Lady Su listened to Old Lady Zhang's unfinished words, a smile gracing her face as she patted Gu Qingyun's shoulder.
“Alright, hurry along now so you aren't late. You look so sharp in these clothes today. The embroidery on your outfit was done by your Second Aunt, right? It's lovely.”
Hearing her mother's praise, the smile never left Gu Qingyun's face. She even spun around in a circle on purpose.
“Grandma, Mother, doesn't it look great? The belt on this outfit really raises its value! Plus, my elder sisters made it with such care. It makes me look remarkably handsome and dashing!”
Her smug act made both Old Lady Zhang and Lady Su want to laugh.
“Alright, stop showboating and get going.” With that, Old Lady Zhang made a shooing gesture.
Seeing the first light of dawn breaking in the sky, Gu Qingyun didn't linger. After saying her goodbyes, she walked briskly toward the village entrance. She moved so fast that within moments, her figure vanished from Old Lady Zhang and Lady Su's sight.
...
Gu Qingyun paused as she reached the village entrance.
“Little Black, why did you follow me out? I'm heading to the county seat for my shift and won't have time to look after you. You should stay home.”
“Meow, meow, meow! Meow, meow, meow, meow!”
Realizing it had been spotted, the little black cat let out a string of meows, took a running start, and scrambled right up Gu Qingyun's clothes, perching directly on her shoulder.
“Meow, meow, meow!” After meowing, it licked its paw and urged her to set off.
“Fine. Once we reach the county seat, you'll eat whatever I eat, so don't be a picky eater. When you get bigger, you'll have to hunt for your own food.”
Gu Qingyun didn't expect the little black cat to understand her anyway. She held it securely and began sprinting toward the county seat.
Gu Qingyun arrived at the county seat right around the Chen hour. The sky was gloomy and dark. She reckoned that if she had left two hours later, she would have been soaked to the bone like a drowned rat.
Hugging Little Black tightly in her arms, she darted toward the county yamen. Crossing a street, she bumped straight into Bai Fan, who had just finished breakfast and was returning to the yamen. Catching sight of her, his face lit up with joy.
“Sister Yun, you're finally back! Do you have any idea how much I missed you these past two weeks? Before, I used to follow you on night patrols, but lately, I've had to tag along with the night watchmen!”
Gu Qingyun looked at him with a complex expression. “You're too timid.”
Bai Fan nodded cheerfully. “Well, courage isn't really my strong suit.”
Black lines covered Gu Qingyun's face. Just as she was about to speak, a sudden 【boom】 of thunder echoed across the sky as a bolt of cold, pale, blade-like lightning crashed down.
Bean-sized raindrops poured from the sky. Street vendors and pedestrians scattered like headless flies, scrambling to find shelter from the rain.
Gu Qingyun and Bai Fan were no exception. The two took refuge under an overhang, intending to wait until the rain eased up before returning to the yamen.
Startled by the thunder overhead, Little Black meowed 【meow, meow】 a few times and burrowed directly into Gu Qingyun's chest, leaving only its head poking out.
Quite unlike their disheveled state, a horse-drawn carriage rolled slowly from the distance. The body of the carriage was polished to a sleek, glossy shine, its corners inlaid with reddish gold and carved with intricate patterns Gu Qingyun had never seen before.
The carriage was pulled by two fine steeds, accompanied by several servants and maidservants. Through the window, a man and a woman could be seen sitting inside.
The woman wore her hair in a floating cloud bun, adorned with sparkling jewels. She had a small cherry mouth and willow-leaf eyebrows. Her eyes, in particular, shone with radiant charm, making it impossible for anyone to look away.
Atop her head was a lifelike butterfly hairpin. The butterfly looked so real that as she moved, its wings fluttered gently, as if terrified of disturbing the beauty.
The man possessed sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes. He wore a blue brocade robe embroidered with subtle gold thread patterns, understated yet opulent.
At the moment, the two sat close together, murmuring words that made the woman giggle softly, shaking like a delicate flower branch. It was clear they shared a deep affection for each other.
Rainwater trickled down from the carriage roof, cascading along its refined contours. To Gu Qingyun, the scene felt remarkably like a classic painting of misty Jiangnan.
Damn rich people. Whether in her past life or this one, Gu Qingyun was just a commoner. Suddenly coming across such a picture-perfect couple, she couldn't help staring for a few moments longer.
As if sensing her gaze, the man knitted his brows and glanced over with clear displeasure. But seeing that it was a young girl, his eyes widened slightly in surprise, and his furrowed brows relaxed.
After a brief locking of eyes lasting no more than a few seconds, the man shifted his gaze away and closed the carriage window, shutting out the outside world.
Inside the carriage, the woman giggled playfully at the man.
“That's what you get for being so jealous over nothing! You didn't expect the person looking at me to be a little girl, did you?”
Pulling her into his arms, the man said softly, “Mmh, I simply dislike the idea of anyone else gazing upon my wife's beauty. Still, I didn't expect to find a female constable in Jiangyin County. Quite rare.”
Blushing instantly at his first words, the woman gave his chest a light, playful swat. “You're terrible.”
“However, that little girl looks to be eleven or twelve at most. For her to become a constable at such a young age, she must have extraordinary abilities. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, husband.”
The man kissed her forehead gently. “As my wife wishes. I'll have Lai Fu make some inquiries to see what makes this little girl special. But let's not dwell on strangers. The main kitchen at home prepared your favorite bird's nest porridge. Make sure you eat plenty when we get back.”
The woman snuggled deeper into his chest, her smile sweet.
“Thank you, husband. You're so good to me.”
As Gu Qingyun stared blankly after the receding carriage, Bai Fan nudged her arm.
“How about it? Astounded by the grandeur of the Liu family, aren't you?”
Gu Qingyun was speechless. “Why would I be? Which Liu family is this?”
Bai Fan explained, “Which other Liu family could it be? The official Liu family with members in government! That was the Liu family's Eldest Young Master and his newlywed wife just now.”
“Word has it he's quite brilliant in his studies—passed the imperial examinations as a Jinshi at a young age, and is currently a Shujishi. He came back with Master Liu this time to pay respects to their ancestors.”
“Though the family situation for the Eldest Young Master is rather chaotic. His father favored concubines over his wife. The first wife passed away years ago, and the current lady of the house is a stepmother. The Eldest Young Master was born to the first wife. If he weren't so outstanding, his life would probably be miserable.”
After saying that, Bai Fan leaned in with a sly grin. “Did you see that lady just now? She's truly gorgeous—a genuine noble lady. If I could find a wife even half as beautiful in the future, I'd be set.”
“Sigh, look at me. I'm not bad-looking, am I? Sigh, I just lack a wealthy family background. Otherwise, I'd be a man of high standing too!”
Gu Qingyun recalled the picture-perfect couple that had just passed. Surprisingly, both of them radiated a faint golden light, suggesting they belonged to a family that had performed many good deeds.
What surprised her even more was how well-informed Bai Fan was. Having him work as a constable was almost a waste of talent. Thinking this, she looked over at him.
“Alright, stop daydreaming. For people like us, a peaceful, ordinary life is for the best.”
Gu Qingyun gazed absently at the sky. Everyone wanted a prestigious family background, but even someone like her—who reincarnated with her memories intact—hadn't been born into wealth.
Someone like Bai Fan, who possessed not even a speck of golden merit light and was as ordinary as could be, could truly only become a prominent figure in his dreams.
She shook her head, tossing those unrealistic thoughts to the back of her mind. Looking up at the sky as the rain began to slacken, she said, “Let's go, back to the yamen.”
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