Resplendent – Chapter 430

Chapter 430 — A Mother’s Love Is Everywhere

Gu Ye stroked the little black cat’s bristling back and said with a smile to Chu Mushan, “Sixth Brother, Xiao Mo doesn’t like eating fish.”

“How is that possible? What kind of cat doesn’t eat fish?” Chu Mushan refused to believe it and pushed the dish closer to Shitian’s mouth. 

As expected, the little black cat turned its head away in disgust, its whole body spelling out ‘No thank you.’ 

Chu Mutong was right—this little black cat really was quite intelligent!

Gu Ye fed Shitian some lobster meat, and then several other kinds of seafood. Aside from fish, Shitian wasn’t picky at all. He even enjoyed the garlicky scallops and oysters.

Watching from the side, Chu Xiaowu couldn’t help sighing, “This little cat has such a good appetite. It can eat even more than Sister…”

Gu Ye nearly fainted from exasperation. 

If Xiao Mo revealed its real strength, even three Fifth Brothers wouldn’t be a match! 

Comparing her to a cat? Hmph!

After the meal, nobody in the family could bear to leave the flower hall. Even the Duke, Second Brother, and Third Brother—who all had duties—took half a day off. Everyone sat together chatting cheerfully, and only when Lady Jun showed signs of fatigue and truly couldn’t hold on anymore did they reluctantly disperse.

Gu Ye, who had always been in the habit of taking afternoon naps, lay on the soft couch, hugging a soft quilt. With the cool breeze blowing in from over the water, she didn’t feel the slightest bit uncomfortable—she slept deeply.

When she woke up, the sun was already leaning toward the west. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Gu Ye’s mind was still foggy. She felt like she’d forgotten something! Forget it. When it’s time to remember, it’ll come back to her.

“Young Miss, what color of clothing would you like to wear?” Yue Yuan asked, smiling mysteriously. “Miss, come quickly and look…”

Gu Ye yawned, rubbed her eyes, and walked over to the emerald gauze wardrobe where Yue Yuan stood. She asked casually, “Look at what?” 

“Deng-deng-deng-deng!” Yue Yuan opened every chest and cabinet inside the wardrobe. “They’re all clothes! Look, there are labels on them. These are for when you were ten, eleven, twelve, and even the ones prepared for this year! Clothes for all four seasons, in every fabric and material imaginable! Madam must have prepared them all for you. She truly has the heart of a loving mother. Even if you had never been found, she would have kept preparing these year after year.”

Looking at the chests filled with outfits, one set after another, Gu Ye’s eyes grew hot. 

Yue Yuan was right—this was the great, selfless love of a mother. Not knowing whether her child could ever be found, or when she might return, yet still preparing clothes year after year, month after month, afraid that her daughter would have nothing to wear when she came home…

She took out a set of pink-and-white embroidered jacket and skirt from the cabinet labeled for age thirteen. With Yue Yuan’s help, she put it on.

Yue Yuan tugged at the slightly loose outfit and shook her head. “Too wide—the sleeves and the skirt are a bit long too. Miss, let’s change into another set!”

After comparing several outfits, Yue Yuan finally picked one that fit. 

Gu Ye was very displeased, her face dark as she let Yue Yuan help her change. The outfit that fit her was actually from the box labeled for age eleven! Did that mean her height now was only about the same as an eleven-year-old girl?

“Young Miss, don’t be upset. You look so beautiful!” 

This set was a goose-yellow fitted-sleeve gauze blouse, its collar embroidered with white magnolias, paired with an eight-panel skirt covered in blooming crabapple flowers. Dressed in it, the young lady looked as delicate as the early spring forsythia—tender, soft, and wonderfully charming.

Gu Ye tugged at the clothes on her body. Aside from being slightly loose, there was nothing wrong with them. But she still felt unsettled inside. “Yue Yuan, tell me the truth. Am I short?” 

“You’re not short at all! Who said you are short? If nothing else, just look at Miss Fang. She’s about the same height as you, isn’t she? Miss, don’t pout. Madam didn’t know your exact height, so of course she had the clothes made a bit larger. That way they could be altered if needed!”

Yue Yuan styled her hair into two cute flower-bud buns, then chose a pair of yellow crystal hairpins from the boxes of jewelry and placed them beside the buns.  Her earrings were also yellow crystal… Oh, and there was a matching bracelet too.

Yue Yuan gently nudged her young lady. “Come on, let’s go. Madam has already asked about you several times. If she sees you wearing the clothes she prepared for you, she’ll definitely be very happy.”

Indeed! Clothes prepared over the span of three or four years had finally found their rightful owner. The person who prepared them with so much care must feel deeply comforted.

Mingzhu Pavilion and the Duchess’s residence, Rong’an Garden, were separated only by a single wall. For convenience, a moon gate had been opened in the connecting wall. Originally, this door had been kept locked, but now that the new mistress of Mingzhu Pavilion had moved in, it had been opened.

Led by a young maid from Mingzhu Pavilion named Zhu’er, Gu Ye passed through the moon gate and soon arrived at her mother’s room. Inside, besides Ding Fang who lived in the Bisha Courtyard, her two cousins, Jun Miao and Jun Li, were also present, which was not surprising. 

Before she returned, these three young girls had been keeping her mother company, chatting with her and easing her loneliness.

“Mother, your Ye’er is here! Hello, cousins, Fang’er!” Gu Ye breezed into the room like a gust of wind and squeezed onto the same soft couch as her mother. She leaned into Lady Jun’s arms bonelessly. “Mother, did you miss me? I missed you so much. My dreams were full of you, and I didn’t even want to wake up!”

“Oh my, my! Such a sweet little talker. Did you dip it in honey?” Lady Jun’s smile widened as she tapped her daughter’s forehead. “You overslept and now you’re making up a grand excuse to coax your mother. You little thing!”

“Mother—” Gu Ye twisted her body as if she were wringing dough, stretching out her voice in a playful whine. “You can see through it, but you shouldn’t say it out loud. Doesn’t your daughter need to save face?”

“Okay, okay okay! It’s all my fault! I didn’t save face for my precious child. It’s all my mistake!” 

Only when her daughter was by her side did Lady Jun feel the emptiness in her heart finally filled. All the shadows that had lingered there were swept away by warmth and light. Her daughter was the ray of sunshine she needed most in her life!

“No! Mother didn’t do anything wrong! And even if you did, your daughter would take the blame for you!” Gu Ye made a silly ‘I’ll take the fall’ expression, making her mother and the three young girls burst into laughter.

“Mother, the clothes in the wardrobe were all prepared for me, weren’t they? They’re so beautiful, I love every single one! Look—your daughter is pretty, isn’t she?” Gu Ye stood up from the couch, lifted her skirt, and spun around twice proudly in front of her mother.

Jun Miao watched with jealousy. Although during the past few years in the Duke’s Manor she had been treated like a proper young lady, with generous allowances for clothing and daily needs, the outfit her cousin was wearing today couldn’t compare at all. The material and embroidery were top-notch—clearly from the famed Nichang Pavilion.

Nichang Pavilion’s craftsmanship and designs had long set the fashion trends among the upper circles of the capital. A single outfit cost at least dozens of taels, and the more exquisite ones reached into the hundreds or even thousands. Yet despite the high prices, wealthy families in the capital still lined up for their creations!