Gu Jianli wanted to call Jixia in, but would Ji Wujing agree if she did? Feeling a bit wronged, Gu Jianli almost wanted to cry. She must have been foolish to think yesterday evening that Ji Wujing was merely curious and not that difficult to get along with. She had tried reasoning, pleading coquettishly, and even speaking in his manner of thinking. But what was the result?
This detestable person never ceased to tease her.
Gu Jianli suddenly felt very dispirited.
Her leg ached faintly. She bent down to touch the splint on her left calf, sat up straight in a daze for a moment, then bent down to touch it again.
Ji Wujing looked down at her with a sneer and asked, “Playing pitiful now that being coquettish didn’t work?”
Gu Jianli looked up, glaring at him angrily. Her chest heaved slightly, her soft cheeks puffed up, and she pouted in frustration.
“Really angry?” Ji Wujing pinched her soft cheek, smiling nonchalantly.
Gu Jianli dodged, not wanting to deal with him.
She turned to pull a cloak from the rack behind her, flopped onto the table in a huff, and covered herself with the cloak, even pulling it over her head. She muttered, “I don’t want to use the water anymore. I want to sleep.”
She actually intended to sleep sulkily on the table.
Ji Wujing slowly glanced at his hand. Then he squatted down, picked up the white cotton cloth draped over the wooden basin, dipped it in hot water, and wrung it out amid the steaming heat.
Hearing the dripping water, Gu Jianli was startled. She secretly pulled the cloak away to peek out and saw Ji Wujing squatting in front of her, wringing the cloth. She was so frightened her face turned pale, forgetting even to be angry.
She had thought Ji Wujing stayed to mock her and refused to leave. Was he actually going to help her personally?
Gu Jianli suddenly burst into tears.
Ji Wujing was also startled by Gu Jianli’s crying. He looked up at her, seeing her tear-filled eyes and pouting lips, looking aggrievedly at the cloth in his hand. Following her gaze, he looked at the steaming cloth and understood.
He looked back at Gu Jianli, feeling both helpless and speechless.
He asked, “I didn’t cry when you wiped me. Why are you crying? Just because you wiped me, I can’t wipe you?”
Gu Jianli’s initial small sobs turned into louder cries upon hearing this. All her life, she had prided herself on maintaining dignity and rarely shed tears in public. Even in private, she seldom cried out loud. But now, she couldn’t care less about dignity, wishing to cry out all her grievances.
“You… you’re unreasonable!” she sobbed incoherently.
As soon as she spoke, she choked herself and couldn’t stop coughing.
Ji Wujing stood up helplessly and patted her back. Gu Jianli avoided him for the third time.
Expressionless, Ji Wujing stuffed the wrung-out cloth into her hand, said nothing, and turned to walk towards the bed. He was only concerned she might strain the splint on her left leg while bending to wring the cloth.
If it hurt, she deserved it.
Ji Wujing, with a cold expression, removed the bed curtain and lay down to sleep.
Gu Jianli gazed at the gently swaying bed curtain, her vision blurred by tears. She wiped her tears away haphazardly with the back of her hand, watching the curtain warily. The bed curtain had two layers: an inner layer of semi-transparent gauze and an outer layer of heavy duck-egg blue satin embroidered with scenes of distant mountains and clouds. The satin curtain was thick and heavy, blocking out light, and was only drawn down for daytime naps or during cold winter days.
Gu Jianli stared fixedly at the bed curtain, watching it gradually come to a standstill. She didn’t even blink, continuing to stare in a daze.
She had no idea how much time had passed until the cloth in her hand grew cool. Only then did she realize a lot of time had gone by.
“Fifth Master?” she called cautiously.
Ji Wujing didn’t respond.
Gu Jianli pressed her lips together. She looked down at the cloth in her hand, threw it back into the hot water, and bent down to pick it up again. The splint tightly bound to both sides of her left calf knocked against her knee, causing her to let out a pained “Oof.” She lifted her left leg with both hands, straightening it before picking up the cloth from the basin. She bent over to wring the cloth, staying close to the water to minimize the dripping sound. Each time she wrung it, she glanced at the duck-egg blue satin curtain. Only when it remained still did she feel relieved and continue wringing the cloth.
With her leg injured, Gu Jianli awkwardly removed her pants. She quickly covered herself with the cloak, glancing rapidly towards the bed. She sat still for a moment before hurriedly washing herself. Changing into clean nightclothes took a lot of effort, and in her anxiety, she accidentally bumped her left leg several times. By the time she was finished, beads of sweat dotted her forehead from the pain.
Gu Jianli leaned back against the chair, exhaling in relief as she looked towards the bed. After resting for a bit, she slowly moved to the bedside with the help of her crutch. She lifted the heavy outer curtain and peered through the faintly pink inner curtain at Ji Wujing’s outline, seeing him lying motionless on the bed.
She lifted the inner curtain and saw more clearly.
Ji Wujing, hugging a pillow, was sound asleep, as if he’d been that way for a long time.
Completely relaxing, Gu Jianli set the crutch aside and sat at the bedside. Carefully, she took the pillow from Ji Wujing’s arms and laboriously pulled the blanket from the foot of the bed to cover him. Looking at Ji Wujing’s sleeping profile, she murmured, “I think I misunderstood you. I’m sorry.”
