In the afternoon, Xia Qingtian first had a small gathering with Li Xiaoxiao, giving her family gifts, and then headed to Xiaoyao Pavilion.
Gu Yaoyang had clearly returned a little earlier than her. By the time Xia Qingtian arrived, Gu Yaoyang had already changed into casual wear and was in the kitchen wearing an apron, preparing a meal.
"It smells so good..." Xia Qingtian couldn't help but exclaim as soon as she entered. "Your cooking has improved again."
"I found a more optimized menu," Gu Yaoyang said. "Help me peel some garlic."
"Sure." Xia Qingtian had already mastered the skill of peeling garlic. She washed her hands, rolled up her sleeves, and entered the kitchen.
The two worked together, and the preparation was quite quick.
Before long, the food was on the table. They sat in their usual spots, and Gu Yaoyang even opened a bottle of good sparkling white grape wine.
"Delicious!" Xia Qingtian's eyes curved into little crescent moons.
A bite of spicy crawfish, followed by a sip of sweet sparkling white grape wine.
It was a unique stimulation to their taste buds.
"The joy of eating crawfish lies in peeling them," Gu Yaoyang said with an air of experience. His fingertips, wearing PVC gloves, skillfully peeled the shells off the crawfish, quickly accumulating a small plate of glistening, tempting shrimp meat, which he then placed in front of Xia Qingtian. "Eat up."
"Thank you." Xia Qingtian ate the crawfish peeled by Gu Yaoyang and then said after a moment of thought, "To be honest, you don't seem like the type of person who would eat time-consuming food like crawfish."
"Why? Do I not look like someone who enjoys life?" Gu Yaoyang looked up at Xia Qingtian and asked.
"No, it's just that crawfish are very time-consuming to eat, and neither Mr. Gu nor Mobius are people with the time to peel crawfish," Xia Qingtian said with a smile, looking at Gu Yaoyang.
"When people live long enough, they tend to want to try things that take time," Gu Yaoyang said casually, his hands not stopping. "Peeling crawfish is actually quite interesting."
"Yes." Xia Qingtian nodded, and then remembered that the purpose of her visit wasn't solely for the meal. "Oh, right, back in the mirror maze at Hooknose Style Building, you told me what the Tang family matriarch Er Ya was."
"The Tang family's Hidden Matriarch," Gu Yaoyang replied. "Most prominent families, like the Yue, Gu, Yu, and Miao families, have a family head. The Tang family naturally has its own family head, but unlike other families, the Tang family has historically had two family heads coexisting, divided into the Bright Matriarch and the Hidden Matriarch."
"Two family heads? Wouldn't that cause conflicts?" Xia Qingtian recalled the commotion caused by the Second Master of the Yue family in the Yue household and frowned slightly.
"The Tang family wouldn't," Gu Yaoyang said. "The Tang family's Bright and Hidden Matriarchs have always been twins. The Bright Matriarch knows the identity of the Hidden Matriarch, but the Hidden Matriarch does not know the identity of the Bright Matriarch. In fact, the Hidden Matriarch might not even know she is the Hidden Matriarch.
The Tang family has faced three crises of near extinction throughout its history, so they are particularly careful in this regard. The Hidden Matriarch is always sent away to study. If the Bright Matriarch survives safely, the Hidden Matriarch might never return to the Tang family in her lifetime. However, if the Tang family's Bright Matriarch dies unexpectedly, the Hidden Matriarch will be recalled to the Tang family immediately to take charge."
Listening to Gu Yaoyang's explanation, Xia Qingtian felt she understood but not entirely. She nodded and said, "So, Er Ya might not even know she's the Tang family's Hidden Matriarch. Then... how did you know?"
"I naturally have my ways," Gu Yaoyang's gaze flickered slightly.
He knew because the Tang family's Bright Matriarch had passed away, and the Hidden Matriarch was promptly summoned back, which is when he found out.
It had been about two years ago.
