Chapter 8: I Don't Know What to Say

Mrs. Wu was stunned.

Just now, she had spoken without thinking, and immediately regretted it.

It wasn't that she was afraid of Mrs. Yang, but rather that she had used rude language.

Mrs. Wu's family background was not as prestigious as the General's Manor of Zhenbei. Her father was just a junior officer, but he had caught the eye of General Gu in recent years, and thus arranged for a marriage between their children.

In other words, Mrs. Wu also came from a martial family.

Mrs. Wu didn't think it was a bad thing, but Gu Yunjin preferred refined people and disliked coarse and vulgar language. Moreover, since they had come to the capital and interacted with the scholars of the Xu family, Mrs. Wu had also restrained herself a lot.

Tonight, the two sisters-in-law were finally able to have a peaceful conversation, and Mrs. Wu didn't want to upset Gu Yunjin with her hasty words.

However, to her surprise, Gu Yunjin was extremely happy.

Gu Yunjin had almond-shaped eyes, dark pupils, and a delicate appearance. When she smiled, her eyes curved into crescent moons, bringing a sense of joy to those who saw it.

Seeing that her smile was genuine, Mrs. Wu's heart settled, and after a moment of contemplation, she said, "Yunjin, it's not that I want to boost someone's morale, but by antagonizing her while you're living in the Minister's residence, you'll be the one to suffer in the end."

Gu Yunjin's smile did not diminish, and she asked, "Sister-in-law, if I return to North Third Alley, will we starve?"

"How could that be!" Mrs. Wu hurriedly replied, "Are you thinking of going back to live in the alley? Your room is kept clean and tidy. I'll come to pick you up tomorrow."

Life in North Third Alley might not be as refined as in the Minister's residence, but starving was out of the question.

After some thought, Gu Yunjin said in a low voice, "I won't go back to live for now. I'll stay here and enjoy their food and drink. Aunt won't dare to drive me out. I'll stay if I want to, and leave if I want to. That old lady took away so much from Madam, and she won't let me take a little back?"

As she mentioned this, Mrs. Wu also felt a surge of anger on behalf of Madam Xu.

The Xu family had been in business in the early years, and Madam Xu's birth mother, Lady Shi, also came from a wealthy merchant family. When she married into the Xu family, she brought a substantial dowry.

When Lady Shi passed away, Lady Min, who entered the family as a stepmother when Madam Xu was still young, took charge of all the family's private assets under the pretext of looking after Madam Xu's inheritance until she grew up and got married. She promised that when Madam Xu got married, the dowry left by Lady Shi would be returned to her.

However, when Madam Xu was about to marry into the General's Manor of Zhenbei, none of those things were returned.

Lady Min had convinced Mr. Xu with her words at that time, but when Madam Xu was about to marry, none of those things were returned.

In the end, Mr. Xu had to dig into his own pocket to provide some additional dowry for Madam Xu, but it was still very little.

When Madam Xu arrived at the General's Manor of Zhenbei, she almost became the subject of ridicule by her sisters-in-law.

A few years ago, when Madam Xu brought her brother and sister back to the capital, she didn't mention the dowry issue again, but when her brother got married, she used the excuse of preparing for the wedding to ask for it again, but she didn't gain any advantage.

The Shi family wanted to stand up for Madam Xu, but after Lady Shi's death, the two families had grown apart, and the current Xu family was no longer the same as before. Lady Shi, a merchant, couldn't get any benefits in the Minister's residence, so she had to accept it.

Now, in North Third Alley, there was no shortage of food and drink. Madam Xu, considering Gu Yunjin's life in the Minister's residence, had also let go of those material possessions.

But Mrs. Wu couldn't help feeling aggrieved when she thought about it, and now, hearing Gu Yunjin's words, she couldn't help but agree.

On the surface, Gu Yunjin was enjoying the Xu family's food and drink, but when it came down to it, Gu Yunjin's years of living expenses were not even one percent of what Lady Min had taken.

"Alright, I'll listen to you, you handle it yourself," Mrs. Wu said.

