Chapter 122

Chapter 122

Third Daughter, naturally, was Gu Third Daughter, the second-born daughter by birth of the Ningyuan Marquis family. Originally, she was known as Gu Second Daughter and called the original owner "eldest sister," but after the legitimate daughter of the Gu family returned, the original owner became Gu Second Daughter, and she, in turn, became Gu Third Daughter.

Gu Third Daughter was the only person from the natal family who remembered to send the original owner some gifts and supplies when she was banished.

When the original owner was arrested and imprisoned, it was also Gu Third Daughter who secretly had her family send food.

Before the original owner was revealed not to be the true daughter of the Ningyuan Marquis family, she had a harmonious relationship with Gu Third Daughter, and even after the legitimate daughter was recognized, the bond between the two sisters did not diminish.

Because of this, when the original owner fell into trouble, Gu Third Daughter was the only family member who worried about her.

"Mother?"

The little girl next to her curiously observed Gu Ran, and when her gaze fell on Pei Six, her face turned slightly red. Then, she hugged Gu Third Daughter's leg and whispered, "Mother, who is she?"

"Call her auntie, this is your Second Aunt!"

The little girl's eyes went wide as she looked at Gu Ran. After a long while, she obediently said, "Second Aunt hello." Then she glanced at Pei Six and whispered, "Second Uncle hello."

Gu Ran was about to respond when she heard the girl call Pei Six something else and couldn't help but laugh.

Turning to look at Pei Six, she saw her with a faint, amused smile, not in a hurry to correct the misunderstanding, and looking at the little girl with great pleasure.

"You got it wrong, she is your Aunt Pei!" Gu Ran explained to Gu Third Daughter and her little niece.

Gu Third Daughter also looked at Pei Six in surprise.

The handsome man who had been by Second Sister's side was actually a woman?

Although Pei Six was momentarily surprised by being called "Aunt Pei," she still nodded slightly at Gu Third Daughter.

Gu Third Daughter? Not bad.

Gu Third Daughter's child was also very nice.

Gu Third Daughter was married in the same year the original owner entered the Prime Minister Qin's estate. Her husband's family was a scholarly official surnamed Cheng from the Capital Prefecture. Cheng Ninth Brother entered officialdom through the imperial examinations and later rose through the ranks to be transferred to the Capital Prefecture. The highest-ranking official in the Cheng family who served in the same dynasty was the Fourth-Rank Minister. The Ningyuan Marquis family valued the support behind Cheng Ninth Brother, which was why they married Gu Third Daughter to him.

The child next to Gu Third Daughter was her firstborn after marrying into the Cheng family, a little girl named Youyou, who was just over four years old.

The overseer of Fusheng Trading House was quite astute. Seeing the esteemed guests, who had been instructed by the young master to be well taken care of, chatting happily with a regular buyer, he vigorously invited them to the banquet hall to rest for a while.

"Miss Cheng is quite a regular customer of our trading house; I didn't expect her to be an old acquaintance of Miss Gu," the overseer said with a smile as he had the waiters prepare tea.

A regular customer?

Gu Ran was puzzled by the overseer's question.

Was Gu Third Daughter a regular buyer at Fusheng?

Gu Third Daughter's expression was awkward, but she quickly regained her composure and smiled faintly. "I occasionally bring some embroidery to help sell; it's nothing special!"

It seemed that Gu Third Daughter's husband's family was not very well-off, as the wife had to sell embroidery to make ends meet.

They must have relied on Gu Third Daughter to supplement the family income.

Gu Ran looked at Pei Six, who understood that the Gu sisters wanted to have a private chat and excused herself to give them some privacy.

"Youyou, go downstairs and take a walk with Aunt Pei."

Youyou glanced at Sixth Lady Pei, who was looking at the little girl with a red face and extended her hand.

Youyou’s eyes widened, and she smiled with her little mouth pursed, then ran to Sixth Lady Pei, grabbing her hand in one swift motion.

"Aunt Pei, you are so beautiful!"

Gu Third Miss couldn’t help but laugh when she heard her daughter’s admiring tone. "This Youyou just loves pretty things."

Gu Ran also smiled as she watched the two, big and small, walk down the stairs.

