Chapter 314 To Cover the Chinese Characters on the Screen Wall with Paint
Wen Xichi said lightly and looked at Gu Xishu with an unclear meaning.
“Third Cousin, let’s go!” Gu Xishu was not aggrieved anymore. She smiled at once and wanted to lightly pull Wen Xichi’s sleeve again.
Wen Xichi stepped back to avoid her hand and said gently, “Cousin, please don’t pull my sleeve in the future because it looks a little impolite!”
“Third Cousin, were we not always like this in the past?” Gu Xishu was surprised, but then her eyes turned red, ready to cry.
“We were young in the past!” Wen Xichi heaved a light sigh.
“Third Cousin, you’ve changed. You were not like this in the past!” Gu Xishu looked at Wen Xichi with sadness and disappointment, condemning him silently!
“Cousin, you will marry in the future and leave, and I will also marry. When we grow up, our childhood behavior is not suitable anymore. Even if we were brother and sister, we should also avoid that, let alone we are not!” Wen Xichi didn’t seem to see Gu Xishu’s desperately sad eyes and said gently.
“Third, Third Cousin, are you going to get married? Is, is it the previous rumor spread in the mansion?” Gu Xishu was pale and shed tears, looking so sad that others would feel sorry as if something was breaking.
With such a look, such behavior, and such a beautiful face, she would make any man who saw her feel so sorry, and he would not bear to see her become so sad.
This was how a st.u.r.dy will became soft!
This was the successful strategy Gu Xishu used to use. No matter whether it was used on her Second Cousin, Third Cousin or even her seniors in the mansion and First Cousin, it worked every time.
Wen Xichi pressed his forehead with his hand and said helplessly, “Cousin, I am bound to get married, not only me but also my Second Brother. No doubt, my father means to get us engaged early to avoid that we won’t get good daughters from renowned families!”
“To get good daughters from renowned families?” Gu Xishu felt her heart was nearly broken and couldn’t even believe what she heard. “Am I not a good daughter from a renowned family? Why choose others but not me?”
“I’ve heard the one who came to our mansion previously is from Qin’s Mansion. Third Cousin, is it the one we met just now?” She spoke these words nearly with a crying tone, then took one step back, and nearly fell. The servant girl following her reached out her hands hastily to support her, but she was pushed away.
“Third Cousin, it must be her. Otherwise, how could you know her and clearly call her Second Miss Qin? Last time we met her, you still didn’t know her. Third Cousin, didn’t you see her behavior just now? Do Deputy Prime Minister’s Chambers want such a woman who has no sisterhood and frames others when others are in danger to be a sister-in-law?”
Gu Xishu wiped her tears angrily and cried.
Although Qin Wanru had left, she still hated her.
“Enough, cousin! No such a thing, and don’t ruin her reputation. Just now we didn’t hear what they said. It is possible Second Miss Qin was defending First Miss Qin, or should she have helped First Miss Qin fight?”
Wen Xichi comforted her softly, but his smile became smaller and smaller.
“Third Cousin, you, you are still defending her. I will tell my uncle.” Gu Xishu stomped hatefully, covered her face with her handkerchief, and ran away while crying. Her servant girl followed closely behind her.
Wen Xichi didn’t go after her and still stood there. As his smile became much colder, he narrowed his beautiful eyes slightly, looking thoughtfully at Gu Xishu’s back, only with suspicion, without affection.
It was best not to think about some things, for the more he thought, the more he felt it was possible. If Gu Xishu was the same as he thought, he would make her lose everything himself someday!
“Third Young Master, your cousin is crying. Don’t you need to go and comfort her?” His servant reminded him on his side.
Wen Xichi shook his head and walked slowly to the direction right opposite to the path Gu Xishu took.
“Deputy Prime Minister and Madam will be unhappy!” His servant at his heels reminded him. “This cousin is not the Deputy Prime Minister’s biological daughter, but now the minister has lost his biological daughter. I am afraid the minister and his wife might prefer her to Third Young Master in their minds.”
“Let them be. She is but a cousin temporarily raised in our mansion. I’ve heard my uncle is about to return to the capital. By then, she will go back to her family!” Wen Xichi said indifferently as if he was talking about another one’s cousin, his eyes as peaceful as water.
His servant was anxious. “Deputy Prime Minister and Madam won’t give her up.”
“No matter how they won’t, she is not their daughter. Can they raise her in the mansion forever!” Wenxi Chi said casually.
“I’ve heard, heard…” His servant hesitated.
“Fire away!” Wen Xichi said gently.
His servant found he was gentle and then said, “I’ve heard others say that it seems your cousin is arranged to marry you!”
Wen Xichi stopped as he heard this, frowning. “The people of our mansion all spread the rumor like this? It seems I need to pay more attention to our mansion’s affairs.” “Is she not arranged to marry my Second Brother? He is older than me and should get engaged earlier!”
