Chapter 164: Wedding Gift (1)

The capital of Qiongyue was indeed very prosperous. Both sides of the street were buildings of three stories or more, shops were lined up, and the voices were loud. The road paved with bluestone was smooth and flat, faintly showing the luxury of a great country. Perhaps because the celebration was coming soon, red silk and lanterns were hung everywhere, looking a bit dazzling from a distance.

The autumn sun was not as gentle as the summer sun, especially at noon, the bright sun made people almost unable to open their eyes. The folk customs of Qiongyue were relatively open, and there were many women walking alone on the street, but in the complicated colors, that touch of black appeared exceptionally conspicuous.

It was the first time Gu Yun walked so leisurely on the streets of the capital. She had been in this different world for four or five months. She was either training troops or competing, either investigating cases or suppressing bandits. Now that she was idle, she didn't know what to do. Zhuo Qing's wedding was in a few days, so she had to show something, but unfortunately, she walked for more than an hour and didn't see anything suitable!

Not far away, a storefront was very atmospheric. Two green jade-carved mythical beasts were placed in front of the door. The entire storefront was decorated elegantly and uniquely. The large ink jade plaque was written with the four characters "Golden Jade Good Fate". Gu Yun's lips curled slightly. For the sake of this good shop name, she should go in and take a look. As soon as she entered the room, a clerk dressed in blue greeted her immediately, observed Gu Yun secretly without a trace, and said with a smile: "Please come in, Miss. Everything sold in this shop is a treasure. You can pick whatever you want."

Gu Yun scanned the surroundings. Half-a-person-high jade-carved divine beasts were placed in the four corners, looking very atmospheric. In the middle was a circular display stand with many jade ornaments on it. Gu Yun didn't know much about jade, just glanced at it, and didn't see anything she liked. Just as she was about to leave, the clerk stepped forward again and smiled: "What style do you like, Miss? I'll recommend a few good items in the shop. Why don't you go to the inner room and take a look?" This young lady looked simply dressed, but her temperament was extraordinary. The shop's decoration could be considered magnificent, and the displays were all good things. She just glanced at them and didn't like any of them. Based on his experience of seeing people and treating guests in the shop for many years, this woman must not be as poor as she looked.

There was an inner room? She didn't think about where else to go for a while, so Gu Yun decided to go in and take a look. She said casually: "I want something festive or exquisite."

The clerk guessed: "Are you buying it for someone, Miss?"

"Yes."

The decoration of the inner room was more comfortable than the outside. The wooden square tables were flanked by comfortable soft cushions. There were about four sets of such tables and chairs in the inner room, and the distance between the tables was also quite far, with relatively independent space. Two women in their forties were picking and choosing things, and behind them stood a clerk dressed in the same blue.

"Please wait a moment, Miss." The clerk went to get things, and Gu Yun chose the seat closest to the door.

Supporting her chin, Gu Yun waited boredly, sighing secretly that these idle days were truly boring. She slept for a day in the General's Mansion yesterday, and today was only half a day, and she was already bored to death. Not far away, the two women were probably picking things as a secondary matter, and gossip was the main thing. The inner room was relatively quiet, and even if Gu Yun didn't want to eavesdrop, she could vaguely hear what they were saying.

The woman in purple lowered her voice a little and said mysteriously: "Have you heard? The daughter of the Fang family—Fang Yijun hanged herself last night."

"What? That's impossible!" The woman in yellow beside her said anxiously, "I've seen that girl, she's quiet, obedient, and sensible. How could she hang herself!?"

"You don't know this. I'll only tell you, don't spread it!"

The woman in yellow patted her chest and replied: "Don't worry, don't worry, am I that kind of person? Tell me, tell me."

Gu Yun couldn't laugh or cry. In this kind of occasion, she wanted to keep it secret? I'm afraid they couldn't wait to spread it as widely as possible!

The woman in purple looked left and right before saying vividly, "Some time ago, Madam Fang's father died of illness. Madam Fang took Yijun back to Yancheng to attend the funeral. They only returned the night before last, and since they were almost home, they didn't want to stay overnight elsewhere. Who would have thought that traveling late at night would lead to an accident!"

"What happened?"

Leaning closer to the person beside her, the woman in purple replied: "Met a flower-picking thief!"

"Ah!" The woman in yellow cried out, "How can this be! Where did you meet him?"

The woman in purple made a gesture of silence and sighed: "Keep your voice down! It was fifty miles outside the capital. I heard that person's martial arts are very powerful. Seven or eight servants were no match for him. He snatched the child away in a while. When the servants found the person, the child..." The woman in purple sighed forcefully and didn't continue.

Like storytelling, everyone knew what was next. Gu Yun, who had seen many rape-murder cases, didn't need to guess to know the result of the woman being snatched away.

Sure enough, the woman in yellow also guessed it and asked in a low voice: "Ruined?"

"That's for sure! Her clothes were all torn, and she was lying unconscious in the wild field! Fortunately, she didn't die. But for a daughter, after encountering such a thing, what's the point of living? This is not it, she ended it herself last night!"

