When Gu Jianli woke up, there was a moment of bewilderment where she didn’t know where she was. Her vision was hazy, and she couldn’t see anything clearly. She even thought she was still dreaming and had arrived in a fairyland.
Gradually, her senses returned, and with them, her memories.
Gu Jianli suddenly stood up and looked towards the round bathtub, softly calling out, “Fifth Master?”
No one answered.
The entire room was filled with steam, making it hard to see anything.
Gu Jianli wiped the moisture from her face and groped her way towards the bathtub. As she got closer, she confirmed that Ji Wujing wasn’t inside. She went to the window and opened the small pane, letting the steam roll out. The cool breeze made her shiver.
The visibility in the room improved significantly.
Gu Jianli glanced around the small bathroom, making sure Ji Wujing hadn’t fainted in some corner, then lifted her skirt and walked out. As she stepped out, she was met by Lizi, who grinned foolishly at her and said, “Time for breakfast!”
Gu Jianli glanced at the empty bed and walked straight to the outer room. Ji Wujing was eating, his face expressionless. Gu Jianli quietly looked at his face before sitting down across from him.
Taking the food Lizi handed her, Gu Jianli ate in small bites with her head down. Ji Wujing didn’t speak, and Gu Jianli wouldn’t initiate conversation either. Although the silence during the meal was somewhat awkward, it was far better than talking with Ji Wujing.
The table was laden with fish.
Gu Jianli noticed that Ji Wujing seemed particularly focused when eating fish. He ate it very carefully and elegantly, using his chopsticks to pick out each bone with smooth, graceful movements.
As she ate, Gu Jianli suddenly remembered something. She slowed down, took a few more haphazard bites, then put down her chopsticks and sat quietly, waiting for Ji Wujing to finish.
Ji Wujing knew Gu Jianli had something to say to him, but he wasn’t in a hurry. He continued to eat his fish slowly. No one could disturb him while he was eating fish.
Finally, Ji Wujing put down his chopsticks and licked his finger, which was scented with fish, before raising his eyes to look at Gu Jianli. He asked, “What do you want to tell your uncle?”
Gu Jianli frowned but didn’t correct his way of addressing himself as “uncle.” She got straight to the point, “Today is the third day after the wedding, and I want to go back home to visit…”
Her voice trailed off towards the end.
Returning to her parental home was a very ordinary custom, but given the unusual circumstances of Gu Jianli’s marriage, it felt different. If Ji Wujing hadn’t woken up, she certainly wouldn’t have been able to go back.
Of course, even though Ji Wujing had now awakened, Gu Jianli never intended to take him back with her.
She continued softly, “Yesterday, the imperial physician said you shouldn’t walk for too long and can’t withstand the bumps of the road. So, I’ll go back by myself. I’ll be back before dark…”
Ji Wujing propped his chin and looked at her, saying indifferently, “Send my regards to that old rascal Gu Jingyuan.”
Before Gu Jianli could get angry at him for speaking of her father that way, her eyes suddenly lit up. He had agreed! She added, “Nanny Lin has to take care of Fourth Sister and Sixth Brother. Can I take Lizi with me?”
Ji Wujing glanced at Lizi, who was squatting at the door playing with pebbles, and then gave Gu Jianli a disdainful look. “Has your Gu family fallen so low that you didn’t even bring a maid with you?”
Gu Jianli wanted to explain, but before she could speak, her eyes flashed. She suppressed her excitement and tried to speak calmly, “My maid had some family issues and couldn’t come with me in time. I’ll write her a letter, asking her to come as soon as she can after handling her family affairs.”
Gu Jianli watched Ji Wujing’s expression carefully.
Ji Wujing, still propping his chin with one hand, picked up his chopsticks with the other and began playing with the fish bones he had already eaten. After she finished speaking, he casually hummed in response and showed no other reaction.
“Then I’ll be off,” Gu Jianli announced, standing up and walking out gracefully. Her back was straight, and her steps measured and elegant, yet gentle and graceful.
Ji Wujing looked up, watching her retreating figure with a peculiar smile on his lips.
Gu Jianli tried to suppress her overwhelming joy, but she couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her face.
Being able to go home to see her father was already a great joy. She hadn’t expected to be able to call Jixia back as well. Jixia was her personal maid, two years older than her, who had grown up with her.
When the Gu family had fallen into hard times, their servants were dismissed. Jixia had wanted to stay with Gu Jianli, but the Gu family had been living in such cramped quarters that there wasn’t even a corner for Jixia. Gu Jianli had steeled her heart and sent Jixia back to her own home. The scene of their tearful parting was still vivid in her mind. Now, she could call Jixia back…
Gu Jianli squinted her eyes, looking at the warm morning sun, feeling warmth spread through her body.
When Gu Jianli had married, everything was kept simple. But now that Ji Wujing had woken up, as soon as the household heard that Gu Jianli was going back home, they immediately prepared a sedan chair and even some gifts.
Though it was still quite basic, it was at least somewhat presentable.
Gu Jianli was eager to see her father, so she didn’t care about these details at all.
The small farmhouse was very secluded, with narrow front alleys where even the sedan chair couldn’t pass through. The sedan chair stopped at the street corner, and Gu Jianli hurried home on foot. Any concerns about propriety had been completely discarded over the past three months.
