120. The Peach Grove

Gu Fei returned to Qingmo Courtyard, and within a quarter of an hour, she suddenly called out loudly in the courtyard, "Nightingale, Egret, pack your things. Especially the items in the Ink Room; not a single piece must be left behind."

Although confused, Nightingale and Egret followed her instructions without asking a single question.

Hearing the commotion, Mother Ku came out. The wound on her abdomen had already scabbed over, and she was able to walk a few steps. Seeing Gu Fei's sudden decision, she asked in confusion, "Young Mistress, what has happened?"

Gu Fei shook her head, her gaze deep and distant. "The Gu family cannot tolerate us; it was time to leave sooner or later."

Earlier today, she had seen Gu Min walking with Mo Geyi in the market. She realized that since the Chamber of Commerce ceremony, even though Mo Geyi had ruined her reputation, the Gu family had remained still, and she had continued to live relatively comfortably. Mo Geyi could no longer stand it.

He had finally won Gu Min over. To do so, he must have found a way to resolve the poison in Gu Min's body and offered the Gu family an irresistible incentive. With this, the Gu family’s hesitations vanished, and they would certainly proceed to pressure her further. Moreover, Mo Geyi had mentioned that there would be a series of good shows performed tonight; she did not believe things would remain so calm.

As expected, no sooner had Nightingale and Egret finished packing the items from the Ink Room than Lady Cui marched in with a group of courtyard guards, looking aggressive.

Asserting her authority as the mistress, she pointed at Qingmo Courtyard and shouted, "Throw all these unlucky things out!"

"Stop!" Egret shouted. Carrying a red-tasseled spear, she looked small next to the weapon, yet the aura she exuded made no one dare to underestimate her. "You are not allowed to be insolent in front of the Young Mistress!"

Gu Fei stood by the water vat under the eaves. She watched as Nightingale took a large round basin, scooped the koi from the vat into it, and added some water so they could be taken along. She did not even glance at Lady Cui in the courtyard, letting Egret roar and brandish her spear, standing her ground with the imposing air of a warrior blocking a thousand men, holding off the guards.

Lady Cui was furious. She hid at the very back, stretching her neck to clamor at Gu Fei, "You wretched girl, dare you be arrogant again? Today, I will make you crawl out of the Gu family!"

Gu Fei glanced at her nonchalantly and quickly looked away. She took the basin from Nightingale and signaled for her to clear the room, placing all their belongings out into the courtyard.

Egret was restless, her eyes flashing with a fierce, combative light. At Gu Fei’s command, she was ready to charge out like a wild horse. For a moment, no one dared to step forward.

Before long, You Er drove two carriages into the courtyard. He took in the scene at a glance, glared at Lady Cui with his copper-bell-sized eyes, and leaped off the carriage. He stomped inside, his footsteps like a small mountain pressing down on Lady Cui’s heart, making everyone tremble.

"Young Mistress, the carriages are hired," You Er said in a muffled voice, eyeing Lady Cui with a strange expression.

Gu Fei nodded. She had Nightingale push her to the carriages. As You Er bent down to lift her and her wheelchair onto the carriage, she suddenly turned back and looked at Lady Cui. "When you negotiate with a tiger for its skin, be careful not to be devoured by it."

After saying this, she casually dropped the carriage curtain. Ignoring everyone else, she had Nightingale, Egret, and You Er load their belongings onto the second carriage. Within half an hour, Gu Fei had left the Gu estate.

"Young Mistress, where to?" You Er asked, raising his whip from outside the curtain.

Inside the carriage, Gu Fei was silent for a moment. She held the basin securely, watching the koi, who seemed uneasy in their new container, and said calmly, "The peach blossom forest in the southern suburbs. There is a small two-courtyard house there. Go there."

"Alright, Young Mistress, sit tight!" You Er shouted, pulling the reins. He spat toward the Gu family gate and immediately drove far away.

Lady Cui watched until Gu Fei's carriage was long gone. She still found it hard to believe; what she had always wanted had finally come to pass. Blinking, she asked the old maid beside her, "That wretched girl, has she really left? She won't come back, will she?"

