Reborn in a Noble Family - Chapter 85
Chapter 85 True Or False Princess
Condolences to the staff, spent the morning, noon, everyone at Chaotian Gate to eat dam banquet.
This was a unique custom in western Sichuan. This was Qiao Xi’s first time participating, so she was very curious.
Wei Nanshui’s expression was serious.
To be exact, Qiao Xi had sensed the difference in Wei Nanshui from the moment she arrived at the Gu Clan.
It wasn’t that Wei Nanshui was hostile to Gu Family, but that he was silent, as if he was accumulating something.
After lunch, Qiao Xi and the others arrived at the river bank and a boat slowly drove over.
“Qiao Qiao, do you remember this boat?” Gu Shijun smiled and said to Qiao Yunxi, “This is a birthday present from my little uncle.”
Qiao Yunxi smiled. “Although I don’t remember how old it was, I like it very much. Thank you, little uncle.”
“Let’s go, let’s get on the boat.”
Old Master Gu gave the order. After the boat landed, a group of people boarded the boat.
It had to be said that his background was different, and his taste and style were different.
Compared to the Wang Clan’s exaggerated boat, Qiao Yunxi’s boat was much more domineering.
It seemed awkward to use these two words to describe a boat, but Qiao Yunxi could not find any other words besides these two words.
The first floor of the boat was for gathering, resting, eating, and playing. The second floor was for the cabin. The master bedroom was dressed very exquisitely, and every decoration was fine. However, it was not necessary to use antiques or famous paintings. Those were all luxurious things. It was fine to show off and use them as daily luxury.
…
In the blink of an eye, it was New Year’s Eve.
The Gu Clan’s New Year’s Eve dinner was very warm, at least thicker than the Qiao Clan’s New Year’s Eve dinner.
Qiao Xi hugged the hawthorn water to digest the food.
After the New Year’s Eve dinner, the family sat together and played cards.
Qiao Yunxi watched the battle as he ate his snacks.
Finally, it was midnight.
The children of the grandchildren knelt on the ground and gave their blessings to the elders. Naturally, they also received red envelopes.
Qiao Xi secretly glanced at it carefully.
The seniors all gave her a ticket of 1,000 taels. In other words, she received 5,000 taels of silver in one go.
“Go, Qiao Qiao, set off the firecrackers!”
The bell rang at midnight, causing the entire Chaotian Gate to boil. The Gu Clan’s cannon was ignited by Gu Shiyang, and it lasted for an entire minute. The smell of sulfur permeated the courtyard.
The liveliness lasted until the middle of the night. After that, Old Master Gu gave the order and everyone reluctantly returned to their respective courtyards.
New Year’s Day.
There were many people coming and going in and out of the Gu Clan. They were all gifts givers. Apart from the people from the government, they were also the stewards and foremen. There were also quite a few neighbors.
The gifts were not many expensive New Year gifts, and some were even home-grown vegetables and fruits.
Qiao Xiqiao was young, and she was Old Gu’s granddaughter. It was rare for her to come back, so she naturally had to accept red envelopes. Everyone knew Old Gu’s character, so they didn’t care how much they gave him, so it was fine.
But even so, Qiao Yunxi became rich overnight, becoming the richest of the grandchildren.
For this reason, Gu Jingshu teased her, saying that she already had the capital to do business.
Of course, there were also Old Master Gu’s business partners who had come to Gu Family today. The two families that had worked together with Old Master Gu and fought invincibly in the Chaotian Sect had also come.
“Old Madam Gu.” Qiao Xi’s delicate voice caused a layer of goosebumps to appear on her face.
As he followed the voice, he saw a provocative gaze.
Zhao Mei nestled beside Old Madame Gu, her head slightly buried, and that obscure gaze shot over from under Old Madame Gu’s creaking nest.
Qiao Yunxi frowned and quickly understood where Zhao Mei’s hostility came from.
The three cousins were the future leaders of Gu Family, especially the eldest cousin. They were now at the age of marriage. As the eldest son of Gu Family, Gu Pingxin was well-off for three generations. How could Zhao Mei let go of the opportunity to get married in the near future? However, her existence made Zhao Mei misunderstand that there was a love rival, so she glared at him with murderous intent.
However, just as she thought of this, she was denied by the people around her.
“Why is this Zhao Peacock here again?” Gu Pingxin was very dissatisfied.
“Normally, she doesn’t come often? Which time didn’t she use the excuse of visiting her grandmother and coaxing her around?”
“If it weren’t for grandmother protecting me, I would have made a move long ago.” Gu Pingqing rolled up her sleeves.
Qiao Yunxi was confused.
Only then did Gu Pingqing explain, “This Zhao Mei is Zhao An’s granddaughter. She knows that her grandmother likes girls. She has been playing in Gu Family all these years.” Right now, many businesses of the Zhao Clan are tacitly approved by our Gu Family. Why? Wasn’t this Zhao Mei joking in front of her grandmother? “Qiao Qiao, you are the princess of Gu Family. Previously, you were taken advantage of by this fake because you were weak. Now, you are back. Tear off Zhao Peacock’s fox skin. I want to see how arrogant she is!”
Several cousins echoed.
Qiao Xi rolled her eyes.
“Third cousin, you also said that this Zhao Mei is deeply liked by grandmother. How can I tear off her fox skin? I’ll do the thankless thing, and you guys enjoy it.”
