After enduring for several months, Guo Honglei could no longer bear it. He stepped over the threshold decisively, closed the door with his backhand, and looked closely.
The summer night was sultry, and the oil lamp burned quietly.
After taking a bath, Jiang Yushu curled up in an armchair, wearing a snow-blue nightgown. Her skin was whiter than snow, her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque, and she was beautiful and elegant.
She leaned her head on her elbow and while drying her wet hair, she felt extremely sleepy. Her right hand unconsciously dropped the handkerchief. She closed her eyes and gradually fell asleep.
"Ahem." Guo Honglei glanced around and placed a chair next to the worn square table.
A series of noises woke Jiang Yushu up.
She was startled when she heard a man's voice in her daze. She quickly opened her eyes, sat up straight, breathed a sigh of relief, and asked in surprise, "Is it you?"
"I'm scared." Guo Honglei's face was calm and his eyes were deep.
Jiang Yushu lowered her head to search for it, bent down to pick up the handkerchief, and answered tiredly, "Well, I almost fell asleep just now. Where is Cuimei?"
"I'm going to make tea."
Jiang Yushu perked up, stood up and moved the armchair to the table, lit the oil lamp, and asked with concern, "It's so late, what's the matter?"
Guo Honglei replied seriously, "I was so busy before that I didn't have time to ask you a few things."
"You look so serious. Just ask me what you want to ask." Jiang Yushu continued to wipe her hair.
Guo Honglei sat upright, his back straight, and asked directly, "I vaguely heard that your cousin went to the capital to study for several years and stayed at the Jiang Mansion during that time, is that correct?"
"Cousin" Jiang Yushu was stunned and paused.
Guo Honglei pointed out in a deep voice, "Pei Wenfeng."
"Yes, he is, uh, that's not right." The sudden mention of the past, coupled with the other party's extreme seriousness, instantly made Jiang Yushu confused and uncertain. Her sleepiness vanished without a trace. She quickly recalled everything, a little flustered, and explained, "My cousin did go to the capital to study for several years, but he only lived in the Jiang Mansion for a year. After that, he moved into the academy and devoted himself to his studies."
Guo Honglei nodded slowly, thinking to himself in disappointment, "As expected, as soon as I asked her, she immediately became anxious and flustered, obviously still thinking about our old relationship."
The two looked at each other, and Miss Jiang, who had changed her mind, forced herself to remain calm and asked softly, "Strange, why did you suddenly ask about my cousin?"
Guo Honglei didn't answer, but said calmly, "I think my father-in-law really appreciates him, otherwise he wouldn't have promised his daughter to him."
Jiang Yushu calmed herself down, thought for a moment, and then carefully replied, "You probably don't know. My father was poor in his youth, but he was intelligent and studious. He was my grandfather's favorite student, fortunately receiving instruction and financial support, and successfully married my mother. Therefore, my father deeply respected his mentor, but was unable to meet him due to the distance between us. So, he betrothed me to my cousin, hoping that he would serve the elders of the Pei family in his place."
"My father-in-law is so grateful and loyal, I admire him." Guo Honglei stared intently and asked in a low voice, "But I wonder if you and Pei Wenfeng got engaged simply to obey the orders of the elders or because you were in love with each other?"
"This..." Jiang Yushu was suddenly speechless and didn't know how to answer.
Guo Honglei's eyes were gleaming, and he vowed to get to the bottom of it. He repeated word by word, "Are you simply obeying your father's orders, or are you in love with him?"
How to answer this difficult question?
If it were my true feelings, I would have never met Pei Wenfeng, and I would have been heartless and unfriendly; but if it were my true self, I had already made a solemn vow with my cousin that I would not marry anyone but him, and in the end, I hanged myself in the bridal chamber of the Marquis of Jingyang's mansion out of despair.
Jiang Yushu felt a headache and was secretly embarrassed. She tugged at the handkerchief with both hands and lowered her eyes to think carefully.
Seeing this, Guo Honglei became more and more disappointed. He tapped the table with his fingers and asked dissatisfiedly, "Why don't you answer?"
Jiang Yushu suddenly had an idea, and after quickly considering it, she raised her eyes and replied, "Second Master, why bother asking this? You and I are the same."
"What?" Guo Honglei was stunned.
Jiang Yushu completely suppressed her panic and asked calmly, "Weren't you also engaged before? And it was to my sister. In the past, you strolled side by side in the garden, admiring the orchids and chatting happily. I believe you had a deep friendship, right?"
"Not nearly as deep as you guys." Guo Honglei never expected to be questioned. His face darkened and he solemnly stated, "At least, we didn't exchange tokens of love."
When Jiang Yushu heard the words "token of love", she suddenly realized, feeling guilty and embarrassed, and blurted out "Oh, did you eavesdrop on my conversation with Cuimei?"
Guo Honglei answered frankly, "There's no need to eavesdrop. That day at the post station, people were coming and going in the backyard, but you were talking without restraint, and I overheard it."
"You imply that you blame me. Actually, you must have only heard two sentences and not the whole thing, right?" Jiang Yushu leaned back in her chair, looking thoughtful.
Guo Honglei's mind shifted slightly. "I heard you didn't want to throw away the jade pendant, saying it would be useful to keep it."
"Wait a moment." Jiang Yushu sighed, stood up and rummaged through her bag. She returned with a small jewelry box, placed it on the table, opened it, pushed it forward, and said seriously, "When I was chatting with Cuimei the other day, I told her that when we got to Xicang, I would pawn these jewelry and exchange them for silver to settle down and build a family. If you don't believe me, just ask Cuimei."
