vncnus Page 136
Page 136
Not knowing if any of the sisters might come over, Gu Yu simply sat for a while longer. Only after the maids informed the sisters-in-law who were lighting the lanterns that they had passed Daoxiang Village did she get up and walk towards the side gate.
"You lot, go find Zijuan and Ying'er, and tell them (...) that you understand?"
"understood."
"understood."
"..."
After careful consideration, Gu Yu realized there was nothing to overlook, so he left through the side gate and headed home. Although he usually only returned to the manor three or five times a day, this time it would be at least one or two months, so he naturally couldn't forget about Ke Qing and the others.
Now that even that eyesore, Madam You, is gone, Keqing, Second Sister You, and Third Sister You are the highest-ranking members of the household, and everything goes smoothly for them.
But the more they did so, the more cautious they became, refusing to develop any frivolousness that might cause the servants of the Gu family to look down on them.
When Gu Yu returned, she saw that Ke Qing's room was brightly lit, so she went to her room first. Unexpectedly, she also heard the voices of the You sisters. After hearing the conversation inside, a warm feeling flashed in her eyes, and she went straight in.
"Using your eyes so late at night, do you want to be punished by my family rules?"
"Sir?! Why are you back so late?"
Qin Keqing was taken aback for a moment, then stood up with a radiant smile and quickly came over to help him sit down. Sister You also promptly poured him a cup of tea, the whole set of actions flowing smoothly.
Gu Yu smiled and said:
"Now you're getting better and better at serving people, and you're even doing needlework here. What, are you trying to steal Qingwen and Xiangling's jobs?"
Although her words were harsh, Gu Yu's face clearly held a teasing tone. Sister You and the others nervously looked up and immediately relaxed, only blushing and stammering.
"You're really something, Master. Qingwen and the others are maids, so they can do it, but we're concubines! Why can't we do it? Although we're not as skilled as them, it's still our good intention. Do you really dislike us so much?"
In the latter half, Qin Keqing's soft and aggrieved tone, coupled with her pitiful little expression on her stunningly beautiful face, would leave anyone bewildered.
Gu Yu pulled her close without any hesitation, kissed her, and said with a smile:
"Alright, alright, I misspoke earlier. I'll make it up to you, okay? But how about we settle the rest of the score? I've told you several times not to do anything that strains your eyes at night."
As she spoke, Gu Yu glanced sideways at the needlework that the others hadn't put away yet. Seeing that it was just a few handkerchiefs, she breathed a sigh of relief, since it was relatively simple and didn't require much effort to look at.
Regardless of whether his anger was genuine or feigned, the master's words were law. Moreover, Qin Keqing, blushing as she sat in his lap, clearly saw the seriousness in his eyes. She quickly gave the two sisters a wink, then softly clung to Gu Yu's arm, begging for forgiveness.
"We just didn't notice the lights were on for a moment... Please forgive us this time, sir—um~."
Blushing, Qin Keqing kissed Gu Yu's lips in front of her best friends, looking at him expectantly. Gu Yu was also a little overwhelmed by this vixen's charm. He had thought she would be very dignified when they first met, but after all, she was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, and no matter what, she couldn't hide her lively girlish nature.
"Ahem... This is a one-time exception!"
"You're the best!"
Qin Keqing quickly slid off Gu Yu's arms with a grin, handing the stage over to the remaining two prisoners.
Without Qin Keqing in front, the second sister and the others couldn't stand Gu Yu's gaze. In the end, the third sister was the bolder one. She blushed and leaned over to kiss Gu Yu's cheek, then quickly shrank back like a little rabbit.
Seeing that the only remaining sister, You Erjie, was too ashamed to even get up, Gu Yu smiled knowingly, took the initiative to get up and lean over, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. He turned his head and smiled, saying:
"Just watch closely, this is what happens when you know you're wrong but don't correct it."
Putting the teacup aside, Gu Yu laid You Erjie down on the table, bent down and wrapped her tongue around his own, his hands moving slowly through her clothes, causing You Erjie to let out soft moans.
The remaining two girls stood aside, their faces flushed, staring intently at the so-called outcome, inwardly spitting out their contempt.
Are you punishing her or rewarding her?
Compared to You Sanjie, Qin Keqing had never been with another woman before, so she was even more restless. She wanted to turn her head away from the absurdity in front of her, but the seductive music still made her blush and secretly peek at the scene.
In this eerie atmosphere, Gu Yu didn't hesitate to reach down and try to lift her skirt. Realizing what was happening, You Erjie's face flushed red, and she weakly grabbed Gu Yu's hand, resisting.
