Chapter 9: 9.第9章 偶遇顾白婉

As expected, before Jia Fangmin’s "stroll through Qingzhou City" could even last half a moment, the Jia family carriage had already arrived in front of a shop displaying a recruitment sign for "Jin Yi Ru Hua."

The large, crimson characters were dignified and weighty upon a navy blue plaque, as eye-catching as the golden "Jia Estate" sign in front of the Jia residence. Even so, Jia Fangmin deliberately made the already slow-moving horses slow their pace even further. He then turned around with a smiling expression, pointed at the sign, and said to Gu Baiyu, "Doctor Gu, look how coincidental this is! This 'Jin Yi Ru Hua' is a fabric shop under the Jia family's name. Since we are passing by, would you be interested in sitting in the shop for a while?"

Had it not been for the old shopkeeper, who was already greeting them with a beaming smile at the shop entrance, Gu Baiyu might have actually been fooled by Jia Fangmin’s sincere and surprised expression, believing that her carriage had truly just happened to pass by "Jin Yi Ru Hua" by chance.

Sitting alone in the second-floor private parlor of "Jin Yi Ru Hua" drinking tea, Gu Baiyu naturally knew that as an honored guest, she only needed to sit in the parlor and wait for the shop assistants to bring the desired fabrics before her for selection. However, she also knew that the fabrics brought to her by the shopkeeper and assistants—acting on the instructions of the Jia couple—would undoubtedly be the finest quality in the shop, most of which were suited only for young ladies of noble families to flaunt their elegance at banquets.

Thus, she instructed Chaxin to follow the shop assistants to select a few pieces of ordinary, lightweight, and breathable fabric, making it easier for the three of them to move about the manor in their daily lives.

As the tea fragrance drifted, what was placed before Gu Baiyu was the "Mist and Rain over Emerald" tea, unique to the Jiangnan region. It was light and refreshing upon entering the mouth, slightly bitter yet leaving a sweet aftertaste. Sipping the tea bit by bit, Gu Baiyu couldn't help but think of her grandfather from her previous life, who had loved drinking tea most of all, but she was abruptly jolted back to reality by a shrill, dainty voice.

The voice pierced through the screen shielding the private parlor and entered Gu Baiyu's ears directly. The memories of the original host, buried deep within her mind, couldn't help but shudder. A cold smile curled on Gu Baiyu's lips as a name surfaced in her mind: Gu Baiwan.

"Zixu, bring that fabric back to me! I want to see which blind person is sitting in that parlor, daring to snatch things from me. Do they want to make an enemy of our Gu family or what?"

Just as Gu Baiwan's indignant voice fell, the muffled explanation of a shop assistant sounded from outside the screen. However, before the assistant could finish, Gu Baiwan's relentless voice rang out again.

"You are nothing but a lowly servant; by what right do you obstruct me? She's hiding in the parlor too afraid to come out; she must have realized she offended my Gu family and is likely so terrified she's jumped out a window to escape. Why are you still standing here blocking me? Truly a lowly thing!"

"Too afraid to jump out a window? With just you?" A cold voice drifted from behind the screen. Before the final note had even faded, Gu Baiyu had already stepped out of the parlor, looking at the arrogant and hysterical Gu Baiwan with an icy expression.

Originally, she had no intention of clashing with Gu Baiwan—not because she feared her, nor because she worried about losing face for the Gu family, but because she was too lazy to waste breath on someone irrelevant. However, seeing Gu Baiwan's endless tantrum and her reckless verbal abuse of the shop assistant, Gu Baiyu's temperament—which never allowed others to suffer innocent blame on her behalf—was provoked. Thus, she stepped out to confront Gu Baiwan; she wanted to see how long this pampered youngest daughter of the Gu family, her so-called third sister, could remain so overbearing.

"You... it's actually you?!"

Initially intimidated by that bone-chilling voice, Gu Baiwan instinctively took a few steps back to protect herself. But the moment she looked up and saw the figure standing before the screen, she immediately regained her haughtiness. She pointed at Gu Baiyu and said to the shop assistant in a condescending tone

"I say, you really are blind, arguing with the dignified Second Miss of the Gu family for the sake of such a girl from a lowly, poor household. But then again, though she's dressed in rags, her features are somewhat delicate. If she were to tug at your sleeve and act pitiful, you might just lose heart for a moment. Fine, just send this fabric to the Gu family carriage, and I won't hold it against you."

