Gu Jiu smiled faintly at Xie shi. “I’ve let taitai worry too much. They all say I eat medicine like meals, and that’s not wrong.
“Medicine is more expensive than food. Over these years, with the amount of medicine I’ve taken, silver has flowed out like water. Luckily, our Gu family is wealthy; otherwise, I would’ve long eaten us into poverty.
“All these years, I’ve troubled taitai, making her watch money being wasted on a sickly person like me. Fortunately, taitai has endured so many years.
“Now, at last, I’m well. I no longer need to take medicine every day, nor do I need costly herbs. The money saved each month is quite a considerable sum. With more silver in the accounts, it can go toward adding to san meimei’s dowry, so she won’t keep complaining.”
Who doesn’t know how to give people a hard time?
Gu Jiu mocked Xie shi just enough, dragging along Gu Yue, who always found trouble with her, for good measure.
Xie shi hadn’t even reacted yet, but Gu Yue’s face was already distorted beyond recognition. Twisted with rage, it looked utterly ugly.
Gu Yue shouted at Gu Jiu, “Why shouldn’t I complain? Father set aside forty thousand taels for your dowry, why? Just because you’re marrying the Imperial Grandson?”
Gu Jiu glanced at Xie shi with a half-smile, then replied to Gu Yue: “Because before my mother passed away, she had already saved twenty thousand taels for my dowry. Added to the family’s dowry, that makes forty thousand.
“If you’re not convinced, don’t yell at me, ask taitai. Let her take twenty thousand from her own dowry to add to yours. Then you’ll have forty thousand as well.”
Gu Yue was struck speechless, tears spilling down her cheeks, as if she had suffered the greatest injustice.
She turned pitiful eyes toward Xie shi, desperately wishing she would say at this moment: ‘Yue’er, Mother will use my private savings to make up forty thousand taels for you.’
But that was nothing more than a foolish dream.
Xie shi no longer cared for her, no longer loved her.
To brush her off with a mere twenty thousand taels, was that treating her like a beggar?
It wasn’t as if the family had no money, so why were they so stingy with her?
Hatred sprouted in Gu Yue’s heart, not only hatred for Gu Jiu, but also for Xie shi and Gu daren.
Xie shi was so provoked by Gu Jiu’s mocking look that she nearly exploded in fury. She wanted to slap Gu Yue across the face right then.
That wretched girl, standing right at the second gate, in front of the entire main branch, daring to shout about being unhappy with her dowry. Did she not care about her reputation? Was she not afraid of being laughed at by the servants?
But hearing Gu Jiu’s words, Xie shi only wanted to beat Gu Jiu instead.
That little wretch, deliberately sowing discord. She had said long ago Gu Jiu was devious at heart. It was true.
Xie shi forced her face stiff. “Er yatou, as the elder sister, you should give way to your younger sister. Don’t act smug when you’ve gotten the better end of things. What will people think of you?”
Gu Jiu smiled. “Taitai is right. I really shouldn’t show off my forty-thousand-tael dowry in front of san meimei.”
The mention of forty thousand taels once again stabbed Gu Yue like a knife.
She pointed at Gu Jiu and cried to Xie shi: “Mother, she’s doing it on purpose, she’s deliberately saying it to provoke me!”
Gu Jiu pressed her lips into a smile. Gu Yue was too self-absorbed; couldn’t she see Xie shi’s face had already turned green?
Xie shi snapped coldly: “Enough! Both of you shut up. Yue’er, come with me.”
With that, she left the second gate.
Gu Yue stomped her foot, unwilling. She wasn’t sure she would lose if she quarrelled with Gu Jiu. But Xie shi had already gone far, and helplessly, Gu Yue had no choice but to chase after her.
Gu Shan followed as well.
Gu Zhen, on the other hand, secretly chuckled, looking utterly pleased.
Zhang shi shook her head. “I never imagined san yatou would hold such deep resentment.”
“My apologies for letting da bomu see such a joke.” Gu Jiu bowed slightly.
Zhang shi waved her hand. “We’re all family, no need to be so formal. As for you sisters, ai… I don’t even know what to say. In the future, best to avoid each other.”
