Because this time the Zhao family only brought women and children, the men of the Guangping Marquis Residence were not present. The Old Madam received them. The family gathered in the main hall to talk, and they had dinner together.
Nanny Song asked the Old Madam if she should invite the Fifth Master and his household. The Old Madam politely declined, citing that both Ji Wujing and Gu Jianli were ill. Even Ji Xinglan and Ji Xinglou were not brought over.
After dinner, considering the long journey her sister’s family had made, the Old Madam did not keep them to talk further. She had Nanny Song arrange for them to rest early, leaving casual conversation for the next day.
Ye Yunyue went back to her quarters to freshen up and change clothes before returning.
“What do you need from this Old Madam?” The Old Madam leaned against the small table on the Luohan bed, holding a hand warmer, without even raising her head. Her expression was cold.
“Yue’er knows she was wrong. I shouldn’t have acted on impulse, disregarding the bond between our families…” Ye Yunyue lowered her head, tears falling, “I know you don’t want to see me, but I shamelessly begged my aunt to bring me here to apologize to you. You always doted on me since I was young, yet I made things difficult for you…”
Ye Yunyue wiped her tears, squatted beside the Old Madam, placed her hand on the Old Madam’s knee, and looked up with a tear-streaked face, pleading, “Please don’t be angry with me anymore, okay? I’ve already been punished and won’t be willful again.”
The Old Madam frowned and finally looked at her, asking, “Did Pei Wenjue bully you? Didn’t you say he treated you well? Why suddenly act on impulse and ask for a separation?”
Ye Yunyue’s eyes flickered. Yes, Pei Wenjue had treated her well so far, but his kindness was all fake. She couldn’t tell the Old Madam that she knew Pei Wenjue’s true nature after living another life. She could only cry on the Old Madam’s knee.
Her relationship with the Old Madam was distant by blood, but the Old Madam adored her and treated her like a daughter. When Ye Yunyue caused a ruckus to break off the engagement, it brought shame to the Guangping Marquis Residence. After that incident, the two families almost severed ties.
After all, the Old Madam had watched her grow up. Seeing her cry so pitifully, the Old Madam’s heart softened. She sighed helplessly, “Alright, what is there for me to be angry about with you, child? You were young then. I wanted to keep you by my side, and since only the Fifth Master was unmarried at the time, I betrothed you to him. Looking back, it’s good you didn’t marry him; otherwise, you would have been a widow now…”
Ye Yunyue remained silent. If she expressed regret for not marrying Ji Wujing, it would seem too strange. If she said she came this time for Ji Wujing, it would raise more suspicion. She could only remain silent, quietly advancing towards her goal.
Ye Yunyue’s eyes were resolute.
At dinner time, Jixia finally walked into the canopy bed and gently patted Gu Jianli’s shoulder. Jixia was frightened, thinking the master had slept too long and had not eaten all day, which would be harmful to her health.
Gu Jianli was a light sleeper. When Jixia patted her, she woke up. She gently lifted Ji Wujing’s hand from her waist, got out of bed quietly, tucked the quilt around Ji Wujing, and, with Jixia’s help, walked to the outer room.
In the outer room, Jixia asked, “Shouldn’t we wake the Fifth Master? It’s not good to keep his stomach empty for too long!”
Gu Jianli shook her head and said, “He has been bedridden for years, and during his comas, he only had porridge to ease his stomach. He ate only two meals a day, which together amounted to just one bowl…”
Gu Jianli learned this from Nanny Lin. At that time, she felt it was convenient to feed Ji Wujing one less meal a day. However, now that she spoke of it, she realized how frail he had become.
“Lanlan, slow down…” Nanny Lin whispered.
Gu Jianli looked up and saw Ji Xinglan’s small body stepping over the threshold. Ji Xinglan raised her head and, upon seeing Gu Jianli standing in the room, paused for a moment. Her dazed little face gradually broke into a radiant smile as she happily exclaimed, “You’re awake!”
Jixia quickly explained from the side, “Sister Lan heard that you were ill and has come over many times today.”
Before Jixia could finish, Ji Xinglan had already opened her arms and was running towards Gu Jianli with her tiny body. Gu Jianli, lacking strength, couldn’t lift her, so she squatted down and gently hugged the little girl before quickly stepping back to avoid passing on any illness.
Ji Xinglan bowed her head and started unbuttoning her little jacket.
It was then that Gu Jianli noticed her small belly was bulging.
Ji Xinglan pulled out a hand warmer from her jacket and handed it to Gu Jianli, speaking in a soft voice, “Here, hold it every day, keep warm, and you won’t be cold or sick!”
Nanny Lin smiled kindly from the side and said, “I told Fourth Sister that this hand warmer wouldn’t cool down so quickly, but she was still worried it would lose its heat before Madam woke up, so she hid it in her belly to keep it warm.”
Gu Jianli held the hand warmer in both hands and gently replied to the little girl, “Alright, I’ll hold it, and I won’t be cold.”
“Mm-hmm!” Ji Xinglan’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, “You’ll get better soon!”
Gu Jianli found her smile very endearing and couldn’t help but pat her head. The little girl’s hair was also very soft.
A coughing sound came from the inner room.
Ji Xinglan’s smile froze, and she became apprehensive.
Ji Wujing walked slowly, supporting himself on the doorframe. He looked down at Ji Xinglan with a hoarse voice, “I didn’t?”
Ji Xinglan stepped back in fear, looking at Ji Wujing timidly. Her small mouth opened as if to explain, but before she could say a word, she sniffled and started crying.
