Early the next morning, Gu Wuyou went out.
By now, Bai Lu and Hong Shuang, the two servant girls, were no longer surprised by her early departures. However, the Duke of Ding’s household had sent people to inquire several times over the past few days, only to be brushed off by Gu Wuyou with various excuses.
She was clearly in a hurry today. She left in such haste that she didn’t even have time to remind them to sun-dry the plum blossoms.
As soon as she climbed into the carriage behind the shadow wall, she anxiously urged the coachman, “To the academy.” She paused, then changed her mind, “Forget it, go to East Street first. Drop me off at the usual place.”
After what had happened…
Although she couldn’t be certain that the Great General would appear, she still wanted to take a look.
Perhaps…
He would come.
After all, the Great General had never lied to her before.
The coachman had no idea what had come over this delicate Fifth Miss, but he nodded nonetheless. Once she was seated properly, he flicked the reins, urging the carriage toward East Street.
The journey was smooth. When they reached the usual spot, the coachman tightened the reins, slowing the carriage. The horses’ hooves tapped lightly against the ground before coming to a complete stop. Only then did he turn and inform her, “Fifth Miss, we’ve arrived.”
“Mm.”
Gu Wuyou nodded, lifted the curtain, and looked outside. The street was not crowded with people or carriages. She didn’t wait for assistance; stepping onto the footstool, she got down on her own.
As the year-end approached, the days were growing colder.
She hadn’t felt it while sitting inside the carriage, but now that she was met with the cold wind head-on, she couldn’t help but sneeze.
The waiting coachman quickly asked with concern, “Fifth Miss, are you all right?”
“Hm.”
Gu Wuyou shook her head. “I’m fine.” She adjusted her hood and pulled her cloak tighter around herself. Only when she felt a little warmer did she instruct the coachman, “Wait here for me. If you get cold, go sit in one of the nearby shops.”
The coachman, now more accustomed to Gu Wuyou, was not as nervous around her as before. He smiled and said, “Go ahead, Miss. I’ll be fine.”
Seeing this, Gu Wuyou didn’t say anything more and made her way toward the small alley.
The narrow alley remained as deserted as ever. It wasn’t until she turned a corner that the distant clamor and chatter gradually reached her ears. She didn’t know why, but hearing those familiar sounds, the tension she had been holding onto slowly eased.
As if she had finally found her place of belonging.
Her hesitant steps picked up pace. The closer she got to the voices, the faster she walked. By the time she reached Old Zhang’s breakfast stall, she no longer felt the cold wind biting at her skin. Instead, from her hurried run, a fine sheen of sweat had formed on her forehead and the tip of her nose.
The crowd gathered nearby suddenly noticed this young girl running toward them and fell silent.
Even Old Zhang, who was cooking wontons, was momentarily stunned when he saw Gu Wuyou, hooded and rushing over like a gust of wind. It wasn’t until she got closer and he recognized her face that he let out a surprised exclamation, quickly putting down what he was holding.
“You child, why are you running so fast?”
“Uncle Zhang.”
Gu Wuyou was panting, but a smile remained on her face. “H-He… did he come?”
“Huh?” Old Zhang was stunned for a moment before he reacted, chuckling as he said, “He hasn’t come yet. Why don’t you go inside and sit for a while? It’s cold outside. Go in and warm up. Once I finish making these few bowls of wontons, I’ll prepare yours.”
Thinking about how the Great General had sometimes arrived late in the past, Gu Wuyou nodded. “Alright, I’ll wait for him inside.”
Once she had gone in, some of the people who had been gathered in front of Old Zhang couldn’t help but lower their voices and gossip. “Whose young lady is she? What’s her relationship with Young Master Li? I’ve been seeing them eating together these past few days and even leaving the alley together.”
Recalling what Li Qinyuan had instructed him before, Old Zhang immediately put on a stern face and reprimanded them. “What does their relationship have to do with you?”
Seeing that they still had gossiping expressions, he set down his ladle and said in a serious tone, “Regardless of whether it’s Young Master Li or the young lady inside, they are not people you can afford to offend. Watch your mouths and don’t go around talking nonsense.”
“Otherwise, if trouble comes your way in the future, don’t blame me for not warning you.”
He had made inquiries a few days ago.
That Tanhua from three years ago—wasn’t he the Third Young Master of the Duke of Ding’s household? As for the young lady inside, though he wasn’t sure which miss she was, she was definitely someone they couldn’t afford to provoke.
The crowd, which had originally been eager to gossip, instantly fell silent upon hearing these words. Their faces turned pale, afraid that they might really cause trouble for themselves.
Gu Wuyou had no idea what was being discussed outside, nor did she care to know.
She sat on the chair, her gaze fixed on that blue cloth curtain, waiting for the Great General to appear. But after waiting for a long time, the curtain did not move an inch. The anticipation and joy she had felt earlier gradually wore away with the passage of time.
