Chapter 12 – Past Events

It felt like a filter had shattered…

Still, Gu Yuzhu took note of the words “Aunt Zhou.”

She had the original host’s memories, but since the host was still young, most of what she knew came from overheard bits and pieces. Her memory extended mostly to knowing her parents’ names and little else. There wasn’t much usable information.

But Gu Yuzhu did remember that on the day she first woke up, Yan Fengru was arguing with Gu Dapeng, saying that her twin brother had almost died. If it hadn’t been for that boy from Sister Zhou’s family…

So, this “Aunt Zhou” was clearly the “Sister Zhou” Yan Fengru had mentioned. As for that “boy”—Gu Yuzhu thought for a moment—the cold and handsome older boy had actually saved her brother’s life!

Ah, it seemed she had gained a cold and dashing childhood friend. Just thinking about it made her happy.

Yan Fengru was happy too. One touch of the fabric and she could tell it was high quality—soft and pink, very flattering against her daughter’s complexion.

Pink was a picky color. If your skin wasn’t fair, wearing it was a disaster—it would only make you look darker. But Gu Yuzhu was born with soft, fair skin. Now dressed in an adorably pink outfit, she looked even more beautiful.

Smiling from ear to ear, Yan Fengru smoothed out her daughter’s clothing. She could tell the outfit had been ironed after being made. The stitching was fine, the fabric soft and even, and tiny flowers were embroidered around the sleeves and collar—it was obvious a lot of care had gone into it.

Yan Fengru figured she’d have to send a return gift to the Zhou family in a few days.

Friendships between families needed give-and-take to last long.

In these days of food and clothing shortages, for Sister Zhou to give them such a finely made and beautiful outfit—especially one made of fine cotton—it showed she had gone all out and truly cared for Yuzhu.

Much better than that so-called blood-related brother and sister. They probably wished for her two precious children to just die!

Just thinking about Gu Qingshan and his sister made Yan Fengru furious.

But for now, she didn’t show any of that in front of Gu Yuzhu.

She straightened her daughter’s collar and cuffs, thinking hard about what kind of return gift to give Sister Zhou.

Though Yan Fengru had worked as a head maid in a wealthy family in the provincial capital, she wasn’t skilled in needlework. That kind of skill required talent and years of practice starting in childhood. Besides, compared to Sister Zhou’s craftsmanship, anything she made would be embarrassing.

Maybe she could go to a tailor’s shop and buy a ready-made outfit for An-ge’er? Ready-made clothes were much more expensive than making them yourself since the workmanship had to be factored in along with the fabric cost.

Ah, she was truly envious of Sister Zhou’s skillful hands!

Or maybe she could just buy more fabric and let Sister Zhou make the clothes herself. If she bought enough for two full outfits, that wouldn’t be taking advantage of Sister Zhou, right?

Yan Fengru had always been someone who knew how to repay kindness and never took advantage of others. From the fact that Madam Zhou gave such a valuable gift, it was clear she respected Yan Fengru’s character.

And it also showed that the two of them had a very close friendship.

The more Yan Fengru thought about it, the better she felt. Madam Zhou was always frugal and, given her great skills, buying a ready-made outfit would cost more and still not look as nice as something Zhou made herself. That wouldn’t be worth it.

Madam Zhou and her son, Fu Chang’an, had fled to Qingshan Village. When they first arrived, they were in a miserable state—clothes tattered, faces grimy, and shoes worn through to the point of being bloody and frostbitten.

At that time, Madam Zhou was still a young widow. According to her, her husband had died while they were fleeing, and the rest of her family had scattered. Her only son, An-ge’er, was still a baby, emaciated from hunger.

It was a tragic sight!

The village head of Qingshan Village had a kind heart. Figuring that a widow and orphan probably weren’t bad people, he allowed them to stay.

The mother and son lived in a rundown old house that had been left behind by a deceased elder. Whenever it rained or the wind blew, it leaked everywhere. Still, it was a shelter from the elements.

Besides that, Madam Zhou had barely eaten a full meal since her escape, so her body was weak, and she couldn’t produce milk. An-ge’er cried from hunger every day. Yan Fengru couldn’t bear it, so she bought a goat that had just given birth from her younger brother’s family and gave it to them. That’s how their friendship began.

Probably because he had never had proper milk as a baby, An-ge’er was still very weak even at three or four years old. At the time, Yan Fengru had just given birth to twins and had more than enough milk. After feeding her own children, she still had some left and gave it to An-ge’er too. That’s how his health slowly improved.

Strictly speaking, Yan Fengru had been something of a wet nurse to Madam Zhou’s son!

Because of that, Madam Zhou was deeply grateful to her.

Sometimes, when Yan Fengru thought about how little An-ge’er—only eight years old—had jumped into the pond to save her Bo-ge’er, she couldn’t help but feel that this was karma returning the good she had done in the past with Madam Zhou and her son.

But the more she thought about it, the more scared she felt. How could such a little boy be so brave? What if something had happened? What if both children… Bah! Yan Fengru spat several times to ward off the thought, hating Gu Caihe and her brother even more.

After settling in Qingshan Village, there had been local thugs who tried to harass Madam Zhou, thinking she was an easy target. But she picked up a kitchen knife and chased one of them while carrying her child on her back. From then on, no one in the village dared mess with the seemingly soft-spoken widow.

Thinking back on her friend’s hardships, Yan Fengru couldn’t help but sigh. But thankfully, as An-ge’er grew up, Madam Zhou’s life had improved. She had amazing embroidery skills and would teach young girls in the village during her spare time. Of course, she only taught the basics and still charged a fee.

Gu Caihe had studied under Madam Zhou. At first, Madam Zhou refused to take a fee, but it was Yan Fengru who convinced her otherwise. “It’s Gu Dapeng’s money,” she said, “take it for teaching his daughter—don’t let it go to waste.”

But Gu Caihe was never cut out for embroidery. In the end, she barely learned how to cut fabric, and that was it.

…

“Mother, do I look good?” Gu Yuzhu noticed that Yan Fengru was lost in thought, so she twirled and asked innocently.

Yan Fengru snapped out of it and kissed her fair little face. “Oh my, who is this little fairy girl?”

Gu Yuzhu: “…” I may be an adult in spirit, but being praised like that… is really embarrassing!

The next day, Gu Yuzhu wore that beautiful new outfit to town. Though Qingshan Village wasn’t far from Qingyun Town, in the underdeveloped transportation of ancient times, a ten-li mountain road was still a long walk.

Yan Fengru doted on her child, so after walking two or three li, they got on an ox cart.

Under normal circumstances, ten li would take over half an hour to walk. But since the route included rugged mountain paths, it would take about an hour to get from Qingshan Village to Qingyun Town on foot.

Yan Fengru didn’t lack money and didn’t want her delicate little girl to suffer. So, as soon as they reached the official road, she called for a cart.

Qingyun Village was conveniently located. Just a few li down the road from the village, one could reach a wide, straight official road. Though it couldn’t compare to the highways of modern times, it was broad and fairly smooth.

At least while sitting on the ox cart, Gu Yuzhu didn’t feel too jostled.

Of course, Yan Fengru had thought of that in advance. As soon as they got on the cart, she pulled out a worn-out cotton jacket and laid it down for Gu Yuzhu to sit on.