My Dearest Sister-In-Law, I've Been Waiting For You To Get A Divorce For A Long Time - Chapter 26

Chapter 26

◎ “Sister-in-law, oh sister-in-law, you are truly hard to figure out.” ◎

Gu Wenyao looked at Yi Yun, her eyes asking a silent question.

Mo Shuqing’s demeanor today felt strange to her. Gu Wenyao wasn’t afraid of Mo Shuqing knowing her feelings; after all, she had never tried to hide them. But she didn’t want Mo Shuqing to suddenly see everything in the secret room.

That room, which never saw the light of day, was like Gu Wenyao’s hidden inner world.

Now that the two of them were reconciled and their relationship was close, Gu Wenyao wasn’t ready to let Mo Shuqing see her “vile and disgusting” side. She was afraid that she would scare Mo Shuqing away and that their relationship would become distant again.

Gu Wenyao wore a smile on her face. She couldn’t tell if it was a genuine smile or just a mask. When she came to her senses, her lips had already curved upwards. Mo Shuqing’s finger was on the corner of her mouth.

Gu Wenyao looked blankly at Mo Shuqing, who was now standing in front of her. Her heart was beating like a drum, pounding against her eardrums.

If Mo Shuqing had been to the secret room, what would she think of me?

Would she think I’m crazy for keeping old items from eight years ago?

Would she think I’m disgusting for carefully keeping those useless calligraphy practice sheets?

Would she look at me like a freak, just like Mother Mo did, and wonder why I have such feelings for a woman?

Gu Wenyao’s lips twitched. She slowly raised her cold fingers and wrapped them around Mo Shuqing’s slender, pale wrist. She leaned her face into Mo Shuqing’s palm, tilted her head, and looked up at her. She asked in a low voice, “How does my sister-in-law plan to take me down?”

She even offered advice. “Has my sister-in-law ever fought a snake? You have to hit a long-bodied creature at its most fatal spot. Does my sister-in-law know where my weak spot is?”

Gu Wenyao smiled. She moved Mo Shuqing’s hand down and placed it on her own chest. Her eyes were fixed on Mo Shuqing. “Here.”

To kill me, just break my heart.

If Mo Shuqing were to say that she was disgusting and that she didn’t want to see her, Gu Wenyao would definitely not cling to her. She wouldn’t be like this, wagging her tail and acting spoiled just to get an extra glance from her.

Gu Wenyao was smiling, but the corners of her eyes were red. The smile on her face looked fake and rigid, making people feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Mo Shuqing knew that the test had to end here. If she pushed any further, Gu Wenyao might start crying while still trying to smile.

With one of her hands held tightly in Gu Wenyao’s palm and pressed against her chest, Mo Shuqing raised her other hand and used her handkerchief to wipe the corner of Gu Wenyao’s mouth, as if to wipe away her fake, forced smile. She said in a gentle voice, “I have always given Ayao whatever she wants. When have I ever refused?”

Gu Wenyao was startled. She looked up at Mo Shuqing, her eyes wavering.

Mo Shuqing lowered her gaze and gently brushed her thumb over Gu Wenyao’s reddened eyes. This made Gu Wenyao’s long eyelashes flutter like a butterfly’s wings. She looked so fragile that it made people feel a pang of pity.

The last time she had subconsciously stroked Gu Wenyao’s face, Gu Wenyao had given her an opening to retreat. This time, both of their gazes were on Mo Shuqing’s thumb, and neither of them said a word.

Gu Wenyao’s breathing was shallow. She followed Mo Shuqing’s hand up to her face. “Sister-in-law?”

Mo Shuqing suddenly came to her senses. She instinctively pulled her hand away, curling her fingers into her palm.

Yi Yun walked up to Gu Wenyao at the right time and subtly shook her head at her.

Mo Shuqing noticed Gu Wenyao’s gaze. She turned and looked at Yi Yun. “What is it?”