"Sir! Not here... Ah!"
The thought of Qin Keqing standing beside her made You Erjie almost faint with embarrassment. Gu Yu smiled and softened his advances, lowering his head to kiss her before saying with a smile:
"None of you are going to escape today. Otherwise, if you miss this opportunity, you won't see me for months."
"what?"
Even You Erjie beneath him stopped moving, staring intently at Gu Yu.
Gu Yu gave a brief explanation, too lazy to tease You Erjie slowly, and simply picked her up and carried her to the bedside:
"If I hadn't wanted to come and see you all, I probably would have already boarded the ship. Don't make excuses now, okay?"
With a flushed face, You Sanjie wanted to give Qin Keqing a signal. After all, it was already shameful enough to serve the master with her sister, let alone have another one added to the mix.
To her surprise, before she could even look over, Qin Keqing had already gone over to help Gu Yu take off his clothes, and Gu Yu smiled and kissed her before turning his gaze back to her.
"Why isn't Third Sister coming over yet? If she doesn't come soon, you'll be punished too!"
Sister You's heart trembled. The intense shame and gratitude made her shiver. But thinking that Gu Yu was about to leave, she lowered her head and suppressed the throbbing in her heart before slowly joining in.
"Sir...you have to be gentle..."
……
Chapter 105 Leaving Without Saying Goodbye
time flies.
As Gu Yu emerged from the second gate, looking radiant, Gu Zhong approached with a sigh, bowed, and gazed at Gu Yu, whom he hadn't seen in so long, saying:
"Young Master has grown much taller..."
"Uncle Zhong!"
Gu Yu looked at the old man in front of her, her face lit up with joy, and she kindly helped him up, looking him over with concern.
Compared to a few years ago, the old man has a few more wrinkles on his face. Although he is still in good spirits, he is visibly older.
"Why didn't Uncle Zhong just come in and find me? It's so late at night, you should take better care of yourself."
Uncle Zhong smiled and waved his hand, saying:
"Alas, this old servant has only just arrived in the capital today. Wouldn't it be alarming to barge in so rashly? I hope that young master will have pity on this old man and allow him to spend some quality time with his young son first. It won't be too late to formally pay his respects tomorrow."
Seeing that he still stood up straight while saying this, Gu Yu didn't want to force him to change his posture. If she showed him too much respect, it would make him feel uncomfortable, so she could only let the matter drop.
"It's already past 7 PM, and the city gates are about to be locked. Young master, you'd better hurry out of the city. The carriages and horses are already waiting outside."
Before Gu Yu could speak again, Gu Zhong had thoughtfully arranged everything for him, so he didn't have to worry about anything. Gu Yu nodded and chatted with Gu Zhong, who was leading the way, about everyday things and asked about news from Jiangnan.
Halfway through his sentence, Gu Zhong suddenly let out a soft "Eh," and patted his head in frustration, saying:
"I'm getting old and useless, I almost forgot about this. Young master, this time when I came to the capital, I specially brought back some of your childhood toys. I wonder if there's anything you'd like to keep?"
Gu Yu's heart skipped a beat, and some blurry fragments suddenly flashed through her mind. She had an indescribable feeling and wanted to go and see.
"Childhood toys...what do they have to do with me?"
Gu Yu was completely baffled. Family members know their own affairs. She opened her eyes to find herself soaking in water. Why did something from her childhood evoke such feelings in her?
But with the imminent departure from the capital, Gu Yu could only suppress this fleeting impulse and shake his head with a smile:
“They’re just old toys from when we were kids, why are you so worried about them? Uncle Zhong, just put them in my room, and we can tidy them up slowly when we have some free time.”
"Hey."
Once outside the gate, Gu Yu saw that Gu Yi was actually waiting by the car. After a brief greeting, the father and son watched as their young master got into the car and headed towards the dock outside the city. Gu Zhong suddenly sighed and said:
“Yi’er, you have been honest and well-behaved since you were a child, and you are not much older than the young master, so the master chose you to be the young master’s study companion.”
"It's a pity that things changed later... Now that the young master is willing to ask you and your brother to continue to contribute, you must study hard and not let him down, understand?"
"Father, I know, I will definitely not let the young master down!"
Gu Yi's face was tense, his fists were clenched tightly, and his eyes were full of determination.
"Can't do it my ass!"
Once inside, and with no one else watching, Gu Zhong suddenly glared angrily at his youngest son, dismissing the servants with a fierce look.
"Tell me, how do you discipline the people in the Gu family?"
"me…"
Gu Yi was stunned by the scolding. He hadn't done anything wrong. He had been doing his best in everything in the manor, afraid that any of the ladies inside might be wronged.
