Chapter 2: Eldest Brother Su Jing
“Could you come over and help me?” Su Wan asked, looking at her in a daze while holding a garment she wasn’t sure was meant to be worn inside or outside.
This ruqun (traditional Chinese dress) was incredibly complicated, with layers upon layers, both front and back. She truly couldn’t figure it out—and it wasn’t just because she was slow.
Seeing this, the nursemaid reluctantly stepped forward to help her dress, thinking to herself that someone who knew nothing and understood nothing like this wouldn’t know how to survive once she moved to the countryside.
Su Wan gripped the ring she had brought with her tightly so it wouldn’t be discovered. After she was dressed, she headed straight for the door.
This was her own possession, not the Gu family’s; she had to take it with her.
The nursemaid followed behind her, watching her leave without taking anything else. Is she actually being this sensible now? the nursemaid wondered.
Once Su Wan was out, she relied on her memory to navigate toward the gate.
She ran straight into a servant, who, upon seeing it was Su Wan, said directly: “The Su family’s eldest son is here to pick you up.”
Hearing this, Su Wan immediately became excited, a smile blooming on her face. To hear that her elder brother from the Su family had come to collect her filled her with excitement; after all, the book described her elder brother as a gentleman as gentle as jade, overflowing with talent.
The servant led Su Wan out of the residence. As she left, she noticed the servants in the house seemed very busy, adding things here and there. A young girl about her own age stood under a veranda, wearing a set of pink clothes.
The girl was watching from afar, and Madame Gu was affectionately touching her face without noticing anything, but Su Wan caught that direct, unblinking gaze.
Because of the distance and the daylight, she couldn’t see the girl’s face clearly, but that didn’t stop her from guessing who she was.
If there were no surprises, that had to be Gu Yue, who had swapped identities with her.
Now, the wheel of fate began to turn. Gu Yue had returned to the Gu residence to begin enjoying a wonderful life, while Su Wan, having shed all her pearls and finery, stepped out of the Gu family’s gate wearing only a single set of clothes, waving her sleeves to leave without taking a single cloud with her.
Standing at the entrance of the Gu residence was a young man of about twenty. He wore the attire of the county academy—a grey-blue robe that had been washed until it was faded and white, patched in places because he couldn’t bear to throw it away.
His frame looked quite slender, but his posture was very straight, and he stood nearly 1.8 meters tall. Hearing the gate open, he turned around, revealing his handsome face. The first thought that crossed Su Wan’s mind upon seeing him was: A gentleman as warm as jade, with a temperament as pure as an orchid.
Su Wan walked toward the young man at the gate, step by step, and the young man watched her in return.
This was the eldest of the Su family, Su Jing, her future elder brother. The book said that Su Jing would go on to rank third in the imperial examinations and eventually hold a third-rank official position.
Su Wan flashed him a smile, revealing a pair of playful, cute dimples. The young girl’s skin was fair and her features as delicate as a painting; in her brows and eyes, there was a faint shadow of her mother when she was young, and she also bore a slight resemblance to herself.
The Su family had good genes; their biological daughter wouldn’t be lacking. Su Wan was naturally beautiful, and having been pampered in luxury for all these years, her very temperament was distinctly different from a typical village girl.
“Big Brother!” Su Wan called out with a smile, then lifted her skirt and walked toward him like a pretty little butterfly.
Su Jing couldn’t help but be startled by her call, as the young girl’s voice was as melodic as a lark’s.
“Hmm…” Su Jing replied, feeling a bit awkward.
“The Madame said she arranged for people to send you back!” the servant called out from behind. If they walked back to the countryside now, it would likely be dark by the time they arrived.
“No need, my brother and I can walk back. Please thank Madame Gu for her kindness on my behalf!” Su Wan politely declined.
Since her brother was here to pick her up, there was no need to trouble them further.
In the book, her eldest brother Su Jing was a man of great integrity, yet quite sensitive, as he was often ridiculed by wealthy classmates at the academy. Su Wan was afraid of making him unhappy or making him think she was spoiled.
However, Su Jing was also surprised. He had heard that the new sister had been pampered and raised in luxury, and it would take an hour to walk back to the village—could she really endure such hardship?
“The house is very far away. Should you take a carriage instead?” his brother asked, his tone gentle and scholarly.
“Big Brother, I am just a common citizen now; I am not that delicate. Let’s hurry; I’m afraid it won’t be easy to walk once it gets dark!”
Su Wan took the initiative to take Su Jing’s hand. The young girl’s hand was soft, small, and white and delicate, unlike the hands of a farmer covered in callouses from constant labor.
She led Su Jing down the steps, looking like she was in a very good mood.
Meanwhile, Su Wan hummed a song along the way, looking anything but sad or distressed.
Madame Gu felt guilty toward her biological daughter, and as for Su Wan, her adopted daughter, she now felt only disdain. But in terms of reason and sentiment, she wasn’t wrong to choose her own daughter; it was best to just let it go.
After Su Wan left, the servant went back to report. “Madame, she has already left with the Su family’s eldest son.”
Madame Gu was taking Gu Yue around to see the residence; the joy of reuniting with her own daughter was evident on her face.
As soon as she heard Su Wan’s name, her expression turned cold. “Did she go willingly?”
She was afraid that Su Wan wouldn’t give up and might run back to cause a scene one day.
“I suppose so. She looked quite happy—maybe her brain got rattled from anger.” Now that Su Wan was no longer the young miss of the house, the servant began to demean her as he pleased.
“Madame, she didn’t take anything with her. She just left wearing one set of clothes,” the nursemaid added from the side.
Madame Gu frowned and said, “It wasn’t her property to begin with; it all belongs to my Yue’er. Still, my Yue’er cannot use anything that she has used. Find a box and pack it away; don’t leave it out.”
The young girl in pink on the side kept a smile on her face, holding Madame Gu’s arm, seemingly very satisfied with the Madame’s attitude toward Su Wan.
In reality, all of this was Madame Gu’s own doing, but she didn’t seem to feel any guilt—or if she did, it was only for her own daughter.
One had to remember, Su Wan was a victim too. She was just a tiny baby at the time; what fault could she possibly have?
Madame Gu avoided the Su family as much as she could, terrified they would latch onto her. And whenever she saw Su Wan, it was easy to be reminded of her own misdeeds; she couldn’t be happy regardless, so she simply chose to keep her out of sight.
Given the Gu family’s circumstances, it wasn’t that they couldn’t afford to raise another daughter; it was simply that Madame Gu was heartless.
“Let’s go, Yue’er. Mother will take you to eat something delicious.”
She held her own daughter’s hand, looking at her with nothing but delight, thinking to herself that, in the end, a biological daughter was the only one who truly resembled her.
