The two looked at each other, sizing each other up. Jiang Yushu was stunned, and the young concubine also gradually revealed a look of surprise.
"What?" Gong Yipeng was caught off guard and asked in surprise, "Do you two know each other?"
Jiang Yushu came back to her senses and hesitated to speak.
The young concubine, who introduced herself as Lin Xiaohong, nodded hesitantly, clenched her fingers, and answered in confusion, "This lady looks quite familiar, but, but—" She raised her hand, pounded her head vigorously, and said dejectedly, "I can't remember the details."
Gong Yipeng hurriedly grabbed his step-wife's hand and said, "Don't hurt yourself!" His sympathy and love were evident in his words. He asked worriedly, "Do you have a headache again?"
"Yeah." The young concubine pouted in frustration and complained bitterly, "My father and brother beat me stupid. Sometimes I get a headache when I use my brain."
Gong Yipeng comforted him, "What nonsense are you talking about? Relax, take your medicine on time, and you will recover one day. Sit down."
Jiang Yushu sat next to her mother-in-law, watching the loving and harmonious actions of the newlyweds, not knowing what to feel.
"Alas, from what Yipeng says, she's a miserable girl," sighed Wang, the head of the household, before telling her daughter-in-law, "I heard her family was greedy and cruel. For the sake of the bride price, they treated their daughter like a human being and forced her to marry a seriously ill old man to bring good luck. She refused, and her father and brother beat her day and night, nearly killing her. Luckily, she met Yipeng while escaping, and was able to escape."
Jiang Yushu seemed to be lost in thought. "As far as I remember, Brother Gong remarried in early February this year. When did they meet?"
"I bought her last September!" Wang lowered her voice and briefly explained, "At first she was Yipeng's maid. Later, Xiaodie was divorced, and he fell in love with her. Yipeng took it upon himself to marry the maid, and we got married simply."
Jiang Yushu nodded, "I see."
The next moment
"father!"
Gong Baozhu was taken to the side room by her nurse to wash her hands and face. She was clean and pretty. She ran over excitedly and called out crisply, "Daddy!"
"Hey, good girl!" Gong Yipeng smiled and called his daughter lovingly, "Zhu'er, come here quickly and pay your respects to the elders."
The young concubine smiled, clapped her hands, leaned forward and said, "Is this Baozhu? You're so pretty! Come, let me hug you!"
Gong Baozhu stopped, looked at the stranger shyly, and asked in a low voice: "Dad, who is she?"
"Ahem." Gong Yipeng looked uncomfortable for a moment, then he said, "She is your stepmother. From now on, you can call her 'mother' or 'mother'."
The girl was stunned for a moment, her expression suddenly changed, all her joy vanished, she pursed her lips and shook her head hurtly: "No!"
"She's not a 'mother'!"
"My mother got sick and died. I no longer have a mother. It's the same for me as Brother Yu. My mother also died of illness. I don't have a mother anymore. I don't have one anymore." After she finished speaking, she burst into tears, turned around, and ran out of the living room, shouting, "I don't want her!"
Because the adults kept it a secret, the two children still didn't know the truth. They only knew that their mother died of illness. Feeling sympathy for their mother, Guo Yu couldn't sit still. With a complicated look in his eyes, he glanced at the young concubine and ran after her, "Sister!"
"Wait for me—" Guo Ye was young and ignorant, dazed, and trotted to follow his cousin's footsteps, but his mother raised her hand to stop him, "Ye'er, don't make trouble."
The wet nurse understood and quickly picked up Guo Ye.
Jiang Yushu ordered: "Hurry up and bring those two children back and comfort them."
"yes."
In front of the guests, Wang Shi couldn't do anything, so she urged: "Quickly comfort them!"
The stepdaughter cried and refused in public, and the young concubine was naturally embarrassed. Her face turned red and she was at a loss. She stammered for a long time and couldn't say a complete sentence.
Gong Yipeng apologized and comforted her: "Zhu'er is young and doesn't understand things yet. Don't be angry. Let's teach her together in the future."
"No! I'm not angry. How could I possibly be angry at a child?" Lin Xiaohong shook her head repeatedly. "I really like Baozhu."
Gong Yipeng breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, okay. Actually, Baozhu is very well behaved. You two should get to know each other first. I'm sure you will get along well in the future."
Jiang Yushu calmed down, observing and trying to smooth things over: "This kind of thing can't be rushed. At first, it's inevitable that she will feel some resistance because she's unfamiliar with the child. But as long as she truly loves the child, she will accept her stepmother sooner or later."
"Yes, there's no need to rush." Wang maintained the etiquette of hospitality and said with a smile, "Thinking back to when Baozhu first came, she was very shy and didn't dare to talk to Yu'er. Look at how close the three children are now!"
Gong Yipeng stood up and bowed deeply to the head, "Thank you, auntie, and thank you for taking care of my daughter. I am deeply grateful."
Wang waved her hand. "Hey, why are you saying these polite words between relatives? Sit down, sit down and talk."
