from a fall!
Gu Xingzhi looked embarrassed, but he wasn't angry. He pretended not to hear and told the driver to drive Ta Yu even faster.
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