Chapter 173 Sister Complex (First Update)
Gu Chengfeng stumbled and fell into the snow, collapsing at Gu Changqing's feet!
Gu Changqing: "..."
Gu Chengfeng: "..."
Gu Chengfeng was careless. He didn't expect that girl to be so despicable, accepting his IOU and then kicking him out in the end!
Gu Changqing frowned and looked at his younger brother lying on the ground with a strange expression: "What are you doing?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Jiao walked out of the small wooden house.
Gu Changqing's expression became even stranger.
Gu Chengfeng had never been schemed against like this before, nor had he ever been so humiliated.
Is this girl... seeking revenge for the day he schemed against her?
Gu Chengfeng, embarrassed and angry, got up from the snow, glanced at Gu Jiao, and said indignantly, "It's nothing, I just tripped and fell."
Gu Changqing asked, "How did you end up here?"
Gu Chengfeng said, "I'll pick some fruit for my third brother."
There were indeed baskets and scattered red berries on the ground, which Gu Chenglin loved to eat, and Gu Changqing had also picked them for him.
Gu Changqing then looked at Gu Jiao: "And you?"
"Just passing by," Gu Jiao said.
Just passing by? Gu Changqing looked at the traces in the snow that looked very much like a fight and thought to himself, "You two probably fought."
But soon he felt that this guess was not very reliable.
He had witnessed Gu Jiao's skills firsthand; she was more than capable of defeating a weak scholar like Gu Chengfeng.
So, if it really was her who did it, Gu Chengfeng would already be half dead by now.
"Have you seen anyone else here?" Gu Changqing still felt that some experts had been here before.
Gu Chengfeng decisively denied it: "No!"
Gu Jiao arrived under the sycamore tree, slowly reaching one hand towards the hidden weapon on the tree, and curled her lips into a wicked smile.
Gu Chengfeng's brow twitched: "One thousand taels!"
Gu Changqing frowned and looked at his younger brother: "What did you say? What do you mean, one thousand taels?"
Gu Chengfeng broke out in a cold sweat. He looked away, composed himself, and said to his elder brother, "I... I've got my eye on something. It costs a thousand taels."
"What is so expensive?" Gu Changqing asked.
His family was not short of money, and he never mistreated his two younger brothers in terms of food, clothing, housing, and transportation. However, everything has its limits, and being too extravagant is not good either.
Gu Chengfeng opened his mouth, but said calmly, "It is an antique calligraphy and painting."
Gu Jiao pulled out the hidden weapon and put it in her pocket.
Soon, she looked at the second hidden weapon and smiled wickedly again.
Gu Chengfeng was completely exasperated: "Add another thousand taels!"
This younger brother must have taken the wrong medicine.
Gu Changqing raised her hand and touched his forehead.
No fever.
He was covered in sweat.
"...I misremembered! They said two thousand taels!" Gu Chengfeng tried to cover up his lie. "I was thinking, brother, do you have any silver to lend me?"
Gu Changqing sternly refused: "No, you're not allowed to buy such expensive things!"
Gu Chengfeng: "Oh."
Gu Jiao pulled out the second hidden weapon, put it in her pocket, took out her notebook and charcoal pencil, and came to Gu Chengfeng: "I am not well-educated and there are a few words I don't know how to write. I would like to trouble the Second Young Master to write them for me."
Gu Chengfeng gritted his teeth and took the notebook.
Gu Changqing's brows furrowed into a deep frown.
Gu Chengfeng quickly finished writing the IOU and returned the notebook and charcoal pencil to Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao put it away with satisfaction.
Just then, Gu Jinyu came looking for them.
"Sister! Eldest brother? Second brother?" She bowed to the two of them with a surprised expression, as if she hadn't seen them there beforehand.
Neither of the brothers is very happy right now.
Gu Chengfeng was extorted for three thousand taels of silver.
Gu Changqing didn't know why.
The two left without speaking to Gu Jinyu, their expressions icy.
Gu Changqing had clearly just passed by Gu Jiao, but for some reason, he paused, turned back to Gu Jiao, and said, "I... I've also been to school!"
Gu Jiao: "..."
After the two brothers left, Gu Jinyu stepped forward, her eyes flickering slightly, and asked, "Sister, why did you come here? What did your eldest and second brothers say to you? It seems your second brother even wrote something for you. What did he write?"
"It's nothing." Gu Jiao tied the ribbon on her purse.
Gu Jinyu cracked her knuckles. Ever since the incident of breaking the porcelain vase, her three older brothers hadn't spoken to her for a long time. But just now, she saw her eldest brother, second brother, and Gu Jiao talking for a long time.
She clenched her handkerchief and said softly to Gu Jiao, "Sister, Mother doesn't like us associating with our three brothers. You shouldn't talk to them anymore, and don't go near them. Mother will be unhappy."
"Let's go back." Gu Jiao didn't respond to her words and turned to walk towards the plum garden.
