Gu Chusheng, startled by the shout, slowly focused his gaze on Wei Yun’s face. Objects were scattered on the ground, and when he spotted the hairpin, he reached out to grab it.
Wei Yun pressed Gu Chusheng’s face to the ground with a loud thud. His voice was cold as he asked, “Have you gone mute?”
“Lord Gu, please answer the Marquis’s question,” Wei Xia interjected, sensing the danger. He knew Wei Yun’s temperament well. When Wei Yun shouted, it meant he was angry. But when his voice turned cold, it carried murderous intent. Wei Xia quickly tried to mediate, certain that if Gu Chusheng said anything inappropriate, Wei Yun might rip out his tongue.
Hearing Wei Xia’s words, the confusion in Gu Chusheng’s eyes slowly dissipated. He calmed down and said to Wei Yun, “Release me first.”
Wei Yun stared at him, and Gu Chusheng met his gaze without flinching. After a long moment, Wei Yun slowly let go. Gu Chusheng struggled to his feet and reached for the hairpin.
It was a wooden hairpin inlaid with red agate. Anyone familiar with Chu Yu would easily recognize it as her favorite hairpin before she turned fifteen.
On the night Chu Yu decided to elope with Gu Chusheng, she sent this hairpin to the Gu residence as a token. Gu Chusheng had it returned immediately, but Chu Yu refused to take it back. So Gu Chusheng simply threw it into the courtyard pond.
When Gu Chusheng from the previous life returned, he searched the pond for a long time before finally finding it. He had thought it would be a token for a new beginning with Chu Yu, the first gift she had given him. But now he realized it might also be the last gift from her.
He wiped away the blood from Wei Yun’s blow and held the hairpin, carefully cleaning it with a handkerchief.
Wei Yun noticed the hairpin and Gu Chusheng’s expression—so tender, yet tinged with an indescribable bitterness that made him appear somewhat pitiful.
His anger slowly subsided. Gu Chusheng tucked the hairpin away close to his body before looking up at Wei Yun. “Is she alright?” he asked.
“Not really,” Wei Yun replied coldly. “I’ve never seen my sister-in-law so upset.”
Gu Chusheng gave a bitter smile.
He understood Chu Yu’s pain. Anyone who had lived through such a life would be devastated.
He didn’t even know how he could have done such despicable things back then. Ultimately, it came down to human nature’s tendency to constantly push boundaries. Being kind to someone is like lending money. Lend someone 100 copper coins, and they’ll remember it for a long time. Lend someone 100 gold coins, and they’ll come to expect it, thinking it’s what you should do. If you stop one day, they might even resent you.
Chu Yu had been too good to him, so good that he took it for granted. He eventually came to believe that Chu Yu’s generosity was effortless and not worth much attention.
Looking back now, he realized that no one owes kindness to anyone. Giving is a gesture of goodwill; not giving is simply following reason. To trample on someone’s goodwill and treat it as an obligation is to be worse than an animal. Even a dog knows to be grateful when fed, let alone a human.
Gu Chusheng took a deep breath and looked up at Wei Yun. “I discussed some past matters with the First Madam.”
Wei Yun remained silent, kneeling opposite him with a knife-like gaze.
“However, the matter is settled now. Please rest assured, Marquis,” Gu Chusheng said with a bitter smile. “From now on, I won’t bother the First Madam.”
Not until the day he had atoned for his sins.
“Why was she crying?” Wei Yun asked, having gotten the answer he wanted and now focusing on what concerned him most.
Gu Chusheng didn’t respond immediately. He lowered his eyes, and after a long while, finally said, “I failed her.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Wei Yun’s sleeve dagger embedded itself in the wall behind Gu Chusheng. Wei Yun leaned down, his eyes full of warning.
The blade’s wind cut Gu Chusheng’s face, drawing blood, but he remained motionless. He didn’t even raise his eyelids, as if life and death no longer mattered to him.
“Since you’ve left, don’t come back,” Wei Yun said coldly, ignoring Gu Chusheng’s apparent death wish. “Otherwise, I’ll make you understand what it means to regret being alive.”
With that, Wei Yun retracted his sleeve dagger and left.