“You Chen family are behaving in a way that will bring down divine retribution!”
Before she even got close, Gu Jianli heard the voice of Madam Tao, and her heart sank. The Chen family was her sister’s in-laws. Over these three months, many relatives had kicked them when they were down. Could it be that her brother-in-law’s family was also…
Clearly, her sister and brother-in-law had always been the envy of the entire Yong’an City for their harmonious relationship!
Gu Jianli bit her lip and hurried home, lifting her skirt as she went. A crowd was still gathered at the entrance, watching the commotion. The scene was all too familiar.
Lizi pushed aside the people in front, grinning foolishly at Gu Jianli.
Ignoring everything else, Gu Jianli rushed to the door and called out, “Lizi, chase those people away.”
“Okay!” Lizi responded with a prolonged tone and raised her fists at the onlookers. They saw a young girl who seemed a bit slow-witted and didn’t take her seriously, but when Lizi threw a punch, they scattered in fear.
“Jianli, you’re back?” Madam Tao was startled but quickly delighted, rushing to greet her.
Gu Jianli glanced at Nanny Qin standing in the courtyard. Nanny Qin was the Chen family’s steward, someone Gu Jianli knew.
“Never mind about me for now. What happened to Sister?”
Madam Tao was trembling with anger, pointing at Nanny Qin, and said furiously, “The Chen family is bullying your sister!”
Nanny Qin looked Gu Jianli up and down, smiling as she spoke, “Second Miss Gu, no, now it’s Fifth Madam Ji. Your mother has quite a temper, so I’ll speak with you instead. You should advise your sister that a marriage cannot be dominated by one side. It’s already improper for them to be childless after three years of marriage. It’s only right for our Chen family to take another wife. Given your family’s current situation, you’ll likely face further punishment after the New Year. Our madam has arranged a comfortable and spacious residence outside the manor for your sister, just to avoid further trouble…”
Gu Jianli’s eyes were filled with shock and anger. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Are you saying the Chen family intends to treat the legitimate wife as a concubine while raising a new wife in the manor?” Gu Jianli stepped forward, confronting Nanny Qin.
Nanny Qin’s eyes flickered with guilt as she explained, “The divorce is just a temporary measure; otherwise, we wouldn’t have arranged a residence outside the manor. It’s all temporary, just temporary…”
“The Chen family should dream on!” Madam Tao was livid, “Who helped your Chen family rise? Who paid your debts? Who swore on their knees to treat our Li well? And now, at the first sign of trouble, you pull such a disgusting move! You want to sever ties but can’t let go of this precious gem, forcing our Li to live as a concubine? There’s no family as vile as yours! When our master wakes up and clears his name, we won’t spare the Chen family!”
Nanny Qin sneered, “Clear his name? Madam Gu, only your family believes this is a wrongful case…”
Enraged at the implication of her father’s innocence, Madam Tao pointed at Nanny Qin’s nose, “Say that again, you wretched servant!”
Gu Jianli suddenly pushed open the door, appearing calm and composed. She walked over slowly, her slender figure exuding a cold and clear demeanor.
“Please take this divorce letter back with you,” Gu Jianli handed a letter to Nanny Qin. “From now on, our Gu family has nothing to do with the Chen family.”
“This…” Nanny Qin looked at the divorce letter in her hand.
Gu Jianli saw the tears that quickly fell from her sister’s eyes as she turned away.
Nanny Qin wanted to chase after Gu Zaili, but Gu Jianli stepped aside to block her. Unlike Madam Tao’s anger, Gu Jianli’s tone was distant and cold: “Please leave.”
Nanny Qin looked at the departing Gu Zaili, then at the furious Madam Tao, and finally at the calm Gu Jianli in front of her. She sighed, turned around, and left.
Suddenly, there was a scream from inside the house. Both Gu Jianli and Madam Tao were startled and quickly rushed in.
Nanny Qin’s eyes flashed. She was about to go in and see what was happening when Lizi grabbed her by the collar and threw her out of the courtyard.
Inside, Gu Jianli shouted, “Lizi, go fetch a doctor!”
“Got it!” Lizi grinned and hopped off to get the doctor.
“Hurry up!” Gu Jianli’s second command came, and Lizi, like a rabbit, dashed away. Not long after, she returned with a doctor, dragging him by the collar.
Gu Zaili leaned against the headboard, looking at the anxious and worried faces of Gu Jianli and Madam Tao. She smiled and said, “It’s nothing serious.”
“If it’s nothing serious, why did you suddenly faint?” Madam Tao disagreed.
Gu Jianli asked the doctor, “How is my sister?”
The doctor checked the pulse for a long time before finally letting go. He cupped his hands and said, “Congratulations, this lady is pregnant.”
Everyone in the room froze.
Gu Zaili’s lips moved in disbelief. She had tried many remedies over the past three years without success. And now, she was pregnant?
Gu Jianli looked at her sister’s expression and asked the doctor again, “Are you certain?”
“Absolutely certain!”
In the silence, Gu Zaili sighed softly and calmly said, “Doctor, please prescribe some abortion medicine.”
“What? This…” The doctor looked at one face, then the other, and understood.
Gu Jianli frowned, wanting to persuade but not knowing how, or if she even should. She looked at her sister’s calm face, held her hand, and gently asked, “Sister, are you sure about this?”