Jiang Yushu noticed that the young concubine opposite her was looking at her frequently, with a look of growing confusion between her brows.
"Madam," Lin Xiaohong couldn't help but ask, her eyes fixed on him, "Have we met before? You look more and more familiar to me."
If you're Du Feiyan, of course we know each other. But I don't know Lin Xiaohong. Jiang Yushu pondered for a moment, but didn't answer immediately. She tentatively asked, "You just said you were beaten by your father and brother?"
Lin Xiaohong nodded, filled with hatred and fear, and answered sadly, "I was almost beaten to death by them."
"We met at the entrance of Linjia Village. That day, she was bleeding from her head, covered in bruises, and unconscious. After she was rescued, she had forgotten her life experience. The doctor diagnosed that she had a head injury and might have temporary or permanent memory loss." Gong Yipeng looked at his young and beautiful stepwife, his heart in turmoil.
Jiang Yushu frowned. "Linjia Village? Where is it?"
"In Yongzhou Beita, a village beside the official road, I was resting at a tea stall when Xiaohong suddenly appeared, covered in blood, begging for help."
Lin Xiaohong gazed at her husband in admiration. "At the time, my father and brother were chasing me and threatening to beat me to death. It was truly terrifying. I was desperate and had no other choice. I found a kind-looking man at a tea stall and knelt down to beg him for help. He generously donated his money and bought me."
Gong Yipeng hesitated and whispered, "How about I go back to Linjia Village and find out about your background?"
"No!"
"I will never go back to the Lin family in my life, and you are not allowed to go either!" Lin Xiaohong suddenly breathed rapidly, her face turned pale, and she held her head in her hands.
Gong Yipeng was startled. "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you. If I don't want to go back, then I won't go back. Calm down quickly. You get a headache when you get angry."
Jiang Yushu changed her sitting position, "A hero saves a beauty." The beauty gave herself to him to repay her benefactor.
"Hmm." Although Wang sighed, she just thought of it as a sad show.
Jiang Yushu chose her words carefully. "So, you've forgotten your own life story. Did the Lin family tell you everything about 'Lin Xiaohong'?"
Lin Xiaohong nodded, "Yeah."
"More than that. The tea stall owner secretly told me about the Lin family's greed for money and forcing their daughter to marry an old man to bring good luck." Gong Yipeng frowned. "At the time, I was busy with my work and worried about the Lin family's constant pestering, so I hurried on my way. I would have asked them in detail earlier." After saying this, he asked solemnly:
"Could it be that you know Xiaohong?"
Lin Xiaohong also asked: "I always feel that we should have met before."
Jiang Yushu didn't know the other person's condition, so she didn't point it out directly. She replied vaguely, "I think you look familiar too. You look a lot like a girl I used to know."
"Ah?" Lin Xiaohong's eyes lit up and she asked curiously, "Who is she? Where is she from?"
Her name is Du Feiyan, and she looks exactly like you! Cuimei felt so uncomfortable that she wanted to scream.
Jiang Yushu looked at the other person and remained silent.
"Can't you tell me?" Lin Xiaohong pleaded with eager eyes, "Please, tell me, otherwise, I'll die of curiosity."
The Du family is going crazy looking for someone... Thinking of this, Jiang Yushu slowly replied: "That girl, her surname is Du, and she is from Qinzhou."
"Du?"
Lin Xiaohong shuddered, her eyes wide open as she murmured, "Last name Du? Qinzhou? Du, Du... Qinzhou? Sounds familiar, really familiar." Instantly, she clutched her head, abruptly stood up, and screamed, "Brother Peng! I, I seem to... No, that's not right! I should, should be—Ah!"
"Xiaohong? Xiaohong?" Gong Yipeng hurriedly held her steady and asked nervously, "Where's the doctor, Doctor Fang? Please ask the doctor to calm her down."
Jiang Yushu was shocked and immediately regretted her decision. She hurriedly urged, "Quick, ask Doctor Fang to come and save him!"
at night
After hearing this, everyone was surprised.
Wang frowned, then relaxed, sighing, "That's all. It seems marriage is truly destined. The matchmaker pulled the strings beforehand, and two people who seemed so unrelated ended up becoming husband and wife."
Guo Hongxuan sighed, "It's quite bizarre, even more exciting than the storybook!"
"She must have suffered a lot before she met Brother Shi." Guo Hongzhe guessed.
"So," Gong Yipeng was stunned. "Xiaohong's name isn't 'Lin Xiaohong', but 'Du Feiyan'? The daughter of the Longshun Escort Agency?"
Jiang Yushu replied cautiously, "It's all just speculation. I'll tell you what happened with the Du family, and you and Xiaohong will decide what to do. There are many strange things in the world, and perhaps there really are two girls who are exactly the same. Who knows?"
"This, this—this is terrible." Gong Yipeng lamented, embarrassedly revealing, "When I married her, I was short of money, so I kept everything simple. I felt sorry for her, and I planned to go home and hold a banquet. Now, what should I do?"
