Song Chuzhao had not yet approached when the servant at the door announced with delight, “Third Miss, you’re back!”
His voice paused, and upon seeing her attire, it suddenly died down, becoming low and trembling.
“Third Miss, why have you changed your clothes?”
Song Chuzhao was amused by him. “Don’t overthink it. I just got my clothes dirty on the mountain with the young County Princess, so I borrowed a set.”
The servant asked reluctantly, “Then why did Fifth Young Master send you back?”
He had already caught a glimpse of Gu Fengjian through the crack in the curtain.
Song Chuzhao said, “His senior sister lives on Mount Shaoling, and we happened to meet.”
The servant grumbled, “What a coincidence…”
Song Chuzhao hesitated for a moment and asked, “Where is my grandfather?”
The burly man immediately replied, “Master is in the stable in the back yard. I’ll go get him for you!”
Song Chuzhao thought for a moment and stopped him, saying, “I’ll go find him myself. I’d like to see the horses too.”
The tall, middle-aged man was clearly stunned. His half-closed eyes widened.
Since their Miss had arrived at the He Mansion, she had always been polite and distant, never taking the initiative to seek out Master He when there was no reason. She had never been to the stables before.
Although Master He was saddened, he thought it was normal for Third Miss to be unfamiliar with them since it was her first time home. He simply instructed everyone not to bother her. He thought that perhaps they would become closer with time.
Could this be the day when spring blossoms?carpreads.pages.dev
The man quickly recovered and said excitedly, “Alright! I’ll show you the way! This way!”
He dashed towards the back yard, not even realizing how fast he was going.
Song Chuzhao found the gatekeeper’s reaction amusing and chuckled. She shook the overly large sleeves down, grasped the cuffs in her hands, and followed at a trot.
She felt a little shy, but mostly excited.
When she saw Master He dote on Gu Fengjian, she had longed to experience that kind of affection. After all, her parents were strict, and she had never known what it was like to be spoiled.
The servant stopped at the entrance of the nearby courtyard, gesturing for Song Chuzhao to go in alone, wanting to give the grandfather and granddaughter some time alone.
The stable in the back yard was specially built by Master He for Song Chuzhao, because he guessed she might like to ride horses.
He cleared out all the surrounding furnishings, creating a spacious open area, just big enough to ride a horse in two circles. Then, fearing that Song Chuzhao might find it unpleasant, he had the servants clean the stable from top to bottom.
The smelly old furniture was thrown away if possible, and the rest was wiped clean repeatedly. The horse manure was promptly removed, and the straw was kept fresh and dry.
Therefore, when Song Chuzhao walked in, she didn’t smell much of an odor. If she were at the border, the stench would probably have reached a mile away.
Master He was washing a horse with his back to the courtyard gate. Hearing footsteps, he thought it was one of the servants and casually asked, “What is it?”
Song Chuzhao said, “This horse has a strong build and light hooves. It looks like a good horse.”
Master He’s back stiffened abruptly, then he slowly turned around, laughing heartily. “It’s Zhaozhao! You have good taste. This horse was originally a gift from His Majesty to your Uncle Fu. I liked it, so I borrowed it to keep for a few days.”
Song Chuzhao smiled at him, showing her teeth. “Uncle Fu is generous to part with it.”
Master He was softened by her smile. He asked cautiously, “Do you want to touch it? Don’t be afraid, this horse is very docile.”
Song Chuzhao reached out and stroked the clean horse’s neck.
The horse was very spirited. Seeing her approach, it not only didn’t shy away, but also docilely leaned towards her, rubbing against her palm.
Song Chuzhao loved horses, and seeing this, she was delighted. She exclaimed, “This horse is so well-behaved!”
Master He quickly pulled out a cloth from his waist, wiped his hands clean, and said, “Wait a moment, your grandfather will go fetch a bucket of water to wash it clean.”
Song Chuzhao asked, “Should I help you?”
Master He had already started to say “no,” but then his mind suddenly became clear. He changed his words at the last moment, saying, “No… it’s not that easy. I’m an old man, and I don’t do much of this kind of rough work. If you could help me, that would be best. But I’m afraid you’re tired after just coming back today.”
Song Chuzhao laughed and said, “It’s okay, I’m very strong.”
Master He felt light as a feather, as if he were floating in the gentlest spring breeze of March.
How considerate his granddaughter was!
His Zhaozhao!
The two of them went together to fetch a bucket of water.
