Chapter 168 - 168 Unveiling
168 Unveiling
Gu Yanfei suddenly grabbed the armrest of the armchair. Her fingertips were slightly white from the force, and a chill rose in her heart. Her eyes gradually turned cold.
Her eldest brother’s skin had turned a wheat color from being exposed to the sun for a long time, and his face was smooth. At least, there were no scars visible to the naked eye. Only his palm had calluses from practicing martial arts, and there were a few thin scars on his wrist and the back of his hand.
She had also taken Gu Yuan’s pulse. From his pulse, Gu Yuan was healthy and didn’t show any signs of loss.
Most importantly…
In her previous life, Gu Yuan would die of smallpox two years later.
At that time, Big Brother had broken his legs and lost his job. The eldest branch no longer had any status in the Marquis Mansion.
However, even so, Madam still refused to split up and let the eldest branch be tramped on. Big Brother did his best to protect her until he was infected by smallpox. Even until his death, he was worried about her.
Smallpox was scary, but as long as one had it once, they would not get it again!
The wind roared, bringing waves of cold air from the window. It almost blew out the oil lamp, which shrank into a dot.
The room darkened, making Gu Yanfei’s expression dark.
After a while, Gu Yanfei asked calmly, “Granny, back then, you took care of Big Brother. Did Big Brother really get smallpox?”
As she asked, she already had an answer.
Madam Gu had spent so much effort to chase Granny Pang away from her brother. Now, she was even willing to kill someone.
There was only one possibility—
To silence her.
Granny Pang was stunned by Gu Yanfei’s question. She looked at her in a daze and said slowly, “Yes, he got smallpox. How can it not be?!”
“At that time, there were many doctors in the residence and Qingjing Spiritual Master of the Wuliang Temple. They all said that it was smallpox.”
“The Eldest Young Master was dying of illness…”
The events of 14 years ago vividly appeared in Granny Pang’s mind. She still remembered that she had been worried and terrified during that period. She could not sleep well and prayed to the gods every day, hoping that the gods would bless the Eldest Young Master to survive this calamity safely.
When no one spoke, the house was exceptionally quiet, making the wind outside seem especially sharp. The trees in the courtyard creaked from the strong wind.
“Did Granny see Big Brother at that time?” Gu Yanfei asked again.
In her previous life, she could not understand that even if there was war in Qiushui County at that time, they were far from losing the war.
Her father had gone to defend the city. As long as her mother stayed in Huling City at the back, it would be safer than her, a pregnant woman, running out to “take refuge”!
So she was doing this for Big Brother…
Gu Yanfei felt her heart ache, and her fingertips were so pale that they were almost transparent.
Granny Pang’s throat was dry and bitter, and she shook her head weakly. “No. Because smallpox is contagious, Madam sent me and the servants of the Benevolent Harmony Hall out of the house.”
“During that period, only Madam personally guarded the Eldest Young Master.”
Smallpox was a plague, even more terrifying than the Black Death. Those who had smallpox had a slim chance of survival. Once the infection spread, it was common to destroy a village.
Back then, Granny Pang was more or less touched when she saw Madam taking care of the sick Eldest Young Master.
But now, after talking to Gu Yanfei, Granny Pang thought back and felt that something had changed, as if she had neglected something.
Another gust of cold wind suddenly blew in through the window, completely extinguishing the light of the oil lamp. The house instantly fell into darkness.
Juan Bi saw the oil lamp go out and fumbled in the darkness to light it again.
The fire lit up bit by bit, illuminating Gu Yanfei’s eyes.
In the dim yellow light, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were unusually bright, shining like swords.
In a daze, Granny Pang felt as if she had seen the late Marquis, Gu Ce, again.
Gu Yanfei’s cold voice cut through the silence. “Back then, when Granny was chased away, it was before my father returned to the capital, right?”
As far as she knew, after her mother died, her father guarded Yangzhou for three years and did not leave for a moment. It was only in the sixth year that he was summoned back to the capital by the late Emperor.
“Yes.” Granny Pang nodded with difficulty.
She still remembered that at that time, everyone in the Marquis Mansion was overjoyed. They were all saying that the Marquis was about to return triumphantly. She also told the Eldest Young Master this.
“I understand,” Gu Yanfei said meaningfully.
Smallpox.
The word pierced her heart like a sharp blade, twisting it repeatedly.
A miserable red color flashed across Gu Yanfei’s eyes.