Song Chuzhao had no memory of their past, but Gu Fengjian could not forget the storm that had swept over them like a mountain collapsing and the sea overturning.
During that time, his mood was extremely bad. He had learned a bunch of miscellaneous things from Fu Donglai, and upon returning, he had to re-learn and organize everything. His classmates at the National Academy were both unfamiliar and wary of him, and everything about the Gu family left him feeling lost. He took advantage of a chance to travel and escaped as if fleeing for his life.
Originally, there were a few young men accompanying him on the road, but as they neared the border, their opinions diverged, and Gu Fengjian decided to travel alone.
Then it had began to rain. At first, it was a normal heavy rain, but it grew increasingly intense, showing no sign of stopping.
His horse was startled and completely disobedient, leading him to a secluded mountain path. Then it began to neigh wildly, eventually throwing him off.
Gu Fengjian rolled down a slope, injuring his legs and unable to escape.
As he leaned against the earthen slope, he thought to himself that his life was probably going to end here.
It was at this moment that Song Chuzhao appeared. She asked him, “Can you climb up?”
Gu Fengjian found something amiss in the sound he heard, for it was clear and slightly childish, neither distinctly male nor female, but the speaker seemed young.
He replied, “No, I’ve injured my leg.”
The person above said, “Wait. Let me see how to get you up.”
Immediately, a rumbling sound of rolling echoed.
Song Chuzhao remained silent for a moment, then said seriously, “There’s a rock that rolled down from the mountain ahead. The rain is too heavy, and if we don’t leave, there will be danger. Is there any water pooling where you’re lying?”
Gu Fengjian replied, “Not yet.”
Song Chuzhao quickly responded, “Oh.”
Gu Fengjian coughed violently, listening as the human voice gradually faded away.
From the sound, he knew there was only one person above. Considering the person’s young age and the danger they were in, even self-rescue would be a hassle, so they must have left.
However, not long after, a dark figure jumped down directly, landing beside him.
Gu Fengjian retreated, pressing himself against the rock.
He could only make out the person’s limbs and figure, as well as the high bun on their head.
Song Chuzhao wiped her face, shaking off the rainwater. However, the rain tonight was truly too heavy, making even speaking difficult. With her face drenched, she said, “It’s too dark, I can’t see anything! I wanted to find something to pull you up, but I accidentally grabbed something thorny!”
Gu Fengjian looked at her hand, unsurprisingly, it was still pitch black.
Song Chuzhao said, “I’m afraid you’ll be scared here alone, so I came to keep you company.”
Gu Fengjian was stunned, “What?“ by carpreads.pages.dev
Song Chuzhao said, “Hurry up, let’s go up first. The soil above is about to be washed away. You’re in a low spot, and soon, you’ll either be flooded or buried.”
Gu Fengjian asked, “How do I get up?”
Song Chuzhao said, “Climb up!”
Gu Fengjian said, “I can’t climb up, my left leg is completely useless.”
“I’ll push you up, hurry!”
Song Chuzhao used both hands to grab his belt, lifting him upwards, gesturing for him to grab the thick tree root above.
“This slope isn’t steep, just listen to me carefully, and I’ll get you up! Put in some effort.”
The two were pressed close together, Song Chuzhao practically leading him step by step as they climbed upwards.
It took them a great deal of effort to finally return to the main road. The uneven mud puddles on the road surface had already collected a good deal of water.
Song Chuzhao was in a sorry state from helping him up. Her breath was heavy, and her strength was completely spent. She lay on the ground to rest for a moment, but quickly got up again. She gestured for Gu Fengjian to rise as well, and extended her hand towards him.
“Hold onto me, don’t fall.”
Gu Fengjian took her hand. Her fingers were cold, but her palm was surprisingly warm. The two limped forward.
Gu Fengjian felt that her hand was rough. The roughness wasn’t just from calluses, but also from the swelling of her palm after being soaked in water, and the unevenness caused by the exposed wounds. There were even some places where sharp things were still embedded.
