SGEIRS -Chapter 388 Portrait of Her Biological Mother

The next morning,

Meng Jinyao and Gu Jingxi set out for Deqing County.

Huzhou City was not far from Deqing County; by carriage, it would take less than two hours to arrive. To avoid the jostling of a fast ride, Gu Jingxi instructed the driver to go slowly, and it took a full two hours before they reached Deqing County.

Although Deqing County was not as bustling as Huzhou City, it was still a prosperous county, and not lacking in any respect.

Upon entering the county, the carriage went straight to the county government office. Magistrate Du did not have a residence in Deqing County; he stayed within the county office every day, working during the day and lodging in the rear courtyard of the office at night, along with other county officials and their families.

Before coming to Deqing County, Gu Jingxi had already instructed Steward Liu to send someone to inform Magistrate Du of their arrival.

When Magistrate Du received the news, he was pleasantly surprised. His late wife had been on good terms with Meng Jinyao’s biological mother, so even after Madam Zhou passed away, his wife would occasionally take the time to visit the girl. Later, after his wife passed away and he was transferred to a distant post, the two families lost contact. Years had passed, and he never expected that the girl would still remember him and would come specially with Lord Gu to visit him.

Thinking that they had traveled all the way from Huzhou City and would not return the same day, Magistrate Du had the guest room prepared in advance and sent the cook to buy ingredients for a proper meal to welcome them. He stayed in the county office, waiting for the couple’s arrival.

After a long wait, they finally arrived. Magistrate Du hurriedly stepped out to greet them. Just as he was about to salute Gu Jingxi,

Gu Jingxi anticipated him and bowed first, showing the utmost respect: “Yaoling pays respects to maternal uncle.”

Meng Jinyao followed suit: “A-Yao pays respects to maternal uncle.”

Magistrate Du was flattered and said quickly, “No need for such formalities.” He then took a careful look at the girl in front of him. She had grown into a graceful young woman. Her appearance resembled Madam Zhou, but her temperament was different. He nodded lightly, saying, “You look… truly look like your mother, A-Yao.”

Though many years had passed, Meng Jinyao still felt a sense of familiarity when seeing him and smiled: “Others have also told me I resemble my mother.”

Magistrate Du then looked at Gu Jingxi. He was handsome and distinguished. Though slightly older, he did not appear aged, and he looked very compatible standing next to A-Yao. Magistrate Du nodded repeatedly: “I was quite surprised when I heard of your marriage. Now seeing you both together, I feel this union is perfect. A-Yao has endured so much hardship over the years, and at last, her suffering has borne fruit.”

Gu Jingxi glanced at his young wife and spoke gently: “Maternal uncle, rest assured, Yaoling will take good care of A-Yao.” He subtly observed Magistrate Du. He resembled Du Sizhe, but Magistrate Du had a calm and gentle presence that Du Sizhe lacked—perhaps because he was still relatively young.

Magistrate Du nodded: “Yaoling, A-Yao, let’s go inside and talk.”

Inside the rear courtyard of the county office, the few of them sat in the hall, asking about each other’s recent circumstances and enjoying a harmonious conversation.

Upon learning that they would be staying for a few days, Magistrate Du naturally welcomed them warmly and personally escorted them to the guest room, where their luggage was set down.

At that moment, a servant reported that lunch was ready.

The three of them went to the hall to have lunch. After finishing, Magistrate Du suddenly remembered something and invited the couple to his study.

In the study, Magistrate Du retrieved two painting boxes, carefully removed well-preserved paintings from them, and handed one to Meng Jinyao.

Meng Jinyao looked puzzled: “Maternal uncle, this is…?”

Magistrate Du smiled: “A-Yao, open it and see. I’m sure you’ll like this painting.”

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao took the scroll and, together with Gu Jingxi, unrolled it. Upon seeing the figure in the painting, her gaze froze. The artist had painted it skillfully; the person depicted seemed almost alive, strikingly realistic. The figure resembled Meng Jinyao in appearance but had a different temperament—gentle, reserved, and graceful.

