The maid seemed relieved to see her arrive.
Cui Yuanshan ignored him and went straight to Gu Ci's side, asking in surprise, "Sister Ci, why are you sitting on the ground? What happened?"
Gu Ci looked up at the little girl in front of her. The little girl's eyes were still red and swollen. She had obviously cried for a long time because of Cui Xueheng's departure. Her voice was still muffled and choked with sobs.
Gu Ci curled her fingers slightly, then shook her head with a strong and calm expression. "No...it's nothing, I just accidentally fell."
She looked at the maid and said kindly, "You can go about your business. I'm fine here."
The maid was taken aback, and first apologized, "I'm so sorry, Miss Gu, I was walking too fast and didn't pay attention to where I was going. I'm really sorry."
Gu Ci got up from the ground and waved her hand, saying, "It's okay, it's okay, you don't need to blame yourself. Go on with your work, don't delay."
Without further hesitation, the maid nodded and said "thank you" before quickly leaving.
Gu Ci turned her gaze back to Cui Yuanshan, her eyes filled with pity, and asked gently, "Shanshan, please accept my condolences."
Upon hearing this, Cui Yuanshan pouted, as if she was about to cry again.
She forced herself to hold back her tears, sniffed, and said in a muffled voice, "Yeah, I know."
Aside from the Pei family, the people most saddened by Cui Xueheng's passing were Cui Zhengqing and his siblings, including their cousins.
Although the Pei family was not large, the Cui family was a large one. Cui Xueheng had about six or seven cousins, and Cui Yuanshan's generation had more than a dozen, not including her maternal relatives.
However, not many people actually came over last night.
"Are you alright?" Cui Yuanshan asked, looking at the barely noticeable bruises on her hands.
Gu Ci followed her gaze and looked at her palm. It hurt a little, but her heart hurt even more.
She shook her head gently, feigning strength, "It's alright."
She then picked up the basket from the ground and breathed a sigh of relief. "Luckily, the porridge inside didn't spill. Shanshan, have you had breakfast? Do you want some? It's still warm."
Cui Yuanshan was still a little down. "I ate. I just ate before coming here."
She didn't have much of an appetite to begin with, but she cried so hard she could barely breathe, after all, her aunt used to love her very much.
Now that her aunt is gone, she is really heartbroken.
It was her mother who forced her to eat it, and even her brother was watching her closely.
The funeral will last for several days. Tonight, all the relatives must keep vigil for the deceased. They cannot sleep or eat anything, otherwise they will not be able to endure it.
In fact, many large families hold funerals at funeral homes, which last for two or three days at most, and the procedures are not as complicated as this, including keeping vigil overnight. However, the Pei family is extremely particular about rules and regulations, especially since Old Madam Pei is a Buddhist.
Therefore, the number of days the body is kept in state, the date of the memorial service, and the date and time of cremation all need to be calculated by the highly respected abbot of the temple.
Just as the two were about to walk together, they saw three girls of similar age walking towards them.
Gu Ci greeted them warmly and familiarly, "Yun Ge, Yun Tan, A Yao."
Upon hearing this, Shi Yunge, Shi Yuntan, and Pei Yao looked over. When they saw that it was Gu Ci, their expressions became complicated, and they were no longer as enthusiastic as before.
These two sisters are the twin daughters of Old Madam Pei Rong.
Pei Yao was the daughter of Pei Sui's uncle.
Pei Yao is about two and a half years older than the twins, both of whom are of college age.
Gu Ci used to visit the Pei family often, or stay there for a while. The three sisters also frequently visited the Pei family. The three were very familiar with each other and had a particularly close relationship, especially with Pei Yao.
Pei Yao was not as familiar with Pei Huan as she was with Gu Ci.
Whether Cui Yuanshan had seen the previous reports about Gu Qinglian going to settle scores with Meng Sheng or not, they didn't know, but the surfing enthusiasts had all seen them.
Therefore, the three people's impressions of Gu Ci really changed.
Pei Yao, in particular, could hardly believe that the elegant, refined, gentle, and graceful Sister Aci, whom she had known for so many years, would be the one to suggest that someone break up with their boyfriend.
That's really beneath me.
What's even more surprising is that the person who caused her to break up with her boyfriend was her future cousin-in-law.
The three sisters have complained about Gu Ci many times in private, and now all their positive feelings towards her have been shattered.
There's absolutely no way to piece it together.
The three of them had been instructed by their elders to stay away from Gu Ci and everyone in the Gu family, and not to have any contact with her.
The Gu family now is like a pile of shit; whoever gets involved with it will stink.
The chain reaction triggered by Gu Yuan's infidelity has lasted for so long, and the Gu family has not yet fully recovered. With one scandal after another following, the entire Gu family may have to go and pray to the gods and Buddhas this year.
This is just too unlucky.
The three of them looked away, pretending not to have heard her, and turned to leave without even saying goodbye to Cui Yuanshan.
Gu Ci abruptly stopped, her breath catching in her throat. Watching the three figures leave without hesitation, she was overwhelmed by embarrassment and shame.
How could they...
How could they be so disrespectful to her!
Just last week, she had chatted with Pei Yao on WeChat. Pei Yao was as enthusiastic as ever, sharing her joy at having snagged some anime merchandise.
Now, however, they seem to be avoiding her at all costs.
Especially the complexity and scrutiny projected into their eyes...
Suddenly, she felt a chill run down her spine.
Could it be... that Pei Yao and the others saw the video that Meng Sheng had specifically asked someone to post online?
So you developed a prejudice against her?
The stark contrast and the shame and indignation she felt made her clench her fists, her body trembling slightly.
It's all Meng Sheng's fault!
It's all her fault!
If only she weren't here, if only Meng Sheng weren't here, her life would definitely be smooth sailing, and she wouldn't be as tragic and powerless as she was in her previous life and this one.
When Cui Yuanshan saw the Shi sisters and Pei Yao walk away without looking at each other, she was momentarily stunned and somewhat confused, but she really didn't have the mood to care about these things right now.
She wasn't particularly close to Pei Yao or the Shi sisters; they had only met a few times and exchanged a few words.
The sisters weren't exactly warm towards her; they were just polite to her on the surface.
Her gaze shifted slightly, landing on Gu Ci's face, which was covered by a mask, obscuring her expression.
But before she could speak, she suddenly froze.
Perhaps because she had cried so hard and her vision was blurred, she saw a hint of venomous ruthlessness in Gu Ci's usually gentle and smiling eyes.
She took a small step back in surprise, but in the blink of an eye, Gu Ci's eyes returned to normal.
"Sister Aci, I'm leaving now."
Gu Ci awkwardly tugged at the corners of her lips, her gaze towards Cui Yuanshan was very complicated, and after a moment she stammered, "Um... okay, I'll go find Sister Huanhuan."
Cui Yuanshan nodded and left without any hesitation.
Gu Ci's fingernails dug into her palm, sending a sharp, tingling pain through her.
She came with full confidence, but in just ten minutes, she was so embarrassed that she wished she could disappear into the ground.
If she had known it would end like this, she would never have come to the Fifth Hospital.
Now she doesn't even have the courage to go find Pei Huan.
She hesitated for about a minute, then, suppressing her shame, she lowered her head, picked up her basket, and went back to the fourth courtyard.
This trivial farce did not cause a ripple or wave in the huge vortex of sorrow within the Pei family.
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