Gu Susu didn't know what she had done wrong, but she still knelt down, "Grandma..."
"Hush, call me Old Madam like Rong Jie." Bai Qiuping glanced at her sideways.
"Old Madam, have I done something wrong? You can teach me." Gu Susu thought to herself, what era is this, people are still made to kneel at the slightest provocation. It's clear that the Qin family's Old Madam's behavior and demeanor are old-fashioned and traditional.
Bai Qiuping didn't look at her again, rocking her chair, "What do you say?"
Gu Susu straightened her back, "I don't know, please enlighten me, Old Madam."
"I see your temper is stubborn and wild. You're not marrying Tianyi willingly, are you? Yet you were so protective of him at breakfast?" Bai Qiuping's tone was not heavy, but it carried absolute deterrence. One could tell she was a matriarch who had been through a lot.
Gu Susu answered briskly, "When my parents told me to marry him, I was very unwilling. But after I saw Tianyi at the wedding, I realized how handsome he was, like a star. Perhaps it's because he looks good, and I've also come to understand that he's a bit silly, but he makes people feel grounded. Since I'm married to him, I want to live a good life with him."
Bai Qiuping stared at her for a few seconds, her tone softening as she said, "Get up. Rong Ma, get a stool for the young madam."
Gu Susu gritted her teeth and stood up with difficulty. Qin Tianyi hadn't let her go last night or this morning, and her knees were already red and sore from all the activity. So, after kneeling for just a short while, her knees ached terribly, and she couldn't help but rub them gently with her hands.
Bai Qiuping saw this and thought that perhaps she would be able to hold a great-grandchild soon, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips.
Rong Ma brought a stool and placed it beside the rocking chair. Gu Susu sat down, and Bai Qiuping took her hand, sliding off a bright green jade bracelet from her own wrist and placing it on Gu Susu's left wrist. She smiled, "It fits you perfectly. I'm getting old, and I've lost quite a bit of weight. This jade bracelet doesn't fit me well anymore."
Although Gu Susu didn't know much about jade bracelets and other jewelry, she could tell from the bracelet's clear green color that it was valuable. She wanted to refuse, but Bai Qiuping held her wrist tightly, preventing her from taking it off.
"Old Madam, the jade bracelet is too precious, I can't accept it..."
"Just consider it that I'm letting you keep it." Bai Qiuping interrupted her, "I'll tentatively believe what you said and entrust Tianyi to your care. I don't know how much longer this old body can help Tianyi. If you can truly see Tianyi's good qualities, then protect him well in my stead. Otherwise, your Ai family will not only lose the big project, but your father, Ai Shunan, will also... Never mind, let's not talk about it. You know it in your heart."
But Gu Susu didn't know what else would happen to Ai Shunan, so she asked curiously, "What else will happen to my dad?"
Bai Qiuping couldn't help but be a little surprised. She seemed to know nothing. Was she not married for the sake of the Ai family and her father, Ai Shunan? Or did Ai Shunan not tell his own family?
"His reputation will be ruined, and he might even go to jail."
"That serious? What did my dad do..."
Bai Qiuping didn't want to say more. She released Gu Susu's wrist and leaned back in the rocking chair, "Alright, you just need to take good care of Tianyi. Don't have any bad intentions, or neither you nor your family will have a good life."
"I understand." Gu Susu couldn't press further. It seemed the Old Madam had leverage over Ai Shunan. If she could get her hands on this leverage, she could get her child back from them.
But now was not the time. She had to establish a firm footing in the Qin family and gain the Old Madam's complete trust.
"You can go back. I want to rest." Bai Qiuping closed her eyes again, feeling her body weakening day by day, increasingly preferring to sit quietly in her rocking chair and reminisce about the past. But the only thing she couldn't let go of was Tianyi.
Gu Susu stood up, knowing that the Old Madam had used a combination of kindness and authority to convey everything she wanted to say.
She gestured to Rong Ma, not daring to disturb the Old Madam, and turned to leave quietly.
She deliberately strolled slowly through the garden, familiarizing herself with the environment of the Qin family mansion.
This mansion was less like a connected villa and more like an ancient castle, composed of three buildings arranged in a staggered manner.
The main building was a three-story, deep red-walled house where Qin Zhaoye's family lived.
To the left rear of the main house was a two-story small building where the Old Madam lived alone. To the right rear of the main house was a three-story, but narrower, domed building.
From a distance, the domed building had a painted glass dome, making its design the most distinctive.
Gu Susu approached the domed building, intending to take a look inside, but found the main door tightly locked. From the outside, all the curtains were drawn, adding to the sense of mystery.
She lingered in front of the building for a while before returning to the main house. She felt that the vast Qin residence was always quiet. The servants were all busy with their own tasks, and no one made a sound.
Occasionally, she would see one or two people working with their heads down, and they would ignore her. Even walking through the seemingly empty mansion in broad daylight, she felt a strange eeriness.
She quickened her pace, wanting to call Ai Shunan while Qin Tianyi was away and return to her room. Even hearing Xiao Xingxing's voice would be good.
Hurrying up to the second floor, she lowered her head and turned at the top of the stairs, unexpectedly bumping into a wall. Just as she realized something was wrong, she looked up and found that she had bumped into a stranger, not a wall.
"Excuse me, please let me pass."
"Are you the wife that idiot Tianyi just married?" The stranger not only didn't move but also playfully put his arm around her shoulder.