Chapter 92.1: Background
Chapter 92.1: Background
Gu Jinyu felt as if she had fallen from heaven to hell overnight. Shock, fear, sadness and the grievances of losing her parents intertwined in the bottom of her heart, just like a big net, trapping her whole person.
“Mother will arrange a time for you to meet with the Gu Family…” Yao shi said a lot more afterwards, but Gu Jinyu didn’t hear her next words.
Yao shi gently pulled her hand and let her have a rest.
That night, Gu Jinyu lay on a luxurious and soft bed and had a taste of sleeplessness for the first time.
A strong wind blew outside the room, making the branches and leaves rustle.
Gu Jinyu lifted the quilt and got off the bed. She walked to the door and opened it, so that a gust of wind blew up her robe and hair.
“Oh! Young miss, why did you get out? The wind is strong! Be careful of catching a cold!”
The servant girl on night duty hurried forward to help Gu Jinyu back into her room.
Gu Jinyu said faintly, “I can’t sleep, I want to go out for a walk.”
“Ah… But it’s already so late…” The servant girl said. But seeing that Gu Jinyu didn’t intend to go back to her room, she swallowed her words of dissuasion and said, “Wait a moment, young miss, this servant will bring you a cloak!”
“En.” Gu Jinyu nodded.
The servant girl found a soft cloak from the wardrobe for Gu Jinyu to put on.
Gu Jinyu looked down at the cloak and suddenly murmured, “My flower-dappled horse and fur coat worth a thousand, hand them to the boy to exchange for good wine.”
The servant girl was stunned and asked, “Young miss, what’s wrong? Why are you suddenly reciting a poem? Do you want to write a poem?”
This servant girl knew nothing about poetry, but her original servant girl, Yuru, did. However, Yuru was already kicked out by Gu Yan.
Gu Jinyu picked up a corner of the cloak and murmured, “Do you know what a thousand-worth fur coat is? It is what I have. Some people can only buy such clothes if they don’t eat and drink for a few lifetimes.”
The servant girl understood and said smilingly, “That’s natural. Young miss is the Marquis Estate’s daughter after all! Young miss is not comparable to those commoners outside!”
“What’s your name?” Gu Jinyu asked.
“This servant is called Little Li.” The servant girl answered.
After Yuru was kicked out, the servants around Gu Jinyu were screened by Marquis Gu. Recently, they were all new faces.
“Are you from a nearby village?” Gu Jinyu asked again.
“Yes!” The servant girl opened her glistening eyes wide.
Gu Jinyu sized her up and said, “You look younger than me. How can your family be willing to let you be a servant girl?”
The servant girl replied with a smile, “Young miss is joking. Being a servant girl in the villa is actually a job that everyone in our village is asking for! This servant has four sisters in the family, and only this servant is the best at doing errands so this servant got this job!”
Gu Jinyu was surprised to hear her answer, “Are all your four sisters… also working? Don’t you have a brother at home?”
The servant girl nodded and said, “This servant has a big brother and a younger brother. My big brother is going to get married pretty soon, and we are working to earn his betrothal gifts. The younger brother will get married in the future, and he will have his share too. However, if we all marry well, the betrothal gifts we’ll receive should be enough for them to get married.”
There was no complaint in her tone, as if she was born to live for her brothers.
Gu Jinyu felt that his worldview had been subverted.
She had been raised in the Marquis Estate since childhood, with three older brothers and one younger brother. Although the younger brother was mischievous, he just bullied her and wouldn’t exploit her for his own good. All of his three older brothers were young and promising. Even if they didn’t like their three step-member family, they never thought of sacrificing their stepsister to pave their way.
Gu Jinyu listened to the servant girl talk about her family, and found that Marquis Gu and Yao shi were the best parents in the world.
She couldn’t bear to leave such good parents, and she couldn’t give up everything in the Marquis Estate.
The next day, Marquis Gu and Yao shi came to see her. Her eyes were swollen like two walnuts.
The servant girl explained, “Young miss cried all night last night…”
“You step down.” Yao shi said.
“Yes.” The servant girl withdrew in fear. She was so worried that she might not have served the young miss well, causing her to be sad. She didn’t want to be driven out of the villa.
Marquis Gu and Yao shi came to the bed. Marquis Gu stood on the edge, and Yao shi sat down on the bedside.