Gu Yun's brows furrowed tightly. Since she could survive, why commit suicide? Gu Yun was slightly annoyed. The clerk happened to bring a tray of jade ornaments and replied: "Miss, these are all good goods in the shop. They are most suitable for birthday celebrations and wedding banquets. Take a look."

Waving her hand lightly, Gu Yun replied impatiently: "Okay, put it there. I'll call you if I like anything."

"Yes." The clerk could see that Gu Yun was not very happy, so he didn't stay by her side, but retreated to the door. Gu Yun flipped through the things on the tray at will, but she was absent-minded, her ears still listening intently to the conversation between the two.

"It's really wicked! You said that the Fang family is a well-known philanthropist in the capital. They provide free medical treatment for five days every month. How many poor people who can't afford medical treatment have survived because of their free medical treatment and medicine? How could they encounter this thing? Is it not true!"

"Who wouldn't hope it's fake! Madam Wang told me this herself. Her younger brother's wife's own sister is Yijun's sister-in-law; how could this be fake!"

"Alas, the celebration is coming soon, how can the capital become more and more unstable!"

After listening to a few sentences, it was estimated that they had nothing good to say. Gu Yun was about to focus on choosing gifts, but she heard the woman in purple say anxiously in a terrified voice: "I heard that the murderer is probably a foreigner, his hair is white!"

"White hair? It sounds scary!"

White hair? Gu Yun's hand holding the hairpin paused. I don't know why, but a lonely figure and dazzling silver silk suddenly flashed in her mind. Thinking about it again, she felt she was ridiculous. Someone like Ao Tian, even if he would kill, wouldn't do such a thing. That pair of cold and proud eyes wouldn't take any woman into his eyes at all.

"Miss, which one do you want to choose?" Gu Yun came back to her senses and saw a peerless beauty as elegant as a lotus standing in front of her. Her plain face had bright eyes, and her gentleness carried a sense of aloofness.

"Fu'er, don't be rude." The woman scolded the young girl behind her softly. The girl curled her lips and didn't dare to say anything more.

The clerk also saw the small conflict on their side and hurriedly greeted them, smiling: "Miss Yu, these things were chosen by this young lady first. Otherwise, I'll find other accessories for you. The shop just arrived with a batch of new goods!"

Gu Yun came back to her senses and looked at the jade ornaments on the tray that she had turned into a mess. She also smiled embarrassedly: "It doesn't matter, I really don't know which one to choose. You can take it if you like it, Miss."

The woman didn't take it, but smiled lightly: "You are choosing gifts for others, right, Miss?" Things chosen for yourself are fine as long as you like them. Seeing her clueless look, she guessed she was giving gifts to others.

Gu Yun nodded, "Yes. Wedding gift." This woman had some observation skills.

The woman looked at the things on the tray and said: "For wedding banquets, you can send Ruyi and colored glaze as gifts. If it's a relative or a close friend, you can also send jade combs and gold hairpins as gifts."

Jade comb? Gu Yun thought this was good. Zhuo Qing and her were the same, rarely using accessories. Jade combs were both practical and good-looking. Gu Yun took out a crystal-clear white jade comb on the tray and smiled: "Thank you for your guidance, Miss. I want a jade comb."

The young girl behind the woman laughed and muttered: "No one sends one, only mutual gifts between relatives send one, wedding gifts should be a pair!" Although she deliberately lowered her voice, everyone still heard it clearly.

"Fu'er!" The woman glared at her and said apologetically to Gu Yun: "Family education is not strict, don't take it to heart, Miss." The so-called beauty should be like this, even glaring at people was beautiful. Gu Yun didn't care and replied: "It doesn't matter."

Finding another jade comb on the tray, Gu Yun handed it to the clerk beside her and said: "Help me wrap this pair."

"Yes." The clerk took the jade comb and retreated.

At this time, the woman took out a jade-carved pendant from the tray. It was a half-open lotus flower. This should be the thing she just liked.

What a graceful woman, Gu Yun smiled and asked: "I haven't asked for your name, Miss?" This woman was not only beautiful, but her cool and gentle temperament also made people feel very comfortable. Gu Yun couldn't help but want to know her name.

The woman raised her head slowly and replied in a low voice: "Yu Handan."

Yu Handan? Gu Yun raised her eyebrows slightly and smiled: "What a graceful name, my name is Qing Mo."

The woman nodded friendly, "Miss Qing."

At this time, the clerk also brought the wrapped gift box and said: "Miss, it's wrapped for you, a total of 180 taels of silver."

"Oh." Gu Yun took out a bag of silver that Su Yu asked Ming Shu to give her when she went out this morning. Although she had been here for a few months, she only recognized copper coins and silver notes, and still couldn't tell how many taels it was from the size of the silver. Handing the money bag to the clerk, Gu Yun asked: "Is this enough?"

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 165 =====

(End of chapter)