Yi Yun said, “The Marquis said he is sending the First Lady back to her hometown. They are packing up in the courtyard, and they are waiting for the second young lady to come and see what should be packed and what shouldn’t.”

Mo Shuqing sighed in relief. She nodded slightly. “Then I’ll go to Gu Shufeng’s courtyard to take a look. He’ll be leaving for Dr. Li’s manor after lunch.”

With that, Mo Shuqing and Liu Mama walked toward his courtyard.

Gu Wenyao placed a hand on her cheek. Her eyes were filled with confusion. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Mo Shuqing’s act of touching her eye was too intimate.

Gu Wenyao stepped into the courtyard. She didn’t rush to go into the secret room. Instead, she stood at the door and looked down at the few drops of bl00d on the ground.

Yi Yun followed behind Gu Wenyao. When she saw her stop, she said, “My lady, the door was already open like this when I came. The bl00d on the ground near the door hasn’t been cleaned up either. It’s clear that no one has been here.”

It was normal for no one to have had time to clean up the bl00d since all the servants had been sent to help with the banquet. So the door was still open, exactly as it was when she left.

Gu Wenyao didn’t say anything. She was only thinking about what she would have done if she were Mo Shuqing.

The Mo family’s rules were strict. They were a family of scholars. The daughters they raised were always polite and proper. They would never enter someone’s room without permission. Even though Mo Shuqing was close to her, she rarely came into her room without knocking.

Gu Wenyao walked slowly toward the half-open secret door. She pursed her lips.

Would Mo Shuqing go in?

If Mo Shuqing went in, then what was her attitude toward me today?

The secret door was pushed all the way open. Everything in the secret room was still the same. Even the window that Gu Wenyao had opened that morning was exactly the same as when she left. The only thing that had changed was the light coming in from outside.

Gu Wenyao placed her fan on the round table. She leaned on the table and looked around at the curio shelf in front of her.

The tall shelf was divided into many small compartments. Each one held an item. A pillow, a piece of clothing, a calligraphy sheet, or a handkerchief. Without exception, all of these things had been used by Mo Shuqing. Now, they had all been cleaned and neatly arranged by Gu Wenyao, with a tag and a date, as if they were priceless treasures.

Gu Wenyao was very satisfied with her secret room, but she didn’t want Mo Shuqing to see it. It was like her secret heart, like this secret room, a place that couldn’t see the light of day.

For the past eight years, on countless long nights, she had been in this secret room, counting these items until dawn.

She wanted Mo Shuqing to see this affection of hers, but she was also afraid of her seeing it in this way.

Gu Wenyao lowered her eyes. Her fingers tapped rhythmically on the table. She whispered, “Sister-in-law, oh sister-in-law, you are truly hard to figure out.”

This is a woman’s heart, after all.

…

The Embrace

It was the hottest time of the afternoon in the summer.

Three carriages were parked at the back gate of the Marquis manor.

One was for sending Gu Shufeng to Dr. Li’s manor to study. The other two were for sending Madam Gu and her daughter back to their hometown.

When Gu Wenyao arrived, Madam Yu was already crying uncontrollably, as if she wasn’t just sending her son off to study but to his grave.

Gu Shufeng looked impatient. “What’s the point of crying to me? Why don’t you go find my father and ask him to send me there a few days later? I just got better, and now I have to go study. If I had known this, I would have just taken a heavier beating and waited until after the autumn exams.”

Madam Yu patted his arm. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

She, of course, couldn’t defy the Marquis’s orders, so she could only advise her son, “When you get there, you must be polite and diligent. Listen to Dr. Li and try to get a good ranking in the autumn exams.”

Unlike the emotional farewell on one side, Madam Gu’s side was more tense.

When they saw Gu Wenyao approaching, Madam Gu and her daughter wanted to eat her alive.

Madam Gu sneered and asked, “Gu Wenyao, are you happy now? You’ve gotten me sent back to my hometown, and now you’re the only one in charge of the Marquis manor’s inner courtyard. Even though I’m leaving, I want to see how long you can be so smug.”

