Wen Xi paused as she trotted through the ancestral hall. Then she turned back and entered the hall, closing the door behind her.
He walked towards the back of the altar, squatted down, felt around the floor, and then flipped it over, revealing two shoebox-sized wooden boxes.
The pounding of my heart seemed to be reaching my ears. My behavior at this moment was a little unkind.
According to the original owner's memory, he once accidentally saw Gu Yan, the owner of the Gu Mansion, quietly putting silver inside. Because the ancestral hall was usually deserted except for Gu Wenxi who occasionally came to kneel as punishment, Gu Yan didn't seem to be very vigilant and didn't bring anyone with him.
Think about the current situation of the Gu family, and then think about the situation of yourself and your aunt.
Grit your teeth and do it!
In my heart, I couldn't help but console myself, thinking that I should just borrow it first. After all, judging from the cheap old man's expression, this money might not be visible to the public. It's either a slush fund or money from an illegal source.
Both small wooden boxes were locked, and there were no handy tools around. After thinking about it, I could only put them in the coffin first and deal with them later.
After covering the floor back up, Wen Xi brushed the dirt off his hands and looked at the rows of unfamiliar tablets on the table.
After thinking for a moment, he reached out to the pastries on the altar.
While eating, he muttered:
"I'm so hungry. My ancestors, please be kind and give me a bite of your daughter. I'll repay you double someday...if there's still a chance!"
After eating a few pieces and feeling full, he wiped his mouth guiltily and bowed towards the tablet.
When Wen Xi ran back to Hexi Garden, she saw Aunt Mao practically trotting around in circles. Her younger brother, Gu Shengmo, was circling dizzily behind her, like a little tail.
"puff!"
Wen Xi couldn't help laughing.
Aunt Mao looked up and saw the person coming. Before the person came over, her eyes were red. She raised her hands with pity and twisted herself around to check. Finally, she couldn't help but hugged herself and cried:
"I'm so worried about you. Your daughter Xi'er must be suffering. She must be very scared at night. Is she cold? Is she hungry?"
This kind of embrace was so warm that Wen Xi couldn't help but want to hold it longer.
The original owner was truly not blessed with such maternal love. Now that I have the chance to continue her life, I will definitely cherish this hard-earned family bond.
Trying hard to hold back his emotion, Wen Xi patted his aunt's back and said, "Don't cry, aunt. Xi'er isn't cold, and isn't afraid. Xi'er has grown up now and isn't afraid of the dark anymore."
Aunt Mao listened to the soft reply in her ear and silently and fiercely calmed down. Then she wiped away her tears and was about to pull her daughter into the house when she felt something blocking her feet.
Looking down, she couldn't help but burst into laughter. "You little rascal, why are you hugging your sister's legs as soon as she comes back?"
"Mo'er wants to cry too." Gu Shengmo muttered:
Wen Xi smiled and helped her brother up, tapping his nose:
"Why is Mo'er crying?"
"Cry sister!"
Uh... I'm still alive, okay? Wen Xi complained in her heart.
Gu Shengmo said seriously: "Auntie cries for sister, Mo'er also cries for sister."
"Hahaha, Mo'er is worried about her sister."
Gu Shengmo nodded and said seriously:
"Yeah, I was worried. I was so worried that I even lost my appetite for Mo'er's favorite honey lotus root soup last night."
Seeing such a sensible and cute little brother, Wen Xi couldn't help but go up and give him a kiss. The frightened little guy was stunned.
Just when I didn't know whether to be shy or angry, Xiangye ran back.
He came in panting, trembling and closing the door, saying:
"Auntie, I've heard the news. The Gu Mansion is doomed, and I'm afraid the master won't be able to recover this time. I heard from Madam Xiao, the grocer in the kitchen, that the residences of Marquis Kang Yong and Minister Zhao, as well as those of the gentlemen with whom the master usually interacted, have been raided. Those officials are interrogating the master in the study right now! Auntie, what should we do? What should we do?"
Wen Xi had expected her aunt's eyes to turn red again upon hearing such news, but she hadn't expected the usually gentle woman to have such unprecedented determination in her eyes.
Aunt Mao walked quickly into the house.
After a while, he came out with a piece of paper and a small purse in his hand and said:
"Xiangye, here's your indenture and thirty taels of silver. Take it. Thank you for taking care of us mother and daughter all these years. We had such a big Hexi Garden, but when disaster struck, everyone else ran away. You were the only one who treated us sincerely. We all remember that."
"But..." Xiang Ye refused.
Aunt Mao stuffed the things into Xiangye's hands and said, "No buts. You have already done your duty to us. From now on, live for yourself! As long as you have the indenture, the soldiers and officers can't do anything to you. We have no other options. If you enjoy the wealth of the Gu Mansion, you must repay this debt."
"Oh, by the way, go back to your room quickly and pack your things. Take away everything you can. It's not easy to survive outside, so save as much as you can." As he said that, he pushed Xiangye into her room.
Then he turned to Wen Xi and said, "Xi'er, go and help your brother change his clothes. Both of you should wear your old cotton-padded jackets inside, and put on your underwear outside. No matter what the result is, we have to go to jail first. It's damp and cold in jail, so the better off we are, the better off we are."
Wen Xi took her brother's hand, glanced at Xiang Ye's room and replied:
"Auntie, let's go now."
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