Chapter 281 World Eleven (Twenty-two)
Bao Shan and his men escorted Du Jinyi back to the Du family's house, where they saw a red door with a copper lock and majestic stone lions on either side.
Du Jinyi's heart was in turmoil, his steps hesitant. But he caught a glimpse of Baoshan's tender, caring gaze, and subconsciously moved forward. Du Jinyi thought to himself that it wasn't that he couldn't stand the hardship outside, but that he had to return to the Du family and get to the bottom of it. Why did Du's mother usually treat him like a piece of cake, but now she refused to go out to look for him even after he ran away from home?
Du Jinyi knocked heavily on the door and called out, "Master, I'm back! You lazy servants, why don't you open the door and let me in!"
There was a rustling sound in the courtyard, and then the red door opened, revealing an angry face. It was the Du family's servant. The servant was young, but his eyes were full of brilliance. He looked them up and down, shouting, "Who are you looking for? Do you have a visiting card?"
Bao Shan saw the servant's attitude towards Du Jinyi, as if he didn't know him, and couldn't help but feel curious. But her face was weak, and she said timidly, "We are here to pay our respects to Master Du and Madam Du. As for a visiting card, we don't have one..."
The servant, seeing Bao Shan's extraordinary beauty and her soft, gentle voice, couldn't help but soften his attitude. He said, "Without a visiting card, you can't see the master and his wife. But since you've traveled so far, I think it's urgent, so I'll let you know."
Baoshan thanked him softly.
Du Jinyi was extremely angry, and his usual spoiled temper showed up again.
His face flushed red, and he was about to argue with the boy, but Baoshan comforted him softly, "The boy is still young, and perhaps he has just arrived, so naturally he doesn't recognize you.
Since you are the master and older, why bother arguing with him?"
Du Jinyi calmed down, but was still depressed.
A moment later, the servant came with the message that Master Du was not at home.
But Madam Du was free at the moment and was willing to meet with them. The servant led them into the courtyard. Along the way, they encountered many servants, but none of them recognized Du Jinyi's identity.
Gu Xiaoxiao also found it strange. Du Jinyi had been away from home for a long time, so it was understandable that the new servant did not recognize him.
But why do the old women in the family and the second- and third-rank maids serving in the mansion all regard Du Jinyi as a stranger?
Gu Xiaoxiao deliberately slowed down her pace, leaving Du Jinyi alone in front, and she walked side by side with Bao Shan and You Dongjun.
Gu Xiaoxiao voiced her concerns. It was the first time Bao Shan saw hesitation on that bright and uninhibited face, so she said softly, "You'll know when you meet Madam Du."
Gu Xiaoxiao's heart calmed down slightly. Seeing Bao Shan smiling, she couldn't help but snort and said in an awkward tone, "If you want me to talk too much, I will know it!"
Bao Shan's beautiful eyes trembled slightly, and she looked timid, not bothering with Gu Xiaoxiao. But You Dongjun said coldly: "Since you know, why are you asking?"
Seeing You Dongjun defending the treasured fan so openly, Gu Xiaoxiao was so angry that her chest heaved: "You only know how to protect her, you, you are a bunch of snakes and rats!"
Bao Shan frowned slightly and said softly, "Miss Gu, the Taoist priest and I are not the same as a snake and a rat..."
Gu Xiaoxiao was about to say something else when she heard the servant call out, "We're here."
Gu Xiaoxiao had no choice but to shut her mouth.
A few people entered the main hall and saw two huanghuali carved armchairs placed in the middle.
Mrs. Du sat on one of the armchairs, looking very elegant and graceful.
Although Gu Xiaoxiao doesn't like Du Jinyi, she has some good feelings towards Mrs. Du.
Gu Xiaoxiao walked forward and called out crisply, "Mrs. Du, I'm Gu Xiaoxiao. Do you still remember me?"
Mrs. Du looked at her for a long time and recognized her identity from the jade pendant worn around Gu Xiaoxiao's waist, which was unique to the Gu family.
Madam Du smiled and pulled Gu Xiaoxiao to her side, saying in a friendly tone, "Girls really change a lot when they grow up. Xiaoxiao has grown up so well and is no longer the naughty girl she used to be.
Xiaoxiao, your parents wanted our two families to marry in the past. Have you changed your mind now?"
Before Gu Xiaoxiao could answer, Du Jinyi shouted anxiously, "I don't want to marry her!"
Madam Du frowned and looked at Du Jinyi. In an instant, Madam Du regained her usual dignity. She stroked Gu Xiaoxiao's hand and said, "Xiaoxiao, you are not young anymore. Don't make friends with everyone. You should be able to judge people.