Watching her graceful and efficient figure from behind, Gu Jinyu's face darkened with jealousy.
"Brother," Gu Chengfeng suddenly spoke up halfway through the journey, "Have you seen that girl? You didn't ask her who she was just now."
Although the girl visited the mansion several times, she only went to see Madam Yao and never went to pay her respects to the old lady and her brothers.
He had seen her before, when Gu Jinyu and Ling Shuixian broke his elder brother's porcelain vase, and she accompanied Madam Yao to the courtyard to pick up Gu Jinyu.
But at that time, my older brother was practicing swordsmanship on the back mountain.
When her elder brother returned to the courtyard, she was no longer in the mansion.
Did they recognize each other that time? And instantly turn enemies into friends?
He didn't sense the slightest rejection of that girl from his older brother today.
Gu Changqing paused for a moment, then said, "I've met you."
Gu Chengfeng: "When?"
Gu Changqing: "Why are you asking this? I haven't asked you yet, how did you end up with her in the back mountain just now? Were you fighting in the house?"
Gu Chengfeng cleared his throat: "Why would I fight with her? I'm the older brother, after all. How could I bully her?"
But if she's not my sister at all, then that's a different story.
After that, the two brothers didn't say anything more.
Gu Chengfeng's courtyard was closer, so he arrived first.
The moment he stepped across the threshold, he suddenly turned around and looked at Gu Changqing meaningfully: "Brother, you didn't say that we only have one younger brother, not a younger sister."
Gu Changqing's pupils contracted.
Gu Chengfeng gave a cold laugh: "Brother, have you forgotten how Mother died?"
Gu Changqing hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Gu Chengfeng sneered and turned to go into the house.
Gu Chenglin fell asleep on Gu Chengfeng's bed, and Gu Chengfeng went over to cover him with a blanket.
A moment later, the servant announced that Aunt Ling had arrived.
Since the late Madam passed away early, it has been Aunt Ling who has been taking care of the three brothers all these years. Gu Changqing is more independent and has been by the old Marquis's side for many years, so he is not as close to Aunt Ling as Gu Chengfeng and his brother.
Aunt Ling entered the house carrying a food box with a smile on her face.
She saw Gu Chenglin on the bed and smiled in surprise: "Oh my, why is Lin'er sleeping?"
Gu Chengfeng invited her to sit down at the table: "It's so cold today, why did you come over, Aunt?"
Aunt Ling smiled gently, "The kitchen roasted some venison, and I brought some over for you. By the way, you didn't look well the other day. Did you miss your mother? My sister's death anniversary is coming soon, and I was thinking of taking the three of you to her grave to offer incense sometime."
Gu Chengfeng nodded: "I will do whatever my aunt says."
When Aunt Ling first entered the Marquis's mansion, the three brothers were actually somewhat resistant to her. But Aunt Ling said to them, "I came to the mansion not to replace my sister as your mother, but to take care of you in my sister's place. From now on, I will treat you as my own flesh and blood, and I will not give birth to any troublesome younger brothers or sisters for you. I only have three children, and that is you."
Aunt Ling did it.
Over the years, she has been incredibly devoted to her three sons, treating them like a mother even better than her own.
It's just that they already have a place for their mother in their hearts, so they can't give Aunt Ling the treatment of a mother. However, it is precisely because of this that they feel guilty and want to make up for Aunt Ling in other ways.
Gu Chengfeng once asked Aunt Ling, "What do you want?"
He thought at the time that as long as Aunt Ling asked, he would even secure the position of mistress for her.
Aunt Ke Ling shook her head, gently stroking his head, and said, "Auntie doesn't want anything. As long as the three of you are well, Auntie will be satisfied."
Such a selfless and kind woman is far better than that vicious woman, Yao.
Yao killed their mother, stole their father, and even had a hateful younger sister and brother with their father.
They were no longer in their father's eyes.
There's a saying that's true: with a stepmother comes a stepfather.
Whenever Gu Yan argued with them, regardless of whether it was their fault or not, their father would only punish them.
The father would never lay a finger on Gu Yan's hair.
My mother once said that she loved plum blossoms the most when she was alive.
The father found it troublesome and let it go in one ear and out the other.
After Yao entered the mansion, her father specially built a plum garden for her after she only glanced at a plum blossom a couple of times.
Gu Chengfeng felt both jealousy and hatred towards Yao and her child.
However, the father did not seem to like Yao's biological daughter, but instead doted on Gu Jinyu, whom he had raised since childhood.
That's really interesting.
"Wind, wind!" Aunt Ling called to him.
"Huh?" Gu Chengfeng snapped back to reality.
Aunt Ling smiled and said, "Do you have any objections to what I just said?"
Gu Chengfeng said seriously, "No, Auntie is always very capable. Let's do as Auntie says."
Aunt Ling stood up and said gently, "Alright, then I'll go and have someone prepare the offerings."
This is a golden opportunity to regain control of the central administration; she will definitely handle it beautifully!
(End of this chapter)
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