Guo Honglei frowned, staring at the warm white jade pendant in the box, and asked in surprise, "So, you actually plan to pawn it?"
"Exactly."
"You are willing to give up"
After understanding the other party's intentions, Jiang Yushu finally understood how to respond. She took a deep breath, her eyes clear, and replied calmly, "I'm willing to give it up, I'm willing to give it up. Only by giving up can you gain. No matter what happened with my cousin in the past, it's all in the past. Given my current status, I must give up this jade pendant."
As their eyes met, Guo Honglei gradually calmed down. He was silent for a moment, then reached out to close the jewelry box and said with relief, "Forget it. You can keep it."
"Ah" Jiang Yushu opened her eyes wide in surprise.
Guo Honglei sighed, "The girl has been suffering hardships and grievances with Guo, and now she only has these few pieces of jewelry left. If you pawn them, how will you dress yourself up in the future?"
Jiang Yushu laughed and replied, "It's not appropriate to dress up right now, and I don't have the mood to do so."
"Keep them all, and don't think I can find a way to support my family." Guo Honglei stood up, tall and imposing, and said in a loud voice, "As long as you treat it as a piece of jade jewelry, I have nothing to say. Okay, it's getting late, take a rest." After speaking, he opened the door and left in a hurry.
Only then did Cuimei dare to enter the house with tea in her hand. She asked anxiously, "I just heard the word 'jade pendant' outside the door. I was so scared that I didn't dare to disturb you. Oh my God, how did the son-in-law know about the engagement jade pendant? Did he blame you?"
Jiang Yushu held her chin with her hand, a smile on her lips, her mind flying away somewhere, she answered slowly, "No, he blamed me for something, I'm so sleepy, I'm going to sleep." After that, she stuffed the jewelry box back to its place, jumped onto the bunk bed, and pulled the thin quilt up to cover herself.
Cuimei asked in confusion, "It's the hottest day of the year, covering your head, isn't it hot?"
"It's not hot," Jiang Yushu replied muffledly. In the darkness, her face was burning, and she felt an inexplicable urge to laugh.
at the same time
Guo Honglei opened the door and responded to the greetings of his two younger brothers with a stern face. He was annoyed and thought to himself, I was obviously more right, but I was almost stumped by the counter-question. She is really sharp-tongued.
Three days later, under the shade of the tree at the door
"A torrential downpour breached the riverbank, destroying several villages along the shore and causing heavy casualties. Thousands of people were displaced. After the disaster, the imperial court investigated and determined the riverbank was in disrepair. They blamed my husband for neglect of duty, and our family was exiled to Xicang." A middle-aged woman, grimacing and indignant, lamented, "Actually, the riverbank wasn't in disrepair. It was a natural flood, and how could any mortal prevent it? My family is so unlucky."
Jiang Yushu and a group of maids and servants were sewing shoe soles when the other person came closer and started nagging for a long time. She calmly and gently said, "Things have come to this point. As long as people are still alive, they must go on with their lives."
"Alas," observed Dong, the wife of the Southern Governor, who was also exiled. "After so much hardship, we've arrived in Xicang, but the hard times have just begun. The prison warden said that all prisoners will be sent to the army to farm before mid-June. Today is the ninth day of the first lunar month, and in five or six days we'll be separated. Did you know that?"
Jiang Yushu was sewing the soles of her shoes seriously. "I know. When I arrived yesterday evening, the steward announced that the prisoners were to help harvest the crops as soon as possible."
Dong asked, "Then, where will you be assigned to cultivate the land? My family has no power and influence, so we can only let the government deal with it."
How could she dare to reveal everything when we just met by chance? Jiang Yushu shook her head and said, "I don't know. We are also waiting for the government to deal with it."
"How is it possible?" Dong glanced at the former marquis' wife Wang who was not far away, moved closer, and whispered, "After all, it was once a dignified marquis's mansion, with relatives and friends all over the world. The lady who came to visit yesterday evening was said to be the prefect's wife, a fellow wanderer in the world. Could you help introduce them to each other?" As she spoke, she took out the prepared silver note and quietly stuffed it into her mouth.
Jiang Yushu was startled and was about to refuse when she saw the officials and servants surrounding Liao Xiaodie, marching towards them in a mighty procession. Among them, four maids were carrying large food boxes, and the aroma of food filled the air.
"Xiaodie" Wang smiled and immediately stood up to greet her.
Liao Xiaodie was wearing a red dress and gold jewelry today. She quickly supported Wang and said in a hoarse voice, "Madam, you must have been waiting anxiously."
Wang said happily, "I'm so happy to have you here. But why is Yipeng still not here?"
"He..." Liao Xiaodie seemed to be worried and bit her lip and whispered, "Let's go inside and talk." After a pause, she looked at Guo Honglei, her heartstrings tightening, and asked with concern, "Honglei, are you feeling better? I wanted to invite a famous doctor, but you said you already have Doctor Fang at home."
Guo Honglei politely replied, "I'm recovering. Thank you for your concern, cousin." After that, he naturally called to his wife, "Don't be busy. Let's go inside and discuss this together."
We both drugged and seduced each other, but I failed miserably. Why did Jiang Yushu get what she wanted? Is she more beautiful than me?
The mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law of the Guo family are all an eyesore and deserve to die.
Liao Xiaodie, with delicate makeup, smiled, but secretly she was furious. She said briskly, "Madam, I asked the cook at home to make some Beijing dishes and some cakes. Let's eat and talk."
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