“Mom—— ” Gu Jinyu threw herself into Yao shi’s arms, and big tears dripped into Yao shi’s bosom. “Don’t abandon this daughter… this daughter can’t bear to leave you… can’t bear to leave dad… this daughter don’t want to leave you——”
Seeing Gu Jinyu crying like this, Marquis Gu’s heart simply ached.
He said sadly, “Silly child, when did your mom and dad say they will abandon you?” Your mother and I have already discussed it. It’s up to you to decide this matter. If you want to go back——”
Gu Jinyu interrupted him while sobbing, “This daughter doesn’t want to go back, she will be filial to her mom and dad all her life!”
Thinking that this poor child would be an orphan when she went back, Yao shi couldn’t bear to let her go either, especially when she learned that Gu Sanlang and his wife once loved JiaoJiao so much, so she couldn’t treat Jinyu badly.
She touched Gu Jinyu’s face and said, “Even if you don’t go back to the Gu Family, you should at least offer incense to your biological parents.”
“En!” Gu Jinyu agreed in tears.
Yao shi nodded in relief, then got up to go and see Gu Yan with Marquis Gu. Gu Jinyu suddenly grabbed her sleeve and said chokingly, “It’s my fault. I have occupied my sister’s identity for so many years, I stole the best mom and dad in the world from her. When my sister comes back, I will definitely take good care of her, and in the same way as mom and dad have loved me dearly over the years…… I will also love my sister dearly!”
Yao shi patter her head.
The couple then went to see Gu Yan.
Gu Yan stayed up all night. He was as excited as a little bullfrog, croaking all night. Yu Ya’er was almost pestered to death by him!
That quiet and indifferent young master was still the cutest in the end!
Gu Yan was so jubilant that he forgot to give his father a roll of the eye.
Gu Yan said, “She likes me!”
Yao shi doted on her son and said, “Mother knows.”
Gu Yan said again, “I like her too!”
Yao shi nodded with a smile, “En.”
Gu Yan sat up straight and said, “I’m going to find her!”
Yao shi took his son’s hand and said in a soft voice, “Give her some time to digest the truth.”
Gu Yan pressed the ten thousand little ants in his heart and replied, “Well, fine.”
Qingquan Village.
Gu Jiao didn’t hide her real background from her family, and even Xue Ningxiang was present.
Due to Gu Jiao’s injury, she was unable to cook meals, and the elderly woman couldn’t really stand eating Xiao Liulang’s cooking, so she called Xue Ningxiang over to help cook a meal for them.
After she finished cooking, the elderly woman let her stay to eat with Gouwa. [T/N: It’s Goudan before but it suddenly changed to Gouwa from here on.]
While eating, the elderly woman asked about Yao shi and Marquis Gu, and Gu Jiao told them their identities and the fact that she had been switched at birth in a light and casual tone.
Everyone in the room understood except Gouwa. Gu Jiao was supposed to be Gu Jinyu, and Gu Jinyu was supposed to be Gu Jiao. Their identities had been switched.
But Gu Jiao’s tone was so calm that one would think she just said something about eating cabbage tonight.
Xue Ningxiang’s jaw dropped in shock. The neighbor who had been living beside her for so many years was actually the Marquis Estate’s young miss? She would be living as the Marquis Estate’s daughter?!
Xue Ningxiang could hardly hold her chopsticks.
She looked at the elderly woman, Xiao Liulang, and Little Jing Kong, and found that they were all calm from beginning to end, except being surprised at the fact that Gu Jiao had been switched at birth.
Xue Ningxiang: You guys, don’t you think that Jiao girl’s identity is very formidable? Her father is a Marquis ah!
Elderly woman: I once beat up the most powerful man in the whole State of Zhao, a mere Marquis is nothing!
Xiao Liulang: A mere second-class marquis, nothing but an empty title without any real power.
Little Jing Kong: How great can an evil man who only bullies women and children be? Humph!
Xue Ningxiang looked at a table full of calm neighbors: “…”
She seemed to have discovered something amazing.
After the meal, Xue Ningxiang told Gu Jiao to just go back to her room and lie down, and that she would clean up everything.
It was true that Gu Jiao still had some difficulties, so instead of being pretentious, she thanked her and went back to her room to rest.
Xue Ningxiang went to wash the dishes, Little Jing Kong went to walk the baby chicks, and Xiao Liulang boiled the medicine he bought from the Rejuvenation Hall and took it to Gu Jiao.