A few days later, the Gu couple were escorted back to their residence in Shuojing City by servants.
When Gu Yaoniang saw her parents, who looked twenty years older, standing outside the mansion gate, tears streamed down her face.
Madam Gu wanted to wipe away her tears, but when she reached into her sleeve, she realized she had no handkerchief. As her sleeve fluttered, she also smelled an unpleasant odor on herself. She hadn't bathed for days, and even after being released from prison, she had only given a quick wash. Even though she hadn't suffered much in the cell, she still smelled somewhat unpleasant. Feeling embarrassed, she shrank back, moving a little further away from Gu Yaoniang.
Gu Yaoniang saw her mother take a half step back, and a wave of disappointment washed over her. Her mother was still not close to her... She couldn't help but recall her earlier suspicion—could she really not be her mother's biological daughter?
Gu Pingsheng, however, lacked such delicate thoughts. He rushed into his mother's arms, causing Madam Gu to stumble. Gu Yaoniang quickly helped Madam Gu up.
Mrs. Gu felt somewhat uncomfortable, and Mr. Gu scolded, "Pingsheng! Look at you! Still so reckless!"
His gaze, however, swept over the vermilion gates and carved railings of the Gu family's residence. His eyes were slightly red, but a sense of satisfaction welled up within them.
Gu Pingsheng immediately knelt down and kowtowed to his parents, saying, "Father! Mother! Second Uncle is gone!"
After saying that, she began to sob and cry.
Gu Yaoniang was immediately startled. She hadn't expected Gu Pingsheng to be so blunt, telling her unprepared parents about her second uncle's death right there at the door.
For Dad, there were three siblings, and his aunt had passed away early. If his second uncle were to pass away as well, wouldn't Dad be all alone in this world?
The Gu couple were taken aback upon hearing this, only then noticing that although no white lanterns were hung at the gate, everyone in the mansion was dressed very simply, the kind of attire Da Cheng usually wore when mourning the deceased. And looking through the door frame, they could almost see the white lanterns hanging from the eaves, swaying in the air with the occasional breeze.
Mr. Gu's body trembled uncontrollably, his eyes rolled back, and he was about to faint.
Gu Pingsheng rushed forward and helped Mr. Gu up. Madam Gu was also shocked, but to her, Gu Xingzhi was just a brother-in-law she hadn't known for long and who was a decent person. She felt more sighs than grief and wasn't as overwhelmed as she thought.
She helped Mr. Gu up and asked urgently, "Sir! Old man! Oh dear!"
She cried out and pinched Mr. Gu's inner arm hard, which brought him back to his senses.
Seeing her father's eyes brimming with tears, as if he were about to cry but couldn't, and his blank stare, Gu Yaoniang felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Without delay, she quickly led her parents inside.
The heavy vermilion gates of the Gu family mansion closed behind them, cutting off all outside views.
-
The joy of their reunion was overshadowed by the news of Gu Xingzhi's passing. The white banners fluttering along the way also proved that this was not a hallucination born of their fear.
In the Gu family's main hall, the Gu couple met Qiao Niang. Qiao Niang was unhurried and performed all the proper courtesies, while the Gu couple scrutinized her for a while. After exchanging greetings, Qiao Niang left, giving the long-separated family space.
Yao Niang deliberately avoided talking about her second uncle, and only asked about her parents' health and how things were at home.
The kitchen was prepared with food and hot water, and the house was cleaned up.
Mr. Gu understood her intention to avoid the question, but how could he not ask about such an important matter? So he turned to Gu Pingsheng, who was sitting beside him.
Gu Pingsheng looked at his sister's face and saw that she didn't blame him, but was just worried and sad. Only then did he feel as if he had been granted permission to tell his parents what had happened.
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu quickly took Gu Yaoniang's hand and carefully examined her face: "My child, how are you? Are you alright?"
Gu Yaoniang felt a warmth in her heart: "Mother, I'm fine. Aren't I perfectly alright?"
Mr. Gu listened in a daze, and after a long while, he finally asked, "Is it really just an accident?"
"Father, we've investigated. It must have been an accident. Back then, the people in prison thought we weren't going to get out, so they neglected us a lot; serving us spoiled food was commonplace. Nobody expected that Second Uncle would die because of this..."
As Gu Yaoniang spoke, her forced calm crumbled, and by the end, she was sobbing uncontrollably.
She was exhausted. As soon as her second uncle left, she felt like the pillar of the family and dared not relax for a moment. She went to beg Princess Ruining to save her parents, and she planned how to use the Gu family's rice and grain to save more refugees and how to ensure that the rice and grain reached the mouths of the real refugees. She dared not stop for a moment.
At this moment, she finally had a trustworthy elder who could give her a break.
She was crying so hard that she was almost out of breath. Madam Gu was heartbroken and, forgetting her earlier attempts to hide the smell from Gu Yaoniang, gently stroked Gu Yaoniang's thin back and comforted her, saying, "It's alright, it's alright, Mother is here."
Gu Yaoniang hugged Madam Gu and buried her head in her hands, crying.
Mrs. Gu gently patted her back while looking at Mr. Gu.
-
Mr. and Mrs. Gu had just arrived home and finished settling in when a guest arrived at their home for dinner – Wang Chengxian.
She already knew that Wang Chengxian and her second uncle were acquainted. If they were acquainted in Qingyun County, then they must also be old friends with her father.
Gu Yaoniang politely invited Wang Chengxian into the house. As she led him inside, she said, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness and for making this special trip."
Wang Chengxian said with a faint smile, "Brother Gu came to Shuojing. He couldn't do his best before, but now he has to come and have a chat."
Gu Yaoniang led Wang Chengxian to sit down in the flower hall and said with a light smile, "Please sit down first, I'll go and urge Father."
Wang Chengxian nodded: "Okay."
Gu Yaoniang was somewhat surprised and looked up at Wang Chengxian. In fact, when Wang Chengxian first arrived at the Gu family, Gu Yaoniang had already instructed someone to invite Mr. Gu from the backyard. However, Mr. Gu was slow to arrive, so she politely offered to urge him on.
Logically speaking, Wang Chengxian should have politely declined, and after some back and forth between the two, Mr. Gu might have arrived.
But Wang Chengxian actually agreed directly. Gu Yaoniang assumed that Wang Chengxian was very familiar with her father, which was why he didn't stand on such formalities.
After he left, Wang Chengxian took a few deep breaths before his tightly clenched hands loosened slightly. He secretly opened his palms and wiped them inconspicuously on his robe, leaving faint watermarks.
-
In the courtyard where Mr. Gu lived, Mrs. Gu was urging him, "Since everyone has come, why don't you go and see them?"
Mr. Gu, who was originally dressed neatly, simply took off his shoes, sat cross-legged on the tatami mat, and said: "I'm not going."
Madam Gu was both amused and annoyed: "How old are you? You're practically half-buried, don't make yourself a laughingstock!"
"I'm not going! I hate that kid! I'm not going!"
Madam Gu clicked her tongue and was about to step forward to pull him away.
"father!"
Gu Yaoniang's drawn-out voice came from the courtyard. Mr. Gu fell silent, quickly pulled back the covers, and slipped inside: "Just say I'm asleep!"
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