When Gu Shuang heard this, she finally let go of her and her eyes brimmed with tears.
Gu Ying had lived two lifetimes, but this was the first time she had seen the usually calm and mature little Gu Shuang cry so ungracefully. Her heart felt soft, warm and sweet. Seeing her whole face covered in black mud, she couldn't help laughing, "How did you get yourself in such a state after one night apart?"
Gu Shuang was embarrassed as she wiped the black mud off her face. Although her face was black, a hint of blush could still be seen on her little face that was hard to make out.
"I'm... I'm... I'm sorry..." At this moment, a more ragged black figure emerged behind Gu Shuang, "It's my fault, I didn't protect the fourth young lady well..."
Gu Ying blinked her eyes. "And who is this dark knight?"
"Second young lady..." The man raised his hand. His whole robe was just like a big black dog that had just rolled out of the mud. He grinned awkwardly, revealing a mouthful of pearly white teeth, "It's me, Fu Xunzhi."
"What?" Gu Ying almost spit out the water she was drinking. "What were you two doing? Did you go take a mud bath?"
Fu Xunzhi was too embarrassed to speak.
A clear voice like water striking a rock floated over softly, "Last night, in order to find you, the two of them rode into the Black Forest and got lost again. Then they accidentally fell into the black mud pond. And to save each other, they both fell in together. So Ying, that's why you get to see two perfect little black people in front of you today."
Gu Shuang and Fu Xunzhi looked at each other, both with embarrassed faces.
Gu Ying turned around and looked at the gentle scholar walking towards her. Her eyes suddenly turned sour and tears welled up.
Without thinking, she rushed into Ye Qingchi's arms and grabbed his lapel like a child, crying.
Ye Qingchi was taken aback. If it were an ordinary person who dared to cry and hold him like this, he could have flung them eight feet away with a flick of his hand.
But this was not someone else. She was his aunt's only daughter, his father's most beloved younger sister's offspring, and the darling of the Ye family that they loved to no end but couldn't spoil enough.
The big hand hanging in the air froze for a moment before it landed on her shoulder and gently patted. He coughed lightly and said awkwardly, "Why are you crying? Did I scare you last night?"
Gu Ying shook her head. Looking up from his arms, tears rolled down her cheeks like a broken string of beads.
She fluttered her long eyelashes. Ye Qingchi's handsome, gentle and refined face was reflected in her reddened eyes. "No, I just miss my cousin and uncle so much..."
The entire Ye family had been harmed by Jiang Yin because of her...
She heard that her upright and incorruptible uncle had his tongue cut out by Jiang Yin when he was alive. That was not enough. Jiang Yin stuffed the tongue down his throat and put him in an iron furnace to steam him into a lump of meat paste.
Her aunt was sold to the brothel and ravaged by thousands...
When Ye Qingchi died, he was chopped into eight pieces and hung at the city gates. Her gentle cousin, whose clothes had always been spotlessly clean, was desecrated like that in the end...
Gu Ying really regretted it deeply and hated herself for not seeing Jiang Yin's true colors earlier, implicating her family who had truly cared for her...
"If you say this to your uncle in person, he will definitely be happy enough to eat two more bowls of rice." Ye Qingchi knocked Gu Ying on the head and laughed. "Earlier you said you wanted to sever all ties with the Ye family. What about it now?"
Gu Ying shook her head again, smiling through tears, pleading, "Those were just angry words from Ying's ignorant youth. We are blood relatives. How can we sever ties? Cousin, can you apologize to my uncle and aunt for me?"
"How can I say this for you? He was busy with your matter all night. If not for his old age and poor health, I'm afraid he would be here with me to see you now. My father's birthday is coming up soon. If you can come in person to congratulate him, I'm afraid he will be happy enough to eat three more bowls of rice."
Gu Ying was filled with remorse and gratitude. Her eyes were cleansed by the tears. "Alright cousin, it's a deal. I will definitely give Uncle a big gift then!"
Ye Qingchi was stunned for a moment, smiling at her. He had known since she was little that the Gu family's main branch would spoil her rotten. He had urged his father long ago to take his aunt's child into the Ye family to raise, but unfortunately Ying was close to the Gu family's main branch at that time and detested the Ye family.
They had been driven away several times when they went to the Gu residence.
Later, they could only secretly send people to watch over her without going to the door again.
Now that Ying had grown up and was slowly realizing who was truly good to her, he was satisfied.
"Go back to the Ye family camp to bathe and change your clothes before you go back. You're too dirty like this." Ye Qingchi was a cleanliness freak. If Ying wasn't his favorite cousin, there was no way he would let such a filthy person come within five steps of him.
His tone of disgust warmed Gu Ying's heart.
She could now distinguish between real disgust and fake disgust, but it wasn't too late.
"No, cousin, I have to go back to the Gu family first."
"Why?"
Ye Qingchi quickly realized mid-sentence and slapped his forehead. "Look at me, I almost forgot. You go back to the Gu family first. When you have time I'll have Mother go visit you."
If she returned without the clothes she left with, the main Gu family might make trouble out of it.
But when did this silly cousin become so careful?
Could it be that she learned it from being harmed in the Gu family?
Ye Qingchi was usually very gentlemanly, but even he couldn't help cursing the main Gu family branch in his heart.
Gu Ying's heart felt warm. Her nose turned slightly sour. "Alright cousin, I'll wait for Auntie."
As Gu Ying was leaving with Gu Shuang, she thought for a moment and still couldn't resist. She pulled Ye Qingchi's big palm over and slowly wrote Jiang Yin's name on it.
Ye Qingchi looked at her meaningfully.
Gu Ying pursed her lips and said seriously, "Cousin, be careful of him."
Ye Qingchi waved his hand. "Off you go. Your brother knows what to do."
Hearing the word "brother" made Gu Ying's eyes well up again.
After Gu Ying left, the corners of Ye Qingchi's smiling lips slowly drooped. The usual gentle and refined look in his eyes flashed a trace of fierceness.
...
After Gu Ying returned to the Gu family camp, she first went to pay respects to Mrs. Liu.
Gu Jia, Gu Wan and others were sitting around the fireplace chatting and laughing. Seeing Gu Ying come back alive from the great snowstorm completely unharmed, they were greatly shocked. With such a big storm, how could a weak woman come back intact?
She must have encountered great fortune!
And that damned Gu Shuang, a young lady of the main family, just had to follow Gu Ying everywhere, causing trouble at the Ye family last night and disturbing the Gu family's peace!
Seeing Gu Shuang's little black face, Gu Jia scolded Gu Ying and Gu Shuang as dirty things in her heart!
The atmosphere in the tent thus became awkward.
Gu Ying and Gu Shuang were not surprised by the happy scene in the tent. They glanced at each other, stood side by side, and bowed in greeting before Mrs. Liu.