"Second Sister, it seems you've been living well in Min Prefecture these years."

Being the hero who helped eliminate the Heaven Rank First bandit group and the savior of General Qiao, it was said that she had also planted many orange trees in Jian Prefecture. It was hard to believe that this was the same second sister she once knew.

But now, as a married woman, she had initially believed that marrying Ninth Brother Cheng, with his abilities and the support of the Cheng family, would ensure a comfortable life. However, after marrying, she realized that while Ninth Brother Cheng did have abilities and the Cheng family provided some support, it wasn't much.

Ninth Brother Cheng was from a collateral branch and an illegitimate son. The resources the Cheng family could allocate to him were limited. It was through his parents' frugality that they managed to support him through school, and eventually, through his own abilities, he stood out and earned a place in the Cheng family.

Relying on Ninth Brother Cheng's family background and his meager salary, they could initially support the daily expenses of a family of five and his social interactions in the officialdom. But two years ago, Ninth Brother Cheng's father fell seriously ill, spending a lot of money without improvement, and eventually passed away. After that, the family gradually became strained, and they had to use Gu Third Miss’s dowry.

Gu Third Miss had considered seeking help from the Ningyuan Marquis family, but her own mother was just a concubine in the Ningyuan Marquis estate, with little status and money. After receiving some help, there were malicious remarks, and Gu Third Miss didn’t want to embarrass her husband and daughter, so she went less often.

As a mother, Gu Third Miss knew she couldn’t just sit and consume her savings. Fortunately, she had excellent embroidery skills from her unmarried days, so she decided to sell her embroidered goods to earn money.

After comparing with several shops and embroidery workshops, she chose Fusheng because they offered the highest prices. She consistently sold her embroidered items every few weeks.

Gu Third Miss didn’t embroider handkerchiefs or pouches but fans and screens. Selling one piece a month brought in a few taels, while larger items, which took two to three months to complete, earned her ten to twenty taels at once, which improved the dire financial situation at home and even exceeded Ninth Brother Cheng’s monthly salary, becoming the main source of money in the family.

If she were still unmarried, Gu Third Miss never would have imagined that she’d one day be selling her embroidery to make a living. But when life circumstances forced her to change, she realized that anything was possible.

Thinking of her second sister now, if she hadn’t married into Prime Minister Qin’s estate, how could she have ended up in prison? Even if she divorced Qin Fourth Son, it was probably because something happened during the exile, forcing her second sister to leave. And now, living in the Min region, she had to give up her usual pastimes like playing the qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting and learn from others to be a farmer.

She now earned money from embroidery, and her second sister earned money from planting orange trees; it was essentially the same.

Gu Third Miss, thinking this way, had no suspicion about the greatly changed Gu Ran.

Listening to Gu Third Miss’s detailed account of her life changes over the years, Gu Ran also shared some of her life in Min Prefecture. Gu Third Miss admired Gu Ran, and Gu Ran couldn’t help but think highly of Gu Third Miss.

Although she was a secondary daughter of the marquis family, she had grown up in luxury. After marrying into the Cheng family, despite the financial difficulties, she didn’t complain about not having a good marriage arranged by the Ningyuan Marquis family. Instead, she found ways to earn money, showing she was a practical person who lived her life down-to-earth.

"Knowing that you are living well now, I am relieved," Gu Third Miss said to Gu Ran with a smile. "When I had just given birth to Youyou, and my body was not agile, I asked my sister-in-law to pack some belongings and money for you and send you off. When she came back and told me you looked unwell and that there might be trouble on the way to exile, I was worried for a long time."

Gu Ran fell silent.

Their concerns were well-founded; the original owner had indeed passed away during the journey to exile.

"Those years, there were so many things happening in the Cheng family, and I was busy taking care of the old and young, unable to find time to inquire about where you finally settled, nor did I have extra money to send someone to Min Prefecture to check on you, Second Sister. Please don’t blame me," Gu Third Miss said, her eyes slightly reddening.

"Of course not! I’m doing well now," Gu Ran felt a warmth in her heart.

This was the first time since coming to the Great Sheng Dynasty that she had met a sister who truly cared for the original owner. When the original owner was in trouble, she didn’t avoid or shun her, and now she wasn’t trying to gain benefits. This touched Gu Ran deeply.