Gu Wenyao smiled. “Naturally, being smug for a while is good, but being smug forever is even better. From now on, you don’t have to worry about the affairs in the capital.”

Madam Gu caught a glimpse of a purple figure slowly approaching. Her mind turned, and she immediately changed her expression. She smiled and said, “What’s the point of defeating me? The one who is truly fighting you for the authority over the household is your sister-in-law, Miss Mo. It’s truly a shame that you two, who were once good friends, would turn on each other over the household’s authority.”

Madam Gu took two steps forward and stood in front of Gu Wenyao. She lowered her voice. “Why don’t you ask your sister-in-law why she married into this Marquis manor?”

Gu Wenyao raised her eyebrows slightly. She didn’t fall for the trick. “Is my aunt trying to sow discord between my sister-in-law and me?”

I knew my letters had been intercepted by Madam Gu!

“Auntie, instead of worrying about me, you should worry about Brother Mingchun,” Gu Wenyao said. “After lunch, the Yan family sent a gift, specifically stating it was for me. I’m sure they are thanking me for ‘breaking up’ the marriage between the Yan and Wu families.”

“The… the Yan family sent you a gift?” Madam Gu was shocked. Her eyes widened, and she froze in place. “How is that possible? The Wu and Yan families had already agreed. How could they suddenly break the engagement?”

Gu Wenyao feigned a thoughtful expression, looking completely innocent. “They had agreed, but who knew that the lotus appreciation banquet your aunt held would not find a husband for Miss Jingchun, but a groom for Brother Mingchun? The Yan family’s young lady probably didn’t want to steal his love, so she decided to fulfill Brother Mingchun’s ‘cut-sleeve’ desires.”

Gu Wenyao sighed softly. “A good marriage between the Yan and Wu families was ruined because you schemed against me. Now, everyone in the capital is saying that the Wu family is trying to use the Yan family’s daughter to get a son through a marriage scam. I’m sure all the young ladies in the capital will avoid Brother Mingchun from now on.”

She smiled. “Auntie, is this what you call losing more than you gained?”

“You—”

Madam Gu couldn’t handle the blow. The Yan family’s young lady was the one she had chosen out of thousands of others. She was the perfect person to pass on the family bloodline. But now, this marriage was ruined by Gu Wenyao.

Madam Gu was so angry and frustrated that she raised her hand to slap Gu Wenyao across the face. “Vixen!”

She was going to be sent back to her hometown anyway.

Madam Gu looked at Gu Wenyao’s beautiful and bright face. The more she looked, the more she hated it. She wished she could take a knife and scrape it off!

When she thought about her own fate and how her son’s marriage was ruined and her daughter couldn’t marry into a noble family, Madam Gu wanted to kill Gu Wenyao.

The slap came down with a gust of wind, showing how much force she was using.

Just as the slap was about to land on Gu Wenyao’s face, her arm was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled back.

Gu Wenyao stumbled back two steps. Her back hit a soft, gentle embrace. She was still in shock. First, she didn’t expect Madam Gu to actually hit her. Second, she didn’t expect to be pulled back like this. Her heart was beating violently, as if it was about to jump out of her chest.

Madam Gu’s slap missed. Her body was pulled forward by the force of her swing, and she seemed to have hurt her waist. She cried out in pain.

Gu Wenyao looked at the ridiculous scene in front of her. She turned her head in a daze and saw Mo Shuqing’s cold face, which was staring at Madam Gu.

Gu Wenyao’s breathing was shallow. When she realized what her back was pressed against, her ears slowly turned red. She turned her head and, when she looked down, she found that Mo Shuqing’s arm was wrapped around her waist.

My sister-in-law must be worried about me, Gu Wenyao thought. That’s why she’s holding me so tight, and her heart is beating so fast.

Thump, thump, thump. Each beat seemed to pound on her heart through her back.