She always thought that the birth mother of this brother and sister, Aunt Wen, had already passed away.

Unexpectedly, she was still alive, practicing at Shuijing Temple.

"Why have I never heard anyone mention this?"

Qin Yuan was astonished.

Hong Ye quickly said from the side, "I remember seeing it in the account book. Every year, we send over two thousand taels of incense money to Shuijing Temple. At the time, I even thought, could this temple be a place of prayer for the women’s blessings in the family, which is why it costs so much."

Qin Yuan pondered for a moment and understood. Before, when she took over the family affairs, she only sought a stable transition and didn’t closely compare each expense.

While auditing the accounts, the focus was on detecting errors and omissions, so this expenditure’s peculiar significance was overlooked.

And with Hong Ye suddenly looking at the accounts, she couldn’t tell the difference.

Gu Shiba said, "Aunt Wen has never been in contact with the residence, and she once said..."

Seeing him stop mid-sentence, Qin Yuan asked, "Feel free to speak, I’ve never heard anyone mention Aunt Wen before. Is there something else behind this?"

Gu Shiba said, "Actually, I don’t know much either. I only know that Aunt Wen went to practice Buddhism with her hair not long after giving birth to Seventh Miss. She also said to send word back to the residence only after her death."

That would mean she considered herself dead at Shuijing Temple.

Qin Yuan was in a daze.

Gu Shiba added, "Sixth Master and Seventh Miss can’t see her if they go. I noticed Sixth Master hadn’t even thought of going to Shuijing Temple this time after coming to the family temple. Seventh Miss is still young and curious, and I wonder if she can see her this time."

Qin Yuan was once again in a daze, and after a while, she said, "... Does this mean Aunt Wen wants to sever all worldly ties and devote herself to Buddhism?"

Gu Shiba had no choice but to remain silent.

Qin Yuan came back to her senses and said, "Go find Sixteen."

After Gu Shiba left, Hong Ye couldn’t help but sigh, "Who would have thought Aunt Wen was still alive? Is it because of the Old Marquis’s incident that she was too heartbroken? Who can leave such a young daughter and go to a monastery? And with such detachment, not even seeing her children."

It clearly showed she felt pity for Gu Baoshu.

Qin Yuan also didn’t know how to judge this, as Aunt Wen’s actions were indeed peculiar.

Judging by Old Madam Gu’s love for Sixth Master and Seventh Miss, and the occasional remarks from the servants about Aunt Wen, one could tell Old Madam Gu wasn’t harsh on her, perhaps even quite benevolent.

Cui Ming slowly said, "Aunt Wen used to have a theatrical troupe in the residence, which shows she enjoyed the excitement. Why she went to such a remote and quiet place is unknown."

Hong Ye sighed, "These days, eating vegetarian food has left my mouth bland. I can’t wait to go back and have some meat. Life in the residence is so good; how can she endure in the temple? It’s unclear what broke her heart to such an extent."

Qin Yuan said, "Stop, stop, you’re not her, so how do you know what she’s thinking...?"

Cui Ming dolefully said, "With two thousand taels of silver for incense per year, it should be a comfortable life, just not as luxurious as the residence."

Hong Ye remained silent.

At dusk, Gu Baoshu returned with slightly red and swollen eyes and a pout.

From her expression, Qin Yuan and others could tell she hadn’t met Aunt Wen.

But after playing with Brother Kang and the others for a while, she was fine again.

She got sad quickly, but she got happy just as fast, soon throwing her grief to the ends of the earth.

Old Madam Gu truly cherished her, or she couldn’t have grown up with such a disposition.

Qin Yuan sighed inwardly. Although Gu Baoshu was the lesser-born daughter, she lived freer and easier than many legitimate daughters of official families. However, with her disposition, one wonders what kind of husband would suit her.

Her cousin was naturally not a match for her.

Hearing that the young boy from the Xu family found a skull in the dry well, Gu Baoshu was curious and excited, saying she wanted to take a look.

Qin Yuan advised her, "What’s the point of going now? Sixth Brother said he wanted to hold a ceremony to give peace to the departed soul and already has a group of monks chanting there. Going now would just mean watching a group of monks in a weed-covered courtyard, lighting incense candles and chanting around a dry well."

That explanation did make it seem somewhat pointless.

After seeing enough monks chanting over these days, Gu Baoshu finally suppressed her curiosity and asked, "Were you scared when you saw it, Third Sister-in-law?"

Qin Yuan laughed, "What’s there to be afraid of? When my father mourned at home during my childhood, I played with cousins near my age, and sometimes we’d accidentally run into grave mounds and see quite a few."

Gu Baoshu sighed, "I’ve never seen anything like that."

"Whether alive as heroes or beauties, all turn to bones; living a peaceful life is already great in this lifetime."

Nanny Rong suddenly chimed in. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Gu Baoshu laughed, "That’s easy to say, but who doesn’t want to be a hero or beauty? Speaking of which, aren’t my Third Sister-in-law and Third Brother a great pair, both heroic and beautiful together? With my looks, I definitely need to find a bookish gentleman—only then is it a hero paired with a beauty."

Nanny Rong frowned but didn’t tell her not to speak that way. Instead, she asked, "Among those you usually play with, any from a family of scholarly gentlemen fit for you?"

"They’re all dandies leaning on family titles, even knowing a few words is commendable."

Gu Baoshu propped her chin and sighed, looking at Qin Yuan, whispering, "If it’s a talented bookish gentleman I want, although hard to find, it’s not entirely impossible."

Qin Yuan’s heart skipped a beat, and she seemingly casually remarked, "What’s the point in marrying a bookish gentleman? Him reciting poetry while you throw punches? Besides, ungrateful ones are often scholars; just look at my sister to know."

Gu Baoshu, aware of the Qin family’s daughter-switching affair, immediately inquired, "Isn’t she married to that Lin Junren? I’ve met him once."

Hong Ye couldn’t help but smirk.

This young lady didn’t just meet him but made quite a fuss to ask what Qin Wan and Chang Qingling said.

Qin Yuan wanted to use Lin Ziqi to quell Gu Baoshu’s thoughts, so she said, "My sister’s husband and my cousin are both scholars, equally matched in learning. However, my cousin hasn’t married yet. My second aunt is looking for a woman skilled in managing the household, one who will serve her mother-in-law, husband, and educate children, all while managing household affairs. Our family was once grand, but then declined, so they’re very picky, saying they want to wait for Si Yuan to become an Advanced Scholar and secure a position before choosing a wife. The family background can’t be too low, but it can’t be too high either..."

Before finishing, Gu Baoshu asked, "Why is that?"

Qin Yuan laughed, "There’s some reasoning in it. If they marry a wife from a too well-off family, how should the mother-in-law position herself? I think Second Aunt just became more convinced after witnessing the lawsuits involving Lin Junren’s mother and my sister."

Immediately, everyone started discussing Lin’s mother, Lady Yu, and Qin Wan, sharing what they could about their stories.

Gu Baoshu was stunned, not considering how difficult the mother of a bookish gentleman could be.

The saying goes, strike while the iron is hot.

Nanny Rong also intended to impart some wisdom, so she said, "A couple should understand each other. Look at your Sixth Brother and sister-in-law, sigh..."