Darkness enveloped the Gu family's courtyard, and a low cry could be heard amidst the murmurings of autumn insects.
Ms. Cao and Gu Hai sat guarding Gu Shiba Niang, one on the left and the other on the right.
Jiankang's letter, a letter handwritten by the patriarch, reprimanded the Cao family fiercely, blaming her for living abroad with a weak daughter and young son, not returning home, feeling sorry for Gu Hai's studies, and telling them to come back to Jiankang immediately.
"...Since...why haven't we seen the person to pick us up? Is Shan Shan's letter here?" Gu Hai asked in a low voice, while looking at Gu Shiba Niang carefully.
The little girl hugged her knees and huddled under the tree, sobbing.
Cao's tears fell.
"The patriarch is dying... The person who sent the message said that he will be buried in just a few days..." She covered her mouth and cried softly, "...so it was delayed..."
How could they not be notified of such a big matter? Not to mention delaying the arrival of letters and people! Gu Hai moved his mouth, then thought about it and laughed at himself again.
In the past, if something happened to Jiankang, no one would come to pick them up. They would just ask someone to send them a message. This time, it was rare to get a letter from the clan leader himself.
"He is dead, why do we have to go back!" Gu Shiba Niang, who had been crying, suddenly spoke, her voice a little hoarse, "It's enough to cry for him once, why do we have to sell the house? Why don't you come back? Why? I have to go to that damn place in Jiankang..."
Before she could finish her words, Mr. Cao raised his hand and slapped her.
A crisp slap suddenly sounded in the yard, making the three of them stunned.
"You unfilial daughter! How can you talk!" Ms. Cao felt a dull pain in her hands and pain in her heart. She looked at Gu Shiniang angrily and sadly, "That's your great-grandfather...that's your elder... It's a matter of life and death...How can you speak in this tone? You...you...you..."
Ms. Cao shivered for a long time and finally couldn't say those words. The more she thought about it, the sadder and more discouraged she felt. She didn't understand what had happened to her originally well-behaved, gentle and kind-hearted daughter.
You can be so cruel, you can kill people so casually, you can be so indifferent to the life and death of your relatives and elders...
It's her fault...she didn't teach her daughter well...
"Silang..." Mr. Cao whimpered, covered his face and cried, then stumbled into the house.
Gu Hai, who was standing in front of Gu Shiba Niang, fearing that his mother would hit him again, was stunned at this moment. He looked at his sister, tears streaming down his pale face. The dim light coming through the window reflected the faint red mark on his palm. , he looked inside the room again, and Cao's suppressed cries kept coming.
"Eighteenth Mother..." Gu Hai sighed, "It's your fault this time..."
Gu Shiba Niang bit her lower lip and burst into tears.
"Grandpa, the patriarch, is the best to us... He just looks a bit fierce... Dad said that he hates dad for not living up to expectations... The more he wants us to live well... In fact, he helps us a lot in private …..” Gu Hai whispered, “You..You..”
He flirted with you for a long time, and finally sighed, "Why are you so unwilling to go back to Jiankang?"
Gu Shiba Niang cried silently.
"I will die..." she murmured.
If you go there, you will die, your mother will die, your brother will die, and she will die too...
"What?" Gu Hai didn't hear clearly and lowered his head and asked again.
Gu Shiba Niang raised her head and looked at him, "Brother, I said that if I go back to Jiankang, my mother will die and you will die too. Do you believe it?"
Gu Hai was stunned.
"Eighteen Mother. I know you don't like it there..." He smiled bitterly and reached out to stroke his sister's head. "I'm afraid it's the patriarch's last words and it's his funeral. Mother stays here and doesn't go to Jiankang." Only then..."
He could never say that word.
Gu Shiba Niang closed her eyes, a line of tears mixed with the tears on her face.
Yes, if this is the case, with Cao's character, it is absolutely impossible. If she really can't go, she will blame herself, regret, and die of sadness and depression...
