Duke Gu applied the medicine, meticulously, as if he were carrying out some important official duty. Madam Gu also watched intently from the side. The two of them stood at attention, their posture making Gu Fengjian feel a touch of warmth amidst his helplessness.
The man who usually never smiled, now stood before him, head bowed, fingers curled, meticulously applying the ointment to every scar on his hand, ensuring there was no oversight.
He could see the white hairs on the other man’s head, the wrinkles at his temples. This man, like his own hair that had lost its luster, was gradually aging, yet he still maintained his dignity with an unbreakable will. Standing at the pinnacle of the nation, he poured out his heart and soul, his blood and tears.
Gu Fengjian looked away.carpreads.pages.dev
After applying the ointment, Duke Gu checked it several times before closing the lid and told him it was good now.
Gu Fengjian, with his hand coated in a thick layer of ointment, sat at the dining table. The scent of herbs filled his nostrils, making his mood as unappetizing as the food before him.
But he couldn’t show it. Because Duke Gu was watching him intently, his expression still unreadable.
Soon after, Fourth Son Gu swaggered over, his hands waving in the air.
Hearing the footsteps, Gu Fengjian felt a sense of foreboding. He couldn’t imagine what kind of chaos would ensue if his usually boisterous brother, Gu Fengwei, got involved in this matter.
In this regard, his fourth brother never disappointed him.
Fourth Son Gu hooked his chair with his foot and sat down with no sense of decorum. He glanced at his hand and exclaimed, “Fifth Brother, what happened to your hand? How could you be so badly injured?!”
Gu Fengjian ignored him. Because he couldn’t answer.
It wasn’t the injury that was severe, but the treatment. He felt the wound, which had almost healed, burning and itching miserably.
Fourth Son Gu leaned closer, took another look, and continued to shout, “Who applied this ointment for you? How could they do it so haphazardly? Fourth Brother thought you’d lost your whole hand! How can you apply ointment like this? It’s not like more is better. Which doctor did this? Fourth Brother will go beat him up…”
Fourth Son Gu ranted for a while, finally realizing that the atmosphere was not quite right. The other three at the table were all squinting at him with a meaningful gaze, as if they were slowly torturing him.
Fourth Son Gu’s body trembled, he swallowed hard, “…I mean, that doctor must care about you very much to go to such lengths. You don’t know, this ointment is very expensive.”
Duke Gu: “Although our Gu family is honest, we are not short of money.”
Fourth Son Gu: “Yes.”
Madam Gu said sympathetically, “I advise you to eat.”
Fourth Son Gu continued to be obedient, “Yes.” He knew. He understood.
Fourth Son Gu picked up his bowl and took a couple of bites. Seeing that everyone at the table was frozen in place, he stood up and reached for the dishes further away.
As he bent over, Fourth Son Gu thought for a moment and asked, “Fifth Brother, is there any dish you like? If it’s inconvenient, I’ll bring the plate over for you.”
Madam Gu’s eyes lit up, and she eagerly said, “Fifth Son’s hand is injured, should I…”
Gu Fengjian directly picked up his chopsticks, not giving her a chance to finish her sentence.
Madam Gu sighed regretfully, settling for the next best thing by picking a dish for him.
Seeing this, Duke Gu also picked up a piece of chicken leg and placed it in Gu Fengjian’s bowl.
Fourth Son Gu watched, shaking his head in disapproval, hoping that Gu Fengjian would remain calm and not throw his bowl in anger and leave. At the same time, he thought to himself, what’s wrong with his father and mother? Don’t they know Fifth Brother’s personality? How could Fifth Brother possibly like someone picking food for him?
In this family, he was the one who understood Fifth Brother best. They had been getting along well recently, and Fifth Brother had gradually become willing to go out with him to meet friends. He believed that Fifth Brother would eventually understand his good intentions.
His father and mother still didn’t get it.
Just as Fourth Son Gu was secretly pleased with himself, he saw Gu Fengjian silently eating the pile of food in his bowl with his rice. Although his expression was cold, there was no displeasure.
This was more than just strange.
Fourth Son Gu coughed violently, nearly spraying the food in his mouth across the table.
Madam Gu warned, “Gu Fengwei!”
