Within The Sound of Swallows - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Change in Marriage Fates

As it turned out, she had let her guard down too soon. Shen Guiya hadn’t become a fool; instead, she had become sharper, more clever. After getting to know everyone in the courtyard, she pointed at her and said, “Sister Guiyan is as beautiful as a flower; she must be the one who has captured Young Master Gu’s affection?”

Her tone was much gentler and more courteous than before, enough to make Shen Guiyan glance at her twice. She bowed her head slightly as a form of acknowledgment.

“I understand it all now,” Shen Guiya touched her own face and smiled. “Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, sister. You may proceed with your marriage now, and I will not have the slightest bit of objections.

This sudden gentleness from Shen Guiya, who had always been so quick to scold and hit her, felt so unfamiliar that Shen Guiyan wasn’t quite used to it. Still, if Shen Guiya could show mercy, Shen Guiyan would naturally welcome it. 

A crazy monk had once read her fortune, claiming that she would face great calamity at her coming-of-age¹ and great joy at the age of twenty, but great sorrow in her old age. Shen Guiyan felt that those street fortune-tellers, shaking bells and holding cloth sails, were not to be trusted, no matter how bald they were. Fate depended on how one chose to live.

She was nearly fifteen now, yet nothing had happened, right?

With peace of mind, she returned to prepare her wedding dress, and Qin Yiniang helped her with some embroidery. On a moonlit night, while she was embroidering a pattern on her dress, Gu Chaodong appeared once again, arriving with the wind. He stood just beyond her window and said, “I have spoken to my father. I will take you as my sole wife. Once we are wed, I shall find a perfect match for Fifth Miss.” 

Looking at him beyond her window, Shen Guiyan truly felt moved. Since she lived on the second floor of Swallow Pavilion, it was not easy for him to hang outside like that.

Therefore, she believed his words.

However, for some reason unknown, the previously calculated birth charts suddenly changed. When the matchmaker took her birth chart back to perform the customary rituals, it turned out that it clashed terribly with Gu Chaodong’s chart. The result revealed a very bad omen. Their fates were in conflict, making them unsuitable for marriage.

The entire Shen household was shaken. Even Gu Chaodong was dumbfounded. He and Shen Guiyan exchanged looks, both at a loss for words.

Since childhood, she had once been told that she bore a fate that would bring prosperity to her husband. How could she now have a fate that clashed with Gu Chaodong’s? Shen Guiyan’s face turned pale, but unlike those other young ladies who would run off to cry in hiding, she asked for Gu Chaodong’s birth chart instead and secretly took both of their birth charts to find someone else for another reading.

The fortune-teller said: “It may not be the perfect match under the heavens, but marriage is still feasible.”

No matter how much she thought about it, she still couldn’t understand why the matchmaker’s reading indicated incompatibility. As Shen Guiyan returned to the residence through the back gate and made her way around the long corridor, she happened to see Gu Chaodong hurrying off in the distance with Shen Guiya following behind him, smiling brightly.

“Do you truly dislike me that much?” Shen Guiya asked with a hint of laughter.

“Fifth Miss, please mind your behavior,” Gu Chaodong replied without looking back.

Shen Guiya pursed her lips into a slight pout, appearing quite adorable, yet a bit shameless as she leaned in closer and remarked, “You men are all so hypocritical, saying one thing while meaning another. Since I heard that we’ve already shared such… intimate moments, why are you still telling me to behave with propriety? Hypocrite.”

Gu Chaodong appeared at a loss for words. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and walked away. As the two of them turned down the corridor, Shen Guiyan couldn’t see anything anymore.

 “How can the Fifth Miss be so shameless?” Baoshan, standing behind Shen Guiyan, stamped her foot in frustration. “Taking advantage of the fact that you’re not around, she clings to Young Master Gu like glue. That seductive behavior of hers, could it be that she’s been possessed by some fox spirit from the lotus pond?”

Shen Guiyan sneered. “With how unruly she is, Young Master Gu would never take a liking to her, so what’s there to worry about?”

“But I’m afraid Young Master Gu might be bewitched…” Baoshan pouted.

“That won’t happen.” Shen Guiyan smiled gently, “I’ve known him since childhood, and it’s been six years now. I know his character well. He won’t betray me.”

After all this time, they knew each other well enough. Even if Gu Chaodong were to fall short in other aspects, he wouldn’t be attracted to someone like Shen Guiya, who lacked both talent and grace. She was confident in that.

It was a pity that, despite reading countless books, Shen Guiyan had only ever known one man. She was still too young to understand the fact that the more refined a man appears, the more deeply hidden his desires tend to be.

Moreover, hidden desires… were far more dangerous than the open ones.

Once they reached a secluded part of the manor, Shen Guiya boldly stepped forward, hooked a finger around Gu Chaodong’s belt, and shoved him into the nearby woodshed.

“What are you doing?” Gu Chaodong frowned.

Shen Guiya giggled. In one swift motion, she wrapped her leg around his waist, saying, “Young Master, you may deny it with your mouth, but your body is clearly telling me a different story, don’t you think?”