Gu Jiu replied: “I would like to avoid san meimei, but she insists on coming to provoke me. If I don’t scold her a little, she never learns her lesson.”
“That’s true enough. I’m overthinking. Such small matters, you’re more than capable of handling.”
Gu Jiu said modestly: “Da bomu flatters me.”
Back at Zhilan Yuan, the maidservants began chattering noisily:
“Our guniang has a forty-thousand-tael dowry, while san guniang only has twenty thousand. No wonder san guniang is almost mad with jealousy.”
“Today, san guniang’s eyes toward our guniang were so vicious. At the hou fu, she held herself back, nubi thought she’d stay quiet all day. Who knew the moment she got down from the carriage at the second gate, she would start causing a scene?”
“Taitai’s face was awful too, practically green. Nubi thinks san guniang will be scolded again.”
“What use is just scolding? Taitai scolds san guniang every time, but she still does whatever she wants.”
“That’s what they call: a mountain may change, but a person’s nature never does.”
Listening to her maids’ constant chatter, Gu Jiu smiled all the while, her thoughts drifting back to the matter of the dowry.
This time, Gu daren was surprisingly generous; he had actually prepared forty thousand taels for her.
When she heard the news yesterday, she was completely stunned.
Had Gu daren taken the wrong medicine, to suddenly be so willing to spend?
She turned it over in her mind, but couldn’t guess. Perhaps it was guilt, or perhaps a trace of a father’s soft heart, that made him act so lavishly.
Since she couldn’t figure it out, she stopped thinking.
She picked up her embroidery, but after only a few stitches, pricked her hand.
The sharp pain made her suck in a cold breath.
She quickly set down the work. “This really isn’t for me. Better leave it to you all.”
She truly had no talent for needlework.
Just yesterday, Qing Mei had urged her to at least learn a little, so that once she married, she could manage the bare minimum.
Gu Jiu had agreed; it would be good to at least learn enough to muddle through.
But reality proved otherwise.
When it came to needlework, she was utterly hopeless.
Qing Zhu covered her mouth and laughed. “Nubi already said that guniang doesn’t need to force yourself.”
Gu Jiu nodded in agreement. “Indeed, no need to force myself. I’ll just draw the patterns for you instead.”
“The flowers drawn by guniang are the most beautiful. News came from Erzhuang that the hairpins made according to your designs are the best sellers.”
Gu Jiu allowed herself a small, proud smile. “Of course. The flowers I draw will naturally sell the best.”
Qing Mei added, “Nubi originally thought there would be no business in the first month of the new year. Who would have guessed that sales were even better than in the twelfth month?
“During the New Year, Erzhuang only closed for a single day – on the first day of the month. By the second, the shop was open again. Customers have been coming in an endless stream to buy jewelled hairpins.
“After all, during the New Year, everyone visits relatives and friends, and all the young ladies and new brides want to wear fresh, fashionable hair ornaments.
“These days, Erzhuang’s Jumeizhai has practically become… that phrase you once used, guniang. Oh, heavens, nubi has forgotten it again. What a pig’s brain I have.”
“Leading the capital’s fashion trends,” Xiao Cui quickly supplied, her memory sharper.
“Yes, yes, that’s the one – leading the capital’s fashion trends.”
As they chatted, Gu Jiu finished sketching another flower design.
“Come take a look. I just came up with this one. Is it pretty?”
The maids gathered around the desk, nodding in unison. “Pretty. Very elegant.”
Gu Jiu laughed. “Once I’ve drawn ten designs, send these drafts to Erzhuang. Tell him I sketched them myself—they must not be shown to anyone else.”
Qing Mei reassured her, “Don’t worry, guniang. Erzhuang knows his boundaries. He would never dare let others see your drafts. Once he finishes using them, he’ll return them intact.”
While Zhilan Yuan was warm and harmonious, Furong Yuan was caught in a storm of blades and frost.
Xie shi glared at Gu Yue. “Yue’er, are you dissatisfied with me?”
Gu Yue was bewildered. “Nü’er has never been dissatisfied with Mother.”
“Then why, before everyone, did you shout that your dowry is not as fine as er yatou’s? Just who were you complaining about?”
Xie shi’s gaze was sharp as a knife, as though she wanted to slice Gu Yue to ribbons.