Gu Jianli hurriedly stood up, walked over to Ji Wujing, and handed him the hand warmer. She lowered her eyes and began tidying his clothes and sleeves. Having slept for so long, his nightclothes were loose and disheveled. She turned to instruct Jixia to fetch an outer garment for Ji Wujing, then gently said to him, “I caught a cold; it’s different from your illness.”
She glanced at Ji Wujing with a hint of reproach, “Stop scaring her…”
Jixia, perceptive as ever, chimed in, “Shall we serve the meal now? The food has been kept warm in the pot and is ready anytime!”
Gu Jianli nodded and asked Nanny Lin, who informed her that the two children hadn’t eaten either. She then instructed Nanny Lin to bring Ji Xinglou over.
Ji Wujing smiled faintly, returned the hand warmer to Gu Jianli, and, supporting himself against the wall, slowly walked to a chair and sat down. He beckoned Ji Xinglan to come over.
Ji Xinglan, now sensible enough to hold back her tears, mustered the courage to approach Ji Wujing despite her fear.
Ji Wujing asked casually, “I hear someone has been teaching you to read and write recently? What characters can you write?”
Gu Jianli, unaware that Ji Xinglan was not Ji Wujing’s daughter, thought it best to foster their relationship and said quickly, “Lanlan can write her father’s name very well. Show your father.”
Ji Xinglan looked around for paper and a pen.
Ji Wujing spread his palm and extended his hand to her, “Write here.”
In her father’s palm? Ji Xinglan blinked and turned to look at Gu Jianli, who nodded encouragingly. Feeling motivated, Ji Xinglan stood on her tiptoes and began to write in Ji Wujing’s palm with her tiny fingers, one stroke at a time.
Seeing Ji Xinglan struggle on her tiptoes, Gu Jianli suggested, “You should just hold her.”
Ji Wujing gave Gu Jianli a strange look.
Gu Jianli didn’t understand what Ji Wujing’s look meant, and without delving into it, she walked over and sat next to him, lifting Ji Xinglan onto her lap. She kissed Ji Xinglan’s sweet-smelling cheek and gently said, “Now, go ahead and write.”
“Mm!”
Sitting on Gu Jianli’s lap, Ji Xinglan happily wrote in Ji Wujing’s palm. Although she had written her father’s name many times before, this time was different. She furrowed her little brows, wanting to write the most beautiful characters she could.
Gu Jianli watched Ji Xinglan intently and then glanced at Ji Wujing, whose face was expressionless. She began to understand what Ji Wujing’s strange look meant…
Could it be that Ji Wujing had never held a child before?
Gu Jianli frowned, thinking that Ji Wujing was quite an unfit father.
When Ji Xinglou entered, he saw his sister being held by Gu Jianli, writing in their father’s palm. He frowned, pretended he hadn’t seen anything, and climbed onto a stool to eat.
Ji Wujing ate very little, only half a bowl of fish porridge. He didn’t look well either. Gu Jianli felt it was because he had exhausted himself the previous night and felt a pang of guilt.
The two children were well-behaved and ate quietly.
After dinner, Nanny Lin took the children back to the rear courtyard. Gu Jianli helped Ji Wujing to the western room.
“You should leave,” Ji Wujing said, sounding tired and lacking the energy to tease Gu Jianli.
“But…” Gu Jianli originally wanted to stay and take care of him. However, she was somewhat afraid of him, so she had no choice but to leave.
Jixia was making the bed when she saw Gu Jianli come out. She quickly pulled her to the outer room and lowered her voice, “Third Master returned to the mansion this evening.”
Gu Jianli froze.
Ji Xuanke.
She hadn’t thought about him in a long time. It seemed like he belonged to the past, much like the memories of the palace, as if from a previous life.
Jixia pulled Gu Jianli and whispered worriedly, “If you run into him tomorrow…”
Gu Jianli let out a soft sigh, interrupting Jixia, “Don’t talk about it. Go finish making the bed.”
“But about the Fifth Master… Yes, I understand,” Jixia replied.
When Gu Jianli burned his letters, she had already let go of her resentment. Everyone has to plan for themselves. He abandoned their engagement; she didn’t hate him for it. He avoided seeing her; she didn’t resent him for that either.
She turned and went back into the inner room, rummaging through the wardrobe for the clothes she and Ji Wujing would wear the next day.
In the customs of Great Ji, during the days leading up to the New Year, the whole family would gather for reunion dinners every day. Tomorrow was the twenty-ninth of the twelfth month, and she would definitely go to the main hall with Ji Wujing.
After Ji Wujing finished his bath, Jixia and Lizi brought in hot water for Gu Jianli to wash up. By the time she changed into her nightclothes, extinguished the lights, and climbed into bed, Ji Wujing was already asleep.
Gu Jianli turned and looked at Ji Wujing’s silhouette in the dim light.
Did Ji Wujing know about her childhood acquaintance and engagement with his nephew?
Several times, Gu Jianli wanted to speak, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
In the pitch-black darkness, time seemed to drag on even longer.
Enough.
Gu Jianli decided not to explain anything. Tomorrow would take care of itself. She frowned and tried to turn over gently and slowly. As soon as she turned to face inward, Ji Wujing also turned over, reaching out to touch her forehead. His voice was hoarse, “Feeling nauseous again?”
“No…”
A long silence followed. Just when Gu Jianli thought Ji Wujing had fallen asleep, he suddenly spoke again, “Do you have something to say to me?”
