Chapter 93.2
On the way, Gu Jinyu lifted up the window curtain, looked at Huang Zhong, who was riding a horse beside the carriage, and asked pleasantly, "Guard Huang, you have met my sister before. What kind of person really is she?"
"Ah... this..." Huang Zhong found it difficult to answer.
A violent-tempered, unfilial girl who had no qualms beating Marquis to the ground?
Huang Zhong clenched his fist and coughed a few times, "Although this humble one has seen the eldest young miss, he didn"t talk to the eldest young miss."
Gu Jinyu smiled regretfully and said, "Me too. I didn"t speak with her properly. If I had known she was my sister, I wouldn"t have treated her so badly. I"m so stupid that I don"t even recognize my own sister."
Huang Zhong said inwardly: You’re not blood related, of course you won’t recognize her. Look at how the young master got close to the eldest young miss just once? You’re not biologically related, that’s the difference!
He didn"t dare say these words out loud though.
At present, the news about the two daughters hadn"t spread in the estate yet, so only he and several masters knew the truth, but paper couldn’t contain fire, everything would depend on what the Marquis and the Marchioness would say to the outside world.
Huang Zhong had been here several times and already had gathered thorough information throughout the village, including the locations of the graves of Gu Sanlang and his wife.
Gu Sanlang died a violent death. According to the rural customs, he wasn’t allowed to be buried in the ancestral grave. His grave was set far away where it couldn’t affect the fengshui of the Gu Family, and Xu shi was buried beside him. It was said that Xu shi herself asked for it before she died.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the village. Their procession was quite big, and coupled with the emergence of the fairy-like Gu Jinyu, it was inevitable that the villagers’ attention would be attracted.
Gu Jinyu was wearing an exquisite dress and was accompanied by a servant girl and a wet nurse with also a presentable appearance.
The villagers, who had never seen young misses of big cities, couldn’t turn their gazes away at this moment.
"Young miss, watch your step!" The roads in the countryside weren"t easy to traverse. Huang Zhong was afraid that this delicate young miss would stumble herself to the ground.
Gu Jinyu held the servant girl’s forearm tightly. This dirt road full of potholes really wronged her rich feet.
After the group had gone far, the villagers started talking about it.
"Ey? Who are they?"
"Don"t know. That man seems to have been to our village several times and inquired a lot about the Gu Family."
"Aye! Look, they"ve gone to Gu Sanlang"s grave!"
"They’re not from the Xu Family, are they?"
The Gu Family didn’t have such prestigious relatives, so the villagers could only guess that they were from the Xu Family.
Xu shi wasn’t from this village, and her family was better off than the Gu Family. She was half a city dweller. However, after Xu shi died, the Xu Family broke off contact with the Gu Family.
When Gu Jinyu arrived at the grave site, she found a person in front of the grave. Her slim body wore a coa.r.s.e hemp garment, her head was donned with a hat and she carried a basket on her back.
"Sister... Sister?"
Gu Jinyu tentatively called out.
Gu Jiao, whose body was bent over cutting the gra.s.s, straightened up lightly, and turned her head to look at Gu Jinyu.
Gu Jinyu suddenly showed a happy smile, "Sister, it"s really you!"
Gu Jiao glanced at her strangely, ignored her, and continued to bend over to remove the gra.s.s.
After discovering that there was a lot of gra.s.s on Gu Sanlang and Xu shi’s graves on their death anniversary, Gu Jiao came here to remove the gra.s.s regularly since.
Gu Jinyu was left out in the cold, but she didn"t back down. She let go of the servant girl’s arm and walked towards Gu Jiao.
However, her exquisite embroidered shoes couldn’t walk the way to the grave at all, and she almost broke her feet.
"Young miss! Ah, be careful!" The servant girl and wet nurse held her together.
"I"m fine." Gu Jinyu gave Gu Jiao a pa.s.sive look and motioned for them to let go, then walked more carefully.
She came to Gu Jiao with her spotless dress and held out her hand at Gu Jiao, saying, "Sister, let me do it."
"I"m not your sister." Gu Jiao said, "It’s fine if you don’t come here either."
This kind of dirty work wasn’t something a pampered young miss could do.
Gu Jiao only used a shovel when really necessary, otherwise she would directly pull the gra.s.s with her hands.
After learning the way she pulled the gra.s.s, Gu Jinyu also reached out and pulled it out, and the result could be imagined.
The servant girl and the wet nurse didn’t know the truth, but the servants of the Marquis Estate always understood the rules and would never ask questions that shouldn"t be asked.
But just because they didn’t ask, didn’t mean they were not curious.
This little village girl was simply too arrogant. Their young miss already lowered herself and called her sister. Even if she didn’t appreciate it, she should still give their young miss a bit of a face.
"You guys step down first." Gu Jinyu ordered.
The servant girl and the wet nurse retreated three feet away.
"You also step down." Gu Jinyu told Huang Zhong.
Huang Zhong, who went to pull the gra.s.s, dusted his hands off and retreated far away.
Only Gu Jiao and Gu Jinyu were left on the grave.
Gu Jiao was still removing gra.s.ses like no one else was there.
Gu Jinyu put the straw mat and paper money she brought on the ground, burned the paper money with a fire, knelt on the straw mat and gave Gu Sanlang and Xu Shi three kowtows each.
Afterwards, Gu Jinyu sat on her knees while burning paper money. She said in a mutter, "I heard that they were great people and were very kind to sister."
Gu Jiao finally gave her a response, and said faintly, "Does saying ‘my parents’ will burn your mouth or something?"
Gu Jinyu choked up.
Gu Sanlang and Xu shi were really good parents. If they knew that their children had been switched, they would be very sad and want to hear their own daughter call them parents.
Gu Jiao cast her another look and said, "If it’s just burning paper money, you don’t need to bother yourself. I can still afford this paper money."
Gu Jinyu looked down and whispered, "Sister, do you hate me? I know it"s my fault. I stole your ident.i.ty, my parents and everything that should belong to you. It’s understandable that you hate me. I don"t blame you... "
Gu Jiao ignored her.
The person who was robbed of everything had already left this world. Besides, to say she robbed everything wasn’t correct either. Gu Jinyu was innocent, and she herself was also a victim of the mix-up.
Gu Jiao held no resentment nor like in her heart at all.
It was simple. This person had nothing to do with her.
Gu Jinyu didn"t understand Gu Jiao"s thoughts. She only felt that Gu Jiao was blaming her, which was understandable. After all, she occupied her ident.i.ty this entire time.
She said sincerely, "Sister, don"t worry, I won"t argue with you. You are the eldest young miss of the Marquis Estate. When you get back to the Marquis Estate, I"ll move out of the courtyard and give it back to you. It"s just that our parents have raised me for so many years after all, so I’m asking sister to allow me to stay by our parents’ side to fulfill my filial piety."
Gu Jiao felt a little annoyed at this moment as she said, "Are you done? If you are, quickly leave. "
Gu Jinyu pleaded, "Sister, please come back to the Marquis Estate with me!"
"I won’t come back there."
"Sister! What will make you willing to come back with me? Just tell me, I’ll promise to do anything!"
Gu Jiao looked at her with a faint smile, saying, "Does that include you leaving the Marquis Estate for good and never showing up again?"
Gu Jinyu"s expression turned stiff!