Wang thought for a moment and said, "Their daughter has been kidnapped and is missing. Her parents must be terribly worried. You should inquire about it and try to confirm it. When you have children in the future, they will have a maternal family. To be honest, if you impulsively marry a village girl or a maid as a concubine, I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to the elders."
Jiang Yushu agreed: "At least confirm it, for peace of mind."
"That makes sense. Well, I won't be in a hurry to leave. I have to get to the bottom of this matter first." Gong Yipeng sighed with a wry smile, "Alas, when Pei Wenfeng was promoted, I was thrown out of office and imprisoned, and I was so worried that I didn't hear about the Du family's case at all. Otherwise, how could I have dared to marry him so rashly?"
Jiang Yushu reminded her, "It's no use hearing about it. The person you know is 'Lin Xiaohong', not 'Du Feiyan'."
"That's right." Gong Yipeng slapped his forehead helplessly.
Meanwhile, the suburbs
The moon is bright and the stars are sparse, the shadows of the trees are swaying, and the sound of horses' hooves is hurried.
"drive!"
"drive!"
The two escorts traveled through the night, their voices filled with fear and suspicion. They angrily said, "Young Escort Commander, your suspicion is correct. We haven't wrongly accused anyone. Pei Wenfeng is truly despicable and vicious."
"He captured the young lady, but he refused to admit it. Furthermore, he secretly gave her to a friend as a concubine. He's absolutely insane!"
"The Guo family isn't clean either. Humph, that Jiang girl, we begged her several times, but she just lied with her eyes open. What an accomplice!"
They were filled with anger and shouted, "Quick, go back to the escort agency and report the news."
"Save the young lady!"
In a blink of an eye, it’s early June.
The weather was getting hotter and hotter. There was an ice cellar in the mansion, and Jiang Yushu had a rare chance to free time. She suddenly had an idea and spent several days thinking about making iced desserts with goat's milk, various fruits, nuts, candied fruits, etc., to appease her three children, who loved them very much.
On this day, several people were fanning themselves and chatting about family matters.
"Mom, I'm done!" Guo Ye's mouth was covered with milk foam. He put down the spoon and asked, "Anything else?"
The bowl of ice cream was very small and was finished in just a few bites. Guo Yu and Gong Baozhu pushed away the empty bowls, still wanting more.
Jiang Yushu fanned herself leisurely, "No more, that's all for today."
"What about tomorrow?"
Jiang Yushu replied softly, "Another day. The old lady has ordered that ice cream is cold, so it's not advisable to eat too much, and you can't eat it every day. Look at me, I haven't even tasted a single bite."
"ah?"
"well."
"Oh." The three children were disappointed at the same time.
Lin Xiaohong burst out laughing and coaxed, "Why are you sighing? Eat it next time, there's more."
Gong Baozhu turned her face away and ignored her stepmother.
Jiang Yushu acted calmly, pointing to the mulberry leaves on the table and then to the inner room. "The silkworms are hungry. Feed them some mulberry leaves. They will spin silk only when they are full."
"Okay!" The three children loved to play, so they obediently picked up a basket of mulberry leaves and ran into the inner room to feed the silkworms.
After a while, amid the rustling sound of silkworms gnawing on mulberry leaves, the sounds of children laughing and playing could be heard.
Jiang Yushu sighed, her eyes turned, and she found that the other party was staring at her belly. She asked with a smile: "What are you looking at? Aren't you pregnant too?"
"I—" Lin Xiaohong blushed and subconsciously covered her belly. She said hesitantly, "You are having twins and are about to give birth. I, I only have one, and it's only two months old."
Jiang Yushu was upset and sighed, "Having a single baby is good, but having twins is so hard. My feet have been swollen for a long time, and it's hard to walk more than a few steps. When I lie down at night, I can hardly breathe and can only sleep half lying down and half sitting up."
"Be careful, be patient, the baby is about to be born."
Jiang Yushu smiled and said, "Thank you. Your baby is still young, so be careful. Wait until it's stable before visiting relatives in Qinzhou."
"Yeah, that's what Brother Peng meant, otherwise we would have set off long ago."
Lin Xiaohong was worried, her face gloomy, and she said anxiously, "The Du family in Qinzhou, the Longshun Escort Agency... I remember some things, but I have no memory of others. The doctor said I might never remember anything. Am I really 'Du Feiyan'?"
Jiang Yushu replied gently, "It's almost right. Otherwise, how could you have memories of 'practicing martial arts and escorting escorts' and 'parents and brothers'?"
"Yeah, that's right." Lin Xiaohong was both expectant and uneasy.
The next moment, the maid suddenly rushed in and reported anxiously: "Madam, something bad has happened!"
"At the door, a large group of escorts have arrived, several of them in mourning. They are begging to see you, begging you to show mercy and return the man to them. The Third and Fourth Masters are out at a banquet, and Lord Gong is not here. The old lady is furious and is shouting 'report to the police.' What do you think we should do?"
"What?"
Jiang Yushu stood up in surprise. She stood up a little too hard, and her bulging abdomen felt uncomfortable.
The author has something to say: When you are at home, disaster may come from the sky...
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