Chapter 8: The Situation of Aunt Wu

The former Si Wan was weak-willed. In the Qingyuan, it was Ziqi who had the final say, but she remained loyal to the master.

After Si Wan's rebirth, her personality changed significantly. Ziqi had also secretly treated her a few times, which led to a change in her temperament.

But now, seeing the master being beaten, her sense of chivalry boiled up again. While helping Si Wan change clothes, she said, "There are so many eyes in Rongyuan. Why is no one saying anything about this beating?"

Si Wan gave her a headache and glanced at her, saying, "Do you think everyone has your temperament?"

After saying this, she ignored her and went into the inner room. She kicked off her embroidered shoes and jumped onto the big kang, burying her small body in the large pillow while her mind raced.

Sending the betrothal letter meant that the marriage was about to be arranged. It seemed that the other party had already been chosen, but why hadn't she heard any news?

She had heard a long time ago that Gu Sirong had been engaged to a son of a marquis. There was no news about her marriage, so why was she meddling in her own marriage?

According to the rules, if the elder sister's engagement was not settled, they wouldn't discuss the younger one's marriage, especially since she was a concubine-born and her mother was not favored. If there was to be a marriage, it would be arranged by the main wife, so why would the old lady personally inquire about her marriage?

Although she was considered a young lady of the Gu family, she was still a concubine-born and couldn't marry into a noble family. Unless it was as a concubine or a step-wife, but...

At the thought of being a concubine, Si Wan felt a deep hatred. The evil old society treated women as tools for bearing children and allowed men to have multiple wives and concubines. Just thinking about it made her feel sick.

"Concubine!" Si Wan suddenly jumped up from the pillow, her eyes wide, which startled Ziqi standing nearby. "Miss, did the slap make her eyes look so dull?"

"Ziqi, help me change clothes. I'm going to visit Aunt Wu." With that, she jumped off the kang.

Aunt Wu lived in the Songhe Courtyard and, being unfavored, the servants in the mansion were even stricter with her.

The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, almost obscuring the path to the courtyard, and the low walls enclosed the courtyard.

In the prosperous Gu family, this scene could be considered a unique sight.

Si Wan sighed softly, suppressing the bitterness in her heart. She knew Aunt Wu was unfavored, but she didn't expect her to be neglected to this extent. It was probably worse than being in the palace's cold palace.

Although she still had a personal maid, other aunts had two senior maids, a stewardess, two junior maids, and two maidservants, while Aunt Wu only had one, named Yinzhi.

When Si Wan entered the courtyard, Yinzhi was spinning yarn. Seeing her approach, she was startled, got up, and accidentally knocked over a basket of yarn.

In a wealthy household, clothes were usually made from ready-made fabric, but Aunt Wu still had to spin and weave her own fabric. This added another layer of frustration to Si Wan's heart.

"Third Miss, why... why are you here?" Yinzhi was a little flustered. "Are you here to see Aunt Wu? It's unfortunate, she's gone to Rongyuan. She might not be back for a while. Third Miss, please come inside and have a seat."

As she wiped her hands, Yinzhi led Si Wan into the house.

The room was clean and tidy, with all the necessary utensils, although simple, were complete.

There were only three small rooms, not made of tiles, and looked a bit dilapidated. It was clear that they had been neglected for a long time. It was still summer, so it was okay, but in winter... the capital's winter was damp and cold, and the house was drafty. How could they survive?

Yinzhi brought her a cup of tea. "This tea is from last year, but it's still good. It was a gift from the old lady to Aunt Wu. Please don't mind, Third Miss."

Si Wan got up and looked around the room, which was passable. Although it was dilapidated, at least it wasn't in danger of collapsing.

She went to the backyard and saw several plots of lush vegetables, and the melon trellis was well-built, with several green cucumbers and luffas hanging from it. The small courtyard was well-maintained, and at least they weren't lacking in vegetables.

Si Wan was touched. It seemed that Aunt Wu was an optimistic and independent person who could live comfortably even in difficult circumstances.