Yue Ruxue withdrew her gaze and turned it upon Gu Youyou, opening with a sarcastic tone, "In the Marquis Residence of Lingnan, there’s only one person who dares to sleep like you do, and that’s my elder brother. You really have some nerve; my brother got up early today, and yet you slept until the sun was high in the sky."
Gu Youyou arched an eyebrow, her tone neither servile nor overbearing, as she spoke gracefully, "That’s precisely because I’m not a member of the Marquis Residence of Lingnan."
"You..." Yue Ruxue’s beauty turned chilly, finding herself suddenly at a loss for words. Her pursed lips gave off a sense of feeling bullied.
Gu Youyou’s face was the picture of innocence.
Yue Rushuang gently tugged at her second sister’s sleeve and whispered, "Second sister, don’t forget what we’re here for."
Gu Youyou arched an eyebrow, assuming a stance ready to tackle whatever might come her way.
Come at me then, you little scammers.
Yue Ruxue recomposed herself and asked sternly, "Are you a village girl from the countryside? How did you get to know Brother Zijin?"
"Through marriage," Gu Youyou candidly replied.
"What?" Several young ladies widened their eyes in disbelief.
"I’m asking how he came to marry you?"
Gu Youyou shrugged and said, "How should I know? Don’t you know that marriage is subject to the orders of one’s parents and the words of the matchmaker? I can’t make decisions on my own. When he came to our house to propose, my family told me to marry him, so I married him!"
...Can it really be so simple?
This woman spoke as if Brother Zijin was so eager to have her.
Yue Rushuang felt something was off and leaned over to whisper in Yue Ruxue’s ear, "Let’s drop it for now and find out more about her. Brother Zijin has been missing for years; it might have something to do with what he’s been through during that time."
Yue Ruxue stomped her foot in frustration, but there was nothing she could do in the face of the unknown.
A familiar light laughter drifted from the garden, and Gu Youyou chuckled softly.
Jin Zijin had returned, along with his close buddy.
"Ah, I just remembered I have some matters to attend to, so I won’t be joining you young ladies for a garden stroll. Feel free to chat amongst yourselves," she said.
After saying so, she slipped away like greased lightning.
Yue Ruxue stomped her foot and shouted after her, "Who do you think you are? Just a country bumpkin, what right do you have to stroll in the garden with this young lady? You sure have a talent for aggrandizing yourself."
Jin Zijin and Yue Rujing had already approached, and with Yue Ruxue’s voice being loud, it reached their ears just right.
Yue Rujing frowned slightly and said, "Ajing, who are you scolding? As a legitimate daughter of the Marquis Residence, creating such a ruckus in the garden could get you reprimanded by grandmother if she hears you."
Startled, the three of them swiftly turned around.
Their expressions greatly changed as they saw the oncoming figures, and they bowed their heads, visibly uncomfortable.
This embarrassing moment had been witnessed by her big brother and Brother Zijin, all because of that wretched country girl who had made a quick escape, damn her.
Of course, Jin Zijin knew who they were cursing, and with an almost imperceptible frown, he whispered to Yue Rujing, "Ajing, I’m going to check on Youyou. My apologies to you young ladies, but I must excuse myself."
With that, he strode toward the courtyard at the back.
Their gazes followed his tall figure until he was out of sight, leaving them with sullen faces.
How had a country girl managed to get ahead of them?
"Stop staring, he’s gone!" Yue Rujing chuckled, patted her sister’s head, and said, "Little one, how old are you? It’s been six or seven years since our sworn brother last left our home, when did you start harboring feelings for him?"
Who else but her big brother could tease girls so brazenly? The three young ladies’ faces turned red in an instant, and the young girls accompanying them blushed as well.