Zhilan He nodded knowingly, listening to Zhou Chenyue describe how Gu En was surrounded by members of the Gu and Lan families. She glanced over there again, watching as people fawned over Gu En, practically pushing her to the sky. Zhilan He’s heart began to sink, piece by piece.
"Chenyue, are you very familiar with what’s going on in Gu En’s family?"
Zhou Chenyue chuckled and shook her head, "Even though I have been staying in this courtyard since I was over ten years old, who can be sure they really understand the others who live here, regardless of how well they seem to get along? Who doesn’t have secrets they’re afraid others will find out?"
Hearing Zhou Chenyue’s words, He Zhilan was reminded of the couplet in Grandfather Gu’s study again.
Gu En’s mother is from the Lan family and his father is from the Gu family. In Grandfather Gu’s study, there is a birthday couplet that she wrote when she was a child. Is it that Gu En’s family and her family are close, so they gifted the couplet to Grandfather Gu, or...
That Gu En’s family is also her family, Gu Zhilan?
"Zhilan, my brother is calling me over there. I’m sure he wants me to act obediently again and entertain the guests. Don’t move around too much while you’re sitting. I’ll be back after a while!" There, Zhou Hongjin was waving at Zhou Chenyue from a distance. After Chenyue nodded towards him, she instructed He Zhilan a few times before leaving.
"Okay." He Zhilan nodded and watched Zhou Chenyue go greet the elders with a forced smile. Her thoughts were still revolving around the couplet.
After sitting alone in the corner for a while, Zhou Chenyue did not return, and with Gu En surrounded by the Gu and Lan families, she had no chance to get close. Thinking about the couplet signed by Gu Zhilan in Grandfather Gu’s study, He Zhilan hesitated for nearly ten minutes before she got up and went towards the kitchen.
Perhaps everyone knew of Granny Gu’s temperament, so there was no one in the direction of the kitchen. He Zhilan had a clear path to the kitchen door. She was just about to knock, when she saw Mother Lan walking over.
Almost subconsciously, like a thief feeling guilty, He Zhilan quickly hid herself. She waited until Mother Lan entered the kitchen before she emerged, lightly shaking her head at herself. She wasn’t a thief, she was just visiting - why was she hiding from everyone?
She sighed lightly, hoping for understanding; she knew Mother Lan was not fond of her. Mother Lan was strict, even with Gu En, and this made her a little afraid of her.
Mother Lan did not close the kitchen door after entering, so when He Zhilan returned to the kitchen door, she naturally saw the person sitting with their back to her.
At first, she was determined to enter, but now her nervousness and fear mounted outside the door.
He Zhilan didn’t know if the term "bereavement of the close" described her feelings well, but, at this moment, her heart pounded as if it would leap out of her chest.
In the kitchen, the people there didn’t know someone was standing outside. After Mother Lan entered, she began talking with Granny Gu and Gu Mother about Gu En’s piano performance outside.
"Xiao’en hasn’t neglected her piano or studies at all these years. She played a piece outside just now, and everyone in the room stopped talking to look over at her. You all hiding in here missed it. The experience was just like attending a concert."