Gu Yaoniang once asked Lu Zhaoan to investigate something.
That was when the Gu family was in trouble. Some meddlesome people wanted to humiliate the Gu family even more, and accused Gu Yaoniang of being improper.
It's not that Gu Yaoniang herself was morally corrupt, but rather that Gu Yaoniang was born in June, and her parents were morally corrupt, so Gu Yaoniang's reputation was tarnished, and therefore her character should also be questioned.
This gossip didn't affect Gu Yaoniang much.
The sage did not take the man's words seriously. There are many unsavory things behind powerful families, and although the Gu family has a small population, any transgressions against propriety are not directly related to Gu Yaoniang's abilities or character. The Gu family will still be punished where necessary and dealt with as required.
But Gu Yaoniang took it to heart.
She realized that she rarely heard any interesting stories about her birth from her parents. What her parents remembered most were the little things that happened during the years she grew up. She was born in June, and she vaguely remembered her elders saying that her parents got married in winter. She heard that her father, feeling sorry for her mother, gave her a very hot water bottle right after the wedding ceremony, which made her grandmother laugh for a long time.
Therefore, it is possible that I was born six months after my parents' marriage.
Gu Yaoniang knew her mother well. Madam Gu was virtuous and well-mannered, and Mr. Gu was a rigid man who would never do anything outrageous before marriage. Therefore, Gu Yaoniang's background became suspicious.
Gu Yaoniang only had members of the Gu family at her disposal, but Gu Xingzhi was still alive at the time. Gu Xingzhi seemed to know the truth, but regardless of whether he did or not, he clearly wouldn't tell Gu Yaoniang these things. In fact, if he knew that Gu Yaoniang was investigating this matter, he might even try to obstruct her.
Gu Yaoniang had no choice but to seek help from Lu Zhaoan.
Lu Zhaoan hesitated upon hearing this. Gu Yaoniang and he were walking side by side, but Lu Zhaoan paused slightly, and Gu Yaoniang took a small step in front of him.
Gu Yaoniang noticed his hesitation, stopped, and turned to look at him. Lu Zhaoan then smiled and continued walking forward.
"I sent someone to Qingyun County. The shortbread there is quite delicious."
Gu Yaoniang was somewhat surprised and said with a playful smile, "Boss Lu, are you still short of a few pastries?"
Her palms were a little sweaty, but her initial nervousness eased slightly because of Lu Zhaoan's interruption.
Lu Zhaoan then said, "I asked many old people near your house, and they said that your mother had hardly ever left the house since she married into the Gu family. It wasn't until you turned one year old that she started to walk around in front of people. They even laughed at your mother, saying that the women in the town are all strong, and it's rare to see someone like her who stays at home every day to rest after giving birth."
Gu Yaoniang listened quietly without saying a word. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing suspicious. Yet, something felt subtly off.
Lu Zhaoan continued, "That's all fine. But, do you have an elderly nanny in your family? I think her name is Yue."
Gu Yaoniang shook her head and said, "No. We don't have any servants in our family. We used to only have Bitao. We only kept her because we bought her. Even if we fired her, she would be homeless and have nowhere to go. She was so pitiful. So we kept her at home. She was called a servant, but she didn't even receive a monthly salary. Now that we are better off, she can get a monthly salary."
Lu Zhaoan's brow twitched slightly. So that's how it is? No wonder Bitao's status in the Gu family is so different from that of ordinary servants.
"I heard from the old folks around your house that your father used to have a maidservant with him. They thought he had taken her into his household, but after your mother entered the mansion, the maidservant left. They all think it's because your mother has a bad temper."
Lu Zhaoan said no more.
Gu Yaoniang was taken aback. Then she understood Lu Zhaoan's unspoken meaning. If she believed that her mother wouldn't have lost her chastity before marriage, then perhaps she wasn't her mother's biological daughter.
But……
Gu Yaoniang recalled scenes from the past where her mother longed to be close to her but was unable to. Could it really be like that?
-
Jin Yu Lou on Le Bao Street has reopened.
The people of Shuojing City were in an uproar again.
The city of Shuojing is now in a state of bleakness and misery, with everyone having very little money. Originally, they gathered around Jin Yulou just to watch the excitement and, incidentally, to criticize the Gu family for their disregard for the bigger picture and their "rich man's gate rots with wine and meat" behavior.
Unexpectedly, Jin Yu Lou's grand reopening was not simply for business purposes, but rather to recruit staff for its new brand, "Cheap Kitchen".
Cheap kitchen jobs are being offered, no indenture required, and unlike the usual monthly pay system, wages are based on the amount of work done.
Cheap Kitchen is currently recruiting outsourced staff and kitchen helpers. The large number of people they are recruiting has attracted a lot of attention.
Although there were many onlookers, very few actually went to Jin Yu Lou to answer the call.
People are discussing this extensively.
"The Gu family is really rich. Even now that things have come to this, the Gu family can still spend so much money to hire some hangers-on to do things."
"That's right! Who has the money to eat at restaurants these days? We don't even have any money ourselves!"
A simple, honest voice broke through the crowd: "But if there's no money, isn't the Gu family just recruiting laborers? Anyway, the Gu family pays, so what does it matter to us workers whether anyone eats here or not?"
Everyone thought about it and said, "That's right! As long as we get the money, what does it matter to them whether the Gu family makes money or not?"
Yet still no one went into the Golden Jade Pavilion.
The same honest-sounding voice, which had been there at the beginning, loudly proclaimed, "I'm going to go and see!"
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