Yu Wanqing then pulled a banknote from her sleeve, shoved it into Gu Qingyun’s hand, and declared with wealthy confidence, “I’ve heard that when one asks an expert for help, some silver must be paid to resolve the karma; otherwise, it could harm the expert. You’re an expert too, so I made sure to bring some money.
“Even though you look down on vulgar gold and silver, you must accept this banknote. There are twenty taels here. Aside from thanking you, I also wanted to ask for a few more talismans, if this is enough?”
Gu Qingyun swiftly accepted the banknote. Hesitating for even a second would be a sign of disrespect toward the money.
“I have them. I still have some here. Let me get them.” Gu Qingyun brought out the talismans stored in a box. A few scattered talismans lay inside, looking exceedingly meager.
Yu Wanqing reached out and gingerly took several of the talismans, feeling a bit guilty. “Qingyun, you seem to have very few talismans here. If I take these, there’ll only be one left. Will you have enough for yourself?”
Gu Qingyun rubbed the tip of her nose. “Well... the cinnabar for drawing talismans is quite expensive, and half of the ones I draw end up ruined. But now that I have this banknote, I’ll buy more materials and draw extras to keep on hand.”
Yu Wanqing nodded. “I know. Drawing talismans requires bathing, burning incense, fasting, and ritual purification. The process is so tedious and difficult.”
Gu Qingyun stared at her for a long moment before nodding. “You’re quite right. It really is troublesome, and it takes a long time to successfully complete even one. Just ensure the talismans on your person don’t touch water; aside from that, there’s nothing else to worry about.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Get some rest early. We won’t disturb you any longer and will head back now.”
As she passed the mama, Yu Wanqing spoke up again: “Mama Chang, I’ve delivered all the gifts. Come back with me.”
The mama surnamed Chang gave a slight curtsy. “Eldest Miss, please head back first. I still need to present Madam’s gift of gratitude to Constable Gu.”
“Then go ahead and give it to her; I’ll wait right here.” After waiting a moment and seeing Mama Chang make no move, Yu Wanqing pouted and left the room. Once the door was closed, Mama Chang bowed deeply to Gu Qingyun.
“We are deeply grateful to Constable Gu for rescuing our young lady in her moment of peril. My lady requests that you keep what happened last night strictly to yourself; Xiao Huan and the others have already been warned.
“Madam knows this overshadows your meritorious deed, but for the sake of our young lady’s reputation, we ask for Constable Gu’s kind understanding.”
With that, she handed Gu Qingyun a banknote and continued, “Madam knows that despite Constable Gu’s young age, your martial arts are extraordinary, and you have a household to support. Please be sure to accept this silver.
“The world is harsh toward women. If word of this reaches our young lady’s future husband’s family, even groundless rumors would cause the groom’s family to harbor misgivings against her. Madam said this is not a demand made as the county magistrate’s wife, but an earnest plea as a mother.
“The reason my lady did not come in person was also out of fear of drawing too much attention.”
Gu Qingyun sighed and cupped her hands toward the inner residence. “Nothing happened last night. The entire night was safe and peaceful.”
Mama Chang showed a satisfied smile. “Thank you, Constable Gu. Then I shall return to report to my lady and leave you to your rest.”
Once Mama Chang left, Gu Qingyun collapsed onto her bed and inspected the banknote in her hand. Truly wealthy and generous—a whole hundred taels in a single gesture!
Adding the twenty taels from Eldest Miss, she had earned one hundred and twenty taels of silver in just one night. For an ordinary family of five, it would take nearly twenty years of hard labor to earn that much.
Presumably, this silver was both an expression of thanks and hush money. Her family had just bought a residence and was feeling the pinch; having this silver to resolve their pressing needs was wonderful. But if she wanted to bring out twenty taels, what excuse could she possibly use?
She stroked Little Black twice as it slept soundly beside her. “Little Black, tell me, how should your master bring out this money?” All she received in response was Little Black’s soft purr.
Never mind. She couldn’t think of a way for now; she would deal with it when the time came. At worst, she could claim she received a generous bonus this month. Bringing out three taels would seem perfectly normal. Sigh, having money she couldn't openly produce was truly a headache.
She turned to look outside at the daylight. Most people were out on duty right now, either patrolling the streets or searching for clues to solve cases. The entire county yamen was quiet, which was likely why Eldest Miss and the others had chosen this time to come over.
Gu Qingyun stood up, stored the clothes into the Blazing Sun Saber’s space, picked up her saber, and hurried toward the martial training ground. She truly couldn’t fall asleep, so she might as well train. Whenever she felt her combat strength wasn’t high enough, a persistent sense of unease gnawed at her.
...
A few days passed after the tree demon incident. Gu Qingyun had caught sight of several of the victims involved; sigh, every single one of them was remarkably good-looking. County Magistrate Yu had a terrible headache over the matter, but he still granted divorces to all of them.
To sever ties with their unbearable pasts, most of the victims left their hometown to make a living elsewhere, leaving Gu Qingyun sighing in sympathy at the sight.
Ever since this incident occurred, Old Liao had turned from talkative to taciturn. He seemed completely drained of vigor and dreaded going home, often idling in the duty office until very late before leaving.
Now, whenever he saw Gu Qingyun, he would turn his head away and treat her like thin air. He likely still harbored some suspicion toward her, but she had Xiao Huan and the others as witnesses. Because Old Liao couldn’t be sure whether Gu Qingyun had truly ruined his daughter’s marriage, the two remained at peace with each other.
As for Old Liao’s daughter, it was said she spent every day weeping at home, wailing that she only wanted to find an ideal husband and live a good life.
Gu Qingyun felt no sympathy upon hearing this. There was nothing wrong with wanting a good life, but one shouldn’t drag innocent people down to achieve it—this applied equally to men and women alike.
Getting along with others required mutual affinity. If she truly couldn’t get along with Old Liao, she would simply do her own job well; what did others have to do with her?
What mattered most right now was the residence her family had bought. Her cousins had borrowed an ox cart and had been moving furniture and household items in bit by bit. Estimating that the move was nearly finished, she decided to head home and take a look.
The moment Gu Qingyun finished her shift, she gave Bai Fan a quick word and walked toward her family’s residence. Just as she reached the front courtyard, she was greeted by the familiar, appetizing aroma of home cooking.
Stepping inside, she saw her cousins hammering away at several pieces of wood in the courtyard. Her mother and two aunts were trimming flowers and greenery, while her grandmother and older sisters were bustling away in the kitchen.
This familiar scene filled Gu Qingyun’s heart to bursting. Although she lived comfortably on her own in the county seat, it was not her home. When she was tired and weary, only at home could she truly relax.
“Grandmother, Qingyun is back!” Seeing her, her third cousin Gu Yiyun called out toward Old Lady Zhang in the reverse-facing room.
At his call, the entire family gathered around, their faces glowing with hope for the life ahead. Old Lady Zhang took Gu Qingyun’s hand.
“Qingyun, we were just about to send your brother to fetch you! Wait just a little longer; breakfast will be ready shortly. Grandmother made the noodle dishes you love.
“Today is our first day moving into the new residence, and your room has already been arranged for you. Once you finish breakfast, take your brothers along to move your things from the county yamen. From now on, we’ll all live here at home!”
Gu Qingyun listened with a smile.
“I’ll do as Grandmother says. But there’s no need for my brothers to come along; I don’t have many things, so I can bring them back by myself. However, Grandmother, this evening I’d like to invite a colleague over to our house for dinner. We work the same shifts together and are great companions.”
Rate on N.U.
