FBC – Chapter 14 Gaining Sympathy

Before long, the residence physician arrived with Dong Mo, followed by a young maid of about seventeen or eighteen, carrying a food box.

The maid looked Gu Hua up and down with curiosity.

Her father had said this was someone the Lord wanted. Before meeting her, the girl had filled her head with images of an alluring and seductive woman.

But reality…

The young miss from the Gu family had delicate features. Without a touch of makeup, her snowy skin looked even more translucent and flawless.

Her attire was simple—just a single silver hairpin adorned her head, and she didn’t even wear earrings, which instead highlighted her slender swan-like neck.

She wore a loose, dull gray ruqun, concealing whether she had a good figure or not.

Her eyes were like those of a startled rabbit, not daring to meet anyone’s gaze directly.

She was clearly just a simple, innocent young girl.

And they said she seduced the Lord?

Ugh, the maid couldn’t even imagine the scene.

The physician reached out to remove the handkerchief wrapped around Gu Hua’s hand, only to find that the blister had burst. Yellowish fluid had oozed out, gluing the handkerchief firmly to her skin. The cloth was twisted into a messy, crusted bundle. The sight was appalling, and the physician’s brows furrowed into tight knots.

“How did it end up like this?”

Gu Hua kept her head down, silent.

Last night, during her scuffle with Mu An, the skin on her palm had been scraped raw. But she hadn’t unwrapped or re-applied any ointment. She wanted the people of Wen Hanxuan’s household to see it today.

The worse she looked, the more her elder sister and Mu An’s actions would be criticized.

The worse she looked, the more sympathy she would earn from Wenhan Pavilion’s people.

Dong Mo sucked in a breath. “Didn’t we apply medicine yesterday? How did it become like this? Did the young madam make you do heavy labor again?”

“No, I just accidentally scraped it myself.”

Gu Hua’s eyes were rimmed with red, looking deeply aggrieved.

This kind of pain didn’t matter to her anymore.

Dong Mo snorted softly.

He was certain the young madam and the young master had bullied her again.

“Miss, bear with it a little—it’s going to hurt,” the physician said with a tinge of sympathy.

Gu Hua took a deep breath. “It’s fine. I can handle it.”

The physician carefully moistened the dried handkerchief with medicinal liquid, gently separating it from her skin, bit by bit.

Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes, but she bit her lip tightly, stubbornly holding them back. The three others present felt their hearts twist with sympathy at the sight.

Once the medicine was applied and the wound rebandaged, the physician gave some final instructions: “Change the dressing once a day. Don’t let the hand touch water for at least three days. Also, avoid using the hand as much as possible to prevent further injury.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Gu Hua said with tears in her eyes, bowing in gratitude.

The physician returned the gesture. “Also, avoid certain foods.”

“Mm, I understand,” Gu Hua replied softly.

After the doctor left, the maid opened the food box and took out a bowl of minced chicken and lotus seed porridge, four meat buns, and a small plate of pickles.

Dong Mo smiled. “Miss Gu came over so early—surely you haven’t had breakfast yet. Eat up.”

Gu Hua guessed this was arranged by Dong Mo, and she bowed gratefully. “Thank you, Brother Dong.”

“No need for thanks—it was the Lord’s instruction.”

Pointing to the maid, Dong Mo said with a smile, “I still have things to do. Zhilian will stay with you in the study. Just read or rest as you like.”

The maid named Zhilian beamed. “My surname is Zhou. Miss Gu can just call me Sister Zhou from now on.”

In her past life, Gu Hua had seen this girl before.

She was the only younger sister of the chief steward, Zhou Chunyu.

Usually, she helped her brother manage the household accounts and money flow. She didn’t serve others directly and held a high status in the Duke Manor.

“Many thanks, Sister Zhou,” Gu Hua didn’t dare underestimate her.

“No need to be so polite.”

Zhou Zhilian reached out to pick up the porridge bowl, but Gu Hua quickly said, “I can do it myself.”

She was the steward’s own sister—not someone one could just order around.

“Your hands are hurt this badly. Let me do it. You just sit down.”

Zhou Zhilian pointed to the soft couch, personally filled a bowl of porridge, and handed it to her, all while curiously staring at her.

Gu Hua obediently accepted the porridge and ate in small bites, letting her stare as much as she wanted.

Yesterday, she had heard her father mention this young lord’s sister-in-law—saying she was cautious and timid. And now, upon meeting her, she seemed to fit that description.

Yet her every gesture and movement carried an indescribable grace.

She was nothing like those garish women in the young lord’s quarters—pure and clean, like a white lotus flower.

Ah, perhaps she was just too beautiful. No matter what she did, it looked good.

