宅男的天堂

The tears on Madame Yao’s face were clearly visible; her eyes were red and swollen, an indication of heavy weeping.

Marquis Gu hurriedly took a step forward and supported her by her shoulders. “Madam!”

Madame Yao nodded, held back her tears, and turned to look at the elderly lady in the backyard. She respectfully bowed, “Madam, I am departing now. I entrust Jiaojiao to your care.”

Madame Yao had never entered the palace and naturally did not recognize the elderly lady. Yet she already knew before arriving that the matriarch of the Xiao Liulang household treated Jiaojiao very well.

The elderly lady gave her a peculiar glance and remained silent.

Madame Yao asked Marquis Gu to retrieve the pastries she had forgotten in the carriage and personally handed them to the elderly lady, “I made these myself. I’m not sure if they will suit your taste.”

Uh-huh, the elderly lady’s expression seemed a bit more pleased.

Just as Madame Yao was turning around to leave, the elderly lady uttered a sound in response to her.

“…” Madame Yao was taken aback for quite some time before she realized what the elderly lady meant. She had responded to her earlier statement.

Did she only deign to respond because of the pastries?

Nevertheless, it hardly counted as an interaction. The elderly lady merely graced her with a word.

Madame Yao made pastries for everyone in the Gu Family, including Xiao Jingkong.

Afterwards, Madame Yao got into the carriage to return to the Marquis Residence with Marquis Gu.

Marquis Gu couldn’t wait to know what mother and daughter had discussed: “What did the girl say?”

“What she said…” Madame Yao remembered the scene after she revealed everything.

Gu Jiao’s reaction was calm, calmer than Madame Yao had expected. It was as if she had been told someone else’s story, not her own.

She then uttered a puzzled sound as a look of confusion flashed across her eyes.

Even though she was standing right in front of Madame Yao, she felt as if her daughter was very distant in that moment.

Throughout the entire conversation, Gu Jiao only said a single sentence that confused Madame Yao: “If only you had come earlier, even half a year would have made a big difference.”

Madame Yao didn’t understand.

Gu Family’s third son and his wife passed away nine years ago.

Their daughter got married a year ago, and the Yao Family broke away from the Gu Family a year ago as well.

Why did she wish they came half a year earlier?

Did something happen half a year ago that they’re unaware of?

Was she hurt?

Madame Yao left with these thoughts lingering in her mind.

On the other hand, Xiao Liulang asked for a half-day leave from the Academy, and headed to the Huichun Hall to get some herbal medicine. On his way back to the village in Uncle Luo’s ox cart, he crossed paths with Marquis Gu’s carriage.

The curtain of the carriage was blown up by the wind and Marquis Gu glimpsed at Xiao Liulang on the ox cart.

He was so startled that he stumbled and bumped his head against the carriage wall. The bump that had just subsided began to swell up again!

He rubbed his eyes, hoping to take another look, but the ox cart had already gone far away.

He stuck his head out of the carriage window, anxiously looking back.

“What are you looking at?” Madame Yao asked.

Marquis Gu withdrew his head, “Ah, nothing.”

What happened today? Did he forget to consult the almanac before leaving?

First, he came across an old lady from the countryside who resembled the Dowager Empress, then he bumped into a destitute scholar who looked like the young Marquis of Zhaodu.

The Dowager Empress was recuperating in the summer palace; the young Marquis of Zhaodu had already passed away. Neither of them could possibly appear here.

Marquis Gu privately grumbled, “It’s as if I’ve seen a ghost.”

Xiao Liulang saw Marquis Gu’s carriage as well. He didn’t look into the carriage window and thus, didn’t know who was inside.

But he noticed the horse’s horseshoes.

These weren’t ordinary horseshoes, these were the type used by the Marquis of the Capital City.

The carriage seemed to be coming from the direction of the village. Xiao Liulang’s first thought was that it was here for him. Particularly when both vehicles had passed by and were heading in opposite directions, the man inside the carriage surprisingly stuck his head out to observe him.

Xiao Liulang didn’t look back. He gave a cold glance and said to Uncle Luo, “Uncle Luo, could you please hurry? Jiaojiao is sick.”

“Alright!” Uncle Luo replied.

—

After Madame Yao and Marquis Gu left, Gu Jiao sat in her room, lost in thought for a while.

She remembered that whimsical dream. It turned out to be true – she was indeed true-born of the Marquis Residence.

“Huh, so it seems that I misunderstood him that day.”

When Marquis Gu said he was her father, he meant it literally. She had thought he was asking for a beating.

That wasn’t the point, though- the guy was so annoying, and serving him a beating didn’t matter. The real issue was that dream.

In the dream, it was not Madame Yao who had come to acknowledge her, it was Marquis Gu himself.

Neither Madame Yao nor Gu Yan appeared anywhere in the dream. Given the relationship between Madame Yao and Marquis Gu, it’s unlikely that she was divorced. Considering the health of both Madame Yao and Gu Yan, Gu Jiao speculated that they died before she returned to the Marquis Residence.