The old maid’s face crinkled into a smile like a chrysanthemum. She nodded and took the opportunity to flatter Lady Cui. "Mistress, she is gone, and she will not return. From now on, you can sleep soundly."

Hearing this, Lady Cui raised her eyebrows and laughed. "My son is truly capable."

Hearing such self-praise, the old maid followed up with a stream of compliments, leaving Lady Cui feeling overjoyed.

Meanwhile, You Er had driven the carriage for less than half an hour before arriving at the peach blossom forest in the southern suburbs of Yizhou City.

Although this area was still within Yizhou City, it was somewhat desolate. Many years ago, this place had been a graveyard. Even though not many people were buried there, rumors of supernatural occurrences had persisted. Later, it was said that a wandering scholar came to Yizhou City one year. Claiming to be a gentleman who read the books of sages, he was not afraid of such ridiculous tales and bought the land for a small sum, planting colorful peach trees.

Perhaps because of the bones buried beneath, the peach trees flourished. Within a few years, they formed a forest. When the peach blossoms bloomed, the pale pink flowers would bloom overnight—magnificent and beautiful—looking like an ocean of blossoms from afar.

Even though those graves were moved or, over the long years, left unvisited until the mounds shrank away and no longer looked like graves, the forest remained quiet. No one visited, making it the most remote location in Yizhou City.

Gu Fei remembered the small two-courtyard house in the forest because her father, Mo Hui, had once planned to move away from the Little Mo family and had quietly purchased this large forest. Few people knew of this. Thus, no one expected Gu Fei to head there.

When Gu Fei moved into the peach blossom forest, it was the hour of Shen (3:00 PM to 5:00 PM), long past the time when the peach blossoms were in full bloom, but the forest was still lush and beautiful.

She got off the carriage first, handed the basin to Nightingale, and wheeled herself into the small house by the edge of the forest.

The courtyard was very dilapidated, the gate ajar, and weeds were growing everywhere. Gu Fei ignored it all. She pushed the door open, circled the courtyard, and stopped at a slab of blue stone in the main room. She bent down, pried up the stone with effort, and ordered You Er, who had followed her, "Dig beneath this."

You Er did not hesitate. Rolling up his sleeves, he used his bare hands to scoop up the soil. After a few tries, he unearthed a palm-sized iron box from beneath the stone.

The box was covered in rust, with carved floral patterns visible. It had a copper lock; with a gentle twist, the lock snapped.

Gu Fei did not mind the dirt. She wiped it off with a handkerchief and opened the iron box, taking out a yellowed, folded land deed.

Nightingale, Egret, You Er, and Mother Ku were astonished, but no one dared to ask first. Seeing how familiar Gu Fei was with the place since entering the courtyard, there must have been many unknown stories hidden here.

Gu Fei carefully unfolded the deed. Instantly, a rich scent of ink wafted out. The handwriting on the yellowed paper was as vivid as ever, especially the signature and seal: the timeless characters of "Mo Hui" were as clear as the day they were written.

Gu Fei touched it with her fingertips, her expression filled with nostalgia. After a long while, she said, "Clean it up simply. We will live here from now on. Tomorrow, we will find some craftsmen to repair and expand the courtyard."

No one had any objections. Nightingale and Egret dutifully unloaded Gu Fei’s belongings from the carriage and placed them in the main room, prioritizing her comfort first.

The main room was the only one in the entire house that was still somewhat intact. The east and west wing rooms had leaking roofs, and the servants' quarters at the front were even worse. Fortunately, there were only a few of them, and they could manage for the night.

Gu Fei put away the deed. Back when Mo Hui bought the forest, he dared not take it back to the Little Mo family, so he had buried it in the main room. Gu Fei had seen it with her own eyes. All these years, she had only hoped to dig it up, never expecting it would still be there.

The kitchen corner had completely collapsed and was unusable. Mother Ku sent Egret to a tavern with some silver to quickly resolve their dinner.

While eating, Gu Fei suddenly asked, "Besides the main room, are there any other rooms that can be slept in?"

Mother Ku knew what Gu Fei was thinking and replied, "There is still one room in the east wing that is usable."

Gu Fei nodded. "Then we will crowd together tonight, and You Er will keep watch."

The group nodded, all knowing that the night ahead would certainly not be peaceful.