Gu Ying was overjoyed, her eyes brimming red. She pulled the teenager out from her arms again to scrutinize him attentively.
It was him, only now he was just sixteen or seventeen.
Although his childish face was not clean, his sharp edges and overly tall nose ridge could still be made out clearly, as well as those pair of pure eyes that resembled two bright pearls.
Her eyes revealed delight and emotion as her slender fingers brushed away the thick grime from his messy black hair. "Xiao Gutou, do you recognize me?"
Xiao Gutou shook his head, staring at the woman's dark eyes and enunciating word for word, "I don't know you."
Gu Ying held his face in both hands, laughing and crying at the same time, "You don't recognize me, but we know each other now."
After her rebirth, she had tried looking for him but to no avail. She figured he was a beggar wandering somewhere unknown.
If her memory served her correctly, he would only emerge around the Tianqi 20s. Some details eluded her.
In any case, Xiao Gutou's appearance came a little earlier than expected, which was good news. She would definitely compensate him well this time.
The teenager shrank back, embarrassment written all over his face, perplexed by this charming and gentle beauty's solicitousness towards him.
"You-"
Both were rendered speechless, at a loss for words upon this long awaited reunion.
Tears rolled down Gu Ying's cheeks. Her heart ached badly as she gripped the bony fingers of the boy tightly. "Get up."
Although clueless, Su He dutifully pressed a mechanism to lead Mu Nanfeng away.
It wouldn't do for rumors about the wife of the heir apparent fancying a young beggar to spread recklessly outside.
Du would surely rush back posthaste to settle scores if he caught wind of this.
"Sister-in-law, this is rather inappropriate."
If Du found out about this, wouldn't he kill this beggar?
Gu Ying ignored Su He, pulling Xiao Gutou up from the ground. "Xiao Gutou, can you tell me who sent you here with a message?"
Xiao Gutou's eyes flickered as he felt an inexplicable intimacy towards this breathtaking woman.
He bit his lips and slowly replied, "A woman."
"What did she look like?"
"Pretty eyes, like yours."
"Like mine?"
The youth nodded. "Mm."
Gu Ying gently asked, "Why did you agree to pass on her message?"
After a long pause, Xiao Gutou finally answered in a low voice while staring at Gu Ying's exquisite visage, "She said she would help me find my sister."
Gu Ying was taken aback, and her heart ached immediately.
Xiao Gutou had told her before that he had been searching for his sister who was separated from him many years ago. They were only four and six years old respectively when they lost each other.
As children who knew no better, losing their only kin meant desperate searching all over the world.
After more than ten years of futile searching, he finally discovered his sister's corpse buried in the wild grave near a dilapidated temple right before his death.
On the night he uncovered the truth, Xiao Goutou sat silently beside her, no outbursts or conversations, just endless desolation in his eyes. The ray of light in his eyes was abruptly extinguished, replaced by fathomless darkness.
She longed to pull him into her embrace yet lacked the ability to do so.
Gu Ying sighed softly, her grip on his hand tightening, "Xiao Gutou, I will help you find your sister. If anyone comes to you again in future, do not trust her, understand?"
Xiao Gutou stared blankly at Gu Ying and nodded heavily, "Alright, I'll listen to you."
This unconditional trust came with no reason, but he just believed her...
Su He's brows shot up high. Indeed, attraction exists between kindred spirits, such was an age-old mantra!
He had questioned this beggar for days yet not a single useful piece of information was extracted.
As soon as sister-in-law appeared, everything came gushing out readily. This was extremely vexing!
"This shameless beggar, isn't he captivated by sister-in-law's beauty?"
"Don't spout nonsense." Gu Ying protected Xiao Gutou like a mama bear. They had relied on each other closely in their past life. Now that she found him earlier in this life, she planned on taking him into the Guo Gong fu, to raise him as a brother, or leave him with the Ye family to accompany A Ning. "Su He, I'm bringing him away with me."
Su He was baffled. "This... Should we inform Du beforehand?"
Gu Ying's heart swelled with joy. "It's just a small matter, whether we tell him or not is up to me."
Su He scoffed softly. "Sister-in-law, aren't you afraid Du will be jealous over your favoritism towards this beggar?"