Gu Yunjin looked at her petite figure and couldn't help but feel a little helpless in her smile.

Gu Yunjin thought to herself that Lady Min really didn't know what she was doing!

The General's Manor was rough, and the women there all practiced martial arts. No matter how much they quarreled, they never touched Lady Su and Madam Xu's dowry. When Madam Xu brought her brother and sister back to the capital, all the things were brought back together.

The Xu family prided themselves on their scholarly pursuits, reading the classics, but their actions were not as good as the women in the General's Manor who laughed, swayed their skirts, and were ready to roll up their sleeves at any moment.

After all, Lady Shi only had Madam Xu as her daughter, and all those things should have belonged to Madam Xu, but in the end, Lady Min took them to support her two sons.

In North Third Alley, after Gu Yunjin's brother got married, the dowry left by Lady Su was divided, with the majority going to Mrs. Wu and the rest still in Madam Xu's hands, waiting to be given to Gu Yunjin when she got married.

Gu Yunjin understood that Madam Xu had never had the intention of taking advantage of others.

When she got married in her previous life, apart from the portion she received, her brother-in-law also gave her an additional share. Madam Xu had also taken a lot from her own dowry to give to her. In addition to the reluctant gifts from the General's Manor, her dowry was considered substantial.

After chatting for a while, Mrs. Wu, seeing that it was late, got up to leave.

"As long as you're safe, I'll be at ease," Mrs. Wu patted Gu Yunjin's hand. "They have ill intentions, so be careful. If anything happens, just tell me. I may not have any other skills, but I can make sure you never go hungry or thirsty."

Gu Yunjin agreed.

After Mrs. Wu left, Nein Xia, who had gone to visit Madam Xu, returned and looked at Gu Yunjin with a troubled expression. She had gone to Madam Xu's room, but it was already dark, and it seemed like she had already gone to sleep. Nein Xia didn't dare to wake her up, so she went to get some medicine instead.

When she returned to Gu Yunjin's side, she overheard her sister-in-law talking about something with fear.

Nian Xia didn't dare to interrupt, standing aside feeling increasingly uneasy. With no one else around at the moment, she hesitated and tentatively asked, "Why does Miss look different today?"

Gu Yunjin raised her eyes to look at her, "How am I different?"

"Miss always talks about being kind to others, but you were just holding onto Miss Meigui without letting go. You say to speak softly, but you spoke quickly and urgently. You used to say that the Grand Madam and Second Miss treated you very well, but now it seems like you don't like them very much. And, I have never seen you talk for so long with Sixth Madam... You have changed completely since the incident." Nian Xia felt more and more strange as she spoke, and smiled awkwardly.

Gu Yunjin understood.

For Gu Yunjin, a few hours ago she was waiting to die in Lingbei, and when she opened her eyes here, her way of speaking and her temperament were that of her ten years later. But for Nian Xia, it was completely different from the daytime.

But she couldn't be the Gu Yunjin of ten years ago again.

At that time, Mushuxiang forcibly twisted her own temperament, saying things like "don't look back, don't lift your lips," and turned herself into a different and awkward person.

But that wasn't really her.

No matter how she tried to learn, she was still not that kind of woman at heart.

In Lingbei, Gu Yunjin understood the reason and no longer suppressed herself. She hadn't changed, she had just returned to being herself.

"Nian Xia," Gu Yunjin beckoned her to come forward and asked, "Do you like me this way, or the me before the incident? And you? You came out of the General's Mansion with me, do you want to be carefree like in the General's Mansion, or do you confine yourself?"

Nian Xia didn't answer directly, she frowned and asked softly, "What about you, Miss? Will you continue like this, or..."

"Just like this," Gu Yunjin said bluntly, "I don't want to learn their roundabout ways anymore!"

"I'm the same as you!" Nian Xia immediately agreed, "Oh, it's so awkward, it's not right at all, it's so frustrating for me!"

Gu Yunjin burst into laughter.

She knew that this one had also taken the wrong path with her and had been suffocated.