Fourth Son Gu said excitedly, “I—”
Gu Fengjian pressed down on his shoulder, “Sit down.”
Gu Fengjian had a small appetite. How could he truly keep them company? He ate two symbolic bites, then used his hand to cover the bowl, refusing their continued attempts to feed him. After he finished eating, he quickly returned to his room, avoiding any conversation with the others.
Even so, the others were quite surprised. They knew that his softened attitude meant he no longer held a grudge about the past. The family was finally a family again.
Gu Fengjian hadn’t expected that the first meal he ate after returning to the Gu Mansion would be such a comical scene.
He sat quietly in the room he hadn’t returned to in a long time, resting his head against the back of the chair behind his desk. The expressions of the others replayed in his mind, and he couldn’t help but smile, even without realizing it.
The embers of the twilight sky gradually faded, giving way to pale moonlight.
A servant gently knocked on the door, carrying a lamp inside to light the few candles in the room. Gu Fengjian was startled back to reality by the sound, only then realizing that he had been lost in thought for quite some time.
After the servant left, Gu Fengjian began to examine his room.
Song Chuzhao hadn’t actually moved much of anything in his room, only taking a few books to place on the desk for show. But the details throughout the room all bore traces of her presence.
For example, on the edge of the desk, there were scratches left behind from moments of boredom and impatience. Judging by the depth and thickness of the scratches, they could have been made by fingernails, a pen, or something else on the desk.
Gu Fengjian could already imagine Song Chuzhao sitting at the desk, looking gloomy and resentful.
He wondered if she had secretly cursed him for it.
And then there was the bed.
Gu Fengjian’s sleeping posture was very proper. Once he lay down, he could sleep soundly until dawn without moving, so he always only used half of the bed. The other half rarely even had a wrinkle.
But now, the bedsheets on the inside had been pulled and tugged. It must have been Song Chuzhao tossing and turning in her sleep, and the servants hadn’t been careful enough when cleaning.
Gu Fengjian walked to the bedside, running his hand over the bedspread and searching around. Sure enough, under the blanket on the inside, he found the storybook he had asked Chundong to bring over.
The cover was creased and stained with candle wax.
It was clear that Song Chuzhao had hidden it with great effort. Poor thing.
Gu Fengjian walked around the room again, finding it all quite amusing.
Song Chuzhao had lived in the military camp for a long time, and she had a near-obsessive attention to detail when it came to her clothes and certain items. As soon as Gu Fengjian opened the cabinet, he could see the neatly folded clothes inside, as well as the various jade ornaments arranged in rows according to size.
But when it came to books and writing implements, she was completely unconcerned with order. The paintings hanging on the wall were askew, and she hadn’t bothered to straighten them.
Sometimes meticulous, sometimes rough. Her preferences and personality were both straightforward, and her attitude towards life was very carefree.
Song Chuzhao was truly a person full of vitality.
As Gu Fengjian was thinking this, he heard someone calling out softly from outside, “Fifth Son Gu!”
The voice called out twice, and then there was a familiar tapping sound on the windowpane. The person was a little impatient and was hitting it a bit hard.
Gu Fengjian laughed, closed the cabinet door, and walked over to open the window.
Song Chuzhao was huddled in the corner beneath the window. When she saw him come out, she poked her furry head out from under the windowsill, looking innocently into the room.
Gu Fengjian said, “You’ve come?”
“Mm!” Song Chuzhao nodded. “After I returned home today, I realized there were some things I might not have explained clearly to you. You don’t know, so you have to be careful not to slip up.”
Gu Fengjian stepped back, gesturing for her to enter. Song Chuzhao propped herself up with one hand and nimbly leaped into the room.
Her movements were stealthy, she shuffled in slowly, as if she were a little embarrassed. She lowered her voice and asked, “After you came back, did Madam Gu notice anything amiss?”
Gu Fengjian said, “No. I can handle it. How is the He Mansion?”
“It’s great!” Song Chuzhao said excitedly. “You wouldn’t believe it! The He Mansion’s backyard has three fine horses, fat and strong, with glossy coats and a lot of spirit. Grandfather promised me I could play with them for a while tomorrow.”
Gu Fengjian asked, “Didn’t you see many horses at the border?”
