GTB Chapter 56

“Is this crossing the river and dismantling the bridge?” Shí Yan’s voice made Jiang Jiuchu, who had just lifted her butt, sit back down instantly.

Before she could understand what he meant, she saw him curl his lips and look at her, saying mockingly, “Didn’t you say you were going to thank me handsomely? Are you just leaving like this?”

Jiang Jiuchu immediately reacted upon hearing this and hurriedly took out a stack of silver notes from her collar. This was the monthly dividend Ji Shutíng had sent her a few days ago. Yu Pinzhai’s income was more than she had imagined because it had contracted the dim sum business for several restaurants and teahouses, earning 1,500 taels in a month.

She hesitated for a moment, took out two hundred-tael silver notes, and tried to hand them to the man in front of her, but when she saw that he didn’t reach out, she had to put them on the tea table in front of him, “This… is for you.”

Shí Yan looked at the two hundred-tael silver notes on the low table and chuckled. Just as he was about to open his mouth, he saw Jiang Jiuchu take out another five-hundred-tael silver note and say, “Is it a little too little, ha!”

After she finished speaking, she immediately put the five-hundred-tael silver note on the tea table, but… conveniently took back the previous two hundred taels.

Shí Yan’s mouth twitched. “Your generous thanks… is truly generous.” He thought to himself, ‘So generous that she couldn’t possibly part with an extra two hundred taels.’

Jiang Jiuchu felt that there was something strange about his words, but she still smiled and said, “It’s… what I should do.”

Shí Yan looked at the large bump on Jiang Jiuchu’s forehead and found it a bit of an eyesore. He then took out a medicine bottle, “Since you’re so generous, here’s something for you. It reduces swelling and relieves pain, and its effects are excellent.”

When Jiang Jiuchu heard that it was so effective, she wanted to reach out to take it, but then she thought about it and retracted her hand, “This… I’d be too embarrassed.”

“It’s nothing, just take it!” As Shí Yan spoke, he casually tossed the white porcelain bottle towards Jiang Jiuchu and then said, “Mix the powder with a little water and apply it.”

Jiang Jiuchu was shocked and hurriedly caught the thrown medicine bottle with both hands, thanking Shí Yan, “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.” Shí Yan adjusted his sitting posture and looked at Jiang Jiuchu leisurely. “Where are you going to visit relatives? I’ll take you.”

“Oh… no, no, it’s very close, no need to trouble you.” Jiang Jiuchu hurriedly waved her hand, thanked him again, and then immediately jumped out of the carriage.

After jumping out of the carriage, Jiang Jiuchu quickly put her hair up and looked around at both ends of the Magpie Bridge, but she still didn’t see Song Fuge’s figure. However, she didn’t dare to wait until dawn, so she hesitated for a while and decided to go back to the mansion first.

Shí Yan held a folding fan and lifted the curtain of the carriage window, watching Jiang Jiuchu heading east. He ordered to the outside, “Mu Feng, quietly follow her and see where she goes.”

“Yes, Master.” Mu Feng responded and immediately disappeared into the night.

Jiang Jiuchu held the plum blossom hairpin tightly in her hand and walked back quickly, fearing that she would encounter someone with ill intentions again. It wasn’t until half an hour later, when she stood in front of the Jiang Mansion’s gate, that her heart, which had been on edge all the way, was completely relieved.

After knocking on the door a few times, the gate quickly opened a crack from the inside.

“Miss.” The doorman looked at Jiang Jiuchu with surprise and doubt. If he remembered correctly, didn’t the young lady come back long ago? Why was she still outside so late, and alone?

“It’s nothing, I was playing with Miss Ji until late, don’t make a fuss,” Jiang Jiuchu quickly instructed when she saw the doorman’s shocked expression, and walked in.

But what she didn’t know was that her Crabapple Courtyard was brightly lit at this time.

Earlier, when Green Luo and Green Yi returned to the mansion and passed by the East Courtyard, they happened to run into Jiang Jiuche and Shí Qingya, who had also returned from watching the lantern festival.