"Yes, I see it. Last time I came here, I noticed you looked good and even prettier than before," Gu Third Miss said, "If you don’t mind, I’ll introduce my husband to you."

So, this must be the original owner’s brother-in-law?

Wait, Gu Third Daughter's husband, Cheng Ninth Brother, is serving at the Capital Prefecture, right?

"Of course, but you're saying your brother-in-law works at the Capital Prefecture?"

"He's just a minor official, Second Sister. Is there something you need?" Gu Third Daughter looked at Gu Ran, feeling confused.

Now that Second Sister has been adopted as the granddaughter of General Qiao, wouldn't it be better to ask General Qiao directly?

But only an official at the Capital Prefecture could help with what Gu Ran needed from Cheng Ninth Brother.

She wanted to investigate the affairs of Lin Ge'er's family.

Lin Ge'er mentioned his father was a low-ranking official at the Capital Prefecture, and after committing a crime, he was beheaded, resulting in the family's exile to Min Prefecture. She wanted to verify if this official truly existed.

Although she had a pleasant conversation with Lin Ge'er, he had always been wary of her. She didn't know what was true and what was false.

If he lied about his family's situation, then the coordinates for the third space compartment wouldn't match Min Prefecture, and she wouldn't be able to find the place after returning, making her efforts futile.

But if the Capital Prefecture indeed had such an official, confirming that Lin Ge'er spoke the truth, she would have more confidence in locating the third space compartment.

She was considering whether to ask someone at the Capital Prefecture before leaving the capital, but since her brother-in-law, Cheng Ninth Brother, was already there, wouldn't it be convenient to have him look into it?

Yes, Gu Ran decided, based solely on Gu Third Daughter's character and personality, it wouldn't be unreasonable to acknowledge her as her own sister.

Since she was going back to Jian Prefecture, having a distant relative in the capital would be nice.

Gu Third Daughter didn't understand why Second Sister wanted to investigate such a person, but hearing that she had also served at the Capital Prefecture, she immediately agreed.

As Gu Ran and Gu Third Daughter left the banquet hall, they saw Youyou, who was already carrying many packages while walking and stopping with Pei Sixth Lady in the merchant shop. The older and younger pair were chatting and laughing, clearly getting along well.

"Youyou!"

"Mother!" Youyou, happily carrying a bunch of things, ran a couple of steps, dropping two items she couldn't hold.

Gu Third Daughter quickly picked them up: "Look at you, how did you end up with so many things?"

"It's because Aunt Pei bought them for me. Aunt Pei is really nice." Youyou, with a honeyed smile, looked back at Pei Sixth Lady.

Pei Sixth Lady had already noticed them when they came down the stairs. She was originally looking at Gu Ran, and hearing Youyou's words, she glanced at her, meeting her smile with a nod.

"You little one!" Gu Third Daughter lightly scraped Youyou's nose and stood up, smiling at Pei Sixth Lady: "Thank you for your generosity!"

Pei Sixth Lady shook her head, indicating it was nothing.

"Second Aunt, Aunt Pei, remember to come over!" Youyou expressed her reluctance to part with the two beautiful and graceful aunts.

"Do you like the young Miss from the Gu family?" Gu Ran asked after seeing off Gu Third Daughter and Youyou.

Pei Sixth Lady nodded slowly: "I like Miss Gu from the Gu family."

"Then Sixth Miss should find a husband from the Gu family." Gu Ran joked, then immediately added, "But the Gu family from the Ningyuan Marquis family is not suitable."

Pei Sixth Lady glanced at Gu Ran and nodded, thinking that while she couldn't marry into the Gu family, having a sister-in-law from the Gu family would be fine.

Three days later, after receiving a message sent by Gu Third Daughter to the Hang family's residence, Gu Ran took Pei Sixth Lady to the Cheng family.

The Hang family's residence was actually on the outskirts of the capital. The Cheng family was also in the outskirts, but in a more remote area past the West Market.

The surrounding houses were all low and modest, clearly a neighborhood where commoners lived.

The Cheng family lived in a simple siheyuan with one courtyard. Though the family was small, the house had enough space to comfortably accommodate Cheng Ninth Brother’s mother, his wife, their daughter Youyou, and his unmarried younger brother.

