Chapter 6: Purpose of Arrival

Mrs. Zou led Ji Man and Ji Yu out to greet them, and Mrs. Zou went along with them.

Xu Jinyu did not take advantage of this opportunity to get close to Mrs. Gu, standing at a distance with her eyes slightly lowered, appearing calm and gentle.

Mrs. Gu was kind-hearted and thoughtful, treating her younger sister-in-law warmly and being generous to the servants. She was a good woman. It was a pity that fate was unfair, as Mrs. Gu ended up marrying a husband who was warm on the surface but cold-hearted and ruthless inside.

She remembered clearly that Mrs. Gu didn't have much time left to live. In less than a month, she would pass away. The damage to her health from the miscarriage was just the beginning, but what truly made Mrs. Gu feel hopeless was the heartlessness of her husband, Ji Ze.

Today, Mrs. Gu led Miss Gu to visit, and it was not just a simple visit to see Mrs. Gu.

At this moment, Mrs. Gu was full of joy and anticipation, but once she truly understood the purpose of Mrs. Gu's visit, she might not be able to smile anymore.

Thinking of this, Xu Jinyu couldn't help but glance at the pitiful woman.

Mrs. Gu happened to look up and caught the pity in Xu Jinyu's eyes.

After being bedridden due to the miscarriage, Mrs. Gu had seen this kind of look in people's eyes many times, so she didn't harbor any suspicions. She just smiled and waved to Xu Jinyu, "Jin cousin, come and sit by the bed for a while. You're so far away, and my voice is so soft, I'm afraid you won't be able to hear me."

Xu Jinyu obediently responded with a soft "yes" and sat by the bed.

Being closer, Mrs. Gu's emaciated face became even clearer.

Without looking in the mirror, Mrs. Gu knew how thin and haggard she looked at this moment. Looking at the fresh and beautiful young girl, Mrs. Gu couldn't help but sigh, "Looking at you, I feel like I've really aged."

Although she was not old, her heart was already weary, as if the sun had set and her days were numbered. There was a heavy sense of desolation.

Xu Jinyu felt a twinge of sadness and instinctively held Mrs. Gu's thin and delicate hand, "Sister-in-law, don't say that. Lying in bed all day, it's inevitable that you're not in good spirits. When you recover from your illness and spend more time outside, your mood will naturally improve."

Xu Jinyu's voice was very gentle, and it was indescribably pleasant to hear.

It's easy to tell whether someone is speaking sincerely or just perfunctorily.

Apart from Ji Man, Mrs. Gu hadn't heard such genuine words of concern for a long time. A warm feeling rose in her heart, and her lips curved slightly, "Thank you for your kind words. I just hope that one day I will truly get better."

In her previous life, Xu Jinyu had little interaction with Mrs. Gu. After entering the Marquis's residence, she mostly stayed with Ji Yu or by Mrs. Zou's side. Until Mrs. Gu passed away, she had spoken to Mrs. Gu no more than ten sentences.

At that time, she never thought about the strange circumstances of Mrs. Gu's early death, but rather secretly rejoiced at Ji Ze's wife's death. It wasn't until much later, when she learned the truth, that she finally understood Mrs. Gu's past pain...

From the bottom of her heart, Xu Jinyu inexplicably felt a sense of empathy, and she raised her bright eyes and said, "Sister-in-law, can I come to accompany you often in the future?"

"Of course you can," Mrs. Gu smiled gently, "As long as you don't mind keeping a sick person company, you can come anytime you want."

"Then, sister-in-law, don't mind if I come too often and disturb your peace," Xu Jinyu said playfully.

"How could that be? I'll be happy if you come to see me often," Mrs. Gu asked gently, "What do you usually do for leisure? Do you read, practice calligraphy, play the zither, or paint?"

The lives of young ladies in the inner chambers were not as leisurely as outsiders might think. They had to learn calligraphy, painting, music, and literature, as well as household management and domestic affairs.

"My father taught me to recognize all the characters and I have some knowledge of calligraphy and painting, but I'm not proficient," Xu Jinyu smiled, "I particularly enjoy embroidery. I also formally studied embroidery in Lin'an and can barely call myself skilled."

This was, of course, Xu Jinyu's modesty.

Xu Han was a talented scholar, excelling in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and literature. He doted on his daughter and personally taught her from the age of four. Xu Jinyu was naturally intelligent and not inferior to her brother, Xu Zheng. She studied the Four Books and Five Classics diligently, and her calligraphy and painting were outstanding.