Jiang Jiuche recognized at a glance that Green Yi was not his younger sister. After inquiring, he immediately entered Jiang Jiuchu’s room and took out the two letters from under the pillow.

Jiang Yuan and Madam Ye also rushed over upon hearing the news, but after reading the letters, they had different opinions.

To chase or not to chase?

In the end, only Shí Qingya still insisted on chasing.

At this time, everyone was still sitting in Jiang Jiuchu’s room, each silent. Green Yi and Green Luo, having confessed everything, also stood aside with their heads lowered.

Jiang Yuan sighed, “It’s late, go back to sleep! Especially Qingya, you’re still pregnant, hurry back and rest.”

“Father, are you really going to do as the letter says? This way, Jiuchu will no longer exist in everyone’s eyes, and it will be difficult for you to see her even once in the future.”

Shí Qingya never expected her little sister-in-law to be so reckless and carefree, and even more unexpectedly, the family’s first reaction was not to chase after her.

“Forget it, as long as she’s happy and well, it doesn’t matter whether we see Jiuchu or not.” Although Jiang Yuan said this, his voice was filled with reluctance.

Madam Ye also felt that if her daughter was not happy, she couldn’t make her happy even if she saw her every day.

She said relievedly, “Yes, as long as she’s happy and can send me two letters back every year as stated in the letter, I’ll be relieved.”

Seeing that her parents were like this, Shí Qingya turned her head to look at her husband, wanting him to quickly send someone to find her.

Jiang Jiuche received Shí Qingya’s gaze and gave a faint smile to comfort her, “Ya’er, don’t think so much, it’s midnight, let’s go back to sleep!”

He had initially wanted to chase after her, but looking at Jiuchu’s farewell letter, it was clear that she had made arrangements early and had already made up her mind. What was the point of chasing her back? He couldn’t bear to see his sister frowning all day either.

Shí Qingya sighed. Since that was the case, what else could she say?

Besides, it was probably too late to chase her back now. She only hoped that many years later, her little sister-in-law wouldn’t regret her choice today.

Just as everyone was about to get up, the door creaked open, and Jiang Jiuchu, dressed as a man, walked in.

Under the candlelight, Jiang Jiuchu’s hair was askew, and there was a large bump on her forehead, making her look a bit disheveled.

In an instant, Jiang Jiuchu and the people in the room were all stunned.

“Father, Mother, older brother, older sister-in-law, still… still not asleep?” Jiang Jiuchu glanced at Green Luo and Green Yi, who were standing aside with their heads lowered, her voice trembling slightly.

She was really having a bad year today, she was too unlucky, wasn’t she? She was discovered so early? According to the plan, it should have been discovered tomorrow morning at the earliest!

“Jiuchu, what’s wrong with you? Are you injured?” Madam Ye hurriedly stepped forward and asked worriedly, looking at Jiang Jiuchu’s forehead.

As for the others, after feeling sorry for Jiang Jiuchu’s appearance, various speculations surfaced in their minds.

“Mother, it’s nothing, I just accidentally bumped into something in the corridor, I didn’t pay attention because it was dark, it’s nothing serious.”

“Humph.” Jiang Jiuche sneered, “It couldn’t be that the boy got scared and broke the engagement, right!”

“That’s…” Jiang Jiuchu immediately swallowed back the words “not” when she realized what she was saying, and said with a stiff scalp:

“What is older brother saying, I don’t understand at all, I just played too late with Shutíng.”

“Is that so? Then this letter wasn’t written by you?” Jiang Jiuche took the letter from Jiang Yuan and threw it on the round table.

Jiang Jiuchu looked at the letter in front of her and could no longer refute it, so she had to accept the judgment in silence.

“It’s good that Jiuchu is back.” Shí Qingya hurriedly stood up to smooth things over and said to her husband:

“It’s too late, I’ll sleep with Jiuchu tonight, husband and parents should go back to sleep!”