Finally—
The curtain moved.
She immediately stood up, a smile naturally appearing on her face. But in the next moment, when she saw Old Zhang emerge, the smile on her face instantly faded.
It wasn’t the Great General.
The Great General hadn’t come.
“Uh…” Old Zhang wasn’t blind—how could he not see the shift from joy to disappointment on the young girl’s face? He cleared his throat lightly and placed the breakfast in front of her, his voice gentle. “He was probably held up by something. Eat while you wait.”
“…Mm.”
Gu Wuyou forced a smile. “Thank you, Uncle Zhang. You can go back to your work.” She sat down again after speaking, stirring the wontons with her spoon, her head lowered as she ate mechanically, finding the food tasteless.
Old Zhang had originally wanted to chat with her, but seeing her like this, he could only sigh. “Take your time. I’ll be outside.”
Gu Wuyou nodded.
She was actually very hungry—she had barely eaten anything last night. But now, with breakfast sitting in front of her, though it smelled delicious, she simply couldn’t bring herself to eat. In the end, she set down her spoon.
Resting her chin on her hand, Gu Wuyou stared unblinkingly at that cloth curtain.
Deep down, she already had the answer. The Great General had always been true to his word—if he promised something, he would always follow through. If he still hadn’t shown up by now, then he had no intention of keeping his word this time.
This was the first time the Great General had failed to do what he had promised her.
Gu Wuyou couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling—there was an emptiness inside her, but she wasn’t exactly angry. If anything, she was more worried. The Great General had a bad relationship with his family. Even when he lived so close to them, he had always preferred staying at the academy.
Now that he had been expelled from the academy, he definitely wouldn’t go home.
Then where would he go? To Fu Xian and the others?
No, that was unlikely. He had always disliked troubling others—he would never seek them out at a time like this.
Then he must be staying at some inn. But there were so many inns in the capital… finding him would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Gu Wuyou let out a light sigh, sat in a daze for a little while longer, then finally forced herself to gather her spirits and stood up.
Stop wasting time.
She should go to the academy first. As long as she found out the truth, he would eventually appear. But she still felt a little wronged. Looking at the empty room and the vacant seat across from her, she murmured softly, “Liar.”
She would deal with him later, after uncovering the truth—big liar.
Hearing movement behind him, Old Zhang turned around in surprise and saw Gu Wuyou coming out. Puzzled, he asked, “Why are you finished so quickly?”
Gu Wuyou forced a smile, took out a few copper coins from her pouch, and handed them to him. “I have business at the academy today, so I’ll be leaving first.” Fearing that Old Zhang might ask more questions, she quickly turned toward the alley entrance right after giving him the money.
“Hey—”
Old Zhang called out after her, but seeing that she didn’t even look back, he could only shake his head, put the copper coins into the drawer, and went inside to clean up. When he saw the barely touched wontons and the completely untouched bun, he sighed again.
As he carried the dishes outside, he caught sight of a white figure—a very familiar one. But when he looked closer, the figure was gone.
Was he seeing things?
Otherwise, why would he think that figure looked like Young Master Li? Old Zhang shook his head, staring at the alley in confusion.
—
Gu Wuyou walked alone through the alley.
She had gotten used to walking this alley with someone else. Now, suddenly walking it alone, it felt especially desolate. The sky was still early, and the beams of light breaking through the clouds weren’t as dazzling as before.
She stepped through the fragmented light toward the alley entrance, her bright and beautiful face filled with disappointment.
Gu Wuyou didn’t notice that as she walked alone, someone had been following her all along.
That person, dressed in white, hid in the shadows—not too far, not too close—silently trailing behind her.
If she turned around now, she would definitely see him.
But at this moment, half of Gu Wuyou’s heart was immersed in disappointment, while the other half was fixated on reaching the academy as soon as possible to uncover the truth. Naturally, she didn’t notice that someone was following her.
From a distance, the coachman saw her coming out and was a little surprised. Usually, he had to wait for at least half an hour, but today, she was out in less than two quarters of an hour. He jumped down from the carriage and, seeing her downcast expression, dared not ask any questions. He only carefully inquired, “Miss, are we heading back to the academy now?”
“Mm.”
Gu Wuyou nodded, her spirits low. “Let’s go back to the academy.”
“Yes.” The coachman responded softly. Only after she was seated properly did he flick the reins, directing the carriage toward the academy.
The carriage swayed as it moved, and Gu Wuyou leaned against the seat inside. The blue curtain fluttered with the carriage’s motion. Just as she raised her hand to press it down, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a white figure standing on the long street behind her.
Her breath suddenly hitched.
She stared at that figure, and without caring that the carriage was still in motion, she hastily lifted the curtain and anxiously shouted—
“Stop the carriage!”