Chapter 387 - 337: Send Her Away
Chapter 387: Chapter 337: Send Her Away
"And that wife of yours is getting more and more outrageous! Shaofeng and Shaoling were both left at the old family home since birth, raised by your mother so you two wouldn’t have to worry. And because of your weak stomach, she—as both a doctor and your wife—stayed by your side to take care of you, which put everyone at ease. We all used to say she was simple and quiet, a good match for you. But look at what she’s become over the years! She’s a completely different person compared to when you first married! Never mind anything else, the moment she comes back to the family home, she’s inviting friends over every single day. Countless guests! She has more social engagements than an old man like me! And the people she associates with aren’t the wives from ordinary families; no, they all have status. So what kind of status does *she* think she has? Does she think she can look down on everyone now? Today she managed to infuriate Aunt Tang; who’s to say it won’t be your own mother next! Look at her guests—the wives from the Jun and Zeng families. Which one of them isn’t shrewd as can be? They’re all perfectly polished in their social dealings! Your wife has been socializing with them for so long, so how much has she actually learned? And her performance today, what was that? Your older sister-in-law is busy running around, while you and your wife come back, reap the rewards of her work, and still put on airs. Who do you think you are? Huh? This is preposterous!"
Mr. Gu grew more furious as he spoke. Gu Qiyuan lowered his head. "Father, please calm down. I was wrong. I will speak to Xueqin when I get back. I will never allow this to happen again!"
"These household matters should be your mother’s to manage, but she was muddle-headed today too! Since I’ve started, I might as well say a few more things: that girl from the Tian family came to our home when she was ten. Your mother said your wife chose her as a companion for Shaoling. But now it’s clear that this kind of companion is just riding on our coattails to act high and mighty. We can’t have her! It’s bad enough that she doesn’t stop Shaoling when she’s brainlessly making a scene, but she actually stirs up more trouble than Shaoling does! I heard she and Shaoling conspired to ask your mother to tear down the rockery in your courtyard and build a new fountain with a goldfish pond! You’ve known since you were old enough to understand: the mountains, rocks, foundations, and paths of this old home cannot be altered for any reason. We told you all why. I don’t blame Shaoling for not understanding, but I don’t want to see her with a companion who’s even more clueless! Have your wife pack her things. Send her away tomorrow!"
"Yes!"
Gu Qiyuan returned to his small courtyard, where Tian Xueqin immediately rushed up and grabbed his sleeve. "Qiyuan, Shaoling is still young, how can she bear such a harsh punishment? She’s missed two meals already, she can’t take it much longer! Go and plead with Mr. Gu!"
Gu Qiyuan looked at her. "Why don’t you go plead with Mother?"
Tian Xueqin’s eyes darted away. "She won’t see me. She won’t even let me in the door!"
Gu Qiyuan nodded, his voice flat. "Well, I was with Mr. Gu the whole time, but I had no intention of pleading for Shaoling. Mr. Gu himself gave the order to lock her up today. If it were up to me, I’d have taken a whip to her, just like I whipped Shaofeng back in the day!"
Tian Xueqin’s eyes widened. "Qiyuan, Shaoling is your own daughter!"
"Of course she is. What, are you telling me you gave birth to a daughter who isn’t mine?"
"You... What a terrible thing to say! Since she was little, you’ve doted on our daughter endlessly, just like Mother. Now every one of you is blaming the child. If you ask me, if the child misbehaves, you’re all responsible too. Why should she be the only one punished?"
"Are you saying the adults should be punished too? Fine. Shaoling is our daughter, yours and mine. This has nothing to do with Mother. As her parents, we only brought her into this world but didn’t raise her properly. Doting on her and spoiling her were our mistakes. So, let’s starve with her. We won’t eat dinner tonight."
Tian Xueqin grew frantic. "Gu Qiyuan, I’m being serious! Shaoling has mild hypoglycemia. If she keeps starving like this, something terrible will happen!"