Cheng Ninth Brother was a well-mannered and respectable young gentleman. Although he appeared very composed in front of Gu Ran, he still had a hint of youthfulness in his expression. When he first met Gu Ran, a fleeting look of panic crossed his face, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Sixth Miss, please go outside and assist Third Sister in watching over Youyou."

Understanding that Gu Ran wanted a private conversation with the third sister and her husband, Pei Sixth Miss nodded knowingly and left with Youyou. At the gate of the courtyard, Youyou looked up and stretched out her hand, saying, "Beautiful auntie."

Pei Sixth Miss’s heart melted and she took Youyou’s hand, heading into the courtyard.

Once Pei Sixth Miss had left, Gu Ran breathed a sigh of relief.

The circumstances surrounding her acquaintance with Lin Ge'er were somewhat mysterious, and the matter of investigating the Lu family was not something she could discuss casually. Although Pei Sixth Miss had lived with her for several years and she was familiar with her character, Gu Ran had no intention of revealing anything about her secret compartment. Therefore, she did not want Pei Sixth Miss to know anything related to it.

However, even after sending Pei Sixth Miss away, Cheng Ninth Brother did not provide much information about the Lu official who had once served in the Capital Prefecture.

"Has there been any Lu official in the Capital Prefecture in the past two years?"

"Not in the past two years, not even in the past five years has there been any official with the Lu surname serving in the Capital Prefecture."

Cheng Ninth Brother glanced at Gu Ran, this sister-in-law who was now a prominent figure in the capital.

The true and false daughter incident of the Ningyuan Marquis family had caused quite a stir five years ago, and the rebellion case of Prime Minister Qin’s estate four years ago had been another major event. Now, as the hero who eliminated the assassins and saved General Qiao, Gu Ran was a person of great interest in the city. This Gu family’s Second Miss was indeed not someone to be underestimated.

But why was she looking for a Lu official?

"There hasn’t been any?" Gu Ran was surprised.

So, Lin Ge'er had not been entirely truthful with her. What about his father being convicted and banished? And being mistreated by a stepmother along with his sister? Were those lies too? Was the coordinate for the third space compartment not in Min Prefecture after all?

"There hasn’t been any in recent years, but since it was a request from... Second Miss, I thought, since I was already investigating, I might as well do a thorough job. So, I went through many old records and did find that there was indeed a Lu official in the Capital Prefecture, but that was more than ten years ago."

"More than ten years ago?" Gu Ran was taken aback again.

This doesn’t match up!

The Lin Ge'er she knew was just a child. If he had been exiled to Min Prefecture, it should have been more recent... No, wait, Gu Ran reconsidered, maybe it was possible.

"What was the situation with this Lu official?"

"This Lu official was a household affairs assistant in the Capital Prefecture, a civil official in charge of the financial income of the prefecture. However, he was corrupt, neglected his duties, and even used public funds for private maritime business for many years, making substantial profits without being detected by the then Capital Prefect. It was only after a merchant ship encountered a hurricane and sea disaster, destroying all the goods, that he failed to replenish the embezzled funds. He was also caught accepting bribes. When this was reported to the Capital Prefect, because of the large amount of money involved and his inability to cover the deficit, he was sentenced to death, and his entire family was banished."

Gu Ran’s eyelid twitched, and she instinctively reached up to touch it.

"Is this the Lu official you were looking for?"

"Maybe?" Gu Ran was uncertain. "Where was the family of this Lu official exiled to?"

"Min Prefecture. At that time, while maritime trade was thriving, many areas in the southern frontier remained undeveloped. As a result, officials often sent convicted criminals to these regions to reclaim and develop the land."

A small official from the Capital Prefecture, convicted and beheaded, banished to Min Prefecture, it seemed to match up.

"What about the family of this Lu official?"

"His elderly father was imprisoned and passed away not long after. He left behind his wife and five children."

"Was the wife a second wife?"

Cheng Ninth Brother gave Gu Ran a surprised look. "Yes, it is said that she was taken as a second wife after the death of the first. The Lu official had three sons and one daughter, the eldest son and daughter were from his first marriage."