Gu Fengjian remembered her saying she had grabbed thorny vines, and quickly asked, “Is your hand alright?”
Song Chuzhao sucked in a breath, “You see this… I’m embarrassed to say it’s not alright, but I don’t want to lie and say it’s fine. Why did you have to ask?”
Gu Fengjian: “… I’m sorry.”
Song Chuzhao said, “What good is saying sorry now? You might as well say a few words of praise, and sing the praises of my heroic deeds.”
There was no reply.
Song Chuzhao angrily said, “Hey!”
Having left the slope, the plants no longer blocked the light, and their vision finally became a little clearer, allowing Gu Fengjian to see Song Chuzhao’s features.
It was a face that still held a hint of childishness, with bright and sparkling eyes, a lively and spirited expression, and a mischievous grin.
Song Chuzhao: “You’re not very old, are you? What are you doing here?”
Gu Fengjian said, “I’m much older than you.”
Song Chuzhao: “The fabric of your clothes is smooth and soft, clearly you’re a rich young master. Your limbs are weak, you haven’t learned martial arts. You’re riding a horse alone, you must have run away from home because you couldn’t take it anymore, right?”
Gu Fengjian was surprised, “How did you know I came by horse?”
Song Chuzhao was annoyed again, “I saw your horse outside! I almost got trampled by it! There was a bag hanging on the horse, so I knew you might have been thrown off. This road isn’t good for riding, so I temporarily tied it at the mountain pass. Once we get outside, then prepare to leave.”
Gu Fengjian was surprised, “You came back specifically to find me?”
Song Chuzhao said, “What else? Who would go to this place only good for birds pooping for no reason?”
Gu Fengjian asked, “… Why were you out in the middle of the night?”
Song Chuzhao frankly said, “I was in a bad mood, ran away from home, and went for a walk. Don’t you understand me?”
Gu Fengjian: “…”
Gu Fengjian’s feeling of gratitude was neither here nor there, it had no place to land.
The two were already soaked through by the rain, and now the mountain wind had started to blow, making them shiver from head to toe.
The warmth in Gu Fengjian’s body was slowly dissipating, he could barely feel his limbs anymore. So he moved his hand upwards, grabbed Song Chuzhao’s clothes, then changed to holding both her arms, pressing himself tightly against her.
Song Chuzhao furrowed her brow, but didn’t dodge, and asked, “What are you shaking for?”
Gu Fengjian: “I’m not shaking.”
Song Chuzhao was shocked, “You’re shaking really badly!”
Gu Fengjian insisted, “I’m not shaking.”
Song Chuzhao chuckled, “What kind of person are you? Why are you holding me if you aren’t shaking?”
Gu Fengjian said, “I was worried you’d run away.”
“Hey, you’re quite bold,” Song Chuzhao exclaimed in surprise. “I thought you’d just make some excuse, tell me not to worry about you, and leave first.”
Gu Fengjian asked calmly, “Are you leaving too?”
Song Chuzhao flicked her sleeve, “Let go, let go.”
Gu Fengjian released his grip, just as calmly.
He had remained remarkably composed throughout, as if all his emotions were suppressed, discarded. It was his strength. Yet, as he stood there, eyes closed, swaying slightly, he still seemed rather pitiful.
Song Chuzhao stopped in front of him and said, “Forget it, I’ll carry you.”
Gu Fengjian’s speech became slow, “You’ll carry me?”
Song Chuzhao urged, “Get on, or I’m really leaving.”
Gu Fengjian, he didn’t know why, but he really did lean against her.
Song Chuzhao’s back was thin and slender, but through the fabric, her body radiated a fiery warmth.
Gu Fengjian wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder, watching the rainwater slide down her fair neck. If he turned his head a little, he could touch her ear.
Gu Fengjian watched for a while, then suddenly said, “You’re a little sister?”
