Chapter 5: She Deceived Me

"Two hours ago?" Mrs. Wu looked up and down at Huamei's painting and said, "How come I don't remember the young lady looking for me?"

Huamei hesitated, "You have a lot on your mind..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Gu Yunjin's mocking laughter interrupted her.

"Huamei, there haven't been any guests in the North Third Alley for half a month. My sister-in-law can't be that busy," Gu Yunjin's gaze shifted from Huamei to Mrs. Yang, "It's my aunt who is the busy one, rushing around all day, barely having time for me after two hours. My sister-in-law is free and young, how could she forget whether she has seen you today?"

Gu Yunjin's voice was not loud, but her speech was fast.

In the past, Xu Lingjie told her that speaking like pouring beans was not a good habit. It was hard for others to hear clearly and made her seem unstable. Proper young ladies spoke softly and thoughtfully, saying three things in one sentence.

Gu Yunjin took it to heart and tried to speak gently.

But in Lingbei, where there were no outsiders, Gu Yunjin's usual conversation partners were only Nianxia, occasionally talking to the village woman who cooked for them. That woman had a loud voice and spoke quickly, and living with her for some time, Gu Yunjin's speech speed naturally increased.

After all, Lingbei was so cold in the autumn that the food on the table had to be eaten quickly, or it would cool down in no time.

When even eating was not a priority, who had time to speak slowly and elegantly?

Suddenly, Gu Yunjin felt like she had gone back ten years. She didn't think there was anything wrong with her speech, but in Mrs. Yang's ears, it seemed to raise doubts.

Where did the smiling, gentle Gu Yunjin from yesterday go?

Her appearance was the same, but her temperament had changed so much?

Could a change of scenery cause such a drastic change in a person? The words she spoke felt like a slap in the face.

Mrs. Wu, free and young, made Mrs. Yang feel uncomfortable, even forgetting that they were from different generations.

While Mrs. Yang was pondering Gu Yunjin's tone and demeanor, Huamei couldn't afford to savor the situation.

When Gu Yunjin asked her, she had intended to tell the truth, but a sharp look from Mrs. Yang made her hold back the truth and come up with a lie in the end.

Feeling guilty, Huamei kept glancing at Mrs. Yang, but she was too preoccupied with Gu Yunjin to notice her, so Huamei had to go and see Nanny Shao.

Nanny Shao was Mrs. Yang's wet nurse, even Old Lady Min would give her some respect. Seeing her granddaughter in such a hurry, she still didn't pay attention to her, cleared her throat and said, "Miss, is it still very cold? Didn't we ask the doctor to come? Why hasn't he arrived yet? Huamei, go and check!"

Huamei felt relieved and was about to go out.

"What are you going to check?" Gu Yunjin raised her voice, "Let Huamei go and ask, and wait for another two hours? It's better to come back tomorrow!"

"You're right..." Huamei said awkwardly, retreating as she spoke, "I'll go and ask..."

She hurried to leave and almost collided with Mrs. Wu.

Mrs. Wu held her wrist and said, "Don't bother the young lady, just let Nianxia go."

Nianxia glanced at Gu Yunjin, saw that she didn't object, and quickly ran out.

Huamei was anxious and went to see Nanny Shao again.

"Huamei, you lied to me," Gu Yunjin said, not caring about Huamei's flushed face, and looked straight at Mrs. Yang, "Aunt, she lied to me!"

Mrs. Yang's throat tightened, "Yunjin..."

"She lied to me and even involved my sister-in-law," Gu Yunjin repeated.

Mrs. Yang's hand on the quilt tightened secretly, cursing Huamei in her heart.

She really couldn't handle things, even failing to coax Gu Yunjin properly!

As for Gu Yunjin, she was clueless!

A young lady of the house, butting heads with a servant, wasn't she afraid of losing her status?

So, what kind of proper young lady could a family of swordsmen and warriors raise? Following Xu Lingjie's teachings in the Xu family, she was just as disappointing!

This girl was just a lost cause!

Gu Yunjin naturally didn't know these thoughts, and Mrs. Yang was pleased with her inner cursing, maintaining a concerned smile on her face. If Gu Yunjin knew, she would definitely roll her eyes.

What's wrong with being a lost cause? Whether she could be helped or not, she was still Liu Xuan's own daughter.

Being reborn was a skill, but unfortunately, Gu Yunjin's proficiency in this skill was average, and even the King of Hell wouldn't let her practice it again, throwing her back ten years.

When Gu Yunjin was waiting to die in Lingbei, all she wanted was to be reborn into a good family, not seeking wealth and power, just wishing for her parents' well-being. Now that it was impossible, she had to listen to Mrs. Yang's nonsense, which only made her more and more annoyed.

Gu Yunjin snorted, "She lied to me, and she's lying to you in front of you! If you weren't here, wouldn't she be playing me for a fool?"

Mrs. Yang held her breath, Gu Yunjin's stubbornness was no different from a monkey's!

No, a monkey could be fooled with "changing its mind three times a day," but Gu Yunjin was unyielding.

Mrs. Yang was angry, but she still had to go along with Gu Yunjin. She hugged Gu Yunjin tightly and coaxed, "My child! Don't get yourself worked up. This servant doesn't know any better, bullying you. Aunt will punish her, punish her severely!"

Mrs. Yang coaxed her precious child, then glared at Huamei, "What are you still standing here for? Get out and kneel outside!"

Hua Mei hesitated and nodded, indicating that she wanted to go out.

"Let's forget it," Gu Yunjin said with a disdainful expression.

Hua Mei's footsteps immediately stopped, and a hint of mocking smile flashed in her lowered eyes. She was the most respectable senior maid by Yang's side. Did Gu Yunjin really think she could control her? In the end, she didn't have the guts, did she? A cousin who made a living in the Xu family, she would need to have the ability to control her!

The next moment, Gu Yunjin's words wiped the smile off Hua Mei's face.

Gu Yunjin said, "It's just the beginning of spring. It gets very cold outside after dark. Hua Mei, you can kneel in the room as a small punishment. Don't ever lie to me again in the future."

Hua Mei's eyes were full of astonishment, and her body trembled, not out of fear, but out of anger.

Yang and Shao Mama didn't speak up for her again. She knew she couldn't escape this time.

Although it was just kneeling for a while and her body wouldn't suffer, her heart...

She could even hear the sneers of those lowly servants who usually gave her a hard time.

But Hua Mei had no other choice but to grit her teeth and kneel reluctantly.

Yang pursed her lips, her smile somewhat forced. Gu Yunjin punished Hua Mei, but it was her face that was being slapped.

Originally, if Hua Mei had left, it would have been pitch black outside. If Hua Mei had left without anyone noticing, she could have just sat in the room. Who would dare to come in front of her and tell Gu Yunjin that Hua Mei had left?

When she went back, even if Gu Yunjin found out that Hua Mei didn't kneel, could she chase her into her courtyard to find her?

In Yang's eyes, Gu Yunjin was just a child throwing a tantrum after being deceived. She would just need to coax her and give her some candy, and everything would be fine.

But now...

Gu Yunjin didn't care about what Yang thought. She just wanted to punish Hua Mei. Since she was definitely going to offend Yang, she wouldn't let Hua Mei off the hook.

As for Yang, Gu Yunjin knew that no matter how much she gritted her teeth, she could only coax her for now.

The General's Mansion of Zhenbei, which didn't even put the Fourth House in its eyes, could still make her feel powerful.

She would use it while she could. In a few years, her true nature as a fox would be revealed.

Thinking of this, Gu Yunjin couldn't help but sigh.