“Qiao Qiao, you can’t say that.” Gu Pingjie said with a righteous expression, “Grandmother loves you the most. Everything you do is right in Grandmother’s eyes. Besides, we don’t want you to charge into the front alone. Our Highness is behind us.”
Qiao Xi snorted.
As an adult, she really didn’t care about this kind of jealousy.
That Zhao Mei’s motives were not pure, but she did not do anything harmful to the heavens. She was merely seeking benefits for the Zhao Clan. Although she had a lot of thoughts, with Old Madame Gu’s shrewdness, how could she be played with by a child?
The things that the Zhao Clan had obtained were all things that Old Master Gu and Old Madame Gu were willing to give.
However, Qiao Xi’s magnanimity did not change Zhao Mei’s kindness. She looked at her provocatively. Zhao Mei coquettishly said to Old Madame Gu, “Old Madame, why have you never seen this younger sister? I wonder which family’s young miss she is?”
“Qiao Qiao, come here.” Old Madame Gu waved at Qiao Xi.
The friendly address made Zhao Mei feel a sense of crisis, and she was even more on guard against Qiao Xi.
‘”Qiao Qiao, this is Zhao Mei. You can call me Sister Zhao. When we first met, Sister Zhao felt that we were very close to each other. I wonder how long Sister Zhao will be staying in the Valley Manor. If you’re free, Sister Zhao will show you around.” Literary words were incoherent and had the appearance of imitating the words spoken by large families, but it was like a joke.
Old Madame Gu’s expression changed slightly.
Zhao Mei did not know that. She held Qiao Yunxi’s hand and continued to speak in her master’s tone, “Little sister, you don’t have to be restrained. Old Madame is hospitable. Just treat this as your home. Tomorrow, big sister will treat you to dinner. If little sister has time, come and sit down as well.”
As soon as Zhao Mei finished speaking, Gu Pingqing jumped over and said, “Qiao Qiao is a guest of our Gu Family. I don’t need to trouble you.”
If it was normal, Old Madame Gu would have already taught this damn brat a lesson. However, Zhao Mei was unlucky enough to dare to pose as the master of Qiao Yunxi. This made Old Madame Gu extremely dissatisfied.
She was fond of Zhao Mei, but compared to her granddaughter, Zhao Mei was nothing!
If it wasn’t for her granddaughter’s poor health and not being able to come back often, this Zhao Mei would have come again. She would have kept a pet beside her, occasionally giving her a piece of meat bone. If she was in a good mood, she would have given her a piece of meat.
But to be a pet, one had to have the consciousness of a pet. He actually dared to roar at his owner, unable to see his position clearly.
Zhao Mei did not notice Old Madame Gu’s abnormality. Over the years, she had already tested Old Madame Gu’s bottom line. In addition to her exquisite skills, she had coaxed Old Madame Gu to treat her as her own granddaughter. Thus, she didn’t care about Gu Pingqing’s anger. “Third brother, I know you don’t like me, but I also want to share it with Old Madame. Old Madame also said that, treat it as training for me.”
Qiao Xi secretly asked Mrs. Zhang and finally understood Zhao Mei’s origin.
Relying on Old Madame Gu’s favor, Zhao Mei could be said to be the lord of the Chaotian Sect, and she had done a lot of things outside under the name of Old Madame Gu. Old Madame Gu didn’t care, first, because Zhao Mei was merely abusing her power for personal gain and didn’t waste her life. Those benefits were what she and her grandfather were willing to give. Second, it was also Gu Family’s guilt towards the Zhao Clan.
When they snatched the dock, the other party attacked Old Madame Gu and his uncle. At that time, only Old Madame Gu and Old Madame Zhao were there. In a critical moment, Old Madame Zhao pulled the two uncles to her side while her son was pushed in front of Old Madame Gu. As a result, people thought that the child standing beside Old Madame Gu was Gu Family’s child and directly abducted him. Even though they found him later, the eldest son of the Zhao family was still not saved.
Later, when Gu Family wanted to dominate Chaotianmen Wharf, the Zhao Clan was also the first to stand out in support. As Gu Family’s most powerful assistant, the Zhao Clan didn’t want much benefit. It was precisely because of the Zhao Clan’s righteousness that the people who wanted to speak out were restrained. When Gu Family first took control of Chaotianmen Wharf, the Zhao Clan did a lot of work.
That was why Old Master Gu had tacitly agreed to many of the Zhao Clan’s actions over the years.
The Zhao Clan was also a well-proportioned clan, knowing what they could and could not take.
Thus, under the tacit understanding of the two families, Chaotian Sect was in good order.
As for Zhao Mei …
Old Madame Gu indeed stayed by her side as soon as she had time. She taught the housekeeper some things and would also let Zhao Mei practice during the Spring Festival.
How to practice?
All he wanted was for her to help Madam Zhang and Madam Li sort out the New Year’s gifts, make a list, and then help him manage some purchases in the kitchen. However, Old Madame Gu would not allow Zhao Mei to come into contact with books and silver. In other words, Zhao Mei had only learned a bit about books and participated in some practical operations under the supervision of Madam Zhang and Madam Li.
Therefore, Zhao Mei was not as favored in Old Madame Gu’s heart as she thought she was.
“If you want to practice, go back to your Zhao Clan and stir up trouble in our Gu Clan. There’s no need for an outsider to worry about our Gu Clan’s things.”
Zhao Mei curled her lips in grievance and tears rolled in her eyes.
Normally, Old Madame Gu would throw her cane over, but today, she lowered her eyes and looked at the tea in her hand.