"Oh? When did Gu Baixi depart for the Western Paradise? No one even came to the manor to report her death. Father is truly something; even though Gu Baixi was born of a concubine, she was his biological daughter after all. How can he handle her funeral so carelessly?" Before the shop assistant could say anything to Gu Baiwan, Gu Baiyu spoke up coldly, a faint, mocking smile playing on her lips.

"You! What nonsense are you talking? Baixi is perfectly fine! Why are you cursing her?" Looking utterly exasperated, Gu Baiwan's hand, which was pointing at Gu Baiyu, trembled with rage. Zixu, standing nearby, rushed forward to support her, only to be violently pushed away by her.

"So she is still alive? Then why are you so eager to claim you are the Second Miss of the Gu family? Could it be that you are yearning for her to depart for the Western Paradise soon so that you can enjoy her favor all to yourself?" Stepping forward two paces, Gu Baiyu's eyes, like celestial ice, stared intently at Gu Baiwan, forcing her to take two steps back, though she became quite enraged once she regained her senses.

"Gu Baiyu, do not spread rumors here! Baixi and I are of the same mother; of course I wish for her well, how could I wish for her... wish for her... As for you, I truly wish you would just die!"

"Oh? Is that so?" The smile on her lips deepened. Gu Baiyu took several steps forward to press closer to Gu Baiwan. Seeing that the girl had no more room to retreat and was about to bump into the staircase railing, Zixu, standing beside her, rushed forward to push Gu Baiyu away, only to have her wrist caught by the arriving Chaxin.

"Zixu, you are merely a maid; how can you strike a lady in an act of insubordination? If others were to see this, they would truly think the Gu family is a lawless, uneducated, and lowly household!"

Glancing at Gu Baiwan's face, which was turning various shades of pale and green, Gu Baiyu looked at Chaxin with eyes that seemed to be smiling.

This girl was quite silver-tongued. In just two short sentences, she had not only insulted both Gu Baiwan and Zixu but had also brought up the Gu family's reputation—the thing Gu Yengeng cared about most—to warn Gu Baiwan against further recklessness, all while skillfully distancing herself. After all, those words, "lowly, poor household," had come from Gu Baiwan's own mouth. Even if she did not treat Gu Baiyu as a member of the Gu family, in the eyes of outsiders, they were a single entity of shared honor and disgrace. If Gu Baiyu was a wild girl from a lowly household, then Gu Baiwan was also a wild girl from a lowly household, and the Gu family empire that Gu Yengeng had worked so hard to build would be smoothly categorized as belonging to such a lowly household.

"You!" Infuriated, Gu Baiwan rushed forward recklessly, grabbed Chaxin by the collar, and raised her right hand to slap her, shouting viciously, "Remember, the rule of the Gu family is that servants cannot defy their superiors! Stand still! Today, I shall teach this lowly wench a proper lesson!"

In that split second, just as Gu Baiwan's raised hand was about to strike Chaxin's face, Gu Baiyu suddenly took a step forward. With a dull thud, Gu Baiwan's hand passed through Gu Baiyu's feigned defensive hands and landed heavily against Gu Baiyu's chest. Simultaneously, Gu Baiyu's raised arm pushed Gu Baiwan away with perfect timing, causing her to fall heavily to the ground.

The moment she fell, Gu Baiwan instinctively reached out to grab the patterned embroidered silk cloth on the table, but instead, she pulled the tablecloth down. The teapots and cups on the table fell and shattered into pieces, cutting her palm.

"Miss!" Seeing Gu Baiwan's bleeding hand, Zixu cried out and moved to support her, but she felt as if Gu Baiyu was about to step forward to cause more trouble. She turned around and raised her hand to strike Gu Baiyu, only to be thrown ruthlessly to the ground by a professional over-the-back throw.

Looking down at the two master and servant lying in a pathetic state on the floor, Gu Baiyu calmly flicked her sleeves. Before Gu Baiwan could open her mouth to make a sound, Gu Baiyu said in a cold tone, "In the Great Xing Dynasty, the greatest taboo is insubordination. Gu Baiwan, although you struck me and spoke insolently, I will let it slide out of consideration for your young age and lack of maternal upbringing. As for Zixu," Gu Baiyu's icy gaze fixed on Zixu, who was clutching her right arm and moaning softly, "today is just a small lesson. If you do it again, it won't be as simple as losing an arm!"

"You..." Gu Baiwan wanted to say more, but she was repelled by Gu Baiyu's sweeping, icy gaze. She shrank back submissively, looking at her bleeding palm but not daring to cry out in pain.