Meng Jinyao stared at the painting, her eyes instantly welling up, and whispered softly: “Mother…”

She had once possessed a portrait of her mother as well, also very lifelike, but it had been destroyed by Meng Jinyu. Later, Madam Sun had someone paint another to compensate her, but it lacked her mother’s aura—it only captured her likeness. The gentleness in her eyes could not be replicated. But the painting before her did.

Gu Jingxi, seeing the painting, was momentarily stunned. He quickly realized that the portrait was not of A-Yao, but of her mother—his mother-in-law. He wondered, however, why Magistrate Du would have a portrait of her.

Could it be that Du Sizhe liked A-Yao, and maternal uncle liked A-Yao’s mother, which is why he preserved her portrait?

When Meng Jinyao came back to her senses, she was also puzzled. Why would her maternal uncle have her mother’s portrait, and so well preserved?

She softly asked: “Maternal uncle, this… how do you have a portrait of my mother?”

Magistrate Du probably realized they had misunderstood something. He explained: “This is a keepsake of your maternal aunt. The portrait was painted by her. Look at the signature—‘Jing’an’ was your maternal aunt’s maiden name. Since it belonged to your maternal aunt, I couldn’t bring myself to discard it. This was also one of her most treasured works. What she valued, I valued too, so I kept it with me. When Yaoling sent word a few days ago that you would come, I remembered this painting and decided to give it to you. This is the painting’s rightful home.”

Meng Jinyao understood and quickly thanked him: “Thank you, maternal uncle. I really like this painting, I really do.” Her voice choked with emotion. Though it was not the same painting as before, she felt a sense of recovery, as if she had regained what was lost.

Magistrate Du saw this and, knowing she was thinking of her mother, comforted her gently: “Good child, don’t cry.”

Gu Jingxi tenderly wiped away the tears at her eyes and carefully put the painting away to prevent it from getting wet, which could have ruined the artwork.

Meng Jinyao sniffled and forced her tears back, then looked at the other painting. Since her maternal uncle had taken out two, the second one must also be for her to see. She asked, “Maternal uncle, what is in that painting? Is it also for me?”

Magistrate Du’s tone was gentle: “This painting cannot be given to you, but I can let you see it.”

He unrolled the scroll on the table, revealing the scene: a spring garden in full bloom, with a pregnant young woman and another young lady. Their expressions suggested they were talking. The pregnant woman’s belly looked about eight months along.

Meng Jinyao immediately recognized them: her maternal aunt and her mother. At that time, her mother was not yet married, her hair was not styled as a married woman’s, but judging by her aunt’s pregnancy, her cousin would be born soon. This confirmed that her mother’s marriage was approaching.

Magistrate Du gently stroked the belly of the pregnant woman in the painting and spoke softly: “This is the only painting of your maternal aunt during her pregnancy. Your maternal aunt was painted by your mother, and your mother’s portrait was painted by your maternal aunt. They collaborated on this painting. Their skills were excellent—I cannot compare. Even if I tried to replicate it, I could not capture its essence.”

Meng Jinyao had already liked the painting because it showed her mother before marriage. Hearing Magistrate Du’s explanation, she refrained from taking undue interest and instead turned her gaze to her talented husband.

Her look was clear. Gu Jingxi met her eyes and understood immediately. Gently, he said: “Maternal uncle, may I borrow this painting to replicate it? I want to make a copy for A-Yao.”

Magistrate Du nodded: “Of course.”

Gu Jingxi had other matters to attend to, and since they had time now, he wanted to settle this. He continued: “Maternal uncle, could you prepare the painting tools? I’d like to start copying it now.”

Magistrate Du looked puzzled, not understanding his urgency, but did not ask further. He arranged for the painting tools to be prepared, allowing Gu Jingxi to replicate the artwork. Originally, Magistrate Du wanted to see his skill, but a clerk had summoned him, so he left to attend to other matters.

Only Meng Jinyao and Gu Jingxi remained in the study.

Gu Jingxi focused intently on replicating the painting, while Meng Jinyao stood nearby, watching him. Both were completely absorbed. A maid passing by looked through the window, and upon seeing the scene, she was momentarily captivated.

He was a living landscape in her eyes.

And together, they were a landscape for others to behold.