Apart from matters at court, everything in the Marquis Mansion required first consulting Mother, which showed Gu Yifeng's respect for his mother.
"Matters within the house are decided by Mother, I will talk to the second brother myself." Gu Yifeng agreed, but then worriedly glanced at the deeply asleep Lin Youning, "My little sister has always been raised by my eldest aunt and has never left the estate. Once the period of mourning is over, I think Mother should take her out more often to meet young girls her age, so she becomes more outgoing."
Mrs. Gu nodded, "During your aunt's seventh seven-day memorial, I was planning to go to Pure Path Temple. At the time, I felt that little sister was too young and her body couldn't handle it. It seems now that taking her could give her a chance to clear her mind."
Speaking of the deceased sister-in-law, Mrs. Gu's eyes reddened again, "Your eldest aunt led a hard life, unlike me, an old woman with you two accompanying me."
"Mother, your health is what matters most; now little sister relies on you for care." Seeing his mother sorrowful, Gu Yifeng comforted her with kind words.
"Enough, little sister was adopted and raised alongside your eldest aunt from a young age. Now that your eldest aunt is gone, her own family only sent someone for appearances as if they remembered she has a daughter. Now little sister is considered to have no parents or siblings, not even someone who cares for her deeply. If anything were to happen to me, she would just be bullied. Better I take care of her while I'm still healthy." Mrs. Gu dabbed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, eventually suppressing her grief.
"Listen to you, Mother. If little sister heard such words, wouldn't it break her heart? With eldest aunt just gone, you shouldn't say things like this in the future." Gu Yifeng's brows furrowed, his tone also grew solemn, "Though the second brother loves to cause trouble, he has known since childhood that he must shoulder the responsibility of two households. Having watched little sister grow up, he certainly wouldn't wrong her."
Speaking of this son, Mrs. Gu found him to be a headache.
"The second one, who knows whom he takes after, is downright stubborn, refuses to move forward when urged, moving backward when hit, loves to go against you no matter what."
Though Mrs. Gu spoke this way about her younger son, her eyes still showed amusement and affection. Gu Yifeng knew of his mother's fondness for his brother and responded playfully, "I think Mother prefers his temperament more, even spoiling him more than me."
"See, you said your brother acts like a child, yet here you are, showing your childish side." Mrs. Gu was amused by her son's words and finally laughed out loud.
Mother and son exchanged a few more words, and when they heard someone respectfully calling "Madam" from outside, they stopped talking. Suyi entered to deliver a message, "Old Madam, the madam has come to pay her respects."
"Let her in." Mrs. Gu sat up straight, shedding the casualness she showed when alone with her son.
Suyi went outside to pass the message, while Wenxin brought in tea. Though she moved simply, there was a faint scent of plum blossoms emanating from her gestures.
Gu Yifeng squinted slightly, not saying much, only picking up the tea set and gently blowing at the floating leaves. As the curtain rose and fell, a rich figure sidled past the screen and entered.