Chapter 778.1: Reunion
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S T E L L A R C L O U D
[Galetron]
O R A N G E S T A R
[Alma S.] [Christine G.-L.] [K.Rom]
[Suong D.] [Ziana K.-P.]
Y E L L O W S T A R
[Anasi G.] [Passerby] [Xena]
G O L D S T A R
[Anne C.] [Nevy] [Roxanne C.]
R A I N B O W S T A R
[Debra W] [Kiiayame] [Tionna M.]
T H E S U N
[kuroneko_chan] [Michelle K.] [Smurfinbatik]
C E L E S T I A L C O N Q U E R O R
[Ava C.] [Hong] [Leeyue] [Lily J.] [Manon] [Sophia W.] [Val Nes]
Also, many thanks to everyone who bought me coffee (*≧∀≦*)
Empress Dowager Zhuang paused momentarily in her action of picking up the banknotes.
The rain poured heavily, and the fierce wind howled. If Empress Dowager Zhuang raised her head, she wouldn’t even be able to open her eyes.
She remained stiff, crouching on the ground where the rainwater flowed like rivers, looking like an old village woman scrambling to pick vegetables on a muddy field ridge.
After a brief pause, she resumed picking up the banknotes.
She must have been missing JiaoJiao too much, causing her to mishear things.
In such a downpour, how could JiaoJiao possibly appear here?
“Grandaunt?”
A familiar voice rang out again, this time directly above her head.
A youth clad in a straw raincoat and hat knelt down on one knee beside her.
Empress Dowager Zhuang still couldn’t lift her gaze, but she caught sight of that ugly red-tasseled spear, the little braid, and the bright red flower—so familiar that it couldn’t be mistaken.
Yet, Empress Dowager Zhuang’s eyes suddenly stopped moving upward.
She lowered her head, brushing aside the messy strands of hair clinging to her rain-soaked cheeks, trying to smooth them out and make herself appear less disheveled.
She even wiggled her numbed toes, seemingly attempting to adopt a less awkward crouching posture.
Gu Jiao tilted her head, looking at her. “Grandaunt, is it really you? Why are you here?”
This time, the words “Grandaunt” carried no trace of doubt. She was entirely certain she had encountered the person she thought least likely to appear in Great Yan, the one she had always held close in her heart.
The elderly woman suddenly felt wronged. She hadn’t felt the least bit aggrieved when she was robbed in the street, stuffed into a carriage like a steamed shrimp, battered by the wind and rain, or repeatedly falling and struggling to get up.
But Gu Jiao’s single word, “Grandaunt,” shattered all her resilience in an instant.
Her eyes reddened slightly.
She looked like a child who had been bullied outside and was finally found by her family.
Her lips quivered, her nose stung, and she spoke with a sob in her voice, “Why did you take so long to come? I’ve been waiting for you all day—”
Gu Jiao was instantly at a loss, stammering awkwardly, “I… I just walked a bit slower on the way. I’ll be more careful next time. I won’t take a carriage; I’ll ride a horse, I’ll ride the Black Wind King.”
The elderly woman didn’t understand what the Black Wind King was. She squatted on the ground, clutching the silver banknotes, her grievances causing her to sob uncontrollably.
“Aijia isn’t crying.”
She said stubbornly.
“Uh, yes, Grandaunt isn’t crying.” Gu Jiao quickly removed her raincoat and draped it over Empress Dowager Zhuang’s shoulders.
“Aijia doesn’t need it. You wear it.” Empress Dowager Zhuang spoke, not only refusing Gu Jiao’s raincoat but also trying to take off the straw hat on her head.
Gu Jiao stopped her.
With Gu Jiao’s strength, restraining a little old lady was effortless.
She tied the straw hat and raincoat tightly on Empress Dowager Zhuang, making it impossible for her to remove them.
Seeing this, Empress Dowager Zhuang stopped her futile struggle. She sniffled and pointed to a silver banknote ahead. “That’s the last one. My legs are numb.”
Gu Jiao went over, picked up the banknote, and handed it to Empress Dowager Zhuang.
Instead of immediately putting it away, Empress Dowager Zhuang handed the silver banknotes, along with the rest in her hand, to Gu Jiao. “Here, take them.”
Many years later, whenever Gu Jiao galloped across the battlefield, this scene would always come to mind—a rainy day, her Grandaunt, who had traveled thousands of miles in utter disarray, squatting on the ground and picking up every scattered banknote just to hand them over to her intact.
In her previous life, when she lived in a dormitory, she never understood why her roommate’s mother would travel from a faraway village, enduring multiple transfers and severe motion sickness, just to bring a jar of pickled vegetables to her daughter.
Now, she thought she understood that kind of affection.