What we were talking about just now was about the Du and Gu families. What does it have to do with your friend? Why is he butting in on this?"
Hearing this, Du Jinyi looked surprised and looked at Mrs. Du with wide eyes.
Gu Xiaoxiao saw that Mrs. Du's face was calm and her tone was natural. It didn't seem like she was angry with Du Jinyi and deliberately said these words to tease him. It was more like... she really didn't know Du Jinyi.
Gu Xiaoxiao asked tentatively: "You don't recognize him?"
Madam Du frowned, observed Du Jinyi for a long time, and shook her head gently: "How could I know him? Isn't he your friend, Xiaoxiao?"
Du Jinyi was struck by a bolt from the blue, and he no longer cared about the dignity he had maintained before coming to the Du family.
Du Jinyi took two or three steps forward, half-knelt in front of Madam Du, and said loudly, "Mother!"
When Mrs. Du heard the word "mother", she was not happy but angry, and said, "You are so young and pretty, how could you do such a ridiculous thing as to randomly recognize your mother?
I only have two sons and one daughter, and my eldest son and daughter are both living in other places.
There is only one young son by my side, where are the other sons? "
Gu Xiaoxiao was completely confused and felt that she couldn't understand the current situation.
Mrs. Du has two sons and one daughter, and she dotes on her youngest son the most. Isn’t that youngest son Du Jinyi who is kneeling on the ground now?
You Dongjun's voice was cold and clear, stopping the noisy voices in the room.
"Mrs. Du, since you have your beloved son by your side, could you please let us meet him?"
Mrs. Du thought for a moment, nodded slightly, and then ordered someone to call the young master.
She ignored the hurt expression on Du Jinyi's face, pulled back her skirt, and walked away.
The maid brought in the "young master" whom Madam Du had been referring to. This man resembled Du Jinyi in stature, and as he approached, everyone realized that his face bore some resemblance to Du Jinyi's. However, the young master's features lacked Du Jinyi's arrogance and impatience.
After hearing what Madam Du said, the young master chuckled and turned to Gu Xiaoxiao and said, "Xiaoxiao, long time no see."
Gu Xiaoxiao looked puzzled: "When have we met before?"
The young master then talked about his childhood, including how Gu Xiaoxiao had tricked him into getting soaked.
Gu Xiaoxiao felt her heart in turmoil. Looking at the young master's familiar features, she called out uncertainly, "Du Jinyi?"
The young master laughed dumbly: "You are still the same as before."
Du Jinyi, who was standing next to him, was furious when he heard the young master accept the name. Du Jinyi shouted, "Where did you come from? How dare you pretend to be my master!"
After saying that, Du Jinyi rushed forward, but just as he approached the young master, the young master twisted his arm, his right leg hurt, and his lower jaw was dislocated, so he couldn't utter a word.
The young master ordered someone to take Du Jinyi away. Gu Xiaoxiao wanted to stop him, but she heard the young master say, "Little girl from the Gu family, you hate me so much that you would rather believe him than me?"
When she heard "the little girl of the Gu family", Gu Xiaoxiao suddenly remembered that this was what Du Jinyi often shouted when he teased her when she was a child.
Gu Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment and couldn't tell which one was the real Du Jinyi.
Du Jinyi's eyes were bloodshot and he wanted to shout out in anger, but his jaw was held down by the young master, so he could only mumble and could not hear clearly.
You Dongjun stood aside, as cold as the white snow on the mountain.
His eyes were calm, as if neither the recognition of relatives just now nor the real and fake Du Jinyi could make You Dongjun look at him sideways.
This is the real You Dongjun. He can be chivalrous and righteous. He can spend his energy to get rid of the fake mountain god for the poor, and he can also kill ghosts for the rich.
But this wasn't because You Dongjun had any compassion for the world, but rather because he was inherently cold. All You Dongjun sought was the Dao. For the sake of the Dao, he could exterminate demons and ghosts, but for humans, he had no compassion or sympathy.
You Dongjun hadn't yet determined whether Du Jinyi was real or fake. Du Jinyi's current appearance was truly pitiful—his legs were bent and staggering, trembling, as if the young master had broken a bone in his leg.
Du Jinyi looked anxious, but he could only remain mute when he wanted to speak.
Such humiliation, befell a proud and arrogant young master like Du Jinyi, would undoubtedly be more painful than killing him.
But You Dongjun only thought about the weirdness of it and didn't think there was anything wrong with Du Jinyi at this moment.
The precious fan gently tugged at You Dongjun's sleeve, interrupting his thoughts.