Zhou Zhilian really liked this kind of clean, untainted beauty.

When Gu Hua finished the bowl of porridge, Zhou Zhilian was still staring at her. Gu Hua’s scalp tingled a little under the gaze and, blushing, she looked up and said, “Why don’t you sit down and eat with me, Sister Zhou? I can’t finish it all by myself.”

Zhou Zhilian shook her head. “Servants can’t sit and eat with their masters.”

Gu Hua said sincerely, “I’m of servant status too, Sister. No need to be so formal. If we don’t finish it, it’ll just go to waste.”

Zhou Zhilian’s eyes widened. “You’re of servant status?”

“Mhm.” Gu Hua picked up a bun and took a bite, lowering her head to hide her sadness.

Zhou Zhilian didn’t stand on ceremony anymore and plopped herself down in front of her, full of curiosity. “My brother said you’re a concubine-born daughter of the Marquis Gu family. How could you be a servant?”

Gu Hua looked up, her eyes slightly red. “Before my mother sent me into the manor, she forced me to sign a servant contract. She said it was to put my elder sister at ease.”

Zhou Zhilian’s eyes went round again. “Your own mother forced you to sign a servant contract? Is she even your real mother? Maybe you were picked up off the street or something?”

Realizing her words were a bit much, she quickly tried to make up for it: “I’m not saying anything bad about your mother. Maybe it was the Marchioness who forced her hand.”

Although the Duke Manor had a simple household, Zhou Zhilian still knew plenty about the twists and turns inside noble estates.

Gu Hua pushed a bun into her hand and said softly, “My mother sent me in to be a concubine for the young lord. No matter what, it’s all the same—I’m still a servant.”

Zhou Zhilian rolled her eyes. “The Duke’s estate is already full of women. The young lord doesn’t lack any. Couldn’t the young madam have thought of you? After all, you’re her blood sister.”

“She’s pregnant.”

Zhou Zhilian knew that. As soon as Gu Hua mentioned it, she understood.

When a wife was pregnant, it was common in noble families for her to find someone trustworthy to serve as a bed companion for her husband.

“She could’ve just promoted one of her maidservants. Why humiliate her own sister? She’s lost all face.”

Zhou Zhilian looked genuinely disgusted. She took a big bite of her bun and chewed fiercely.

Gu Hua sneered inwardly.

This was the foolishness of Gu Wanru.

Letting her own sister be her husband’s concubine, open to all kinds of abuse, only humiliated herself in the end.

Some people…

Were born with inferiority in their bones. Only by trampling others—like her and her mother—underfoot could they feel secure.

She wondered… if her real mother knew, would she weep for her?

In her past life, no one had ever shed a tear for her.

No one had ever stood up for her.

Zhou Zhilian was a cheerful person. She quickly brushed off the unpleasantness and began asking Gu Hua about her interests while eating.

Gu Hua answered each question.

“You even went to private school?”

Zhou Zhilian looked surprised. “Oh, right! My brother said you have beautiful handwriting, especially in small cursive script with floral flourishes. He told me to become your student and study properly. But honestly, I just like using the abacus. I’m not a fan of all that poetic, flowery stuff.”

Gu Hua smiled. “I’m not qualified to be your teacher.”

Then she added, “At the private school, I had to study hard. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to do my elder sister’s homework. The teacher was very strict. If I couldn’t write a proper poem on the given topic, I’d get my palms smacked. The homework was turned in by my sister, but the punishment came to me.”

She was actually grateful for her elder sister’s laziness. What started as serving her in class became an opportunity—she developed good handwriting and learned to write fine poetry.

“What? You did the young madam’s homework? And even took her beatings?” Zhou Zhilian’s eyes nearly popped out.

Gu Hua looked flustered, covering her mouth. After a long pause, she said, “Just some copying.”

Zhou Zhilian frowned at her but, seeing her nervousness, figured she probably wasn’t supposed to talk about it, so she dropped the topic.

After they finished eating, Zhou Zhilian packed up the dishes into the food box. “I’ll take this back to the kitchen first, then I’ll come back and keep you company. You’re going to teach me to write, or my brother really will smack my hands.”

The young girl playfully winked at Gu Hua.

Gu Hua gave a small smile. “Alright. I promise Steward Zhou will be praising you with a thumbs-up.”

“Mhm, good! Thanks, Miss Teacher!”

That title—”Miss Teacher”—stirred many emotions in Gu Hua.

Watching the cheerful girl’s retreating figure, she felt both sorrow and joy.

Sorrow, because she herself had never had such a spirited personality, never had anything worth laughing out loud for.

Joy, because she had seen the sun.

In this life… there seemed to be a glimmer of hope.