Gu Jiao carried her Grandaunt to a nearby inn and then returned to carry Old Chief as well.
“Two private rooms.” Gu Jiao said.
Old Chief had been pacing back and forth at the entrance of Lingbo Academy, catching the attention of the nearby shopkeepers. The innkeeper initially intended to check the identity of the two elderly individuals, but Gu Jiao directly displayed the token of the Imperial Advisor's Hall.
The innkeeper immediately straightened up. “Old Master, Old Madam, please come in! And this young master too!”
“Bring two buckets of hot water.” Gu Jiao instructed.
The innkeeper hastily responded, “Yes! Yes! Right away!”
Empress Dowager Zhuang glanced at the innkeeper, whose attitude had suddenly shifted. “What kind of token are you carrying that works so well?”
She had been worried that the children might face hard times for various reasons, but it seemed things were quite different from what she had imagined.
“The token of the Imperial Advisor's Hall.” Gu Jiao replied truthfully.
Empress Dowager Zhuang calmly responded with a simple “Hmm.”
At the moment, she was still caught up in the excitement of reuniting with Gu Jiao and hadn’t fully processed what the Imperial Advisor's Hall was.
Although the two elders had brought luggage, the heavy rain had soaked everything.
After settling the two elders into their respective rooms, Gu Jiao went to a nearby clothing shop and bought several sets of dry clothes. As for herself, she had spare garments in the carriage.
Gu Jiao had come to pick up Little Jing Kong today, but to her surprise, the little one had gone to the imperial palace with the Little County Princess.
The corner of Empress Dowager Zhuang’s lips twitched. Was the little monk really doing so well that he could even casually visit the imperial palace of Great Yan?
“Then why are you carrying a weapon?”
As expected of the Empress Dowager, her sharp eyes missed nothing.
Gu Jiao scratched her head sheepishly. “Lately, I’ve had a lot of enemies, so it’s for self-defense.”
Empress Dowager Zhuang, soaking in the bathtub behind the screen, remained composed and replied with a calm “Hmm.”
It was as if she were saying, “Now, that makes sense.” She had expected things to be tumultuous and felt that her arrival was perfectly timed.
By the time Empress Dowager Zhuang and Old Chief were ready, Xiao Heng had also arrived.
When Gu Jiao went downstairs to buy clothes, she had sent the coachman back to the Imperial Advisor's Hall to inform Xiao Heng to come to the inn.
Xiao Heng had no idea that his Grandaunt and Old Chief had arrived. When he entered the room and saw the two elders sitting upright in the grand chairs, he was so shocked that his jaw practically dropped.
Opportunities to see Xiao Heng so flustered were rare.
Gu Jiao sat beside her Grandaunt, leisurely watching him with a faint smile tugging at her lips.
She clearly enjoyed her husband’s utterly bewildered expression.
It took Xiao Heng quite a while to snap out of his shock. He quickly stepped inside, closed the door, and bolted it.
“Grandaunt, Master.” He greeted them, still astonished.
Old Chief coughed lightly. “Calling me ‘Master’ like that could expose my identity.”
“Granduncle.” Xiao Heng corrected himself.
Satisfied, Old Chief picked up his teacup, sipping it with a composed demeanor.
Xiao Heng was still reeling from the shock. He could hardly believe what he was seeing, but the two elders were indeed sitting right here in Shengdu of Great Yan.
Taking a deep breath to suppress the lingering astonishment in his heart, Xiao Heng asked, “Grandaunt, Granduncle, what brings you to Great Yan?”
Old Chief replied in a lofty tone, “Are you asking about the reason or the method?”
“Let’s not play word games.” Xiao Heng replied.
“Well, before answering your question, tell me what’s with the mole on your face.” Old Chief gestured toward the tear mole under Xiao Heng’s right eye.
That mole had originally been erased by Princess Xinyang.
Xiao Heng touched the mole and replied, “It’s painted on.”
“Why would you paint something like that?” Old Chief asked.
“I’ll explain in detail later. First, tell me how you and Grandaunt got here.” Xiao Heng urged.
Old Chief adjusted his posture, looking more serious. “We were worried about you two. You’ve been gone so long, and there hasn’t been a single letter.”
We’ve only been away from the State of Zhao for a little over three months. You left more than a month ago, right? You’ve only been waiting for two months. The time JiaoJiao was in the war lasted longer than this.
“What about the method?” Xiao Heng asked.
Old Chief brushed his wide sleeve with a smug expression, “Your Granduncle here forged a recruitment letter from Lingbo Academy.”
Xiao Heng: “...”
There was really no need to emphasize “Granduncle” so much.
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Description:
In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.
When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.
The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.
From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.
***
Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.
After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"
Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"
Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”
Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
He hasn't finished his lines yet though…