Chapter 2 Doubts

The smile on Huamei's face couldn't hold up any longer. She stood up abruptly and said in a huff, "Miss Biao is right. I'll go to Beisan Hutong to invite Madam for you."

Guyunjin waved her hand, urging Huamei to leave.

Seeing her like this, Huamei became even more upset and bit her lip before storming out.

Nianxia came in carrying ginger soup and almost bumped into Huamei. She hurriedly apologized, but Huamei shot her a dirty look and quickly walked away.

"Miss," Nianxia said with a worried expression, "What did you say to Huamei? She left in a huff. She is the favored one by Madam. Why did you offend her?"

Guyunjin took the ginger soup. She used to dislike drinking ginger soup, but in the past six months, she had been taking medicine every day and had gotten used to the bitter taste, so even the ginger soup went down smoothly.

Guyunjin sipped the soup slowly, and Nianxia placed the empty bowl on the table. She was about to wipe Guyunjin's mouth with a handkerchief when she saw Guyunjin quickly wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Nianxia looked at the handkerchief and then at Guyunjin.

Guyunjin also noticed the handkerchief and felt a headache coming on.

She used to be taught by her sisters to be refined, using a handkerchief to wipe her mouth slowly after drinking, but after being sent to Lingbei, where she had to endure simple meals, she had gotten used to just wiping her mouth with her hand after drinking tea.

It had become a habit, but it seemed to bother Nianxia for some reason.

Guyunjin looked away and quickly changed the subject, "I didn't offend her. I just asked her to run an errand. Is she going to complain to Madam about me for just a few words? She's only acting high and mighty in the mansion because of Aunt Shao."

In the Xu family, it was Guyunjin's uncle's wife, Madam Yang, who managed the household affairs.

The Xu family had prospered in the early years as a merchant family. After the passing of Xu's birth mother, Min, Yang, who had given birth to two sons, entered the family and became the main wife.

The eldest son, Xu Yan, was a scholarly type and passed the imperial examination at the age of seventeen. Madam Yang chose him as her son-in-law, and with the support of the influential Yang family, Xu Yan's career flourished, eventually becoming an official in the Ministry of Works.

The success of the Xu family was largely due to the guidance of the Yang family.

With such a powerful maternal family, Madam Yang naturally held her head high in the Xu family, and the servants and maids around her were also of high quality.

Shao Mama was Madam Yang's nursemaid, and among the servants, Huamei, her niece, was also quite arrogant.

Nianxia never dared to provoke Huamei, even if she was extremely upset, she always showed respect to Huamei, as her mistress had instructed her to be gentle and not cause trouble. Since she was living in the Xu family and was treated well by her aunts, she should be grateful.

Nianxia had come from the residence of the General of Zhenbei and knew that her rough manners were not to Guyunjin's liking. She had changed herself to please Guyunjin and not cause her any trouble.

However, the few words Guyunjin had just said seemed completely different from before, leaving Nianxia even more puzzled.

Guyunjin's mind was not on Nianxia. She said, "I want to rest for a while. You stay in the outer room. If someone from Beisan Hutong comes, wake me up. If no one comes after half an hour, send someone to urge them."

Nianxia agreed repeatedly, helped Guyunjin lie down, and then left the room.

Guyunjin lay still, sometimes closing her eyes and sometimes opening them. Although she had spoken to Nianxia and Huamei and had seen the room, she still felt uncertain.

How had she returned to the past?

Would she fall asleep again and wake up just before her death, only to die in Lingbei?

Guyunjin had no answers. She folded her hands over her chest, and the heavy beating of her heart gradually calmed her down.

She was alive, at least at this moment, and her body was unharmed.

Although she had fallen into the water and lost consciousness, she was young and had expelled the water from her body, so she was not seriously injured.

For Guyunjin, falling into the water was an event from ten years ago, but for this body, it had only happened a little over an hour ago.

Now that she had calmed down, the helplessness and panic from falling into the water surged from the depths of her heart, enveloping her suddenly.

The water in the pond was still cold in March, causing her limbs to spasm. She didn't know how to swim and instinctively tried to keep her head above water to breathe.

Vaguely, she heard cries for help and desperately opened her eyes. The eyes on the shore, filled with astonishment, confusion, and concern, flashed before her, finally turning into a pair of dark, caring eyes.

Guyunjin suddenly opened her eyes and gasped, staring at the canopy.

The Xu family's pond was not large, but it was not small either.

Guyunjin remembered that she had fallen into the water on the side near the backyard, separated from the front where guests were entertained by the entire pond. She couldn't see the faces of those people, but she was certain she had seen those eyes.

She took a deep breath and pondered. She had experienced a second chance at life and had seen things that were impossible to see. What couldn't she believe?

However, whose eyes were they?

She couldn't recognize the person just by their eyes, but they seemed familiar. She should know that person.

Gu Yunjin furrowed her brows as she recalled the past, still unable to figure it out. But she knew that this drowning incident would be a major event in her lifetime that she couldn't avoid.

At the age of fourteen, it was the time to talk about marriage.

On that day, the Xu family hosted a banquet, and several young masters from the Xu family invited many friends of the same age.

Gu Yunjin fell into the water with a splash. Even though no one could see her embarrassed appearance across the pool, she still gained a bad reputation.

Yang, with red eyes, comforted her for a long time, saying that her health was the most important thing. As long as she wasn't injured or choked, she would be stronger than anything else. She also told her not to worry about what others thought, as her family knew her character and personality very well. She didn't need to worry about marriage.

"Instead of marrying someone outside who doesn't know your background and suffering, why not go back to your maternal family and marry Yang Xiyu? Isn't that more in line with your preferences?"

Ten years later, Gu Yunjin still remembered this sentence.

Yang Xiyu was Yang's nephew and also lived in the Xu family, listening to the lectures given by the Xu family's teacher.

The former Gu Yunjin liked the scholarly atmosphere and the gentle Yang Xiyu. After much hesitation, she still didn't say the word of refusal.

She married into the Yang family, and the first half year was not bad. But when the other party realized that the General's Manor of Zhenbei didn't really care about Gu Yunjin, it all turned into a heartache.

Until Yang Xiyu went to high school, the Yang family had the idea of marrying into a better family, which left Gu Yunjin in a desperate situation, waiting to die in the Lingbei Manor.

Gu Yunjin would never walk this path again.

Yang had calculated her once. If she were to mention this marriage again in this life, Gu Yunjin would definitely not be able to resist giving Yang a punch and telling her that it was her daughter, Xu Lingjie, who pushed her into the water.

Want to control her? She wanted Yang to give her an explanation!

Anyway, it was still early, and Yang didn't know that the General's Manor of Zhenbei didn't care about the fourth wife at all.

If Yang knew, she probably wouldn't let Yang Xiyu marry Gu Yunjin.