As Gu Jianli approached, she saw Ji Xinglan’s hair in a complete mess. Handing a small cyan porcelain bottle to Ji Xingluo, she squatted down in front of Ji Xinglan, lifting her layered misty dress. She glanced at her own left leg, indeed, she had walked a lot today.
“Why is Lanlan’s hair such a mess?”
“Uh…” Ji Xinglan’s big eyes darted around, stealing a glance at Ji Wujing. She touched her hair with a small hand and said, “Lanlan accidentally… uh, Lanlan accidentally messed it up herself!”
Gu Jianli nodded at her small face, loosened her soft hair, and with her slender white fingers, she gathered it back up, tying two small buns on top of her head.
“Thank you!” Ji Xinglan opened her little arms, giving Gu Jianli a light hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Gu Jianli also kissed her milky cheek before letting her go. She stood up, looked at Ji Wujing, and asked, “Fifth Master, where are you going?”
“To pick you up,” Ji Wujing replied indifferently.
Gu Jianli looked at him with some surprise, silently moving behind him, and started pushing the wheelchair back.
Ji Xinglan and Ji Xingluo followed on either side. In the past, Ji Xingluo would habitually walk beside Ji Wujing, while Ji Xinglan would stick close to Gu Jianli. This time, as Ji Xinglan tried to walk beside Gu Jianli, she noticed her brother was already there, with no intention of switching places. Tilting her little head and pondering for a while, she drowsily walked next to her father.
Back at the courtyard, it was nearly lunchtime. Gu Jianli didn’t let Ji Xinglan and Ji Xingluo return to the backyard. Ji Xingluo stood awkwardly in the corner, while Ji Xinglan climbed onto a chair by herself.
Gu Jianli felt some relief in her legs after sitting down. She waved at Ji Xingluo, calling him over, “Where’s the medicine your third brother gave you?”
Ji Xingluo silently took a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and handed it to Gu Jianli, albeit begrudgingly.
Ji Wujing raised his eyelids, giving Gu Jianli a glance, his gaze lingering on the small porcelain bottle in her hand.
Gu Jianli had Jixia bring a bowl and added some hot water. She poured the gray medicinal powder from the porcelain bottle into the bowl, and the water immediately turned gray.
“Looks awful,” Ji Xingluo muttered.
“Even if it looks awful, it needs to be applied,” Gu Jianli patted his little head. She dipped her finger in the medicine and carefully applied it to Ji Xingluo’s ear. The child’s skin was tender, and Ji Yueming’s strong pinch had not only broken the skin where she pinched but also around the ear. Seeing the wound, Gu Jianli frowned.
Ji Xinglan climbed down from the chair, tiptoeing to see her brother’s ear. Once she saw the wound, she pouted and started crying.
“Can you stop crying, crybaby,” Ji Xingluo glared at Ji Xinglan in disgust.
“Oh… then Lanlan won’t cry…” Ji Xinglan sniffed, trying hard to hold back her tears.
Watching his sister struggle to hold back her tears, Ji Xingluo thought she looked ugly, thinking it would be better if she just cried. He wanted to pinch her to make her cry. But just as he raised his small hand and looked at Gu Jianli in front of him, he frowned and lowered his hand.
Not long after, Nanny Lin served lunch. As Gu Jianli, Ji Wujing, and the two children were eating, Jixia hurriedly came in and said, “Madam, Lingdang is here, kneeling outside right now. I didn’t bring her in directly. She said she can no longer stay with the eldest young lady and is willing to serve you as a servant.”
Gu Jianli said without hesitation, “I can’t keep a servant who betrays her master.”
Jixia wasn’t surprised by Gu Jianli’s words. She acknowledged softly, withdrew quietly, and sent Lingdang, who was kneeling in the courtyard, away.
Changsheng, who was teasing birds while sitting on the wall, laughed and said, “Jixia, aren’t women supposed to be kind-hearted? Lingdang will definitely be kicked out of the mansion, and you didn’t even give her a piece of silver.”
Jixia looked up at Changsheng on the wall and gave a fake smile with curved eyes, “This poor maid has no silver, why don’t you, Master Changsheng, help her out!”
After saying that, she turned and walked away, ignoring the strange man who sat on the wall teasing birds all day.
After dinner, Gu Jianli found an excuse to avoid playing with Ji Xinglan and sent the two children back to the backyard early.
Ji Wujing sat lazily on the bed, leaning to one side with his long legs crossed at the ankles over the bed’s edge. He held a roly-poly toy the size of a baby’s fist in his right hand, tapping its head with his left hand to make it spin happily. When it stopped, he tapped it again, repeating this endlessly without feeling bored. His gaze followed the toy’s movements.
Gu Jianli walked into the inner room, stood at the door for a moment watching him, and then walked to the Luohan bed placed near the door. She sat sideways, with her right foot on the ground and her left foot on the edge of the bed. She then took off the shoe and sock on her left foot, pulling her misty dress up to her knee. The misty dress, also known as the thousand-layer gauze skirt, was dark blue at the waist and gradually lightened towards the hem, ending in a pale blue. The soft fabric pooled together, highlighting her exposed calf, as white as jade, resembling a white lotus root hidden beneath lotus leaves.