To avoid suspicion, he rarely goes out. What more do you want from him?
As if sensing the astonishment and confusion in Gu Yi's eyes, Gu Zhong snorted irritably and said:
"Do you think you're doing a great job? You're so devoted to serving your masters, and because you're too young, you can only avoid going in. You think you're doing it all with good intentions?"
"Pah! And who do you think you are? Everyone outside is fawning over you, calling you the head manager and the chief steward! What, you've gotten so high and mighty just because you've received a few compliments?"
"I don't…"
"No? Humph!"
Gu Zhong suddenly stopped, his slightly hunched figure appearing as if he were looking down at Gu Yi, who was much taller than him.
"Do you think you're some big shot? Still thinking about avoiding suspicion? What kind of manager avoids suspicion like you?"
"You think you're being dutiful by eating and drinking as much as you can? Is that what you call being dutiful? That's all for the Gu family! It's all for the young master! You think just opening your mouth counts as doing a good job?"
Gu Yi's face suddenly turned purple. He was still young at heart, and even though his own father was scolding him, he couldn't help but retort:
"What else do you want from me?"
The thought of how he was busy day and night, constantly keeping a close eye on the affairs of the manor and doing his best to manage them, only to have his own father dismiss all his hard work as mere words, filled Gu Yi with a sense of injustice.
"Hmph! I ask you, what are the ranks of the three masters inside?"
"...She must be a concubine, since the young master doesn't seem to favor the Jia family—oh dear!"
Gu Zhong smacked Gu Yi on the head and sneered:
“You know that the women inside are concubines, but you also know the young master’s character. He doesn’t value the wives of other families as much as these women do.”
"Although the rules in this manor are strict, we would never dare to be disrespectful. But now that you have replaced your elder brother, you are the head steward of this manor. If you don't go to show them respect, do you think they are not worthy of your respect as the head steward?"
Gu Yi's eyes widened, completely taken aback by this twist of fate. Seeing the hesitation still on his face, Gu Zhong snorted coldly:
"What, do you think you're someone important? You need to remember, our reputation is given to us by the master and young master's family, and it's meant to be trampled on! While we should avoid suspicion, we should at least let everyone in the manor see the master's face."
"Tomorrow I'll take you to pay your respects to the masters. In front of the whole mansion, you'd better behave yourself!"
"..."
Looking at his youngest son, who was still in a daze and hadn't come to his senses for a long time, Gu Zhong sighed silently, waved his hand, and went back to his room to rest.
I haven't had much time to teach them over the years, and the young master doesn't understand the ways of the world, which almost turned them into unruly servants.
Fortunately, we discovered it early. With more training, I'm sure I can teach them the principles of doing things.
……
Before dawn, Daiyu couldn't wait to get out of bed, and two faint shadows appeared on her delicate face.
"Zijuan? Zijuan? Get up quickly and help me get ready so we can go see her off early..."
Zijuan rubbed her eyes and woke up with a start. She looked outside and saw that it was still pitch black. She didn't know what time it was. She couldn't help but smile bitterly. She didn't get up to light a lamp, but just pressed Daiyu's shoulders and made her lie down again.
"Young Master Yu left long ago! Miss, you should rest assured and get some rest. Otherwise, if you don't get a good night's sleep, even if Young Master Yu doesn't punish me, Grandma will!"
"Brother Yu is gone? No, no, the city gates aren't even open yet. You're trying to fool me again, you rascal!"
Seeing that Daiyu was somewhat annoyed, and then turned to call Xueyan, who was accompanying her on the bed, Zijuan had no choice but to tell her the truth:
“Miss, I’m not lying. Young Master Yu left last night and specifically asked someone to tell me, just in case you went there early this morning to wait for him.”
"What?…"
Seeing that Daiyu suddenly stopped moving, although she couldn't see her face clearly, Zijuan could already picture her stunned expression. Recalling the words the maid had told her, she felt a warmth in her heart.
"Young Master Yu said that last time the young lady braved the dew to see him off, and he was heartbroken. Now that it's autumn, if he makes the young lady get up so early again, wouldn't that be like deliberately causing his heart to ache to death?"
"Besides, once the girl leaves, how could he bear to go? He'll have to grit his teeth and leave without saying goodbye. It's better to let him experience most of the pain of parting first."
"Brother Yu..."
Daiyu stared blankly at the direction of the pear blossoms and spring rain, tears silently falling from her eyes, but she didn't feel sad like before.
She felt as if something was filling her chest, a ticklish sensation that made her involuntarily shed tears.
……