Chapter 70
"That horse is mine." Marquis Gu said in a solemn voice.
Gu Jiao stared at him suspiciously, as if judging the truth in his words.
Marquis Gu felt his heart tremble upon seeing the look in her eyes. He then suddenly remembered how she ‘picked up’ the wolf he had thrown away and said hurriedly, "I didn"t throw that horse away, I accidentally lost it!"
Although, generally, people could keep the lost things they had picked up, they must return it if the owner asked for it, otherwise it would const.i.tute a crime of embezzlement.
Zhou shi and Liu shi, who had picked up Young Gentleman Qin’s money and refused to return it, experienced precisely that. As a result, they were beaten in the yamen and fined a lot of money.
Marquis Gu certainly didn’t know about the unexpected mishap of the Gu Family people. He only thought that a little girl ought to be intimidated by him, "If you don"t give it back to me, you will be arrested by the County Magistrate and be beaten by a punishment stick!"
People from the countryside might not have heard of a Marquis like him, but they should know the County Magistrate.
A County Magistrate was a real big shot here, and there wasn’t any country folk who didn’t fear his authority!
Gu Jiao didn’t immediately refute him when she heard his words.
Seeing this, Marquis Gu thought there was a chance!
But the next second, he heard Gu Jiao ask, "How can you prove that this is your horse?"
Marquis Gu was stupefied.
That’s right, how could he prove it?
In order to keep a low profile, he chose to ride the horse of his guard instead of his own Ferghana horse, and even the Marquis Estate emblem on the saddle was deliberately removed by him.
"Horseshoe! Its horseshoes match that of the war horses in the army, which are different from horseshoes on the market." Marquis Gu finally came up with a piece of evidence.
Yet, Gu Jiao said unexpectedly, "I haven"t seen any other horseshoes. How can I tell if you’re not just making up things?"
Marquis Gu choked up.
This was simply a scholar b.u.mping into a soldier. He just couldn’t use reason with her!
Gu Jiao said justly and fairly, "Why don’t you go to the Yamen to file a case. If the County Magistrate says this horse is yours, I will return it to you."
How many heads did the County Magistrate have? Would he have the guts not to give him his horse? But that was also the problem. How could he, the Marquis Ding’an of the State of Zhao, go to a small county yamen to report such an insignificant case?
Did he, Marquis Ding"an, lack horses or something? Just how poor was he? Too poor to have nothing in the pot? Too poor that he had to beg in the street? Or too poor to even compete with a village girl for the horse she picked up on the way?
And it was just an ordinary horse that wasn’t really very expensive to boot.
Did he not want his face anymore?
Gu Jiao glanced at him and mused for a moment before saying, "If you really want it, I can sell it to you. Alas, it really wasn’t easy for me to get it."
Wasn’t easy? How so? You looked like you’d been riding it from the beginning! Instead of having a hard time, you actually saved strength by not walking on foot! Even your dead wolf had been lifted off your back!
Marquis Gu was truly angered half to death by Gu Jiao.
However, it was true that he couldn’t keep on walking right now.
He couldn’t even hire a carriage until he got to the town. But he had to walk at least twenty or thirty li of distance first before he could reach the town.
"Fifty taels." Gu Jiao said.
Marquis Gu burst out, "Why is a lousy horse more expensive than a wolf’s carca.s.s?! You’re dishonestly raising the price!"
Gu Jiao said solemnly, "Wolf’s carca.s.s isn’t something you need, but a horse is."
So you were raising the price based on what he needed!
Marquis Gu was so enraged that his liver hurt!
In the end, Marquis Gu bought back his horse for fifty taels of silver.
It was his own horse, but who could he complain to?
When Marquis Gu returned to the villa, it was already dusk, and the afterglow of the sunset fell on the eaves of the villa, reflecting a dazzling golden light.
Marquis Gu handed the horse to the guards in the mansion and dragged his swollen foot to the inner courtyard where the family of four lived.
As soon as he arrived at the door, he heard a violent noise inside. When he crossed the threshold, he saw that almost all the servants in the courtyard were present, hiding behind trees and bushes, and dared not move or walk.
On the porch, his son, Gu Yan, was seated on a rattan chair under the watch of all the servants.
Beside him stood Gu Jinyu, whose face turned pale with anger.
Gu Jinyu was holding a little white rabbit in her arms.
"Why can’t I raise a rabbit?" Gu Jinyu asked discontentedly.
Gu Yan grunted lazily, "Because you’re not allowed to raise it."
Gu Jinyu said angrily, "Give me a reason if you have the ability!"
Gu Yan put a hand behind his head and said leisurely, "This is my courtyard. If I say you’re not allowed to raise it, you’re not allowed to raise it!"
Gu Jinyu hugged the rabbit and stamped her foot, saying, "This is my courtyard too!"
Gu Yan snorted faintly, "Your courtyard is in the capital!"
Gu Jinyu lived in the capital half of the time, unlike Gu Yan, who lived here for many years. Therefore, Gu Yan naturally believed that this courtyard belonged to him more.
People from top to bottom dared not mediate in their quarrel, but they couldn’t just pat their a.s.ses and leave either. They couldn’t afford to bear the responsibility in case something happened during the quarrel of brother and sister.
Marquis Gu almost understood what was going on. Gu Jinyu liked pets since she was a child, on the other hand, Gu Yan was very disgusted with them. The pair of brother and sister didn"t quarrel any less about raising pets.
He used to wonder about this. They were twins and should be the closest people in the world. It was reasonable to say that their affections for each other should be very good, but Gu Yan almost never talked to Gu Jinyu and even bullied her most of the time.
Gu Yan wouldn"t let Yao shi breastfeed Jinyu. He would cry as soon as she was breastfeed by Yao shi. He also wouldn"t let Yao shi hold Jinyu, and even when they were lying in a cradle, he would punch or kick Jinyu.
At that time, Gu Yan was still just a tiny baby spitting out milk bubbles, so no one took it to heart, only regarding it as a child"s possessiveness.
When Gu Yan was older, of course, she didn’t bully Jinyu like that any more, but he wasn’t very close to Jinyu either.
After knowing Jinyu"s real ident.i.ty, things that were once incomprehensible seemed to have gradually become clear.
Gu Yan and his twin sister had been together in the womb for ten months; they were indeed the closest people in the world. Therefore, after Gu Yan was born, he could clearly feel that the baby girl lying beside him wasn’t his twin sister.
He wanted his twin sister.
Only his twin sister could make him as calm and at ease as when he was in his mother"s womb, but beside him lay a completely strange baby girl instead.
He couldn’t be blamed for always crying so loudly. He was just asking for his twin sister.
Unfortunately, no one understood him.
Although he no longer remembered it after he grew up, his rejection of Gu Jinyu still remained in his bones.
Marquis Gu thought this speculation was absurd, but besides this, he really couldn’t think of a better explanation.
The quarrel between the pair of brother and sister was still going on.
Gu Jinyu complained, "This little rabbit is neither noisy nor rowdy. Why won"t you let me keep this too? Can you be reasonable?"
Gu Yan gazed up at the sky and said, "I refuse!"
Gu Jinyu bit her lip, "Why?"
Gu Yan raised his eyebrows arrogantly, "Because I like being unreasonable!"
"You..." Gu Jinyu flushed in anger!