Terrified by that look, Gu Yue’s body trembled violently, and she wailed, “Mother, I’ve been wronged! Nü’er only made a few careless complaints because I couldn’t stand Gu Jiu’s arrogance. Nü’er never meant to resent you. Please, Mother, believe me.”
Xie shi sneered coldly. “So you weren’t complaining about me? Then it must have been your father you were resenting?”
“No, no! Nü’er wasn’t complaining about anyone. If nü’er was complaining, it was only about myself for not being good enough.”
By the end of her words, tears streamed down her face, her voice shrinking softer, pitiful as though bullied beyond endurance.
Xie shi gave a sharp snort. “How many of your words are true? And how many are nothing but hypocrisy?”
Gu Yue shook her head desperately. “Every word nü’er spoke was true. Nü’er wouldn’t dare deceive Mother.”
“Haven’t you deceived me enough already?”
Suddenly, Xie shi exploded, her voice rising like a whip, scaring Gu Yue half to death.
Gu Yue felt utterly wronged.
Pointing at her nose, Xie shi lashed out furiously, “Cry, cry, cry! That’s all you ever do. Every time you make a mistake, you just cry. Do you really think your tears can get you off the hook? At the hou fu today, you were sneaking around asking people about dowries – are you out of your mind?”
Gu Yue’s face went white as chalk, her tears momentarily forgotten.
Xie shi’s whole body ached with rage. “Did you think your actions could be kept secret? Let me tell you: every word and deed of yours has already spread through the hou fu. Do you know what they’re saying about you? That you’re petty, disgraceful, utterly unpresentable. Just what one would expect of a Xie family niece.”
Gu Yue’s lips trembled, her complexion ashen. “Nü’er… nü’er…”
“Enough! Don’t try to argue. You’ve made a fool of yourself, and people say you are truly Xie family’s niece. Yet not a single word was said against the Gu family. Do you realise what this means? How shameful must the Xie family be, to be dragged through the mud like this? You’ve brought me nothing but disgrace, made me lose face completely!”
Driven past the edge, Xie shi seized a teacup and hurled it at Gu Yue’s head.
“Ah!” Gu Yue screamed in panic. The cup struck her head, and blood immediately began to pour down.
Crying from the pain, her tears fell in big drops. She reached up with her hand, only to feel it come away smeared with blood.
Terrified, she let out a series of shrill cries.
“I’m bleeding! I’m bleeding! Mother, my face will be ruined, what should I do?”
“Shut up. It won’t scar.”
Xie shi barked at her angrily, though now her rage was laced with regret. She regretted losing control and throwing the cup. What if it really did leave a scar?
But of course, Xie shi would never apologise, nor admit her mistake.
In her mind, it was all Gu Yue’s fault. Gu Yue had been foolish and shameless enough to embarrass herself at the hou fu, and in doing so, dragged Xie shi’s name through the mud as well.
When she overheard the servants gossiping, saying Gu Yue was unpresentable, truly a Xie niece, Xie shi was so humiliated she wanted to crawl into the ground.
In her eyes, ridiculing Gu Yue was also ridiculing herself.
If Gu Yue resembled the Xie family, then she, Xie shi, was of Xie blood through and through.
Wouldn’t that mean, in the hou fu, she was seen as even lower than her own daughter?
At that moment, she’d truly felt a murderous urge.
That was why she had flown into such a rage and smashed the teacup against Gu Yue’s head.
The commotion brought the maids running.
“San guniang is bleeding! Taitai, nubi will send someone to fetch the physician right away.”
Xie shi nodded. “Go bring Doctor Zhu. Tell him to bring the finest medicine for wounds and scar prevention.”
At the mention of scar-preventing ointment, Gu Yue’s wails only grew louder, breaking into outright sobs.
Chun He quickly tried to soothe her. “San guniang, please don’t cry. If you cry too much, the wound might tear further and worsen.”
At that, Gu Yue stifled her sobbing, though she still sniffled miserably.
She didn’t look at Xie shi.
She had cried for so long, yet not a single word of comfort had come from her mother. Slowly, her heart grew cold.
She thought back to that instant when Xie shi had hurled the teacup. At that moment, Xie shi had truly wanted to kill her.
