Sixteen Enemies (2)

  Gu Man raised an eyebrow in surprise, this Gu Qing is a bit different from the one she remembered from her past life. The Gu Qing of her past life wasn't a good person either, but he had never been so short-tempered, his favorite move was to stab people in the back. Had Gu Yan whispered something in her ear again? No wonder this girl ended up with no good outcome later on, she deserved it!

  She seemed to unintentionally glance at Gu Chengyu, who was still standing steadily with a smile, and some mockery appeared in her eyes. In the previous life, this Gu Chengyu had not only harmed himself, but also the entire first house.

  When a hungry tiger encounters a wolf, why bother reminding yourself? Just sit back and watch the battle.

  Her own mother would be the future young master's wife if nothing unexpected happened, and Fan Shi was still enduring and unwilling to give up, she had to consider this point carefully before the division of the family. Even Fan Shi knew how to be gentle and pleasant with herself, maintaining a harmonious surface, her daughter was truly foolish beyond measure!

  Besides, no matter what, even if I was wrong, it shouldn't be up to Gu Qing to say. Everyone present here is a senior, and if she did something wrong, naturally the old lady would teach her, let alone in the old lady's De'an Residence, Gu Qing's behavior was clearly overstepping!

  When she first came in, Gu Qing still knew how to put on a show of sisterly harmony with herself. Now, however, because of her own few words of incitement, she has revealed her true nature. It's really a case of trying to prop up a wall of rotten mud.

  As expected, the old lady looked at Gu Qing with a smile that was not quite a smile: "I, as a grandmother, haven't gotten angry yet, but you've already gotten Little Four all worked up."

  This was a sign that the old lady was unhappy, and Fan's eyelid twitched as she stood up and scolded: "Fourth! The ancestors valued you and raised you by their side, have you forgotten all the rules you learned every day? With Old Lady and your aunts here, where do you get off speaking out of turn? Sit down at once!"

  Gu Qing's face turned red and white, she didn't expect that the two people who were usually kindest to her would both scold her today. It was all because of that cheap woman Gu Man! If it wasn't for her oily mouth and slippery tongue, she wouldn't have been scolded!

  Relying on his father being the son of an old lady, and that he is the daughter of a current imperial tutor's mother, Gu Man became more and more disliked by people!

  "Mother!" Gu Qing didn't back down this time, her face flushing red as she pointed at Gu Man, who was leisurely sipping tea, and sneered: "Look at her nonchalant attitude! Does she have any regard for Grandmother? For all the aunts? Such a vicious person, disrespecting her elder brother, showing no compassion to her younger sister, even taking my things whenever she pleases - what right does she have to sit here in front of our ancestors?"

  Who would have thought that inviting a nanny would lead to such an event? The several ladies who were used to seeing calm and peaceful gatherings all stared with wide eyes.

  Fan's family stole a glance at the old lady, his heart racing with anxiety. Seeing several of his sisters-in-law looking at him as if watching a joke, he couldn't help but shout: "Shut up!"

  The old lady did not go to scold Gu Qing again, she glanced at Gu Man who was still sitting quietly, without changing his expression, and coldly said: "Xiao Jiu, you too! When your sister is teaching you, you should stand up and listen carefully! Not to mention whether what she said is right or wrong, etiquette cannot be abandoned! Indeed, your mother has not taught you anything except for those useless things!"

  Still have to cut oneself, still not forgetting to bring up Wang's family, this old lady's heart is really biased, obviously anyone with a clear mind can see who is right and who is wrong, but she still insists on putting the blame on herself.

  She took a slight breath, hiding the grievances and resentment in her heart. She was clearly the old lady's own granddaughter, and she had shown enough respect to the old lady in her previous life. However, the old lady still looked down on her, even telling Gu Chengyu to beware of this younger sister before her death!

  What's the point of defending myself? I'm already married, my father doesn't even consider me his daughter, and there's no one in my natal family who can speak up for me. At that time, it was clear that the Hou estate belonged to Gu Chengyu, but the old lady still insisted that I was the one with ulterior motives, harming people!

  She resented the old lady's favoritism, first doting on the eldest branch of the family, then on the fifth branch, and later on Gu Chengyu, but never gave herself a good face.

  Gu Chengyu had long expected this outcome. Although his sister seemed a bit smarter than usual, she was still an inexperienced little girl who wouldn't know how to deal with the not-so-close elderly woman. He was already prepared to stand by and watch the joke unfold.

  But still, some things need to be said, after all, I'm a good brother who loves and takes care of his little sister.

  "Ancestors!" He lifted his robe and knelt down in front of the old lady sitting in the center, begging: "It's all my fault. If I hadn't said those words, Fourth Sister wouldn't have quarreled with her sister, and she wouldn't have upset Ancestors either. I should have kept it private and apologized to Sister instead."

  Gu Man slightly narrowed her eyes, just about to speak, when suddenly a chaotic footsteps sound came from outside. Before long, the old lady's usual attendant, Lai Yatou, led several maids into the room to report: "Old lady, Gu Ye and his wife sent someone to deliver a message saying that their son, Bao Er, suddenly developed a high fever today and cannot enter the city for now. He has already settled in at the relay station outside the city for a few days. The two uncles also stayed at the relay station, saying they will wait for Gu Ye and his wife to return together."

  Old Mrs. Gu's face turned pale, and she hastily asked if anything was wrong, immediately sending someone to the post house to ask about her illness, while also blaming Wang for not being careful enough and not arranging for someone to go out of the city to welcome her.

  The old lady had four sons, and her only and youngest daughter, Gu Yun, was always her heart's meat. She had kept everyone at De'an Residence for so long, perhaps with the intention of making a scene for her own daughter. Since Gu Yun couldn't come back today, she also lost interest.

  Gu Manzi really couldn't listen anymore, seeing that the aunts from each house had all found excuses to return home, Old Lady naturally also threw aside those previous words and followed Old Lady to bid farewell and return to her own Mingyuelou.

  The weather was bitterly cold, and the bluestone road outside had a thin layer of ice on it, making it very inconvenient to walk. Gu Man stepped on wooden clogs, holding onto Tai Yin's hand as they walked around a cluster of plum blossoms, when suddenly someone appeared in front of them, blocking their path.

  "It's cold and slippery on the road, why don't I send your sister off for a bit?" But it was Gu Chengyu who had already taken a step ahead and was waiting here.

  Gu Man stepped back a few steps and stood still, saying lightly: "There are maids following beside you, no need to trouble Brother. Since the distant guest has not arrived, I suppose the clan school is still worth going to, so Brother should not delay his studies."

  Gu Chengyu's eyes deepened a bit, but he didn't expect her to talk like this now. It wasn't reasonable, though. She had been ill for a month, and there was nothing special about it, so why did she look different?

  What just happened in the old lady's room, he saw it all clearly. If it were the old Gu Man who encountered today's Gu Qing being so provocative, not going over to slap her a few times would be simply laughable.

  Even if he added fuel to the fire later on, Gu Man didn't see him flying into a rage like before.

  Now she even bluntly refused her own kindness, he stood still, looking thoughtfully at the small figure of Gu Man slowly disappearing among a cluster of plum blossoms.