Song Chuzhao said, “There are very few good horses in the military camp. Most are treasured, and they wouldn’t dare let me take them out for a spin. You can’t even borrow them.”
Horses were expensive, and they were closely guarded in the military camp. If one were lost or injured, the person responsible for guarding them would likely face a death sentence.
The two sat down at the table.
Song Chuzhao pressed her head and said, “Let me think, what did your mother make me do the other day? Besides constantly urging me to go to the He Mansion to find you, there were a lot of trivial things. Speaking of which, some of your Gu family’s habits are truly strange. Why does someone need to be watching when they’re embroidering? And why do you have to choose midnight to talk about your feelings?”
Gu Fengjian remained silent for a moment, thinking to himself, don’t your Song family members also like to climb into people’s windows in the middle of the night?
“My family actually doesn’t come to talk to me at midnight.”
As soon as he finished speaking, as if to confirm his words, several calls came from outside the door: “Fifth Brother, Fifth Brother!”
Song Chuzhao was startled, she pointed at the door and mouthed, “Look!”
Before she could even blink, Fourth Son Gu had already run to his door, pounding on it with force, and asked, “Fifth Brother, are you asleep?”
Gu Fengjian said, “I’m asleep.”
“Even if you’re asleep, I have to come in and talk to you!” Fourth Son Gu laughed mischievously. “If you don’t open the door, I’ll jump in through the window!”
Song Chuzhao had already slipped to the window, and upon hearing this, she was startled, turned around on the spot, and went behind the screen.
Gu Fengjian saw her crouching with her head in her hands, and there was another rustling sound outside the door. He didn’t know what the other person was doing, so he quickly went to open the door.
As soon as the wooden door opened, the man leaning against it almost fell to the ground. He had a strong smell of alcohol on him, he stumbled a couple of steps, but with his exceptional physical balance, he managed to stand up.
Gu Fengjian frowned, “You’ve been drinking?”
“Just a little.” Fourth Son Gu used his finger to indicate a small amount, and laughed, “Father brought out two jars of old wine from the study, I smelled the aroma and had a few cups.”
From his tone, it was clear that he was quite drunk.
Song Chuzhao thought to herself, your Gu family really has a hereditary poor tolerance for alcohol.
Gu Fengjian knew that Fourth Son Gu’s actual tolerance for alcohol wasn’t bad, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to hang out with a bunch of martial arts students. He just drank a lot. His originally flat stomach had already begun to protrude slightly.
Fourth Son Gu’s “few cups” were not the same as the “few cups” of ordinary people.
Gu Fengjian wanted to get rid of him, his tone became a little urgent, “What do you want?”
Normally, Fourth Son Gu wouldn’t be able to detect the emotion in his voice, but after getting drunk, he became extremely sensitive. His smiling face immediately turned serious, he took a step closer and asked, “Why are you so cold to me?”
Gu Fengjian choked, and said, “I’m not.”
“You don’t even call me Fourth Brother anymore.” Fourth Son Gu began to dredge up old grievances, his voice rising with agitation. “Not only that, but you even called me by my name in front of Fan Chongqing and Ji Yutang. How long has it been since you called me Fourth Brother? Why don’t you call me Fourth Brother?! Is it because I haven’t been protecting you? Or is there something you’ve asked me to do that I haven’t agreed to? Fifth Brother!”
Gu Fengjian: “…”
So why didn’t you call him Fourth Brother, Song Chuzhao?!
Fourth Son Gu held him and began to cry, “Fourth Brother is so heartbroken!”
Gu Fengjian: “…”
Song Chuzhao was behind the screen, about to burst into laughter.
Gu Fengjian straightened Fourth Son Gu’s face, expecting to see his Fourth Brother’s tear-streaked face, but instead, the latter was just howling, with more drool than tears.
His heart, filled with guilt, felt as if it had been fed to the dogs. He pushed Fourth Son Gu away with force.
Fourth Son Gu, unable to find solace, clung to him like a burr.
“You used to follow me around calling me Fourth Brother when you were little. I found you annoying back then, always trying to get rid of you. Fourth Brother was wrong!” Fourth Son Gu, once he started, couldn’t stop himself, and began reminiscing with Fifth Son Gu.