You Dongjun turned to look at her, only to see Baoshan's pretty face, slightly pale, and a pair of indigo eyebrows slightly wrinkled. She whispered, "Mr. Du is so pitiful..."
But Bao Shan secretly looked at the young master who was talking to Gu Xiaoxiao, and felt that it was not appropriate to call him Du Jinyi like that, so he changed his words: "Even if he is not Mr. Du, he suffered such a thing... His legs are shaking. I thought of giving him a handkerchief and letting him bandage his calf, so that it won't hurt so much."
If You Dongjun is an icy peak, the treasure fan is the warm spring water. She is gentle and kind.
Even when dealing with someone who might be a liar, you should still have compassion.
The body of the precious fan is like spring water, and no one would dislike the warmth brought by spring water.
You Dongjun himself was cold-hearted, but he did not think that Baoshan was meddling in other people's business. He just thought that Baoshan was pitiful and lovely, so why should he care about a useless person?
In You Dongjun's opinion, it remains to be seen who the real Du Jinyi is.
But no matter what, it is true that Du Jinyi is in a dire situation now.
Du Jinyi was arrogant and conceited. When questioned, he had no ability to refute anyone, only to act recklessly. His situation was entirely his fault. You Dongjun didn't think Du Jinyi needed sympathy.
But You Dongjun would not stop Bao Shan. He just said calmly, "Give me the handkerchief."
Baoshan just thought that You Dongjun wanted to deliver the handkerchief to Du Jinyi on her behalf. She thought that it would be less conspicuous and more appropriate for You Dongjun to deliver the handkerchief than for a woman like her to do so.
She then stuffed the handkerchief embroidered with peony flowers into You Dongjun's hand.
You Dongjun held the handkerchief tightly and walked to Du Jinyi. However, he did not hand the handkerchief to Du Jinyi. Instead, he put the handkerchief, which was stained with gusts of fragrance, into his arms and threw a piece of gray cloth into Du Jinyi's arms.
Du Jinyi raised his head and saw You Dongjun's eyes were slightly cold.
You Dongjun said calmly: "No matter whether it is true or false, the young master of the Du family cannot be a cripple."
Du Jinyi shuddered and hurriedly picked up the gray cloth that had fallen on the ground.
Du Jinyi was taken away by everyone.
From the young master's words and deeds, Gu Xiaoxiao became more and more convinced that he was the Du Jinyi in her memory.
Seeing Madam Du frowning, the young master hurriedly called the maid to take Madam Du back to her room to rest. He patiently advised, "Mother, take good care of yourself and don't get a headache again.
I'm here, and I'll naturally take good care of Xiaoxiao and her friends."
The young master then said to the maid, "When Madam returns to her room, light the calming incense I found. No noise is allowed in the room, so that Madam can have a good rest."
The maid hurriedly said yes.
Everyone saw that the young master acted so appropriately, and compared to Du Jinyi's arrogance and domineering behavior, he was more like a young master from a wealthy family.
After seeing Madam Du off, the young master mentioned Du Jinyi who was dragged away, and his face showed bitterness: "Mother had a strange disease a few days ago, and she always recognized the wrong people.
Somehow, this matter reached the ears of outsiders and attracted many people with ulterior motives.
That person wasn't the first to come and claim my kinship, pretending to be mine. These people who look just like me... have all found out everything about my childhood and are passing it off as their own.
He then went to my mother and tried to trick her, actually getting away with a lot of money. If it were just money, it would have been fine. But my mother's favorite gold bracelet, given by her grandmother when she first came home, was also taken away by someone, which made my mother cry and say she was useless.
I met this guy today, and he kept saying that he was Du Jinyi, but if he was Du Jinyi, who should I be?
I saw that he was being rude and disrespectful in front of my mother, so I got angry and made you laugh."
Gu Xiaoxiao suddenly understood, but she still had doubts in her heart, because she recognized Du Jinyi's identity. It was not because Du Jinyi mentioned his childhood, but because she first recognized the crescent-shaped birthmark on his waist.
Hearing Gu Xiaoxiao's words, the young master's eyes flickered slightly, and he said, "It turns out that their deceptive tricks have developed to such a level.
Only you know that the birthmark on my waist is not the upper half of the moon, but the lower half.
If you have any doubts, you can ask this young Taoist priest to follow me to the inner room to take a look."
You Dongjun nodded in agreement.
The two walked out of the inner room, and You Dongjun said calmly, "There is indeed a waning moon birthmark on the waist, with its tip pointing downwards."
Most of the doubts in Gu Xiaoxiao's mind disappeared immediately, and she started chatting with the young master. Whenever she mentioned the details of their childhood playtime, the young master could handle it with ease and never made any mistakes.
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