"Chaxin, have you finished choosing?" Ignoring the master and servant, Gu Baiyu turned to ask Chaxin. The expression that had been sneering a moment ago instantly reverted to its former indifference and composure, as if nothing had happened.

"Reporting to Miss, it is all chosen. Would you like to take a look?" Similarly ignoring Zixu's hateful gaze, Chaxin replied to Gu Baiyu.

"No need, I trust your judgment." Gu Baiyu nodded to Chaxin, then turned to the shop assistant who had been following her, "Then, I must trouble you to send them to Manager Jia's carriage."

"Doctor Gu, please do not be so polite; this is what I ought to do." Hearing Gu Baiyu treat him so politely, the shop assistant waved his hands repeatedly, though his dissatisfaction with Gu Baiwan, who had just scolded him without cause, grew even deeper.

"Doctor Gu, this way please," the kind-looking old shopkeeper said with a smile as he stepped forward again. He pointed at the peach-blossom pink silver-thread silk that Gu Baiwan had just tried to snatch and said with feigned surprise, "Who brought this fabric here? This is sheer nonsense! How can fabric of this quality be worthy of Doctor Gu's status? Quickly, take it down and bring the high-grade Purple Cloud Soft Smoke Gauze that arrived the day before yesterday for Doctor Gu!"

Glancing sideways at the smiling old shopkeeper, Gu Baiyu couldn't help but think to herself, *Old fox.*

The fact that no one had appeared despite such a large commotion on the second floor meant he had likely been hiding on the sidelines, waiting to see which way the wind blew so as not to offend either side. Now that he saw she had the upper hand and that any trouble wouldn't be blamed on him or "Jin Yi Ru Hua," he had come out smiling to curry favor.

This Jia family—truly, every single one of them was a talent.

"Miss..." Chaxin, following behind Gu Baiyu, suddenly spoke in a low voice. Her eyes kept darting toward the peach-blossom pink silver-thread silk, her handsome little face showing a hint of embarrassment and hesitation. "Miss, this servant... this servant really likes that fabric. Since the shopkeeper said it wasn't anything too special, could... could you grant it to me to make a set of clothes?"

Having said that, Chaxin lowered her head bashfully.

A fleeting smile appeared on Gu Baiyu's indifferent face. Knowing that Chaxin was intentionally rubbing salt into Gu Baiwan's wounds, Gu Baiyu deliberately furrowed her brows. She looked the fabric up and down before saying with a hint of difficulty, "You really are something, liking a piece of fabric like that. Fine then. Old Shopkeeper, please trouble your assistant to send that fabric to the carriage as well. Remember to include it in the bill."

"Doctor Gu, what are you saying? It is merely a piece of worthless fabric. Since you have an eye for it, 'Jin Yi Ru Hua' will simply gift it to you. How could we charge you?" The old shopkeeper, who was as clear-sighted as a mirror, naturally understood the play being put on by the master and servant. Since his master had ordered him to treat Gu Baiyu as the highest guest, he naturally had to support her. As for whether the grudge between Gu Baiyu and Gu Baiwan would deepen, that was a family matter of the Gu family and had nothing to do with him.

"Then, many thanks, Shopkeeper." As her gaze swept over Gu Baiwan, who was standing up with the help of the shop assistant, Gu Baiyu's heart was filled with contempt.

Seeing the sun gradually sinking in the west and the light dimming, Gu Baiyu took Chaxin and boarded the Jia family carriage to head toward the eastern suburban manor, fearing that if they returned late, they would face another lecture from Nanny Liu.

The journey was peaceful. Even when passing the Gu family mansion again, the carriage remained steady and was not intercepted by any retaliatory actions from Gu Baiwan. Rubbing her somewhat aching shoulders, Gu Baiyu watched the gathering twilight and breathed a slight sigh of relief. Just as she was about to relax her mind, she suddenly heard a chaotic commotion and the sound of gongs and drums ahead of the carriage. One cry after another of "Fire!" and "Save the people!" filled the street in a panic.

The path ahead was blocked by a frantic crowd. Seeing the burning residence dyeing half the sky red, Jia Fangmin had to stop the carriage. He turned to look at Gu Baiyu sitting inside and asked after a brief hesitation, "Doctor Gu, it looks like this fire won't be extinguished anytime soon. Should we turn back and take a detour through the small alleys?"

Before Gu Baiyu could speak, an urgent and high-pitched shout came from the fire scene ahead: "We've rescued someone! Doctor! Is there a doctor here?! We've rescued someone and need a doctor! Doctor! Is there a doctor here?!"