“You don’t know, even though you were cute and handsome when you were little, you drooled a lot. It’s natural for a young child to drool, but I really couldn’t stand it when you would drool all over my face…”
Gu Fengjian heard a gasp from behind the screen and couldn’t take it anymore. He went to cover his mouth, “Shut up!”
Fourth Son Gu was much stronger than Gu Fengjian and didn’t fear his struggles. Seeing him approach, he dodged back, and in the process, hugged his brother, continuing his heartfelt repentance.
“I was so immature, I didn’t take good care of you. I said I would take you out to play, but I almost let you fight with the dogs on the side of the road, and I accidentally kicked you into a ditch. I haven’t dared to tell Mother the truth until now. This has been weighing on my mind for so long.”
Gu Fengjian was furious, “Then keep it bottled up!”
“I can’t! Fourth Brother can’t help but feel miserable when I think about it!” Fourth Son Gu’s dry eyes finally welled up, his voice becoming low and heavy. “Father clearly told me to watch over you, but I couldn’t stop them from taking you away. Mother was so upset that she fell ill. They were afraid I would blame myself too, so they deliberately didn’t mention your name in front of me. In private, they would secretly hold your clothes and cry in the courtyard. I saw it, but I couldn’t say anything.”
Fourth Son Gu sobbed, “I often dream of myself pushing you away. I thought you would cling to me for ten years, for a lifetime, but you left the Gu family before you even grew up. Only after you left did I realize that a brother should take care of you. How could I have been so dismissive of you? I can give you anything, all the good food and fun. Fifth Brother, Fifth Brother, do you still recognize me as your brother?”
Gu Fengjian was moved by his words and stopped struggling. He was about to call out “Fourth Brother” when Fourth Son Gu took a deep breath and then blew his nose, splattering it all over Gu Fengjian’s clothes.
As if to say, I can give you my snot too.
He still held onto Gu Fengjian tightly.
Gu Fengjian couldn’t take it anymore. The name he was about to call out became “Song Chuzhao!”
Fourth Son Gu was confused, “Song what?”
Gu Fengjian couldn’t push him away and continued to plead, “Song Chuzhao, come out!”
Deliberately heavy footsteps sounded from behind. Fourth Son Gu finally realized there was someone else in the room. He let go of his hand and slowly turned his head. Before he could see clearly, he was punched in the face.
The force wasn’t strong, but it landed squarely on his nose, causing Fourth Son Gu to cry out in pain and instinctively raise his hand to cover his face.
Song Chuzhao retracted her fist, regretting her actions, “I’m sorry! Fourth Brother!”
Gu Fengjian waved his hand wearily, signaling her to leave quickly.
Song Chuzhao took two steps, then turned back, looking at Gu Fengjian with a knowing smile. She maliciously sucked in a breath, then wiped her nonexistent drool from her lips before jumping out the window.
She was having a blast being mischievous.
Gu Fengjian was ready to kill.
Fourth Son Gu was confused, “Who? Who did I see? Third Girl Song? Am I going blind?”
Gu Fengjian retreated two meters, wary, “You’re mistaken.”
Fourth Son Gu regained a bit of consciousness and walked towards him again. “Is it Third Girl Song?”
Gu Fengjian said, “You’re mistaken!”
Fourth Son Gu was puzzled. “Then why does my nose hurt so much? Did you hit me, Fifth Brother?”
“You bumped your own head.” Gu Fengjian urgently pushed him out the door. “Go back! Steward! Who else is outside? My fourth brother is drunk, quickly take him away!”
Fourth Son Gu looked back reluctantly. “Wait, I was drunk just now, but I’m much better now. Fifth Brother, I have something to tell you… Where did I leave off?”
Slap!
Gu Fengjian slammed the door shut, his expression cold and merciless.
Author’s Note:
To be honest, Song Chuzhao’s original name was Song Chuchao 初朝, meaning “dawn” like the rising sun, full of vitality.
But this homophone is easily mispronounced, and the meaning is a bit subtle when mispronounced, so it was changed to the current one—
Song Chuzhao: You Gu family members like to have heart-to-heart talks in the middle of the night.
Gu Fengjian: You Song family members like to climb over walls in the middle of the night.
Madam Gu: A perfect match!