"Do they have any names left behind?"

Cheng Ninth Brother shook his head.

Gu Ran was already certain that it was indeed Lingong'er's father.

He hadn't lied, so his claim that he and his sister were in Min Prefecture must be true.

However, for her, this had been more than a decade ago, and Lin Gonger, who she remembered as a seven or eight-year-old child, was probably a teenager now.

Moreover, the coordinates of the third storage compartment corresponded to a mountain in a village from over ten years ago.

Although time had passed, since the coordinates remained unchanged, if she returned to Min Prefecture and could find that mountain, she could also locate the corresponding position of the third storage compartment.

At least it wouldn't be a wasted effort.

With the information she needed, Gu Ran felt relieved. As she stepped outside, she saw Pei Sixth Lady and Youyou sitting in the courtyard, savoring the canned citrus.

The canned citrus she had packed came from Xia Xicun, where she had stored twenty jars in the eighth storage compartment for her journey.

When she visited the Cheng family, Pei Sixth Lady mentioned that Youyou loved canned citrus, so she brought six jars as a gift. She hadn't expected them to be enjoyed so quickly.

"Second Aunt, does your family grow citrus?" Youyou asked.

"Yes, my family grows citrus."

"Are the canned citrus also made by your family?"

"Did you like them?" Gu Ran crouched down, smiling as she looked at her unexpected niece.

"They're delicious! I love canned citrus, but Mom never buys them for me." Youyou sighed and glanced at her parents who were busy in the kitchen. In a low voice, she said, "I know citrus is expensive. When Grandfather was still around, he would buy them for me, but later our family couldn't afford to buy citrus anymore. Since Second Aunt, you grow citrus, can you please treat me to some citrus? If you do, I'll work for you when I grow up, planting citrus!"

Gu Ran laughed and looked back at Cheng Ninth Brother's family, who were busy hosting her and Pei Sixth Lady.

Planting citrus wouldn't be necessary.

"You don't need to work for Second Aunt; just be good to your parents," Gu Ran said. "If you can do that, then Second Aunt will send you a batch of citrus and canned citrus every year, alright?"

"Okay." Youyou smiled widely. "Second Aunt is so nice, unlike my First Aunt, who never shows me any affection."

The First Aunt was the legitimate daughter of the Gu family who had been mistakenly raised in the Yuan clan, wasn't she?

According to the original owner's memories, before marrying into the Qin family, the Duke of Ningyuan had arranged a match with a family of equal status. Now, the First Aunt should be the main wife of the head of a noble household, which was probably why she didn't like to associate with the Cheng family.

"If First Aunt doesn't like you, then it's fine. As long as your parents and Second Aunt like you," Gu Ran comforted.

"Yes, and Aunt Pei likes me too." Youyou said, pointing at Pei Sixth Lady and laughing. "Right? Aunt Pei likes me too."

Pei Sixth Lady glanced at Youyou, wiped the sugar from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, and smiled. "Be good, and everyone will love you."

"I am good, very good." Youyou straightened up and sat properly. "I'm the best-behaved and cutest little girl in the world."

Gu Ran couldn't help but laugh again.

From the kitchen, Gu Third Daughter peeked out, smiled, and went back to helping her mother-in-law with the chores.

"Is that your second sister?" Cheng Ninth Brother's mother looked at her daughter-in-law.

Gu Third Daughter nodded proudly.

"Is that General Qiao's adopted granddaughter?" Cheng Ninth Brother's mother said in surprise. "I heard that she cut ties with the marquis family."

"It's their marquis household," Gu Third Daughter corrected. "Second Sister cut ties with the marquis household, not with me."

"Oh!" Cheng Ninth Brother's mother was startled for a moment, then realized and smiled with joy. "That's good! At least you still have an elder sister you can stay in touch with!"

Gu Third Daughter smiled, but it faded quickly.

"This might be the only time we get to visit her."

Second Sister will probably go back to Min Prefecture soon, which is pretty far from the capital.

For us to stay in touch, it would take half a year just to travel between the two places, and a round trip would take a whole year. It's not easy to keep in touch like this.

It would be so much easier if Second Sister stayed in the capital. I wonder why Second Sister doesn't plan to stay in the capital.