Mrs. Zou had also spent a lot of money to invite the most famous embroidery master in Lin'an for Xu Jinyu. She studied under her for several years and quickly excelled in embroidery. Her compositions were exquisite, and her embroidery skills were outstanding, making her famous in Lin'an.

At first, the embroidery master had agreed to teach Xu Jinyu because of the high fee, but after a few years, she had already regarded Xu Jinyu, with her exceptional talent, as her successor, and passed on the unique double-sided embroidery technique to her.

In her previous life, relying on her superb embroidery skills, Xu Jinyu entered the largest embroidery workshop in the capital and stayed there for several years. She spent two years of hard work and embroidered a longevity picture to present to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager admired and praised it, and summoned her to the palace. Finally, she had the opportunity to safely deliver what Xu Zheng had left behind to the palace...

Mrs. Gu could see through Xu Jinyu's modesty and felt even more fond of her. "I used to enjoy doing embroidery and other needlework to pass the time before I fell ill," she paused and then laughed at herself, "But now I don't even have the strength to hold a needle and thread."

Not wanting to upset Mrs. Gu, Xu Jinyu tried to cheer her up, "So, sister-in-law, you're good at embroidery. I'll have to shamelessly ask you for guidance in the future."

The term "sister-in-law" quickly brought the two of them closer.

Miss Gu naturally did not know how exquisite Xujinyu's embroidery skills were, and she responded with a smile.

Miss Gu, with her easygoing nature, didn't find many people who truly caught her eye. In terms of status, Xujinyu was the niece of the person she despised the most, Little Miss Zou. Logically, she shouldn't have looked at Xujinyu with any favor.

But fate between people is a real thing. Xujinyu's extraordinary qualities caught Miss Gu's eye.

...

When everyone entered the inner room, they saw the two of them whispering and laughing.

Little Miss Zou was surprised and displeased. Xujinyu was indeed clever. She didn't know what she had said, but in just a short moment, she had won Miss Gu's favor...

Ji Wan couldn't help but take another look at Xujinyu.

When Xujinyu heard the commotion, she smiled and stood aside, her gaze sweeping over the elegant lady and the young girl beside her.

The lady was about forty years old, with a graceful appearance and elegant temperament. She was Madam Gu, Miss Gu's mother.

The young girl, about fourteen or fifteen years old, bore a resemblance to Miss Gu, with a rosy and lovely complexion. She was Miss Gu Cai Ping.

When they met, they exchanged pleasantries.

Miss Gu struggled to get out of bed.

Madam Gu, with a pained expression, stopped her. "Hui Niang, you are unwell. Just stay in bed and don't get up. We are mother and daughter, why bother with these formalities."

Gu Cai Ping sat by the bed, affectionately supporting Miss Gu's slender arm, and said with a smile, "Sister, I've been wanting to visit you for a long time. Mother didn't bring me the last two times, but this time I begged her for a long time before she agreed."

Miss Gu has always doted on her younger sister and smiled, "In that case, stay for a few days. Keep me company and chat to lift my spirits."

Gu Cai Ping pursed her lips and smiled lightly, "Even if Sister doesn't want me to stay, I would still insist on staying for a few days!"

Miss Gu smiled, and her long-standing gloomy mood due to illness suddenly improved a lot.

Miss Gu wanted to let her own younger sister stay for a few days, and Little Miss Zou naturally couldn't object. She smiled and said in front of Madam Gu, "I'll have someone prepare the guest room."

"No need!" Both Miss Gu and Gu Cai Ping said at the same time.

Gu Cai Ping looked a little shyly at Miss Gu before speaking, "There are guest rooms in Qianyun Residence. I'll stay there, it's closer to Sister and convenient for chatting."

"You're right," Miss Gu suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, "Stay in Qianyun Residence!"

Little Miss Zou's eyes flickered slightly, and no one knew what she was thinking, but she had a smiling expression, "That's good, this way you two sisters can be closer."

Xujinyu discreetly glanced at the shy and cunning Gu Cai Ping.

Miss Gu Cai Ping appeared innocent and naive, but she was quite scheming. Under the pretext of accompanying Miss Gu, she openly stayed in Qianyun Residence, making it natural to get close and chat when Ji Ze returned to the mansion.

Gu Cai Ping secretly admired her brother-in-law Ji Ze, and Madam Gu, feeling sorry for her youngest daughter and thinking that her eldest daughter's illness was terminal, thought it would be better to leave the position of the Marquis's son's wife to her own blood sister rather than let it benefit others. So, she led Gu Cai Ping into the mansion.

At this point, Miss Gu probably hadn't thought of this. However, the astute Little Miss Zou had clearly sensed that something was amiss...