Lan Xiang glanced timidly at her before cautiously speaking, "Perhaps, perhaps it’s because Miss has not been in a good mood these days—"
"Is that it? Is that why?" Gu Fangzi cut her off.
"Yes," Lan Xiang sighed in relief and nodded earnestly, "Apart from that, Miss, you shouldn’t upset the young master. I can see that he seems, he seems to have changed a lot these past two days. You need to lower your stance, soften your attitude, otherwise—"
"Stop talking!" Gu Fangzi shouted in a low voice, her face turning pale. Standing under the sunlight, she felt a chill wash over her.
She didn’t need Lan Xiang to say more, as flashbacks were enough for her to recognize her own mistakes.
Dealing with men, being coquettish, and acting spoiled is charming, but sometimes it’s necessary to relent. Not just women, but men need to be coaxed as well.
During her absence these days, her cousin has been seduced by that vixen Sang Wan!
Gu Fangzi secretly fretted! She had been negligent.
"I am well aware of your loyalty to me. If it weren’t for your reminder, I might not have realized it yet! I will reward you properly later!" Gu Fangzi then softened her demeanor and spoke kindly to Lan Xiang.
"Miss, as long as you are well, I will be at ease. It’s my duty to be loyal to Miss!" Lan Xiang quickly smiled and expressed her feelings.
In her heart, she thought: Miss, you have finally come to your senses, as long as you don’t ask me to summon the young master anymore, I am willing to do anything!
"That’s the right way to think!" Gu Fangzi said with a smile: "Don’t worry, I will never treat you unfairly in the future! Let’s go, let’s return to the peony garden!"
If they wanted her to be a filial daughter and observe filial piety, then she would; if they wanted her to understand her place, she would remember it; if they found her annoying and meddlesome, she would be considerate and considerate! How hard could that be?
Once he sees her virtues, he will naturally change his heart back.
For the next two or three days, every morning, after paying her respects to Mrs. Wang, Gu Fangzi would dutifully stay in the peony garden to observe filial piety for her father. She did not bother Shi Fengju anymore, but took the opportunity to express her concerns for her aunt and cousin while in front of Mrs. Wang.
Shi Fengju, thinking that she had truly accepted her place, was only too glad to let the matter rest.
That day, claiming to have dreamt of her father the night before, Gu Fangzi intended to go to Guangling Temple to offer incense and pray for blessings, requesting the Master to chant sutras for his soul’s salvation.
This being a virtuous deed, Mrs. Wang naturally would not obstruct her, but instead praised her several times, and then instructed Sang Wan to arrange a carriage, appointing someone to accompany Gu Fangzi on her journey.
Gu Fangzi graciously thanked her "sister," showing no objections to Sang Wan’s arrangements, and left early the next morning. She was expected to return to the mansion after three days.
As the Mid-Autumn Festival was just around the corner, Sang Wan and the housekeepers were busy preparing for the mansion’s Mid-Autumn Festival banquet and sending festival gifts to relatives and friends, keeping them extremely busy. Seeing Gu Fangzi suddenly keeping a low profile and leaving the mansion for three days, it was certainly a relief for Sang Wan.
Just two days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, however, guests suddenly arrived at Shi Mansion.
Although they were called guests, they were actually family, for they were Shi Mansion’s eldest daughter Shi Yumei and her husband Ren Zhixian.
That noon, the couple arrived at Shi Mansion, bringing along Ren Zhixian’s concubine, who was also Shi Yumei’s former maid, Cui Zhu.
This elder lady of the Shi Mansion was truly her mother’s daughter, blessed with a mixture of her mother’s simplicity and suspicion, yet more imperious than her mother, convinced in her own judgment, refusing to listen to any dissent.
One can imagine how difficult it would be to deal with someone whose character combined these traits; remarkably, this eldest daughter was hugely doted on by her mother, virtually getting whatever she wished for in Shi Mansion, with no one daring to say a word against her.
Seeing the couple arrive, the doorman hurried to bow and scrape, greeting them with a smile: "Elder daughter-in-law and Master, you’ve arrived!"
Shi Yumei raised the corner of her mouth, scolding with a laugh: "What’s the matter? Is there any problem with this elder daughter-in-law returning to her natal home? Look at your surprised face, your eyeballs are about to fall out! Monkey, hurry up and show the way, I want to see my mother!"
"Yes, yes! Elder daughter-in-law, this way please!" The doorman bowed and led the three of them to the inner gate, where the matron upon seeing them also hurriedly bowed and smiled, leading them inside. A maid quickly ran to inform Mrs. Wang.