"Tian Xueqin, we’ve been together for so many years. Do you really not know when I’m being serious? All I can tell you is this: stop worrying about Shaoling and start reflecting on your own actions. I have to go out for a bit. I just need to grab something, and then I’ll be leaving. We’ll have a proper talk when I get back tonight."
Gu Qiyuan pulled his hand free from Tian Xueqin’s grasp, took two steps onto the covered walkway, and walked to the door of his study. He paused, then turned back around. "And one more important thing: pack up Tian Sisi’s belongings tonight. First thing tomorrow morning, send her back to the Tian family!"
Tian Xueqin stood there, stunned, unable to process his words for a long moment. "What did you say?"
Gu Qiyuan frowned. "Xueqin, I don’t like to repeat myself."
"But why? Shaoling doesn’t have any sisters, so we specifically brought Sisi over to keep her company. Sisi is gentle and well-behaved, she’s never caused any trouble... If we suddenly send her home, how am I supposed to explain it to my parents, my brother, and my sister-in-law? Besides, school isn’t even on break yet. Are you saying Sisi should just miss her classes?"
Gu Qiyuan rubbed his forehead. "I didn’t come back to Beijing for a vacation. I’m going to be very busy these next couple of days, and I don’t have the mental energy to deal with these matters of yours. You figure it out. Do what you have to do. In short, Tian Sisi must be sent out of the Gu family home tomorrow! But since you insist on asking why, I’ll just tell you everything: some of the ideas Tian Sisi and Gu Shaoling have been having violate a major taboo of our Gu family! Besides, there’s a ready-made explanation for the Tian family: Remember last time, when Sisi broke that large plum vase in the living room? It was one of a pair, produced in the official kilns of the Ming and Qing dynasties, a family heirloom. It’s extremely precious and valuable! Mr. Gu and Mother were already very unhappy about it. It was only because Shaoling insisted on having her cousin for company that they tolerated her. After the scene today, there’s no longer any reason for Sisi to remain in the Gu family!"
"But..."
"No ’buts.’ Just do as you’re told!" Gu Qiyuan pushed the door open, stepped inside, and pulled it shut behind him.
Tian Xueqin bit her lip and turned to leave. ’When he’s in his study, he hates to be disturbed. If I say any more and make him angry, he’ll really start yelling at me.’
By dinnertime, Gu Qiyuan, who had left the house, still hadn’t returned. Sulking, Tian Xueqin refused to go to the dining room to eat with everyone else, and surprisingly, no one came to invite her. Instead, a staff member brought five or six dishes with hot rice and soup to her rooms. They also unlocked Gu Shaoling’s door, but only to deliver a meal; they didn’t let her out.
Tian Sisi, however, was let out and allowed to sit at the table to have dinner with her aunt.
The meal was sumptuous. Having been hungry for so long, Tian Sisi was constantly shoveling rice into her mouth and grabbing food from the dishes. When she choked, she would quickly gulp down a few mouthfuls of soup. Once she was about half-full and some color had returned to her face, she noticed her aunt’s listless expression. She was just poking at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks, apparently not having eaten a single bite.
"Aunt, why aren’t you eating?" Tian Sisi asked. "Are you worried about Shaoling? Don’t be. I saw Aunt Liu and Aunt Ma take her meal in myself. It was four dishes and a soup—braised pork, fish, white-cut chicken, steamed egg custard, and water shield soup with rice. Shaoling won’t go hungry!"
The Tian family was not as well-off as the Gu family, but Tian Sisi had never gone hungry a day in her life. Especially after coming to the Gu estate, she had followed Shaoling in living a comfortable, pampered existence and didn’t know what true hunger felt like. Although she had only been starved for the better part of a day, she had also been choked by Tang Manman to the point of suffocation and then locked away from everyone. The combination of fear, hunger, and thirst was an experience she never, ever wanted to go through again.