Recalling Er Ya's personality, Gu Yaoyang sighed silently.
He estimated that even if this Hidden Matriarch returned to the Tang family, the family wouldn't fare much better.
"Anything else?" Xia Qingtian asked, blinking her eyes. "What do you know about the Miao family?"
"The Miao family?" Gu Yaoyang was a bit surprised when Xia Qingtian voluntarily asked about the Miao family, but he answered truthfully, "The Miao family's situation is even more complex than the Tang family's. The Miao family's old family head died under unclear circumstances, the new Miao family head, Miao Sang, is incapable of handling affairs, and the branches of the Miao family are not honest individuals, so..."
"Miao Sang? You know Miao Sang?" Xia Qingtian was taken aback.
"Hmm?" Gu Yaoyang looked at Xia Qingtian. "Is there a problem?"
"Uh, no." Xia Qingtian's beautiful eyes flickered, and she immediately changed her wording. "When I went to Kyoto this time, I met Miao Tong from the Miao family. I always thought he would be the Miao family's head..."
"Miao Tong is not. The Miao family has a family heirloom. Only the person who obtains the heirloom is the new Miao family head. When the old family head was dying, he passed the heirloom to Miao Sang," Gu Yaoyang explained.
"How do you know that?" Xia Qingtian's heart skipped a beat, and her gaze towards Gu Yaoyang deepened.
It was true that the old Miao family head had given the heirloom to Miao Sang before he died, but now the heirloom was with her. Gu Yaoyang knew something even the Miao family members didn't. How?
"As I said, I naturally have my ways." Gu Yaoyang's gaze shifted slightly, and he countered Xia Qingtian, "Why do you seem a bit strange today?"
Xia Qingtian looked at Gu Yaoyang without answering.
The atmosphere between the two grew increasingly heavy and silent. After a long while, Xia Qingtian finally spoke, "Gu Yaoyang, can I trust you?"
"Why do you ask that?" Gu Yaoyang did not answer Xia Qingtian directly but looked at her instead.
Xia Qingtian stared into Gu Yaoyang's eyes and after another long silence, took two white jade dice from her bag and placed them on the table. "Mr. Gu has so many methods; you must recognize these."
"These are..." Seeing Xia Qingtian produce two white jade dice, Gu Yaoyang was also stunned.
He knew that Xia Qingtian had acquired one white jade die at the Lei family auction. It was he and Xia Qingtian who had competed for it back then.
But this second one...
Recalling Xia Qingtian's strangeness, Gu Yaoyang guessed that the second white jade die must be the one from the Miao family, but...
How did the Miao family's heirloom end up in Xia Qingtian's hands?
It shouldn't be!
"Mr. Gu, can I trust you?" Xia Qingtian's gaze shifted from the white jade dice to Gu Yaoyang's face, her expression calm.
Gu Yaoyang did not reply. He knew that at this moment, the trust that he and Xia Qingtian had finally repaired had developed a new crack.
No matter what he said now, Xia Qingtian would not believe him.
The more he said, the more mistakes he would make.
Xia Qingtian watched Gu Yaoyang. Seeing that he remained silent, she pursed her lips, a fire rising in her heart, which she forcefully suppressed.
No matter what it was, as long as Gu Yaoyang spoke, as long as he gave an answer, even if it was like before, merely claiming he had his own methods, Xia Qingtian wouldn't feel this terrified and angry.
She was never one to lose her temper. Now, she just took a deep breath, raised her hand to collect the two white jade dice, stood up, and said, "Thank you for your hospitality today, Mr. Gu. I'll be taking my leave."
After saying this, Xia Qingtian left Xiaoyao Pavilion directly.
Gu Yaoyang watched Xia Qingtian's retreating back, his brows furrowed. A certain part of him felt empty. He wanted to call out to her but didn't know what he would say if he did.
In the end, he just opened his mouth and then slowly closed it.
A bitter taste spread in his heart.