Ji Wujing didn’t hear her.
Gu Jianli only said it because she knew he couldn’t hear. She lay down, her body tilted, and stared at the embroidered mountains and clouds on the bed curtain for a long time before falling asleep again.
Jixia entered with a bowl of medicinal soup. Seeing the dirty clothes Gu Jianli had changed out of, she immediately understood what had happened. She set the soup down and hurried to the kitchen to cook red date porridge.
As she cleaned the red dates and put them in the pot, she suddenly froze. Her eyes widened in shock. Wait… why hadn’t her mistress called for her? Who had fetched the clean clothes and sanitary cloth? Who had boiled the hot water? With her mistress’s leg injury making it difficult for her to wash herself, who had helped her?
Could it be…
Startled, Jixia’s hand trembled, and the stone pot fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
When Gu Jianli woke up, she felt a bit awkward looking at Ji Wujing. However, Ji Wujing acted as if nothing had happened, not mentioning the events of dawn. Gu Jianli rubbed her eyes, which were swollen from crying too much.
In the days that followed, Ji Wujing barely teased Gu Jianli, or rather, he barely paid her any attention. Though he still stayed there, he was often out of sight. When Gu Jianli spoke to him, he would respond, sometimes even with a bit of playful teasing.
Gu Jianli thought he was angry, but sometimes his lazy banter made her think he was just in a bad mood.
Gu Jianli’s spirits fell. Enduring the constant pain in her leg, she often went to the backyard to watch the young willows sprout. Because of the pain, time passed slowly. By the time the willow finally sprouted, a month had passed. During that time, people from the Guangping Marquis’s Residence visited three or four times, always with friendly faces, lovingly inviting Gu Jianli back home and bringing many precious supplements for her recovery. As a fallen noble family, the Guangping Marquis’s Residence was not wealthy, but the items they brought were indeed sincere.
After a month, the mansion was repaired, and the Gu family prepared to move back.
When Gu Jingyuan had his accident, the servants scattered. Most left to avoid trouble, while a few had no choice but to leave, finding it inconvenient to stay. Now, they all returned, crying and pledging loyalty. Madam Tao put in the effort to carefully discern their intentions and only rehired a few old servants. She also bought some new ones, training them carefully in rules and manners. Starting anew, she did not fear clumsy servants, only disloyal ones.
Gu Jianli originally planned to stay with her family in the mansion for a while, but the day before they were to move back, someone from the Guangping Marquis’s Residence informed her that Ji Xinglan was ill.
Realizing she couldn’t stay with her family any longer, Gu Jianli decided to return to the Guangping Marquis’s Residence. Once Ji Xinglan recovered, she would visit the mansion again. Time was long, and there would be many opportunities. There was no need to rush. She asked Ji Wujing, who lazily replied, “Whatever.”
“What? You’re going back now? Not coming to the mansion with Father?” Gu Jingyuan frowned, clearly displeased.
Gu Jianli smiled gently, “Lan’er is ill; I need to check on her. Besides, staying at my maternal home too long will cause gossip. Father doesn’t want to hear people say he raised a spoiled daughter, right?”
“She’s not even your real daughter, just a stepmother’s duty.”
“Madam Tao sets an example, so naturally, I must learn from her.”
Gu Jingyuan wanted to say something but fell silent when he thought of Madam Tao. After a moment, he coldly snorted, “Divorcing him would solve all your troubles!”
“Father, didn’t we already discuss this?” Gu Jianli frowned, softening her voice slightly.
Seeing his daughter with a crutch, Gu Jingyuan swallowed his complaints in frustration.
The family escorted Gu Jianli and Ji Wujing to the courtyard gate. The carriage was waiting outside, with the horse’s head lowered, treading the muddy ground. Jixia supported Gu Jianli to the carriage. Gu Jianli placed her crutch inside and stepped onto the small stool. She looked down at her leg, feeling the carriage was still a bit high.
With a grim face, Gu Jingyuan approached, but before he reached her, Ji Wujing jumped down from the carriage, extending his arm to lift Gu Jianli by her knees. Instinctively, Gu Jianli placed her hand on his shoulder.
Gu Jingyuan felt a twinge of discomfort seeing his daughter cling to Ji Wujing’s shoulder, but he understood that Ji Wujing was better suited to carry her.
Ji Wujing placed Gu Jianli inside the carriage, and she sat on the bench.
Gu Jingyuan glared at Ji Wujing inside the carriage, asking harshly, “Ji Zhao, tell me honestly, can the poison in your body be cured? How long do you have to live? Will three years be enough?”
Ji Wujing lazily lifted his eyelids, smiling, “Father-in-law, you care a lot about your son-in-law.”
“Hmph,” Gu Jingyuan snorted heavily, “Of course. I need to plan ahead to find a new husband for my Jianli!”
“Father!” Gu Jianli hurriedly intervened to stop her father from continuing.
The smile in Ji Wujing’s fox-like eyes gradually faded. He slowly licked his lips and turned his head to look at Gu Jianli beside him.
A new husband? Ridiculous.
