SFS Chapter 139 Waiting for them to come find me
Chapter 139 Waiting for them to come find me
Gu Zongci's eyebrows twitched, and he looked at Zhao Yi with some surprise.
After all, Zhao Yi came from a powerful and aristocratic family, while he was just a merchant. There was really no need to be so polite to him.
However, Zhao Yi treated him with great courtesy, even behaving like a junior.
Gu Zongci couldn't help but look at Zhao Yi and saw that he was handsome and refined, and his jade-colored brocade robe made him look like a jade tree in the wind.
His appearance, background, manners, and talent were all impeccable.
His only drawback was that he was frail and sickly.
I heard that you can't have children.
Gu Zongci was very dissatisfied with his nephew-in-law after hearing this news.
If my niece hadn't been separated from her family since childhood, why would she have married a sickly man who wouldn't live long?
He couldn't even imagine how his brother-in-law would react when he found out.
After all, my brother-in-law is not someone who cares about worldly opinions; he has always been self-willed and extremely arrogant.
How could he bear to let his daughter suffer?
Gu Zongci looked at Zhao Yi, who was gentle and refined, and had the bearing of a gentleman.
He felt no dissatisfaction, only a sense of regret.
The couple stood together, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, a perfect match.
"Please have a seat." Gu Zongci invited the two to sit down, and personally poured tea for them, carrying a teapot. "What brings you to the Qin residence today?"
Shen Qingtan held the teacup in both hands and carefully examined Gu Zongci.
Whether it was from observing him up close or from a change in her mindset, she could see a certain familiarity in Gu Zongci's eyes and brows.
“The Princess arrested a theatrical troupe, and I happened to be there when the Imperial Guards interrogated them. The troupe leader confessed that fourteen years ago, he abducted several children during the Lantern Festival in Nanling Prefecture.”
Shen Qingtan noticed a change in Gu Zongci's expression and continued, "Besides that, someone privately contacted him, specifically requesting the abduction of a child. Because the person didn't show their face, he didn't know who had bribed him, and all he had was a jade pendant as evidence."
Gu Zongci's hand trembled slightly, causing the tea in the cup to spill out and drip onto the table.
“I recognize that jade pendant; it’s the same one worn by one of the nannies who served my mother.” Shen Qingtan asked, “I got lost when I was little, and my mother found me. Do you think I’m the daughter of the Marquis’s family, or the child abducted by the opera troupe?”
Gu Zongci's eyes were bloodshot. He opened his mouth several times to speak, but his throat seemed to be blocked by a wad of cotton, and he couldn't utter a single word.
"If it were before I got married, I would never have suspected that I was a child abducted by the opera troupe. Because they treated me very well and never skimped on my food, clothing and other necessities. It wasn't until my second younger sister was recognized as part of the family that their attitude changed."
Shen Qingtan spoke calmly, as if she were talking about someone else's affairs: "First, they switched my marriage, then they tried to harm my maid, and then they even put a concubine in my husband's room. Is this really something a biological mother would do to her daughter?"
Gu Zongci turned his head away, his eyes moist, seemingly surprised that she was living such a difficult life.
It turned out that she already knew he wasn't the daughter of the Marquis's family when they last met, and she deliberately wore that filigree bracelet to test him.
Today, she spoke candidly and without any concealment, which suggests that she has likely confirmed her true parentage.
“I don’t think so. No mother would be so cruel to her own flesh and blood.” As Shen Qingtan said this, her nose suddenly stung and her throat tightened. “I will make every single thing the Marquis’s mansion did to me pay back.”
Gu Zongci clenched his fists, the veins on the back of his hands bulging: "The Marquis's mansion abducted you, forcing you to be separated from your biological parents. This debt must indeed be repaid."
If the Marquis's family hadn't abducted Shen Qingtan, the old ancestor wouldn't have died, and his son wouldn't have run away from home and disappeared without a trace.
There was no more joy in the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion; everyone lived in misery.
My younger sister is constantly in tears, and her health fluctuates due to her depression.
“Yes, this debt must be settled.” Shen Qingtan clenched the handkerchief in her hand and said in a low voice, “The Marquis’s mansion is going through a lot of trouble right now. I’ll take this opportunity to set things on fire and make them cut ties with me. But they won’t break off ties with me easily unless my reputation is ruined and it even affects them. Only then will they kick me aside.”
Gu Zongci understood the meaning behind Shen Qingtan's words: she wanted to sever ties with the Marquis's mansion, and her reputation would likely be affected in the process.
A slight thought crossed his mind. If Shen Qingtan hadn't specifically instructed him, he might have actually done something to protect her reputation if he heard that her reputation was bad in the future, which would probably have ruined her plans.
“After I left the Marquis’s mansion, I no longer had my maternal family to rely on. If a woman has her maternal family to rely on after marriage, she will also be prominent in her husband’s family.”
Shen Qingtan said softly, "I hope my biological parents will be able to find me by then."
"Yes, they will find you." Gu Zongci looked at Shen Qingtan's face and said with a slight smile, "Parents can recognize their own flesh and blood at a glance."
Shen Qingtan's eyes stung, welling up with tears: "Really? You feel the same way?"
Gu Zongci nodded and wiped his eyes with his fingers.
Shen Qingtan smiled slightly and said, "Then I'll wait for them."
Gu Zongci saw that her eyes were filled with tears and her lips were moving as if she wanted to say something.
At this moment, Shen Qingtan got up and went to the entrance of the tea room. She took a wooden box from Liu Yue, who was waiting at the door, and then went back into the tea room.
"Thanks to your help with the Guanzhou matter this time, this is my gift to you in gratitude."
Shen Qingtan handed the wooden box to Gu Zongci with both hands.
Gu Zongci had partnered with Boss Qin to sell grain to corrupt officials in Guanzhou, and he himself had benefited from it. After a moment's thought, he realized that Shen Qingtan wasn't giving him a thank-you gift, but rather using this as an excuse to give him a gift.
Just as he used Boss Qin's hand to give her the business.
"I have something to say to Uncle Qin, so I'll take my leave first."
Having achieved her goal, Shen Qingtan bid farewell to Gu Zongci.
Gu Zongci saw the two out of the tea room, and only looked at the wooden box in his hand when they were out of sight.
He reached out and opened the box. When he saw what was inside, tears welled up in his eyes.