Tea leaves, incense, four treasures of the study, chessboard, felt, rattan ball, glass beads, goat milk, jade pendants, jade rings... just packing up these trivial little things made Gu Yanfei happy.
Juanbi counted them one by one:
"This is the finest Maojian, I must collect it myself."
"This jade pendant and chessboard are for the girl."
“These should be for Qingguang.”
“…”
"Meow!" The kitten was very satisfied with this and slapped the sepak ball with one paw.
The small vine ball rolled back and forth as the kitten chased it, and the crisp sound of the bells continued to ring.
Gu Yanfei fell asleep to the sound of the bell and was woken up by the sound of the bell.
She had her breakfast leisurely before being led by Nanny Li to the Gu family ancestral hall on the west side of the marquis' mansion.
The white stone path leading to the ancestral hall is clean, with green pines and cypresses planted on both sides, solemn and quiet. At the entrance of the front porch hangs a plaque with the four big characters "Gu Family Ancestral Hall" written in a flamboyant style.
The weather is very good today, the sky is clear and the golden sunshine is pouring down. The five main rooms stand quietly under the blue sky and white clouds, with their flying eaves and pointed corners.
When Gu Yanfei arrived, the porch was already filled with well-dressed ladies. The ladies from all the rooms in the mansion were there, laughing all the time, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
"Second Miss, come this way." Nanny Li walked in front with a smile, leading the way for Gu Yanfei. She was friendly but not overly enthusiastic.
The people in the porch probably noticed Gu Yanfei's arrival, and dozens of burning gazes rushed towards Gu Yanfei like a tide, some of them were looking at him, some were curious, some were contemptuous, and some were indifferent.
Madam Gu also looked at Gu Yanfei with a sharp gaze, and the words that Gu Yuan said to her yesterday rang in her ears again:
"Grandmother, now that my sister has been found, shouldn't we open the ancestral hall as soon as possible? I think it's better to choose a day than a day, so why not choose tomorrow?"
Madam Gu narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips tightly into a straight line.
For the sake of the marriage between the Gu and Fang families, she had originally planned to open the ancestral hall and revise the family tree as soon as she returned to Beijing. However, it was different for her to propose it and for Gu Yuan to propose it. The latter made her feel coerced.
Mrs. Gu was not very happy because Gu Yuan had always been very filial to her before her second granddaughter came back.
Gu Yanfei glanced at the people in front of him calmly, matching the familiar faces with the names in his memory one by one.
She stopped outside the porch, and the sunlight cast a faint golden halo around her.
The morning light fell into her eyes, making her pupils sparkle, and her fair jade skin shone with a pearly luster.
She has a beautiful face, noble bearing, and a temperament as bright as the sun.
Several girls from the Gu family hid behind the ladies and whispered to each other. Occasionally, words like "eldest son", "second sister", and "like the eldest brother" floated over.
"Second sister." Gu Yunyan was the first to speak.
She smiled sweetly, and a pair of shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks. She was gentle and generous, and very approachable.
"What a pretty girl!" A beautiful middle-aged woman in her early thirties with an oval face praised Gu Yanfei affectionately, with a gentle smile on her fair face, "This must be your second niece, she looks just like your eldest sister-in-law... I am your second aunt."
This beautiful woman is Mrs. Wang, the wife of Marquis Dingyuan.
This address made everyone's expressions a little subtle. They exchanged glances secretly, wondering if this girl was dull or just too well-behaved.
Madam Gu's face was as gloomy as water. She took out her anger towards Gu Yuan on Gu Yanfei and said in a cold tone, "Come earlier next time."
As she spoke, her eyes swept over the strands of yellow and white hair on Gu Yanfei's shoulders, her brows furrowed, and she added, "Hurry up and get rid of your cat. That cat is weird, it must be a monster!"
She felt uncomfortable all over when she thought of having a cat in her house.
Gu Yanfei smiled without saying anything and sat down.
"..." Madam Gu was furious and her eyes were filled with undercurrents.
In the tense atmosphere, an old woman in gray came hurriedly to report that the Marquis, the clan leader and others had arrived, so all the female members of the family, including Madam Gu, looked straight ahead.
The five doors in front were wide open, and a group of men of different ages and appearances walked in one after another.
The one walking in front was an old man in his sixties with white hair and beard, wearing black clothes. He walked with a brisk pace and looked energetic.
"I am really sorry to trouble you today, uncle." Walking alongside the old man was a man in a blue robe who was about thirty years old. He was tall and had handsome features, but unfortunately he looked a little bloated. He was the current Marquis of Dingyuan, Gu Jian.
Gu Jian was very respectful in his words towards the patriarch of the Gu family.
"As we should. We are one family and should not have different opinions." The patriarch stroked his beard and said with a generous smile.
The two masters from the fourth and fifth rooms of the Marquis' Mansion followed closely behind, also talking with the elders in a harmonious atmosphere.
Gu Yuan followed behind without saying a word. He was only seventeen years old, and his handsome face still had a bit of childishness, but he was tall and stood out among the crowd. There was a sense of pride in his every move.
The female relatives surrounded Madam Gu and took a few steps forward, greeting each other politely.
After a while, everyone sat down in the front hall of the ancestral hall. Gu Jian and the clan leader sat side by side at the top, Madam Gu sat at the bottom, and everyone else also sat down one by one.
In such a large occasion, most people had no right to speak and most of them remained silent. Some played with their handkerchiefs, some were in a trance, some were secretly yawning, and some were quietly looking at Gu Yanfei.
After some pleasantries, Mrs. Gu started talking about business and pointed at Gu Yanfei who was sitting next to her.
"Clan leader, this girl is Mengjie'er's twin sister. Their mother, Xie, had a difficult labor and passed away after giving birth to them."
"As you know, there was chaos and disorder along the border at that time. The nurse was unable to take care of the two sisters alone, and she accidentally lost the girl. She only brought Mengjieer to the capital..."
Madam Gu had already prepared her speech and she talked without caring about people's reactions.
The clan leader and the elders looked at each other and exchanged glances silently.
The story of the twins was really outrageous and obviously made up, but no one questioned it.
Madam Gu had informed the clan leader and his men long ago, and had her confidants hint at them yesterday. To be frank, the clan leader and his men came here today just to go through the motions.
It doesn’t matter what the truth is. The key is that this matter is beneficial to their entire Gu family.
(End of this chapter)
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