Gu Yizhou frowned slightly; before he could speak, Gu Jingyu's mother, Jiang Wan, walked over.
"You really have absolutely no manners, child. When your eldest brother asks you a question, just answer him directly—why are you being so cryptic?" Gu Jingyu steadied his breathing and swallowed hard. "Mom, I wasn't trying to be cryptic on purpose; it's just that the scene I witnessed earlier completely stunned me."
"I went to look for Eldest Sister-in-law, right? On my way there, I was actually on pins and needles, terrified that Eldest Aunt would give her the cold shoulder. But when I arrived, what did I see? She was holding a bowl and spoon-feeding ginseng soup to Eldest Aunt, mouthful by mouthful!" Upon hearing Gu Jingyu's account, the corners of Gu Yizhou's eyebrows lifted ever so slightly.
Jiang Wan's eyes widened even further; she looked utterly incredulous. "Are you telling me your Eldest Aunt actually agreed to drink the ginseng soup? And that your Eldest Sister-in-law was the one feeding it to her?" Gu Jingyu nodded vigorously. "I saw it with my own eyes." *How is that even possible?* Jiang Wan thought to herself.
Ever since the successive deaths of Gu Yizhou's father and his younger brother, Xiao Ying's temperament had undergone a drastic change; she had become short-tempered and taciturn. Her mood was particularly volatile during the days surrounding their annual memorial rites—a time when even the servants who attended to her daily dared not venture too close.
Su Mianmian had met Xiao Ying only once before—the previous occasion when Gu Yizhou had brought her back to the ancestral home to formally introduce her to the family. She recalled that Xiao Ying hadn't even emerged from her quarters that day; Gu Yizhou had to take Su Mianmian all the way to the ancestral shrine just to see her. Given that history, how could she possibly have allowed Su Mianmian to get close to her this time?
At that moment, it wasn't just Jiang Wan who was puzzled; everyone else gathered in the main hall felt equally perplexed. However, out of deference to Gu Yizhou's presence, they refrained from discussing the matter any further.
Roughly half an hour passed, and Su Mianmian still hadn't returned. Gu Yizhou was just about to rise and go look for her when a graceful figure suddenly appeared in the doorway. Su Mianmian was dressed in a black knitted sweater paired with a long, pleated black skirt.
As she hadn't brought an umbrella, she shielded her forehead with her hand and jogged quickly into the main hall. The fine drizzle had settled upon her hair, coating it in a shimmering, crystal-like sheen, which she promptly brushed away with her hand. Her gaze swept around the hall, first glancing at Gu Yizhou's bandaged hand before she proceeded to greet each of the elders individually. From his seat of honor, the Old Master took a sip of tea and asked, "Is your mother feeling any better?"
Su Mianmian nodded obediently. "She has already drunk her ginseng soup and took me to the ancestral shrine for a while; she only just returned to her room to rest." Upon hearing this, the Old Master's eyes—crisscrossed with wrinkles—narrowed slightly. "She took you to the shrine? Did she say anything to you?"
Su Mianmian found the Old Master's expression somewhat peculiar; she glanced at Gu Yizhou and saw that he, too, wore a pensive look. Her slender fingers unconsciously twirled together. "No... no, Mom didn't say anything at all. She just asked me to stand with her in front of my younger brother's memorial tablet for a little while."
After listening, the Old Master fell into a brief, thoughtful silence. Seeing that he had no intention of asking further questions, Su Mianmian turned her gaze toward Gu Yizhou. Gu Yizhou was already looking at her; as their eyes met, he mouthed a silent command: "Come here."
Su Mianmian had been eager to go over and check on his injuries for some time, so upon hearing his silent summons, she walked over without hesitation. A servant brought over a round stool and placed it beside Gu Yizhou; Su Mianmian sat down right next to him and asked, "How is it? Did the doctor say it's serious?"
Gu Yizhou let out a low "Mm," his voice deep and slightly hoarse. "The area of the burn is rather extensive." Su Mianmian pursed her lips, her small face crumpling with concern. "I knew it! And just now, I saw that the back of your hand had quite a few blisters on it."
Gu Yizhou had originally intended to tease Su Mianmian, but seeing how distressed she looked, his heart softened. "It's no big deal—I was just teasing you." Hearing this, Su Mianmian pursed her lips even more emphatically. "You're practically wrapped up like a mummy, yet you still have the energy to tease me?"
Su Mianmian felt a pang of annoyance, feeling that Gu Yizhou wasn't taking proper care of his own body. She turned her body away, refusing to look at him. However, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gu Yizhou whisper a few instructions to a servant; a moment later, several plates of exquisite pastries and fresh fruit appeared on the coffee table right in front of her. Gu Yizhou noticed the young girl's round eyes flicker. A moment later, her slender throat bobbed as well. Gu Yizhou curled his lips into a smile and pointed to one of the pastries. "Try this one."
Su Mianmian was indeed feeling quite hungry; she hadn't eaten a thing since morning, and her stomach had long since shriveled up with emptiness. However, glancing around the room, she saw that the elders were all deep in discussion; even the usually lively Gu Jingyu was sitting obediently beside Jiang Wan.
She felt that it wouldn't be quite proper to be secretly snacking all by herself. Just as she was hesitating, Gu Yizhou reached out quite openly, picked up a pastry, and popped it straight into his mouth. As he chewed, his jaw muscles flexed rhythmically, and the fragrant aroma of the pastry wafted through the air.