Her hand slid downward, with movements far too daring for any proper ancient lady. Gu Chaodong was so stunned he momentarily forgot to resist.

Shen Guiya’s body was inhabited by a soul from the 21st century, but it was not exactly a good one either. Having spent a long time in nightclubs and bars, she became quite skilled in handling men. Coming to this unfamiliar place, of course, the first thing she needed to do was to find the male lead.

After looking around, only Gu Chaodong barely met her standards. Additionally, it seemed that the original owner of this body also liked him, so he was probably the one.

The men she had set her eyes on, not one of them was able to escape her grasp. 

Gu Chaodong was about to raise his voice when his face suddenly turned bright red. The woman, breathing softly like orchids, whispered in his ear, “Why struggle? Such matters are always of mutual consent. Young master, don’t you want… to have an enjoyable time with Ya’er? Hmm?”

It was not the beautiful appearance that was terrifying, but rather, it was the lethal skills combined with it. Gu Chaodong was already weary and troubled over the matter of the birth charts. Now, coupled with Shen Guiya’s irresistible seduction, he decided to simply let go of all his thoughts and succumb to his body’s desires.

A passing servant overheard the noise they were making, gasped sharply, and then immediately turned to run toward Madam Shen’s courtyard.

Madam Shen, however, remained calm. Upon hearing the news, she didn’t make a big fuss or send anyone to catch them in the act. Instead, she quietly dispatched a few of her maids to block the door of the woodshed. Once everything was over, she had the two brought back to her courtyard for a talk.

Meanwhile, Shen Guiyan felt strangely uneasy. After embroidering her wedding dress for a while, she stepped out to look at the stars in the sky.

 “Miss, you should rest early. Everything is going smoothly,” Baoshan teased with a smile. “There’s still more than a month to go, so there’s no need to rush.”

Shen Guiyan nodded and went back inside to sleep. However, her dreams were all a mess, and when she woke the next day, there were dark circles under her eyes. She spent quite a while in front of the mirror to make them less noticeable.

“Today, I want to take my birth chart to the Gu residence myself,” Shen Guiyan said.“The one the matchmaker delivered last time may have had some issues.”

“Alright.” Baoshan picked out a goose-yellow long dress for her, paired with a lotus-colored top, making her look pristine and elegant.

As soon as they reached the door, Madam Shen unexpectedly blocked their way.

“Someone from the Gu residence will be coming shortly,” Madam Shen said sternly. “You can wait in the main hall. There’s no need to go in person.”

Shen Guiyan frowned slightly, but she couldn’t defy her. Thus, she could only nod in agreement and sit in the hall.

To her surprise, Gu Chaodong showed up with a deathly pale face, completely different from his usual carefree demeanor. Shen Guiyan wanted to ask what had happened, but old nanny Xiurong stood firmly in front of her, giving her no chance to speak.

Gu Chaodong stood in the hall for a long time. The way he looked at her was full of guilt and conflicting emotions. In the end, he gritted his teeth and said, “There’s nothing wrong with the Third Miss’s birth chart. The wedding will proceed as scheduled.”

“What did you say?” Madam Shen flew into a rage. “You were caught in the act for the second time, and the young master still wants to claim that Ya’er is forcing him? Even now, you still won’t take responsibility for her?!”

Shen Guiyan was confused. “What…. what do you mean second time?”

Beside her, Shen Guiya sat quietly with her head down. She forced a smile as she said, “Mother, there’s no need to be angry. What happened last time in the woodshed with Young Master Gu… it was also because your daughter is lowly and willingly gave herself to him again. Since Young Master Gu is unwilling to take responsibility, then I wish for him and Elder Sister to have a long and happy life together.”

“Guiya!” Madam Shen scolded angrily, “He took your innocence and left you with a ruined reputation. How can you still defend such a man?”

Shen Guiyan felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. Hearing these words, she was frozen stiff, unable to move. She could only stand there, continuing to listen in a daze while staring blankly.

Women in ancient times hadn’t read Tianya² forums or seen any of Douban’s³ outrageous melodramatic shows. Obviously, they had no idea how fierce modern women could be when fighting over a man. Faced with such circumstances, 

Shen Guiyan’s mind went completely blank.

Shen Guiya began to cry in grievance. Gu Chaodong immediately lifted his robes and knelt down again, his face filled with guilt and inner turmoil. “In this matter, I am the one who has wronged Fifth Miss. I hope you don’t degrade yourself because of it.”

Shen Guiyan remained frozen and could only watch them.

“What should we do about this?” Madam Shen turned to her. “Are you still planning to marry the man who had repeatedly taken your sister’s virtue?”

Gu Chaodong looked up at her in panic, and Shen Guiya also glanced at her differently.

It didn’t matter what she answered. There was no right answer to this question. Shen Guiyan gritted her teeth and finally said, “Let Father decide.”

***

✒️ TL Note:

Hi there! If you spot any mistakes in my translation, feel free to comment—I’d really appreciate it. Even if not, I’d still love to hear your thoughts!😊 And if you enjoyed my translation and wanna help me fuel the next one, you can bribe me with a coffee ☕ — it would mean a lot to me!💙