Perhaps because he had never seen his niece show such determination, Liu Anping felt a sudden sense of unease. His tone softened as he said, "Your cousin... your cousin didn't do it on purpose. Besides, you're not hurt now. After all, she's your cousin. Ruining her reputation won't do you any good."
Gu Liyue was extremely disappointed. Her uncle was just as biased. It didn't matter to him whether he knew the truth or not. All he cared about was reputation and his own daughter, not her, the burden. But it was just as well. There was nothing for her to miss in this family.
Seeing that Gu Liyue didn't say a word, Liu Anping pressed on, "Did you hear me? Liyue, I'm your uncle, and the Liu family is the only family you have left in this world. We can't let a small incident disrupt the peace of the family, can we?"
Gu Liyue took a deep breath. The cold air rushed down her throat, and she couldn't stop coughing. The cough grew worse and worse, and she staggered under its force.
Liu Anping instinctively took two steps back to keep his distance. He raised his hand as if to cover his nose and mouth but thought better of it. Instead, he turned his head and said, "Go and rest. You're so sick. Don't wander around. Qinting's mother, give her some money and call a doctor to take a look at Liyue."
With that, he excused himself, saying that he had business at the yamen, and left in a hurry.
Miao was dissatisfied but thought that since Gu Liyue had woken up and the neighbors were watching, if anything else went wrong, the gossip would drown the Liu family.
Gu Liyue coughed so violently that finally, when the coughing stopped, everyone in the main hall had left. She sat on a stool for a while to calm herself down before she could manage to walk back to her room.
She fell onto the bed and went to sleep. She was completely exhausted. Where was Yunniang? She missed Yunniang. Yunniang was her real family.
In a daze, Gu Liyue was awakened by someone shaking her. She opened her eyes and saw Miao.
When Miao saw that Gu Liyue was awake, a smile immediately spread across her face. "Are you feeling better, Liyue? Do you want some water?"
When someone is overly kind for no reason, they usually have an ulterior motive. In Gu Liyue's memory, Miao was good at talking but never did anything herself. Was she trying to kill her by bringing this glass of water?
Miao still looked kind. "I wanted to add some sugar, but Yunniang wouldn't let me. Just drink it like this."
Yunniang was back. That was good.
Gu Liyue took a sip of water from Miao's hand. Perhaps because she hadn't been conscious for days, this mouthful of water was like a drop of dew to a fish in a dried - up pond. She felt refreshed.
Miao was relieved. She comforted Gu Liyue, "Don't worry, Liyue. Just now, your aunt called a doctor to see you. The doctor said that since you've woken up, you'll be fine. Just take the medicine and rest well."
Gu Liyue didn't answer. She just looked tired. She was really exhausted. She guessed that Yunniang had taken care of her these days so that she hadn't starved. But after a serious illness and such a tiring day, she had no energy to deal with Miao.
But Miao seemed not to notice. She sat by the bed and chattered on. "Alas, when your parents died, you were so tiny. Your uncle and I felt so sorry for you. There was no elder in the family to support it... Over the years, although our family is not rich, we've had everything we needed. We've never had to worry about food and clothing. Now, that little girl has grown up."
With that, Miao took out a silk handkerchief and dabbed at the corners of her eyes.
Gu Liyue felt annoyed and didn't bother to see if there were really tears in Miao's eyes. She was a gentle - natured person. All she wanted was a peaceful life. She wasn't unaware of her aunt's bias, but she didn't like to argue. After all, one should make the best of life if it could be lived.
If they hadn't tried to kill her today, she would have endured it silently. But now, she didn't want to endure anymore. She didn't want such family members. It wouldn't be difficult to leave, but she didn't want to be wronged like this, and she didn't want to let these wolves off easily.
"Aunt, if you have something to say, just say it."
Miao paused. Her reminiscing was meant to make Gu Liyue remember the old days. But she didn't expect that Gu Liyue seemed to have changed her personality and showed no sign of gratitude.
She really was an ungrateful white - eyed wolf.
But for the sake of her daughter, she had to be patient.
Miao continued, "Liyue, it's your sister's fault. She was blind with infatuation and fell in love with Feng Lanqing... But Liyue, Feng Lanqing is the most handsome young man in our town, and he's also very talented. Your sister has always had a soft spot for scholars. It's inevitable that she would be attracted to him..."
Inevitably attracted? He was her fiancé. Liu Qinting was her cousin who had grown up with her. Didn't she even know to avoid such a thing?
"Liyue, I've scolded your sister. But... after today's incident, your sister's reputation has been damaged. It will be hard for her to find a good husband. So..."
Gu Liyue stared at Miao until she couldn't go on. Then she slowly said, "I understand."
Miao pressed, "You understand? Then you..."
"Aunt, I'm tired. I want to sleep."
Miao wasn't going to let her sleep. If this matter wasn't settled soon, she would be on tenterhooks. "No, Liyue. Don't sleep yet. Why don't you take out the token from the Feng family first? I'll ask your uncle to go there..."
Gu Liyue frowned. "Why?"
"What?"
"I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I break the engagement?"
Although a woman would always be at a disadvantage when breaking an engagement, there were rules for it. Breaking an engagement for no reason would make it seem like she had wronged the Feng family unless it was clearly stated that the man had done something wrong to her.
But Miao certainly wouldn't tell the ugly truth about Feng Lanqing and Liu Qinting. So, wouldn't it be her, Gu Liyue, who would bear all the blame?
She was just gentle - natured, not stupid.
Seeing that she didn't agree, Miao was quite angry. "Liyue, you just agreed."
Gu Liyue said calmly, "I agreed that if the Feng family comes to break the engagement, I'll accept it. If my cousin wants to marry into their family in the future, that's your business. I won't interfere."
"The Feng family values reputation so much. How could they come to break the engagement?"
Miao blurted out. Then, realizing that her words were too harsh, she quickly softened her tone. "Liyue, your aunt knows you're wronged in this matter. But the Feng family is a scholarly family. If they break the engagement themselves, their reputation will be ruined. You... Your aunt will definitely make it up to you in the future and find you a more suitable husband. Okay?"
The door was suddenly pushed open. Yunniang came in with a bowl of medicine. She glared at Miao angrily. Being mute, she couldn't speak but could only make inarticulate sounds. She put the medicine bowl on the table and tried to drive Miao out.