Su Mianmian could resist no longer. Seizing the moment while no one was paying attention to her, she swiftly reached two slender, onion-stalk-like fingers into the dish. The instant the pastry melted on her tongue, Su Mianmian narrowed her eyes in pure satisfaction. *It's truly delicious...* She realized that she could—and always would—trust Gu Yizhou's judgment when it came to fine food.
Having eaten one, she craved a second; Su Mianmian resembled a little hamster, her cheeks stuffed until they bulged. Just as she was fully immersed in her culinary bliss, Gu Jingyu suddenly called out, "Hey! Big Sister-in-Law, you're eating without inviting me?!"
In an instant, every pair of eyes in the hall converged upon Su Mianmian's face. With her cheeks still puffed out, Su Mianmian blinked her large, innocent eyes. The very next second, her face flushed crimson all the way down to the base of her neck. She stood frozen, unsure of how to react.
Gu Yizhou unhurriedly handed Su Mianmian a cup of tea, then slowly turned his deep, placid gaze toward Gu Jingyu. "If you want to eat, tell the kitchen to make you something; don't try to snatch food from your sister-in-law."
... "What the heck? Who's trying to snatch food from Big Sister-in-Law? There are so many pastries—could you possibly finish them all by yourself, Big Sister-in-Law? Big Brother, you're being so mean!" After lunch, Gu Yizhou still had some matters to attend to, so he specifically arranged for Gu Jingyu to take Su Mianmian out to the courtyard for a leisurely stroll. As they walked along, Gu Jingyu grumbled in protest, "Hmph! He won't give me any pastries, yet he expects me to keep his wife company for him? Big Brother gets to hog all the good things for himself!" Su Mianmian felt even more apologetic. "Come on, Jingyu, don't be mad anymore. How about I take you out for a delicious treat during your next school break?"
Gu Jingyu's dark eyes lit up. "Anything I want?" Su Mianmian's eyes crinkled into a smile. "You name it." Gu Jingyu snapped his fingers—a silent snap. "In that case, I'm going to really fleece you when the time comes—oh, wait, I mean I'm going to fleece Big Brother!"
As they chatted, they happened to reach a cluster of blooming hibiscus flowers. Su Mianmian stopped walking and took hold of Gu Jingyu's hand. "Jingyu, could you tell me a little bit about your Big Brother?"
Gu Jingyu blinked a couple of times, then glanced around; seeing that no one else was nearby, he let out a sigh. "I figured you'd ask me about this, Sis-in-law, though to be honest, I don't actually know all that much myself." Su Mianmian replied, "That's alright. Just tell me whatever you do know."
Gu Jingyu pursed his lips. "Big Brother and our late Second Brother were twins. However, Second Brother was born with a frail constitution; rumor has it that even while they were still in the womb, he wasn't able to absorb nutrients as effectively as Big Brother did."
"Up until he was ten years old, Second Brother was constantly falling ill—suffering from one ailment after another. Eventually, our Auntie—Big Brother's mother—sought out a fortune teller to divine the cause. The fortune teller claimed the problem lay with Big Brother, declaring that his *Ba Zi*—his astrological destiny—was 'too hard,' creating a clash with the other male members of the family."
"Believing the fortune teller's words, Auntie took advantage of a time when Uncle—Big Brother's father—was away on a business trip to secretly send Big Brother away to a distant temple to be raised."
"When Uncle returned and discovered that Big Brother was missing, he was furious. Under intense interrogation, Auntie finally revealed the location of the temple where she had sent him. But the result was..." The more Su Mianmian listened, the tighter the frown on her brow became. In this day and age, how could Xiao Ying still cling to such superstitions—ruthlessly casting one son aside just to protect the other?! "The result?" Gu Jingyu sighed. "The result was that Uncle picked up Brother, and on their way back, they were involved in a car accident. Uncle died at the scene, yet Brother—who was sitting in the very same car—escaped with nothing more than a few minor scrapes."
"Upon receiving the tragic news, Aunt was nearly inconsolable. This was especially true when she saw Brother completely unscathed; it only reinforced her belief in the master's prophecy—that he was destined to bring misfortune upon the male members of the family. She didn't send Brother away again, but from that moment on, she harbored an inexplicable hostility toward him."
"Brother was only nine years old at the time. Aunt handed him over to a servant, leaving him to live alone in a separate courtyard, while she personally took charge of Second Brother's upbringing." "Aunt forbade Brother from having any contact with Second Brother; no matter where she went, she would always take Second Brother along, never Brother."
Gu Jingyu sighed again at this point. "In truth, Brother is quite a pitiable figure. Although he was physically healthier than Second Brother, from the age of nine onward, his life was virtually indistinguishable from that of an orphan." Su Mianmian had never imagined that Gu Yizhou had endured such a tragic childhood.
In her mind, Gu Yizhou had always been the epitome of calm self-possession—a man of serene and unblemished character. The mere mental image of a tiny Gu Yizhou huddling alone in a corner, watching his mother dote on his younger brother yet daring not to approach, sent a sharp pang of heartache through her. "Then what happened?
If Gu Yizhou's mother went to such lengths to protect Gu Yichen, why is he no longer with us?"