Gu Chusheng held a cup of hot tea, closed his eyes, and let out a soft sigh.
Chu Yu slept fitfully through the night and woke up late the next morning, well past the usual hour. She held her head as she came to her senses, still feeling the after-effects of her drinking.
Wan Yue brought over a medicinal soup specifically for treating hangovers. Seeing Chu Yu holding her head, she smiled and asked, “Is your head hurting?”
Chu Yu looked up at Wan Yue, saw her smiling face, and responded with an “Ah” before saying, “Yes, it’s been a while since I felt like this. I didn’t think my alcohol tolerance was this poor.”
“Perhaps the wine at the Princess’s mansion was particularly strong,” Wan Yue said as she handed the soup to Chu Yu.
Chu Yu frowned at the sight of the black liquid. “What is this?”
“The young Marquis knew you’d have a headache when you woke up, so he had this prepared specially to treat it. You should drink it and get up. The young Marquis has been waiting for you for quite some time.”
“Why is he waiting for me?” Chu Yu asked as she gulped down the medicine. She usually disliked taking medicine due to its bitterness, but today’s hangover soup had a hint of sweetness, making it particularly palatable. Wei Yun had likely asked for something sweet to be added to improve the taste.
Wan Yue took the empty bowl from Chu Yu, unable to suppress her smile. “The young Marquis said he has prepared a grand gift for you. He sent it over early this morning, but when he saw you weren’t awake, he took it back. He’s been reviewing some official documents while waiting for you to wake up.”
This piqued Chu Yu’s curiosity. After washing up and getting dressed, she walked out into the courtyard.
Yesterday’s heavy rain had cleared, leaving the sky bright and the air fresh. It was already noon, and the sunlight was perfect. Wei Yun, dressed in white, had his back to her. He was crouching on the ground, muttering something to himself.
As Chu Yu approached, she could hear him saying, “Hey, don’t run! I said don’t run! Don’t crawl up my trouser leg, hey, hey, don’t go under the tree roots…”
Curious, Chu Yu walked up behind him, tapped his shoulder, and crouched down beside him. “What are you doing squatting here?”
As she spoke, Chu Yu felt something furry scurry under her skirt. Startled, she quickly stood up. When she did, she found herself face to face-with a small white kitten.
It sat on the ground, looking no more than two months old, with big watery eyes staring at Chu Yu. She was instantly disarmed.
As she crouched down again, she saw another black kitten run out from Wei Yun’s other side, jubilant and seemingly fearless.
Chu Yu had always loved kittens, and now with two of them nearby, she was delighted.
She stroked the kitten’s head and smiled, asking, “Why did you suddenly bring so many kittens here?”
“Last time, Sister-in-law said you wanted to raise five cats in the future,” Wei Yun said as he gathered the other three kittens—orange, gray, and calico. All five kittens were different colors but appeared to have just been weaned, incredibly adorable. As soon as they touched the ground, they tried to run off. Wei Yun struggled to keep them all in one area, hoping to line them up for Chu Yu to admire, which was a futile effort.
Chu Yu crouched beside Wei Yun, watching him chase after one kitten, then another. She smiled at him, thinking how youthful he was.
“I said I wanted to raise cats, and you just went and got me cats?” Chu Yu teased, resting her chin on her hand. “What about my other requests? Do you remember them?”
To her surprise, Wei Yun nodded seriously. “I remember.”
Chu Yu was slightly taken aback. She saw Wei Yun’s hand still on one of the kittens, but his gaze was fixed on her face. As if making a solemn vow, he said without a hint of insincerity, “Whatever Sister-in-law wants, I remember. Sooner or later, Little Seven will be able to give Sister-in-law everything she desires.”
“Here, Sister-in-law,” Wei Yun said, having finally learned his lesson. He managed to gather all five kittens, cradling them in his arms against his chest, their paws visible above. The kittens mewed and struggled as Wei Yun presented them to Chu Yu, finally giving her a complete view. He lifted the paw of one of the white kittens, revealing its pink paw pads, and said with a smile, “I chose all these cats myself. Do you like them?”
Chu Yu swallowed.
The first step towards fulfilling her past life’s dream had finally been realized.