Chapter 122 The sudden grievous news
The next morning, after sending Zhang Hanfang away, there was no one else not pleasing to the eyes at the resort. Shu Huan finally felt relieved and cheerfully picked up her brush and did some embroidery. Gu Xiran was still busy dealing with the aftermath of the fire. He also sent someone to deliver a letter to Gu residence.
The two people hid in the room and ate alone all the three meals a day. There was no one else in the room with them. There was no need to restrain from speaking. They leisurely chatted while eating. Suddenly, they had the illusion that the years were good quiet like this as if this subtle happiness could continue for a long time until their hair turns white and until the end of time.
It was really just an illusion.
If they lived in the modern times, they could enjoy a world with only the two of them after they closed the door of their house. However, in this large residence where there were many people and many affairs, even if you closed the door, there would still be someone that will open it.
At night, before going to sleep, Shu Huan had just taken off her accessories and loosened her hair when she almost jumped up from shock by a rush of knocks on the door.
Gu Xiran was reading on the bed. After hearing this, he very unhappily frowned and asked, “What’s the matter again?”
Uh, why did he say again?!
The two exchanged a glance. Their eyes showed helplessness.
Outside the door, Huiyun’s voice could be heard. The thing that made her anxious like this would definitely not be a trivial matter.
“Second young master and mistress, get up quickly! Someone from the residence came with a message saying that eldest young master, he…he had passed away!”
Shu Huan’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly dropped the comb and rushed to open the door, “What had happened? Explain it clearly.”
Huiyun shook her head vigorously, “I don’t know. I asked the person who came with the message, but he also couldn’t tell. He only said that second young master and mistress should quickly go back. The residence is in a mess. Master fell ill. Old madam almost died from crying. Eldest young mistress had lost herself. When talking to her, she only shouted that she wanted a rope (for suicide) …”
When Gu Xiran listened till here, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to ask much more and said, “Get the carriage ready. We will leave immediately!”
The matter was a bit bizarre but it was very serious.
Shu Huan thought while biting her lips. She called the maids. It was still Meijing who rushed over with a flustered look, “Second young mistress, what is your command?”
“Go pass the message at doctor Ji’s and master Du’s that we will leave now. If they want to stay some more days, they can stay. If they don’t want to, then let the housekeeper prepare the carriages for them. It’s not convenient for master Du to follow us inside the residence now. Let him stay for a few days at doctor Ji’s. After the matter is dealt with, second young master would let someone look for him.”
Meijing promised and went away.
Shu Huan had no time to pack up much. She only brought the money and jewelries. She and Gu Xiran changed into thicker clothes and she carelessly bundled her hair. She called Shang Xin, grabbed a lantern and went to the entrance of the resort.
They hurried all the way to the entrance. No one had the mind to talk. Halfway, concubine Yun and Xiangqian caught up with them. They were also silent.
Being on the road at night, the wind would be so cold that it would make people shiver. Shu Huan couldn’t help but look at the sky, wanting to see whether the sky was about to change.
Changing of the sky was used to refer when the emperor was about to be changed. Since GXT was the heir of Gu household, now that he had passed away, perhaps there will be fights for his position.
Obviously, it was the 16th of August when the moon should be the roundest, but it happened that the moon was hidden behind the clouds. Even the stars were not seen. The deep night was like a huge black net that was coming at them.
She suddenly got nervous. She had a feeling like weeds were growing wildly and recklessly.
Ever since she had time-traveled, she had never seen Gu Xitian. Towards the death of this stranger, she naturally didn’t feel grief. She only felt that life was like a fantasy and that the affairs of life were very unpredictable.
A few days ago, a person who was planning to go out to do business after the Mid-Autumn festival suddenly passed away. It let her feel that there was a great mystery to this and Gu Xitian’s importance in the family doomed that his death would cause a series of chain reactions. Whether the change would be good or bad to her and Gu Xiran was still unknown.
—
When they arrived outside of the entrance, there were already three carriages there. Naturally, it was impossible for the people of the resort to follow them immediately. Only a few of them followed closely. The others stayed there to pack the things before coming back.
Shu Huan walked to the front of the carriage and discovered that in the hurry, she even forgot to prepare the small staircase. Gu Xiran put his arm in front of her to support her into the carriage. She hasn’t sat down yet when she saw a few lanterns rushed over to the entrance. It was Ji Danqing, Du Qiu and mother Du who rushed over.
Gu Xiran saw that Ji Danqing was carrying his medical case. He couldn’t help but frown, “Doctor Ji, this…”
Ji Danqing still had a gentle attitude, cupped his hands and said, “It’s not safe to be on the road in the middle of the night. This humble one had discussed with Du Qiu. It’s better to go together. If something happens on the road, we can look after one another. Moreover, after you are gone, it’s very boring for us to stay here.”
Gu Xiran nodded slightly. He let the housekeeper prepare more carriages, but they had used many carriages when sending Zhang Hanfang away. The housekeeper could barely get one more carriage. Ji Danqing shared one with Du Qiu and mother Du went to the front to share one with concubine Yun.
When Meijing and the maids anxiously wanted to get into the carriage, Gu Xiran saw Huiyun. After thinking for a moment, he said to her, “You stay at the resort for the time being. I will send someone over to tell you when you can return to the residence.”
Huiyun was surprised for a moment. Then, her heart felt sour and painful. She didn’t dare to say more. She only handed Meijing the things in her hand and said, “Yes.”
This was equal to banishment and alienation in disguise!
She originally thought that if she dragged and didn’t choose someone to marry, she would be able ease the tension for some days and perhaps the matter would turn for the better. She didn’t expect that no matter how cautious and careful she was, she couldn’t stay at Gu Xiran’s side any longer.
Concubine Yun happened to hear this before she got into the carriage. Her heart was also fretting. She didn’t know whether she would have the same fate as Huiyun in the future. She suddenly felt the sad feeling of regret for her past deeds in her heart. If she had known that it would be like this, she wouldn’t have any bad thoughts, guard her status and live a peaceful life.
After everyone got into the carriages, they heard the driver raise the whip with a shout. The carriages began to move.
It was dark at night and there was no moon. Only the few lamps in front of the carriage illuminated the surroundings. The carriages couldn’t gallop. The horses listened to the drivers’ coaching and trotted forward. It looked like it was very tough.
Shu Huan couldn’t bear to look at it anymore and asked Gu Xiran in a low voice, “Were we too impatient? Seeing the way things are, it doesn’t seem like we can rush much. It was better to leave in the morning. It would only take two hours to catch up with this part of the night road and it would also not let these drivers be so tired.”
Gu Xiran sighed slightly and lowered the curtain. He said, “You are right, but after hearing the grievous news, travel at night and sleeping till dawn before embarking on the journey are two different things in the eyes of others.”
This was the reality!
Sometimes, people had to wear a fake mask. It wasn’t because he wanted to have a good reputation, but it was to be as thoughtful as possible to reduce unnecessary troubles.
Shu Huan was silent for a long time. Suddenly, she reached out and tugged at Gu Xiran’s sleeve. She asked, “Do you still have the pepper water of before? I’m afraid that I will not be able to cry when I’m nervous.”
She had only experienced the funeral of her grandparents when she was a child. At that time, it was the funeral of her close relatives with whom she shared blood with. Naturally, she mourned. However, Gu Xitian was a complete stranger to her. She could have sympathy, sorrow and a faint sadness, but it wasn’t to the point where she would be all in tears and feel like her heart and lungs were being torn apart. She was truly afraid of being caught among a group of crying people when she couldn’t cry and that it would be very embarrassing.