Seeing that Gu Fangzi didn’t seem to care about the matter, Mrs. Wang felt even more uneasy and said with a laugh, "You should go back to the peony garden first! I think your cousin is busy and doesn’t have the time! When he is free, he will come to see you!"
With these words from her, Gu Fangzi felt relieved and couldn’t help feeling smug. She smiled in acceptance and turned to leave.
"Mrs. Jiang, send someone to check on what Fengju is doing! If he’s not busy, ask him to come over!" As soon as Gu Fangzi left, Mrs. Wang immediately gave the order.
Gu Fangzi left the main courtyard with a triumphant air, strolling slowly back towards the peony garden, when she suddenly saw eleven or twelve servant women carrying several large wooden boxes nearly as tall as a person toward Ningyuan. She turned her head to look in the direction from which they came; it was indeed from Shi Fengju’s study.
Gu Fangzi stopped in her tracks, "Go find out what’s going on."
Lan Xiang hurriedly went to ask and soon came back to report to Gu Fangzi: "These are gifts the young master brought back from his trip on the ship, they are being carried to Ningyuan to be given to Grandma Shi..."
A block of resentment formed in Gu Fangzi’s heart, her eyes flickered, and she said indifferently, "Let’s go too, to Ningyuan, to pay respects to Grandma Shi!"
So, her cousin has changed his heart! In the past, whenever he returned, the first and best gifts were always for her, but this time, he did not mention it at all and instead was making such a spectacle by sending the gifts to Ningyuan! What bewitching tricks has Sang Wan used to nearly steal her cousin’s soul away!
"Miss, let’s, let’s go back instead..." Upon hearing this, Lan Xiang was startled and felt a tingling sensation on her scalp.
Here she goes again! Anyone with clear sight can see the young master favors Grandma Shi, so why does the Miss insist on asking for trouble by butting in?
"What? Scared?" Gu Fangzi snorted coldly.
"No, not at all!" Lan Xiang shrank her neck, "This slave, this slave just thinks... it’s not very appropriate..."
"Shut up! It’s not your place to speak!" Gu Fangzi sneered, "Not very appropriate? I don’t think so! Even if she does not acknowledge me as her sister, it is still necessary for me to call her ’sister’!"
Calling her ’sister’, that’s still letting her off easy!
By the time Gu Fangzi arrived, the servants had already delivered all the wooden boxes and, after receiving a tip, they left with big grins having thanked for the grace. The five or six large wooden boxes sitting in the side hall were particularly conspicuous.
"Sister!" Gu Fangzi didn’t wait for someone to announce her arrival and with a handkerchief in her hand, she walked in with a smile, "Your sister has come to pay you respects!"
"You’re here, sister? Please take a seat!" Sang Wan smiled slightly and ordered tea to be served.
Gu Fangzi then smiled and said, "I am drinking such fine tea before even offering one as a respect to you, sister! It really makes me feel guilty!"
These words sounded awkward and made Liu Ya, Hong Ye, and others furrow their brows involuntarily. Mrs. Li then smiled and said, "I always say, the cousin Miss is so efficient! Sometimes, perhaps a little too much so! It’s still early, cousin Miss actually doesn’t need to come to pay respects to Grandma Shi right now. It wouldn’t be too late even if you came after three years! I think cousin Miss better stay in the peony garden to observe mourning; it would also spare Master Gu up in heaven the distress of seeing the cousin Miss not observing mourning for him!"
The color drained from Gu Fangzi’s face, and she smiled towards Sang Wan, "And here I thought that Ningyuan was under my sister’s control by now, it seems not! Mrs. Li, you really do worry a lot! Aren’t you afraid that outsiders would say you hold too much power and don’t consider yourself an outsider? Ha ha, luckily, you have no daughters, or if they followed in your footsteps, my sister would never have real control over Ningyuan! Oh, look at my poor memory, I misspoke again! How could you not have daughters, Mrs. Li? Even if not by blood, you have goddaughters, right?" Gu Fangzi giggled as she spoke.
Mrs. Li was furious, "What, what do you mean by this?"
Gu Fangzi sneered, "It seems I’m not wrong, Ningyuan is indeed Mrs. Li’s world! Whatever Mrs. Li wishes, who would dare say half a word against her? Which servant would dare to interrupt when the Master is speaking? And which servant would dare to address the Master as ’you’ and ’me’? Oh, I made a mistake again! Mrs. Li, with your hard work, you are a great hero in the house, even in front of the Mistress, you are someone of status, how could you be called a servant!" Without paying heed to Mrs. Li’s pale face and trembling lips, Gu Fangzi pitifully continued, "Mrs. Li, Fangzi is young and doesn’t know how to speak properly, and even less so to please you! Please don’t be angry with Fangzi! If you were to complain to the Mistress, Fangzi would be in big trouble! Fangzi apologizes to you!"