Gathering information was Gu Qing’s forte. In less than half a day, Gu Qing returned with his report.
The Changping Marquis Manor did indeed have an Aunt Yun, but she had been banished to a manor four years ago, along with her two children. Aunt Yun and her children only stayed at the manor for a few months before disappearing without a trace.
“The Changping Marquis Manor is also looking for them, but very discreetly,” Gu Qing said. “Aunt Yun’s name is Yun Lan, and she has two children, a daughter named Qi Zhenzhen and a son named Qi Yi.”
When Gu Qing discovered this, he was greatly shaken. As one of the Crown Prince’s trusted aides, he knew everything that happened to the Crown Prince. Qi Zhenzhen had saved the Crown Prince and Young Master Qian on Tiger Tooth Mountain, and she had a younger brother named Qi Yi, whose mother’s surname was Yun. Could there be such a coincidence in the world? It was impossible.
Therefore, the Qi Zhenzhen who saved the Crown Prince was the same Qi Zhenzhen from the Changping Marquis Manor.
The fact that a young lady from the Marquis Manor had fallen to the status of a country girl must have a complicated story behind it.
The Changping Marquis Manor was now secretly searching for Madam Yun and her children, and it was unclear what their intentions were.
Gu Sinian requested another detailed report on the Changping Marquis Manor from Gu Qing, specifying who resided in which courtyard and who served in each courtyard.
“This matter must be kept secret, and someone should be assigned to protect Madam Yun and her children,” Gu Sinian instructed calmly. “Also, have you investigated who Qi Zhenzhen is engaged to?”
Gu Qing shook his head.
“Find out and tell me.”
The next day, Gu Chengyang returned to Xinghua Village with a cartload of tools. He consulted the almanac and set the date for the groundbreaking ceremony: March 18th. Afterward, he took Chang Shan and a few others to meticulously measure the foundation, explaining that these matters were significant. A good house could bless future generations, while a house with poor feng shui would not only harm the owner’s wealth and fortune but also affect their descendants.
The Qi family’s grand undertaking of building houses caused a stir throughout Xinghua Village.
Just over half a year ago, Madam Yun and her two children were in dire straits. Now, they were moving into a new house. The vast apricot forest also belonged to the Qi family, and twelve houses were to be built along the edge of the forest. How much money would this cost?
Village Head Song approached Qi Zhenzhen, proposing to use a group of people to build a school for the village.
Qi Zhenzhen discussed it with Gu Chengyang, who agreed. The matter was thus settled.
The location was chosen on the other side of the apricot forest. In the words of Village Head Song, the village was named Xinghua Village because of this apricot forest, and building the school nearby was fitting.
As the weather warmed, the snow in the mountains had mostly melted, and Qi Zhenzhen felt a longing to venture into the mountains.
However, Madam Yun watched her every day. In Madam Yun’s words, going into the mountains before was due to dire necessity, a matter of survival.
Now that the Qi family had enough to eat and wear, what was the point of a young lady venturing into the woods?
Basically, for any matter at home, even if Madam Yun initially disagreed, Qi Zhenzhen would eventually wear her down with persistence, and Madam Yun would compromise. But this time, Madam Yun refused to budge. She even enlisted Madam Yu to persuade her, and even Grandma Lin, who was visiting, disagreed with Qi Zhenzhen going into the mountains.
“Zhenzhen, if you’re feeling bored, why don’t you come and stay with us for a while? Your grandfather can take you to go tide pooling,” Grandma Lin said.
Tide pooling? Although she had eaten plenty of seafood, Qi Zhenzhen, in both her lives, had never gone tide pooling. It sounded quite fun.
“Mother, can I go to Grandma’s house then?” Qi Zhenzhen pleaded, clinging to Madam Yun’s arm.
“Zhenzhen’s mother, Zhenzhen is still young. You can’t restrict her so much. She needs to have some freedom when she can. Once she’s married, she won’t have such opportunities. Women, you know, their good days are these few years as young girls,” Grandma Lin advised.
Madam Yun reluctantly agreed. Song Mingyue, standing nearby, also looked on with longing.
“Auntie, we’re not outsiders. Can Mingyue come along?” Qi Zhenzhen said playfully to Madam Yu.
Song Mingyue’s eyes lit up. “Mother, I’ve never been to the seaside in my life. Please agree. Grandma Lin also said that a woman’s good days are only these few years. You can’t hold me back!”
Madam Yu chuckled, amused and exasperated. “Even if I agree, your paternal grandparents won’t. Your cousin is getting married on the fifteenth. If you’re not here, your eldest aunt will definitely object.”
Qi Zhenzhen then remembered that Song Mingze’s wedding was on March 15th.
“How about this, Auntie? I won’t go to Grandma’s house for now. After Cousin Song’s wedding, I’ll ask Mingyue to go with me,” Qi Zhenzhen said after some thought, as she wasn’t in a hurry.
Song Mingyue, touched, held Qi Zhenzhen’s arm tightly, calling her her lifelong best friend.
Weddings were always lively affairs. When someone in the village got married, everyone would go to join in the fun. Moreover, this time, the groom was the village head’s eldest grandson, who was not only handsome but also educated. It was rumored that the bride was the daughter of the owner of the county’s grain shop, with an incredibly generous dowry. Everyone wanted to see how lavish it was. Coupled with Village Head Song’s prestige in the village, Song Mingze’s wedding was unprecedentedly lively.
Qi Zhenzhen was pulled to the Song family by Song Mingyue early in the morning. Coincidentally, she ran into Song Mingze, and Qi Zhenzhen was truly taken aback.
In just a few days, Song Mingze had become gaunt, as if he were a different person.
The bright red wedding robe hung loosely on Song Mingze, making him appear even thinner.
He, who was once a sunny youth, now looked like someone who had withered away from opium addiction, a truly pitiable sight.
Song Mingze hadn’t expected to see Qi Zhenzhen before the wedding procession. He gazed at Qi Zhenzhen intently, wishing it were Qi Zhenzhen he was marrying today.
Unable to help himself, Song Mingze was surrounded by others and led away to welcome the bride.
“What was your eldest aunt thinking? Isn’t your cousin her biological son? Even if he didn’t want it, forcing him into this marriage… it’s truly…” Qi Zhenzhen whispered to Song Mingyue.
Song Mingyue shook her head and sighed. “My cousin came to beg my parents to intercede, but my eldest aunt retorted that my mother was jealous of the main branch’s good fortune and that the bride the main branch was marrying would help my cousin’s future prospects.”
Future prospects? With Song Mingze in this state, what future prospects could he have? If the person himself was not well, how could his future be bright?
Madam Mingyue’s aunt seemed like a sharp person, so why was she being so foolish?
With his spirits crushed, would Song Mingze still have the inclination to study in the future?
It was a loss that outweighed the gain.
However, with the wedding procession already underway, there was nothing more to be said. As acquaintances, Qi Zhenzhen still wished Song Mingze well, hoping that in the future, their constant companionship might foster some affection.
Near noon, Song Mingze returned with his new bride.
The county was far from Xinghua Village, so the new bride had stayed at her aunt’s house in town to await the wedding.
The sedan chair was carried by four people, whose shoulders were bent, and they were sweating profusely, looking quite disheveled.