Gu Ying smiled helplessly, tenderly caressing the head of the teenager beside her, not a shred of disgust towards the years of accumulated filth on him. She reached out to ruffle his thick hair. "That won't happen. Xiao Gutou is like my own brother. From now on, I'll be his sister."
Su He clicked his tongue, keeping his thoughts to himself ultimately. After all the beggar was merely an insignificant figure. With his interrogation done, any form of treatment would suffice.
Nevertheless, after Gu Ying's departure, he contemplated over and over before sending a separate letter to Du, documenting some questionable details.
Like how sister-in-law was so familiar with a beggar boy, interacting like old friends who had known each other for years.
Also her manner and tone towards the beggar was unlike how a sixteen or seventeen year old maiden would behave.
The letter reached Du several days later in Huang City.
Zhao Changdu had just finished sparring with father-in-law Gu Boqing in the military camp.
As an elder, Gu did not use full force but still managed to graze him lightly with his spear.
Du took it in his stride, leisurely tossing his spear onto the ground to admit defeat.
His surrender was free and easy but Gu Boqing threw him a cold glare, forcefully stabbing the spear inches from Du's leg, eyes filled with warning. "You better treat my daughter well, otherwise I won't spare you for the sake of my grandson!"
He could tell the general still disapproved of his marriage with Gu Ying.
Fortunately, upon knowing Ying's pregnancy, the strained look on the old general's stern face eased somewhat as he harrumphed and stalked off the parade square.
"Sir, a letter from my lady!"
Huai An gleefully flipped aside the tent entrance, only to halt at the sight of the man's deep yet icy gaze.
The gloomy stillness radiating from him frightened Huai An.
Unsure of what transpired, Huai An's back turned cold. He gingerly placed the letter on the table. "It's from my lady. I shall take my leave first!"
With that, he fled swiftly.
Zhao Changdu unrolled his wife's letter containing just a few simple words about her well-being. Not a single mention of Xiao Gutou's incident.
He laughed mockingly to himself, a nameless emotion and heartache simmering within.
Let it go then. If she still kept secrets from him, he would simply indulge her whims.
Gu Ying was overjoyed, her eyes brimming red. She pulled the teenager out from her arms again to scrutinize him attentively.
It was him, only now he was just sixteen or seventeen.
Although his childish face was not clean, his sharp edges and overly tall nose ridge could still be made out clearly, as well as those pair of pure eyes that resembled two bright pearls.
Her eyes revealed delight and emotion as her slender fingers brushed away the thick grime from his messy black hair. "Xiao Gutou, do you recognize me?"
Xiao Gutou shook his head, staring at the woman's dark eyes and enunciating word for word, "I don't know you."
Gu Ying held his face in both hands, laughing and crying at the same time, "You don't recognize me, but we know each other now."
After her rebirth, she had tried looking for him but to no avail. She figured he was a beggar wandering somewhere unknown.
If her memory served her correctly, he would only emerge around the Tianqi 20s. Some details eluded her.
In any case, Xiao Gutou's appearance came a little earlier than expected, which was good news. She would definitely compensate him well this time.
The teenager shrank back, embarrassment written all over his face, perplexed by this charming and gentle beauty's solicitousness towards him.
"You-"
Both were rendered speechless, at a loss for words upon this long awaited reunion.
Tears rolled down Gu Ying's cheeks. Her heart ached badly as she gripped the bony fingers of the boy tightly. "Get up."
Although clueless, Su He dutifully pressed a mechanism to lead Mu Nanfeng away.
It wouldn't do for rumors about the wife of the heir apparent fancying a young beggar to spread recklessly outside.
Du would surely rush back posthaste to settle scores if he caught wind of this.
"Sister-in-law, this is rather inappropriate."
If Du found out about this, wouldn't he kill this beggar?
Gu Ying ignored Su He, pulling Xiao Gutou up from the ground. "Xiao Gutou, can you tell me who sent you here with a message?"
Xiao Gutou's eyes flickered as he felt an inexplicable intimacy towards this breathtaking woman.
He bit his lips and slowly replied, "A woman."
"What did she look like?"
"Pretty eyes, like yours."
"Like mine?"
The youth nodded. "Mm."