"I had a dream, a nightmare... I dreamed that we returned to Jiankang, and then my mother died and my brother died..." Kneeling in the room, Gu Shiba Niang shed tears and looked at her who was also crying sitting on the bed. Mr. Cao, "..You all died...I was the only one left...Later...I died too..."
When Cao heard this, she looked at Gu Hai, obviously more worried than surprised.
"...It was that time you..." Gu Hai suddenly realized, seeing Cao gesturing for him to pull his sister up quickly, he hurriedly stretched out his hand, "...I can't sleep well, so it's because of this nightmare..."
He chuckled and patted his sister on the back, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Nightmares are also dreams. Besides, dreams are counterproductive. We are all dead in the dream, so we must all live long... This is a good dream. Dream…."
He chuckled, and Gu Shiba Niang covered her face and cried loudly.
She knew that no one would believe it, who would believe such a weird thing. Many times, even she herself did not believe the things that happened in her memory, and would also think that maybe it was just a dream or nightmare...
"Xiang'er..." Cao said.
Gu Shiba Niang couldn't help but pause. No one had called her by this name for a long time. Many people didn't know her name.
This is her name. Her father named her after reading books for several nights, Gu Xiang.
"I know that you have suffered a lot of grievances there, so you are afraid and don't like it there." Mrs. Cao sat up straight and looked at her daughter and son solemnly. "That's because we are poor and have no ability. No matter where we are, we are bound to be beaten by others." If we look down on others and are bullied, we will be fine just because we hide.”
"Don't forget that your surname is Gu. No matter where you hide, you are still from the Gu family..."
"We are poor and have no ability, but this is not a shameful fact. Everyone's destiny is destined by God, and wealth and glory are all destined for their own destiny..."
"But we can't even look down on ourselves..."
".. Hai'er, Xiang'er, if we don't go to the clan elder's important event this time because we are afraid of being ridiculed and looked down upon, that would be disloyal, unjust and unfilial. We really deserve to be looked down upon, and I will look down on me too. Own….."
Gu Shiba Niang looked at her mother blankly and suddenly remembered something.
"No..." she murmured, "the patriarch did not die at this time..."
She remembered that although the patriarch of that generation was not in good health, he died after she got married.
Why was she reborn so many years in advance
She raised her head and saw Mrs. Cao looking at her with a calm expression, while Gu Hai seemed to be smiling helplessly.
"Eighteenth Mother, I won't hide anything from you..." Mrs. Cao's expression softened slightly, with sadness and joy, "The clan elder mentioned in the letter that we were given a house and a shop..."
"What?" Gu Shiba Niang and Gu Hai were both shocked and couldn't believe it.
How can this be? The old clan leader, who occasionally secretly gave them silver coins, but basically didn't even look at them when he saw them, would give them such a generous gift
Ms. Cao was obviously very excited. With real estate and assets, their lives would be guaranteed. She had never expected this. She thought that this cold-faced and kind-hearted old man was about to die, or had already passed away. Her My heart was as sad as a knife.
Although she reprimanded the children, she actually resented Hui Jiankang in her heart. In the past, she would avoid the old patriarch whenever possible...
I didn’t expect him to treat them like this….
"The reason is to let Hai'er study hard..." Ms. Cao covered her face and cried, "When we go back, we will kowtow to our great grandfather..."
Houses, shops, and ethnic studies are temptations that are difficult and unreasonable to refuse...
Serious illness, death, and funerals are morally unavoidable obligations of loyalty and filial piety...
This time, they had no other choice but to return to Jiankang.
Gu Shiba Niang sat on the ground blankly, as if she heard the roaring laughter of the God of Destiny.
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It will be on the shelves tomorrow, I have nothing to say, and I dare not promise it so early. I know my own faults, so I can only do my best and learn from my past mistakes. Whether it is good or bad will be discussed after I finish the book.
Thank you to everyone who has been with you all the way and never left me.