Mrs. Liu wept as she said, "How could Min'er say that? She fell into the pond by accident that year. Who would harm her?"
At that time, there were not many children in the mansion who could run and jump except Gu Jia and Gu Ying. The other children were still young. How could they harm anyone?
The cold wind howled outside, as if evil spirits were wailing. The cold breeze blew in through the window lattices, increasing the flickering frequency of the candle flames in the room, adding a lot of sinister and terrifying atmosphere.
Mrs. Liu suddenly gritted her teeth and said, "Mother, it seems there must be something going on about Min'er's drowning back then! Someone in the mansion must have harmed my Min'er. Mother, you must do justice for my Min'er!"
Gu Jia's face grew paler, and her body swayed as she saw her mother's hateful look towards the murderer.
Gu Old Madam was an experienced old lady who had seen a lot in her life. She pursed her old lips and said in a deep voice, "Don't spread this matter for now. It's just a dream and can't prove anything yet. As for the memorial service, it happens to coincide with the eve of the new year to get rid of bad luck, so let's do it well. Follow the old rules and ask Steward Wu to invite Master QingFeng over."
Gu Ying happily said, "Grandma is wise. Master QingFeng has great magical powers and can always communicate with gods and ghosts. If he comes, he can definitely talk to deceased sister Min and find out who killed her!"
Gu Old Madam's face was solemn as she said, "Um, let's see what Master QingFeng can find out later."
Mrs. Liu wiped away her tears, feeling her heart was about to break.
Her Min'er was only ten years old at that time... Such a beautiful little girl had not even grown up yet. She always called her mother dearly. She was sensible and kind. Who...who harmed her? If she found out, she would flay that murderer herself!
Gu Jia's lips quivered, and she felt weak all over.
She wanted to say something to comfort her mother, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn't get the words out.
She glared angrily at Gu Ying and saw her leaving Yongshou Hall. She hurried to follow her out.
In the main room, Mrs. Liu was still sobbing in grief.
Gu Old Madam beckoned Li Mama over and said, "Go take a look."
Li Mama nodded and hurried out.
Soon, she ran back in a panic and said, "Reporting to Old Madam, what Second Miss said is true. That old winter plum tree has bloomed with flowers!"
Mrs. Liu was also in a panic, "How...could this be? Is what that Gu Ying said in her dream true?"
Gu Old Madam's eyebrows were tightly furrowed as she squeezed the beaded necklace she had worn for many years.
This was an ill omen...
Li Mama added, "Usually no one pays attention to it... How could it suddenly bloom fully with such vibrant flowers covering all the branches? It looks very strange!"
Gu Old Madam felt a thud in her chest. She had lived to her old age... It had been a long time since she felt such panic. But today, seeing Gu Ying with tears streaming down her face, thinking of that tree, and everything that had happened these past few months, she felt something was wrong. That unknown factor and loss of control made her afraid.
Her fingers trembled as she was about to speak. Just then, it was time for the Gu sisters to come pay their respects.
As Gu Shuang entered, she shook the snowflakes off her cloak and laughed crisply, "Grandmother, what a good omen! The dead tree not far from the pond in our backyard has blossomed!"
Gu Old Madam's heart lurched and her complexion completely changed.
...
Outside Yongshou Hall, on the corridor leading to Cangwu Pavilion.
Gu Jia grabbed Gu Ying and her face was ashen. "Stop right there, explain clearly, what nonsense are you up to!"
Gu Ying frowned, "Eldest sister, what are you talking about? I just had a nightmare. Why are you so fierce? Eldest sister, don't tell me you have a guilty conscience?"
Gu Jia was rendered speechless by Gu Ying.
These past few months, she had been tormented by Gu Min's ghost, especially at night. The sound of blood dripping on the beams, drip drop, made her unable to sleep.
And those large words written in blood demanding her life back then...they all made her afraid.
She suspected that Gu Min's resentful ghost had really come back...
To settle accounts with her.
But she had only done it to gain her mother's exclusive love. What was wrong with that!
Gu Jia's lips were pale white as she tightly grasped Gu Ying's sleeve, not letting her leave. "Don't go! Tell me everything clearly. What else did you dream about!"
She was already becoming mentally abnormal, acting as if insane.
Seeing Gu Jia's abnormal behavior, Yin Lan quickly shielded Gu Ying behind herself and her face turned cold. "Our young miss just had a nightmare. We are sisters of one family. What does dreaming of a deceased sister prove?"
Her eyes shifted as she continued, "However, there is a saying in my hometown. If the soul of a deceased relative cannot rest in peace, they will appear in the dreams of someone who wronged them in life. At times like this, setting up an offering table, burning some paper money before the spirit tablet of the deceased, confessing one's wrongdoings against them, and asking for their forgiveness, then the resentful spirit will leave on its own."
She deliberately avoided looking at Gu Jia's changed expression and turned to her own young miss, earnestly advising, "Young miss, since sister Min sought you out, you must have unintentionally offended her sometime in the past. Tonight I will calculate an auspicious time for you. Go to the ancestral hall, burn some paper money for sister Min, atone for your wrongs, and sister Min will stop visiting you in your dreams."
She glanced at Gu Jia, hooking the corner of her mouth in feigned grievance as she nodded meekly, "Alright, I remember one year I accidentally tore sister Min's dress, which made her cry. That must be why sister Min resents me. Yin Lan... you have to calculate a good time for me. I absolutely can't let sister Min come find me again."
Having said that, she pulled Yin Lan to leave, "Yin Lan, hurry and prepare three incense sticks and paper money for me. I need to ask sister Min for forgiveness."
Yin Lan readily agreed, "Don't worry, young miss. This servant has seen village shamans do fortune telling before. The netherworld runs on an opposite timeline to the living. I learned some skills from those shamans and will calculate for the young miss when I get back."
She intentionally spoke loudly for a certain someone to hear.
"It's tiring work for you, Yin Lan."
"It's my duty, young miss. As long as it lets you sleep well, I'm willing to do anything."
"With you here, Yin Lan...things like this are not an issue."
The conversation between mistress and servant gradually faded until it could no longer be heard.
Gu Jia stood alone in the snow, unable to feel the physical cold, yet her heart had gone completely cold.