Both Master He and Song Chuzhao were accustomed to martial arts and had been well-trained. Each of them could easily carry four or five buckets of water. Yet, when they worked together, they had to use one hand each, awkwardly carrying a single wooden bucket to the stable. After finishing, they both even said “hard work” to each other.
Because it was winter, the well water was cold. Master He cherished this horse and had someone boil some hot water to adjust the temperature.
The black horse stood quietly in place, allowing them to pour water over its body.
The two of them chatted casually while working. What would normally take a stick of incense to complete, they stretched out to half an hour. By then, the horse was getting a little restless and kept blowing white breath from its nostrils.
Song Chuzhao felt sorry for it and felt ashamed. She finally suggested that it should be clean enough.
While wiping the horse dry with a cloth, Song Chuzhao asked, “Can I ride it tomorrow?”
Master He quickly said, “Of course! You see, it likes you too. The road in front of the courtyard has been widened. I’ll have someone pay attention, and you can ride there.” This horse was originally obtained from Fu Changjun to please Song Chuzhao.
Song Chuzhao asked, “Is this the only horse in the mansion?”
“There are two more, also good horses, kept in the stalls inside.” Master He asked, “Shall I take you to see them?”
Song Chuzhao nodded, “Yes, please.”
The two of them ran into the shed and showered praise on the two horses that were eating grass and all sorts of strange words came out. Master He even fabricated heroic deeds of their ancestors, adding a few descendants to the few famous steeds in history.
It was all very considerate.
Those two horses were indeed intelligent. Seeing people coming, they walked towards them, ready to run outside. When they realized that the two were just talking nonsense, they returned to their original positions with disdain and lowered their heads to continue eating grass.
By the time the two of them finished their tour and came out, it was almost dusk. Master He, with a rosy face, led Song Chuzhao to the front hall for dinner.
It was only then that Madam He learned that Master He had been secretly exchanging feelings with Zhaozhao.
Madam He felt a sharp pain in her heart.
She had been beaten to the punch!
While Song Chuzhao went to change clothes, Madam He seized the opportunity and kicked her husband. She angrily said, “Zhaozhao rarely comes out, why didn’t you call me? I see that you don’t really have me in your heart!”
Master He said with grievance, “You don’t understand horses.”
“I may not understand horses, but I understand you!” Madam He said, “You two were chatting, and I wouldn’t have disturbed you. I could have just stood by and brought you water and snacks. You just don’t have me in your heart!”
Master He said, “…” How can you be so unreasonable?
Fortunately, Song Chuzhao quickly ran back and stopped the couple from arguing further.
However, at dinner, Madam He kept her hand pressed against her forehead, looking weak. Her chopsticks hovered over her porcelain bowl, rising and falling, but she didn’t pick up any food.
Master He sat beside her, feeling guilty, his head lowered, pretending not to notice.
Song Chuzhao took a couple of bites, noticing her gloomy mood, and asked with concern, “Grandmother, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Madam He glanced at the man beside her, and said with a loving smile, “I just don’t have much of an appetite. Zhaozhao, you eat more…” She had already eaten several meals in her room.
Before Madam He could finish her sentence, Song Chuzhao stood up, picked up a piece of scrambled egg, and placed it in her bowl, saying, “Grandmother, you should eat more too. If you don’t eat, how can your body recover?”
Master He and Madam He both looked surprised and honored.
Madam He picked up the egg with trembling hands and said with restraint, “Alright, Grandmother will eat more!”
She picked up the rice, put the golden egg in her mouth, chewed it slowly before swallowing, and a satisfied expression appeared on her face, as if she were eating some kind of dragon’s gall and phoenix’s marrow.
Song Chuzhao had already witnessed this kind of behavior at the Gu Mansion, so she remained relatively calm this time. Her expression faltered for a moment, but she quickly adjusted. Turning her head, she saw Master He’s bright eyes, and she also picked up a piece of food for him.
“Grandfather, you eat too.”
“Eat, eat.” Master He held his bowl and said loudly, “I can eat three bowls more of the food Zhaozhao picks for me!”
Seeing his enthusiasm, Song Chuzhao was afraid he would really overeat, so she quickly said, “It’s not good to eat too much. Just eat until you’re full.”
Master He laughed like a child, “Of course, of course.”
Whatever Song Chuzhao picked for them, they kept eating that dish. In a short while, half of the eggs were gone.
Song Chuzhao could only say, “You should eat more vegetables too.”
“You should eat some meat too.”
“Don’t eat too much!”
The steward stood aside, tears in his eyes, feeling deeply comforted.
The He Mansion had been empty for so many years, and finally, there was some life in it again.