“Third Young Master, I’ve heard, heard your cousin tell Madam she likes you… and everyone in the mansion can see that your cousin is obedient to you!”
His servant muttered.
He should not spread masters’ rumors. Now when Wen Xichi asked him, he dared to say a few words.
“Where did you hear the information?” Wen Xichi continued walking. “What Gu Xishu said to my mother cannot be easily spread. My mother is relatively strict in running the family, and her servants dare not talk about it. After all, the rumor will also damage Gu Xishu’s reputation.
“So, it should only be Gu Xishu!”
“From your cousin’s servant girl!” his servant dare not lie, lowered his head, and said.
As his eyes turned cold and his gentle face showed some coldness, Wen Xichi said, “In the future, whatever my cousin says, just tell me directly. Remember that I am your master, and let me know whatever my cousin does to me!”
These words were extremely severe, and his servant nodded hastily and thought, “I was wrong in the past. I thought my master likes his cousin, but I never thought he doesn’t like her at all.”
Wen Xichi spoke and walked on. Before he realized it, he had come to a yard in front. Seeing the s.p.a.cious yard, he couldn’t help giving a wry smile. “I have finally come to the yard where the former Heir of Duke Xing once lived.
“I never thought I did want to take a look at the screen wall on which the former Heir of Duke Xing wrote Chinese characters.
“Gu Xishu did find what I thought. It seems I will have to pay more attention to her in the future!
“She knows my hobbies so well!”
“Third Young Master, do we need to enter?” his servant looked at Wen Xichi who was standing in place and also at that tall but deserted courtyard and asked with confusion.
“Let’s take a look!” Wen Xichi said.
Entering the owner’s yard without the owner’s permission was impolite, let alone this was the former residence of the former Heir of Duke Xing’s Mansion. This name was said to be a taboo in Duke Xing’s Mansion.
But the screen wall inside attracted Wen Xichi inexplicably.
Suddenly ladies’ voices came into his ears. Wen Xichi looked around and hid behind a big tree immediately, and his servant followed him over smartly.
They saw two servant girls coming from a distance. The two servant girls should be members of Duke Xing’s Mansion, but why weren’t they serving the guests in the front part of the mansion? Why did they come here? This was suspicious!
“Sister, do we really need to cover the screen wall with paint?” the servant girl in red said. Either of them had an ink bucket in hand.
“Old Madam says when she sees this, she will think of him, and so she wants to cover it. As long as this is Madam’s order, let’s do it!” the other servant girl who looked older in purple whispered.
When they arrived at the entrance of the yard, the door was closed but not bolted. Since they were a little tired, they pushed the door once, put down their buckets, and began to rest.
“Why cover it with paint now? Everyone says the characters on the screen wall are very beautiful, and Old Madam has never come to see them. Why will she feel upset when she sees them?” the servant girl in red asked with confusion.
Everyone in the mansion knew that this was the residence of the former Heir of Duke Xing and no one could step in so casually. Previously, an old maid came here mistakenly, but she was nearly beaten to death. This meant that this was not a place where anyone who wanted to come could come, and the screen wall was not something anyone who wanted to see could see.
Apart from Master Hao, who used to sneak here to play, the other masters in the mansion had never come here. Old Madam gave such a reason. That was really strange.
This servant girl was still young. When she found no others were here, she couldn’t hold her tongue.
“Who knows what masters think! We just do as they told us!” the servant girl in purple said.
“But if Master Hao returns, he will make trouble, right? What shall we do by then?” The servant girl in red was very worried. “Master Hao is a horrible troublemaker. If he learns his father’s screen wall was covered with paint, that will be terrible.”
“This has nothing to do with us, let alone Master Hao is now living in Rui’an Great Elder Princess. Probably, he won’t return. Even if he returns occasionally, he will not think of this screen wall at once!”
The servant girl in purple thought for a moment and said.
“Really?” the servant girl in red was a little afraid because she had witnessed Master Hao’s terrible acts. At that time, the entire mansion was in a mess, a few servant girls and old maids were beaten, and some were even tied and sold!
“This…” When she found the servant girl in red was so afraid, the servant girl in purple also began to hesitate and felt not confident. It was they who did it. Would they be finally blamed for this? How could they bear the responsibility!
Two of them looked at each other and suddenly forced a smile.
“People of Rui’an Great Elder Princess’ Mansion have come to send gifts today, right? We can give them a secret message. If they have nothing to say about it, let’s cover the screen with paint. Anyway, Madam just asked us to cover it, but didn’t give us a deadline!”
The servant girl in purple proposed helplessly.
“OK, I trust you, sister. Let’s go secretly!”
After a discussion, the two servant girls decided to go. They put the ink buckets on the side and left hurriedly.
Wen Xichi frowned behind the tree and didn’t know what Old Madam and Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion wanted to do. He was ready to walk out, but he suddenly saw a person who should never have come here appear at the crossroad on the other side and couldn’t help leaning inwardly, looking at the person in surprise…