It had to be so.
Who would have thought that her own mother actually wanted her dead.
Gu Yue was heartbroken, tears almost spilling again. She forced herself to hold them back, her heart gradually hardening. If her own mother hated her so deeply, why should she waste tears?
The bitterness in her chest grew heavier and heavier. Without even realising it, she herself was changing.
Chun He brought hot water, carefully wiping Gu Yue’s face and examining the wound on her forehead.
The gash was right by her hairline, only a shallow cut, about one centimetre long.
Chun He sighed in relief: “San guniang, don’t worry. The wound is small; it definitely won’t leave a scar.”
“Really? But there was so much blood…”
Chun He smiled. “San guniang, nubi would never lie to you. Dong Mei, bring a mirror.”
Dong Mei fetched a mirror and handed it to Gu Yue.
Nervously, hesitantly, Gu Yue lifted it to check her wound.
When she saw the small cut, no longer bleeding, on her forehead, she was so startled she let out a few shrieks, nearly dropping the mirror.
“San guniang, please don’t worry. This tiny cut won’t leave a scar.”
Silent tears rolled down Gu Yue’s cheeks. She looked toward Xie shi, her gaze full of grievance and helplessness, yet with a faint flicker of resentment hidden beneath.
Xie shi’s face was stern. “It’s just a small cut. Why are you wailing like that?”
Gu Yue opened her mouth. “Mother, if you had struck just a bit harder, nü’er’s face would have been ruined.”
“That’s only what you imagine. In reality, it wouldn’t have disfigured you.”
Lowering her head, biting her lip, Gu Yue said nothing more. She understood now, her mother didn’t care at all whether she lived or died. Perhaps it would be better for her if she died.
A bitter smile tugged at Gu Yue’s lips. The resentment in her heart deepened yet again.
“The physician is here!”
A maid called from outside.
Doctor Zhu was ushered in. He had assumed the injury would be the size of a rice bowl, so he’d brought along all of his best medicines.
But when he stepped into the main room and saw the tiny cut on Gu Yue’s forehead, he felt utterly deflated, as though he had been played for a fool.
When the Gu fu had sent for him, they had described the situation as terribly urgent, as if she were on the brink of death.
And in the end? A wound so trivial it could have healed on its own. He was thoroughly annoyed.
Doctor Zhu’s face instantly darkened. Such exaggeration!
Gu Yue cried out, “Doctor, doctor, quickly, tell me, will it leave a scar?”
Doctor Zhu didn’t even want to treat her, his attitude lazy and unwilling.
He looked toward Xie shi.
Xie shi coughed lightly. “Thank you for making the trip, Doctor Zhu. Please treat my daughter. Apply medicine where needed, and if a scar can be prevented, do so.”
Hearing this, Doctor Zhu nodded. Since the Gu family was willing to pay, he would reluctantly oblige.
“A small wound like this, apply some ointment, and it will heal in a couple of days. Once the scab falls off, with time, no trace will remain.”
But Gu Yue was not satisfied. “Doctor, my marriage is set for this year. Isn’t there any top-grade scar-removing medicine that could work faster?”
Doctor Zhu said, “Naturally, there is. But the best kind costs fifty taels a bottle.”
Gu Yue looked to Xie shi.
Xie shi frowned. Fifty taels? So expensive? Daylight robbery.
But remembering that Gu Yue was hurt because of her, Xie shi clenched her teeth. “Very well. Please leave the scar-removing medicine.”
Doctor Zhu agreed readily. “Since taitai insists, I will leave a bottle.”
He treated the wound, left both the ointment and the scar medicine, and instructed the maids on how to tend to her.
The whole process took no more than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Then he rose to leave.
Chun He handed him his fee and escorted him out.
Walking out of Furong Yuan, Doctor Zhu glanced back, shook his head, and chuckled.
The second branch of the Gu family, its taitai was less generous than the young ladies themselves. How laughable.
When he had treated Gu Ting’s injured leg before, aside from the consultation fee, Gu Jiu always gave him generous extra rewards, never stingy in the least.
In comparison, Xie shi looked downright petty.
Ha!
Doctor Zhu laughed loudly and left.
Other people’s family affairs were things he would never meddle in.
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