After this meal, the bond between the grandparents and granddaughter had grown closer. The faces of the two elders were also noticeably more rosy, because they had a hearty appetite and ate much more than usual.
Song Chuzhao made an appointment with Master He to go horseback riding the next morning, so she put down her chopsticks with satisfaction and prepared to return to her room. Master He waved his hand and called her back, “Don’t rush. Let’s chat a little more.”
Song Chuzhao couldn’t bear to refuse, so she tugged at her robe and sat down again in front of him.
Master He asked, “Zhaozhao, did you encounter anything special when you went out today?”
Song Chuzhao said blankly, “No, nothing.”
Master He said, “Was there any trouble?”
Song Chuzhao said, “Everything went smoothly.”
Master He paused for a moment and then asked, “Did you get along well with the County Princess?”
“Not bad,” Song Chuzhao said, “Although the County Princess is a bit weak in character, she is also reasonable, and we haven’t had any conflicts.”
Master He felt something was amiss and stroked his beard. Song Chuzhao, on the other hand, looked completely innocent.
Master He and Madam He exchanged a glance, and Madam He took over the questioning.
“I heard you came back with Fifth Son Gu… Do you have any other requests you’d like to tell us? We’re all family, feel free to speak your mind, don’t be shy.”
Song Chuzhao suddenly understood and followed with a helpless smile.
Could it be that they thought her eagerness to please was because she had done something wrong or had a request?
…they were just like her parents in their foresight. Could it be that her mother had always been like this?
Song Chuzhao relaxed and said with a smile, “I did run into Fifth Son Gu, and we chatted for a while.”
Master He felt a pang of jealousy, but he remained amiable on the surface. “What did you two talk about? Was the County Princess there too?”
“Everyone was there, not just me and him.” Song Chuzhao’s eyes twinkled, her brows curved into a smile, a clever and adorable expression. “He told me that my mother and his mother were once very close friends, like sisters.”
Madam He recalled the past and said with a sigh, “That’s true. Our two families have always been close, which is why you and Fifth Son Gu are betrothed.”
Song Chuzhao nodded, speaking with seriousness, “Yes! Fifth Son Gu also told me that my maternal grandfather was a man of great stature and bravery in his youth. During the rebellion, he could single-handedly intimidate the enemy with just his horse and himself. He had the same grand spirit as ‘King Qin swept across the six realms, his gaze fierce and bold! He brandished his sword, parting the clouds, and the lords all came from the west!’ And my maternal grandmother, she managed the family affairs on her own. During those turbulent times, she remained unyielding even when threatened, displaying the resilience of a woman who could rival any man.”
Master He was stunned, half-believing, half-doubting. “He… he really said that?”
“Yes. We talked about many things.” Song Chuzhao sighed, then looked up. “He comforted me. He said that my mother has been away at the border for many years, and you two have only Uncle Fu for company. It’s not that you don’t care about her, but the situation forced you to. In your hearts, you’ve always missed my mother.”
Master He quickly added, “And you too.”
Song Chuzhao smiled. “I know. You and Grandmother are different. You truly love me. You just don’t know how to express it.”
Madam He’s eyes immediately welled up, and she quickly wiped them with a silk handkerchief, forcing back the tears.
She said, “We are naturally different from her. Zhaozhao, we won’t let anyone bully you. If anyone makes you feel wronged, come back and tell me, and I’ll avenge you. You are more precious to me than my own life… than anything.”
Song Chuzhao reached for her hand and nodded. “I know. I thought you two wouldn’t like me being so lively, so I tried to be more well-behaved, afraid you’d dislike me.”
“How could we?!” Madam He’s voice became high-pitched, her eyes flickering, as if she wanted to embrace her. She spoke excitedly, her words jumbled. “I like you no matter what you’re like! You’re so lively and charming, you’re perfect just the way you are! Your mother was even more mischievous than you… Her grandmother didn’t like it, but I did!”
Song Chuzhao said, “Now I understand. Fifth Son Gu said the same thing. Don’t ever dislike me, okay?”
“My Zhaozhao!” Madam He couldn’t help herself, she went forward and hugged her, pressing her face against hers, and cried. “You don’t know how much you’re loved. Grandmother only feels sorry for you, how could she dislike you? She likes you, but she just can’t say it.”
Master He watched the two embrace, sniffled, and his impression of Gu Fengjian suddenly soared to an unimaginable height. He could forgive him for climbing over the wall in the past.
Meanwhile, Gu Fengjian was being summoned to his father’s study.