As the two were talking, a strong voice came from behind them.
The visitor was none other than Master Yuan.
He was watching the students read when he happened to see Gu Lili coming through the window. So he told the students to read first while he came to ask about the situation.
As soon as Gu Lili saw Master Yuan arrive, she immediately told him about how the craftsman had accidentally knocked down her house.
"No problem, no problem! I haven't cooked in that kitchen for a long time." Master Yuan waved his hand dismissively.
When he built the house, he built the kitchen in a separate place.
Because he had already discovered that the kitchen pillars had been eaten away and corroded by insects.
For safety reasons, it was no longer used.
The reason I kept the kitchen was simply to preserve a memory.
Gu Lili nodded and smiled, "That's perfect, I'll build you a new one."
Gu Lili had originally planned to have Master Yuan's kitchen destroyed, and then have him come to her house for meals in the next few days, while also having Craftsman Qian and the others work on rebuilding Master Yuan's kitchen.
Master Yuan refused, saying, "There's no need for such trouble. I won't need it if you build it; it would be a waste. Otherwise, you can have the craftsmen tidy up my kitchen and build a wall around it."
He lives and eats alone anyway, so building so many houses would be pointless.
Gu Lili was about to agree when she heard Qian the craftsman's voice.
Turning around, I saw Craftsman Qian running and calling out for Gu Lili.
Seeing the anxious look on Craftsman Qian's face, Gu Lili's eyelids twitched, thinking that something serious had happened.
"What's wrong, Craftsman Qian?" Gu Lili asked hurriedly.
The craftsman Qian ran up to Gu Lili, panting heavily, and didn't even bother to answer her question.
Although Gu Lili was anxious, she also knew that she needed to give the craftsmen a chance to catch their breath.
After a while, Craftsman Qian straightened up and said, "Your Highness, we found a box in Master Yuan's kitchen! We'd like to invite you two to take a look."
Gu Lili finally breathed a long sigh of relief. She had initially thought she had encountered another unexpected incident.
Turns out, they dug up a box.
Gu Lili looked at Master Yuan. This house originally belonged to his ancestors, and perhaps it was their family heirloom.
"Master, why don't we go and take a look?" Gu Lili suggested.
Master Yuan had the same guess in his heart, so he nodded, told his students, and headed home.
Their family was already at their wits' end; if they had any family heirlooms, they probably would have pawned them long ago.
Master Yuan, however, felt that it might not belong to his family.
After Master Yuan left, the students all stopped studying and came out into the courtyard for some fresh air.
Han Mingyue came out, but did not look in Gu Lili's direction.
This puzzled Yuanbao greatly.
"Young master, look, the county princess is here." Yuanbao walked up to Han Mingyue and pointed to Gu Lili's back.
However, Han Mingyue was not as happy as he had imagined. He only looked up at Gu Lili's back, said "Oh", and continued to stare blankly at the flowers in the distance.
This left Yuanbao completely baffled. Why was his young master showing no interest in the county princess's arrival?
So what exactly caused his unhappiness during this period?
......
The commotion at Master Yuan's house attracted the attention of Old Madam Li, who happened to be checking things out at the inn.
Seeing Gu Lili and Master Yuan walk to the side, he curiously followed them.
Because the box they unearthed belonged to Master Yuan, no one dared to open it without permission.
They gathered in a circle and began to examine what might be inside.
Upon seeing Gu Lili and Master Yuan arrive, the craftsmen quickly made way for them.
Master Yuan stepped forward and looked at the box covered in mud on the ground, feeling only a sense of unfamiliarity.
Moreover, the box was well preserved in the soil, showing few signs of age.
If it really was left by his parents, it would probably have rotted in the ground long ago.
The box was dug out of his kitchen, so he should be the one to open it.
Without opening it, one truly wouldn't know what it is.
Standing to the side, Old Mrs. Li stared at the clay box, and for some reason, she felt a strange emotion in her heart.
Master Yuan picked up the box, dusted off the dirt, and gently opened it.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the contents of the box, curious about what it contained.
When the box was opened, what came into view was something wrapped in cloth.
This scene only made everyone present even more curious.
The cloth looks brand new, not like it's been stored for many years.
Moreover, for some reason, Gu Lili felt that the fabric looked somewhat familiar.
Master Yuan handed the box to the craftsman beside him, picked up the object, and then slowly removed the cloth.
The person who wrapped this item was very careful, wrapping it in five layers, which shows how important it was.
As Master Yuan unwrapped the cloth, the contents came into view.
This sight brought tears to the eyes of both Gu Lili and Old Mrs. Li.
“This shouldn’t be mine,” Master Yuan said, shaking his head as he held the silver hairpin in his hand.
He had never seen this hairpin before.
Furthermore, the fact that the box and fabric were relatively new further confirmed Master Yuan's suspicions.
"This...this is for cherishing flowers," Grandma Li said, her voice choked with emotion.
This is Li Xihua, who is also Gu Lili's mother.
This was originally part of the dowry that Old Mrs. Li gave to Li Xihua, and she never saw it again after she passed away.
She originally thought that the mother and her five children couldn't make ends meet and had pawned the items.
Unexpectedly, she had hidden it in the soil.
In Gu Lili's mind, the original owner's memories also invaded.
When Li Xihua was still alive, Grandma Gu and Niu Cuihua came to her house several times to look for hairpins.
This must be it.
Li Xihua didn't want to pawn her dowry, nor did she want it to be taken away by Gu Jingsheng's family, so she hid it in the soil behind the kitchen.
She probably thought that when the siblings grew up, they would find it and she could keep it as a memento.
Because she knew that if she didn't hide it, even she herself wouldn't be able to protect the hairpin.
If the children were told, Gu Jingsheng's family would surely try every means to take it away.
Master Yuan quickly handed the standing posture to Old Madam Li, who took it with tears in her eyes and gently stroked it in her hands.
It was as if, on the day she sent Li Xihua off to her wedding, she had gently stroked Li Xihua's face, wishing her a smooth life in her husband's family.
Gu Lili walked over and took Old Mrs. Li's hand.
She was also feeling very sad at the moment, and Gu Lili also felt regret for Li Xihua who died young.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com