Gu Jianli took some pain-relieving ointment, poured it into her palm, rubbed her hands together gently, and then softly massaged her left calf.
Ji Wujing finally got bored with the roly-poly toy and turned to look at Gu Jianli. His gaze landed on her fair calf and gradually moved down to her slender instep, slightly protruding ankle, and each tiny, delicate toe. Her little toe was slightly curved, very cute.
Feeling Ji Wujing’s gaze, Gu Jianli glanced at him, then withdrew her gaze and silently continued to massage her calf. That day, she had scolded him and apologized. But what about him? He never thought his insulting behavior was wrong. Not only did he show no remorse, but he also inexplicably lost his temper at her.
Gu Jianli frowned.
She didn’t know why Ji Wujing was angry, but she could get angry too. Forget it, no point arguing with a seriously ill person.
Gu Jianli didn’t expect Ji Wujing to admit his mistake, and she didn’t want to stay trapped in bad emotions, silently brooding. She took the initiative to find a topic and said, “Fifth Master, Xingluo is very sensitive, even more so than Xinglan. I think you should discipline him. At least, stand up for him when he’s bullied. I took him today, but as his father, it’s better if you handle it.”
“I told you not to meddle,” Ji Wujing said casually.
Gu Jianli frowned disapprovingly, “So you just let others bully him?”
Ji Wujing said, “Being bullied often will naturally teach him to protect himself.”
“But his personality is already quite stubborn. If this continues, he will grow up crooked!” Gu Jianli couldn’t help but raise her voice in frustration.
Ji Wujing looked at her in surprise, saying, “I grew up like this.”
Their eyes met, and Gu Jianli finally understood that Ji Wujing didn’t ignore Ji Xingluo; he genuinely believed that this treatment was correct.
“Did I grow crooked?” Ji Wujing sneered, curling one side of his mouth. “Whether he grows up straight or crooked doesn’t matter. As long as he can protect himself and make others fear him, that’s enough.”
Gu Jianli stared at Ji Wujing’s eyes, not knowing what to say for a long time. Her hand on her left calf slowly slid down, knocking over a small medicine bottle on the Luohan bed. The thick medicinal liquid slowly flowed from the bottle’s mouth. Gu Jianli snapped out of her daze, hurriedly uprighted the bottle, and plugged it with the red silk stopper.
She raised her head again, looking into Ji Wujing’s eyes. After a long while, she slowly blinked and softened her voice, “But living like that is too hard, and you won’t be happy.”
Ji Wujing chuckled deeply, as if he had heard an amusing joke.
Gu Jianli pressed her lips together in silence, unsure of what to say next.
After laughing enough, Ji Wujing waved her over and said, “Come here.”
“What for?” Gu Jianli asked.
“To find some fun and make yourself happy,” Ji Wujing smiled.
Gu Jianli frowned and asked again, “What exactly do you want?”
“A hug,” Ji Wujing said slowly.
Gu Jianli was taken aback, surprised that Ji Wujing would say such a thing. She stiffened and said, “Fifth Master, I’m still mad at you.”
“I know,” Ji Wujing nodded, opening his arms, “Come over and let uncle comfort you.”
“You’re so improper…” Gu Jianli muttered softly, turning her face away.
Ji Wujing sighed and said in a lazy tone, “Gu Jianli, I don’t have the strength to walk over.”
Gu Jianli sat still on the Luohan bed for a long time before finally getting up slowly. She glared at Ji Wujing as she took each step toward him. With each step, the hem of her dress seemed to bloom like a flower.
Ji Wujing glanced at the rippling hem of her dress and casually said, “Your dress looks nice.”
Gu Jianli blurted out, “I’m not giving it to you.”
Ji Wujing looked speechlessly at Gu Jianli standing in front of him.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Gu Jianli regretted them. She avoided looking at Ji Wujing. Neither of them moved. After waiting for a while and seeing that Ji Wujing was still motionless and silent, she couldn’t help but steal a glance at him. Noticing that he was still looking at her, she awkwardly said, “I didn’t mean it that way…”
“Then what did you mean?”
Alright, she did mean it that way. Gu Jianli glared at him and asked, “Didn’t you say you wanted a hug?”
Ji Wujing suddenly laughed. The corners of his lips curved, and the fox-like shape of his eyes slightly tilted, his smile spreading from the corners of his eyes and quickly reaching his eyes.
See, whether you were happy as a child doesn’t matter. Fun is what you make for yourself; being happy now is what counts. Ji Wujing grasped Gu Jianli’s wrist and pulled her onto the bed. He maneuvered her legs to straddle his lap.
Gu Jianli’s hands instinctively pressed against Ji Wujing’s chest. She looked down at her spread legs, feeling extremely awkward and improper in such a position.
Ji Wujing’s hand pressed against Gu Jianli’s lower back, pulling her closer until she was tightly against his chest.
Her inner thighs brushed against Ji Wujing’s legs, pressing against his waist. An unfamiliar and strange sensation began to spread throughout Gu Jianli’s body, catching her completely off guard.
“Fifth Master…”
“Does it still hurt?” Ji Wujing asked lazily. He lifted Gu Jianli’s dress and placed his hand on her calf, gently squeezing it.
Gu Jianli looked down at his actions, suddenly forgetting what she had intended to say.