“What nonsense, I’m your own big brother,” Song Chuzhao said playfully. “Do you know which brother I am?”
Gu Fengjian paused, breathing faintly, and said, “My family wouldn’t care about me. If it were them, they would have already left.”
Song Chuzhao sighed, “Then your fortune is really good.”
Gu Fengjian was taken aback, “What did you say?”
“In such times of crisis, many people’s families may not even bother with them. But you, you just happen to meet someone you’ve never met before, and they go to such lengths to save your life. Isn’t that good fortune?” Song Chuzhao hummed triumphantly, “Not everyone can meet me your brother, a man of such caliber.”
Gu Fengjian tightened his arms, inhaling the scent of water on her, feeling an unusual sense of peace.
Song Chuzhao groaned, “Don’t squeeze me so tight.”
Gu Fengjian’s tone was slightly lighter, “Benefactor, may I ask your name?”
“My surname is Song, the third son of the Song family,” Song Chuzhao said. “You can call me Third Big Brother, it’s only fair after I saved you, right?”
Gu Fengjian smiled. The smile strained his insides, and he started coughing again. His body was weak, even his coughs were feeble, as if two more coughs and he wouldn’t be able to breathe.
Song Chuzhao could feel the heat radiating from the person behind her, like a piece of hot iron. She stopped again and said, “No, we’re moving too slowly.”
Gu Fengjian’s mind was not clear, and he needed to think for a long time before speaking, “How much further?”
Song Chuzhao said, “At this pace, we’ll probably need another half an hour. You wait here by the roadside, I’ll run out and find someone with a horse.”
She found a safe spot and set Gu Fengjian down.
Gu Fengjian asked, “Will you come back?”
Song Chuzhao said, “I’m coming back!”
Gu Fengjian’s vision blurred, and he suddenly felt a deep fear, as if her figure was about to disappear into the darkness. He clutched Song Chuzhao’s hand tightly and said, “I can walk by myself, I can walk faster. It’s okay if I’m slow, maybe the rain will stop soon.”
Song Chuzhao looked at him deeply and comforted him, “Don’t be afraid, you have a fever, you need to see a doctor quickly. Stay here, I won’t leave you.”
Gu Fengjian stubbornly tried to stand up, “I’m not sick, I’m fine. My foot doesn’t hurt anymore, you don’t have to carry me.”
Song Chuzhao took off her outer robe and covered his head with it, providing some temporary shelter from the rain. She patted his shoulder reassuringly and said, “I’ll be back, you wait here.”
Gu Fengjian’s hands were weak, but he still held onto her, “What do you want? I’ll give you anything, take me with you. I’ve always been obedient and well-behaved.”
Song Chuzhao asked, “What is your name?”
Gu Fengjian snapped, “I won’t tell you!”
“Forget it, I won’t argue with a sick person.” Song Chuzhao sighed, pulling a jade pendant from his waist, “I’m taking this, as a token. I said I’d be back, so be good and don’t cause trouble!”
She pulled her hand away from Gu Fengjian’s grasp and turned to run quickly.
“Third Song, Third Song!” Gu Fengjian chased after her for a while, until she disappeared from sight. When he couldn’t tell which way to go in the rain, he started to call out “Father” in a daze, wondering why everyone rejected him.
He would change, if only he could.
Before he fainted, he thought, he had to wait for Song Chuzhao to come back, otherwise it would be considered a breach of her promise. Unfortunately, he was rescued by someone else, while Song Chuzhao fell ill. When he went to visit, the Song family refused to acknowledge that the person who had escaped that night was Third Miss Song, repeatedly denying it.
He was forcibly taken back to the capital by the Gu family, and he never had the chance to see her again.
Although it was many years later, she did come to find him. She had climbed over his wall, looking innocent as she spoke to him.
Gu Fengjian turned over and woke up from his dream.
It didn’t count as her lying, after all.