Gu Ying gently asked, "Why did you agree to pass on her message?"
After a long pause, Xiao Gutou finally answered in a low voice while staring at Gu Ying's exquisite visage, "She said she would help me find my sister."
Gu Ying was taken aback, and her heart ached immediately.
Xiao Gutou had told her before that he had been searching for his sister who was separated from him many years ago. They were only four and six years old respectively when they lost each other.
As children who knew no better, losing their only kin meant desperate searching all over the world.
After more than ten years of futile searching, he finally discovered his sister's corpse buried in the wild grave near a dilapidated temple right before his death.
On the night he uncovered the truth, Xiao Goutou sat silently beside her, no outbursts or conversations, just endless desolation in his eyes. The ray of light in his eyes was abruptly extinguished, replaced by fathomless darkness.
She longed to pull him into her embrace yet lacked the ability to do so.
Gu Ying sighed softly, her grip on his hand tightening, "Xiao Gutou, I will help you find your sister. If anyone comes to you again in future, do not trust her, understand?"
Xiao Gutou stared blankly at Gu Ying and nodded heavily, "Alright, I'll listen to you."
This unconditional trust came with no reason, but he just believed her...
Su He's brows shot up high. Indeed, attraction exists between kindred spirits, such was an age-old mantra!
He had questioned this beggar for days yet not a single useful piece of information was extracted.
As soon as sister-in-law appeared, everything came gushing out readily. This was extremely vexing!
"This shameless beggar, isn't he captivated by sister-in-law's beauty?"
"Don't spout nonsense." Gu Ying protected Xiao Gutou like a mama bear. They had relied on each other closely in their past life. Now that she found him earlier in this life, she planned on taking him into the Guo Gong fu, to raise him as a brother, or leave him with the Ye family to accompany A Ning. "Su He, I'm bringing him away with me."
Su He was baffled. "This... Should we inform Du beforehand?"
Gu Ying's heart swelled with joy. "It's just a small matter, whether we tell him or not is up to me."
Su He scoffed softly. "Sister-in-law, aren't you afraid Du will be jealous over your favoritism towards this beggar?"
Gu Ying smiled helplessly, tenderly caressing the head of the teenager beside her, not a shred of disgust towards the years of accumulated filth on him. She reached out to ruffle his thick hair. "That won't happen. Xiao Gutou is like my own brother. From now on, I'll be his sister."
Su He clicked his tongue, keeping his thoughts to himself ultimately. After all the beggar was merely an insignificant figure. With his interrogation done, any form of treatment would suffice.
Nevertheless, after Gu Ying's departure, he contemplated over and over before sending a separate letter to Du, documenting some questionable details.
Like how sister-in-law was so familiar with a beggar boy, interacting like old friends who had known each other for years.
Also her manner and tone towards the beggar was unlike how a sixteen or seventeen year old maiden would behave.
The letter reached Du several days later in Huang City.
Zhao Changdu had just finished sparring with father-in-law Gu Boqing in the military camp.
As an elder, Gu did not use full force but still managed to graze him lightly with his spear.
Du took it in his stride, leisurely tossing his spear onto the ground to admit defeat.
His surrender was free and easy but Gu Boqing threw him a cold glare, forcefully stabbing the spear inches from Du's leg, eyes filled with warning. "You better treat my daughter well, otherwise I won't spare you for the sake of my grandson!"
He could tell the general still disapproved of his marriage with Gu Ying.
Fortunately, upon knowing Ying's pregnancy, the strained look on the old general's stern face eased somewhat as he harrumphed and stalked off the parade square.
"Sir, a letter from my lady!"
Huai An gleefully flipped aside the tent entrance, only to halt at the sight of the man's deep yet icy gaze.
The gloomy stillness radiating from him frightened Huai An.
Unsure of what transpired, Huai An's back turned cold. He gingerly placed the letter on the table. "It's from my lady. I shall take my leave first!"
With that, he fled swiftly.
Zhao Changdu unrolled his wife's letter containing just a few simple words about her well-being. Not a single mention of Xiao Gutou's incident.
He laughed mockingly to himself, a nameless emotion and heartache simmering within.
Let it go then. If she still kept secrets from him, he would simply indulge her whims.
