Chapter 35 The heat rubbed gently against her palm.
For a fleeting moment, Yu Wenxue admitted that she had been tempted.
Some even went so far as to believe that Gu Yun Shen might like her.
This problem has been bothering her more and more lately, to the point that she's almost convinced herself of it.
But the answer is naturally no.
She must be overthinking it.
Having figured this out, Yu Wenxue broke free of his wrist, avoiding his gaze: "Quickly put away the Gu worms, and then replace them with ordinary worms."
“This Wu Yu must have some kind of secret, Second Young Master. We need to think of a way to deal with him.”
"You seem to care about him a lot." Gu Yun Shen carefully put away the wooden box and moved closer to her. "Is it because you like good-looking people?"
here we go again.
This mountain road has eighteen bends and a twist in my mind.
Yu Wenxue frowned involuntarily, then patted his shoulder: "Want to know?"
"I would like to hear the details."
“Because…” Yu Wenxue paused deliberately for a moment and blinked, “He has a dark and ugly birthmark on the back of his neck that I find very annoying. I’m wondering if there’s any way to get rid of him.”
Gu Yun Shen's eyes curved into a smile, and he sighed softly, "As expected, it's still because of your face."
Yu Wenxue ignored him, wondering where he was daydreaming again, and focused intently on catching fireflies.
The fireflies here are even more beautiful than those I encountered at the palace, and their movements are even more elusive.
It was a bit chilly in the mountains at night, but it somehow made you break out in a light sweat.
Yu Wenxue tried for a long time before finally catching one, and exclaimed, "Look, it's so beautiful!"
Gu Yun Shen watched her every move, his gaze following her every action.
He lowered his eyelashes, caressed the porcelain bottle containing the Gu worms, and quietly hid it inside his clothes.
"Don't move, don't move, it flew onto your head!" Yu Wenxue lifted her skirt and ran over, the silk ribbons in her hair shimmering in the moonlight, making her already delicate face even more lively.
She stood on tiptoe, clasped her hands behind Gu Yun Shen's ears, and smiled slightly: "Gotcha this time."
"It's a pity one isn't enough. These Gu worms come in pairs. Shouldn't the fireflies also come in pairs?"
Gu Yun Shen's eyes were as dark as if they were filled with night, and one could not see the bottom.
Her hands weren't hot, but they felt burning for no reason.
He lowered his head and gently rubbed his palm against hers.
Yu Wenxue was stunned. Before she could let go of his hand, she saw that Gu Yunshen had already walked a distance away, leaving only his back view.
The boy's cheerful voice echoed through the mountains: "Perhaps, we should be a pair."
*
Three days later, Yu Wenxue received a reply from Gu Rongting.
The document was ten pages long, nine of which were dedicated to explaining his mistakes. Unexpectedly, the old lady found a loophole in it and took the opportunity to apologize to Yu Wenxue, claiming that he would come over as soon as he finished his official business.
The other letter was given to Lin Qingwan.
Yu Wenxue didn't open it; she planned to deliver it to her after dinner.
While relieved, she was also somewhat worried. She didn't know if Gu Rongting could get here within ten days. If he couldn't make it, her illness might relapse.
However, the thought that this was the last time he would peek at someone made him laugh out loud.
"Fairy sister, what are you so happy about?"
Yu Wenxue snapped out of her reverie and gave an awkward laugh: "Ah, I was thinking, how about we go fly kites later?"
The little girl pouted and said innocently, "What's the point of flying a kite? That's something only little kids do."
"......"
Yu Wenxue looked slightly dejected.
She's never flown a kite before.
When I came to my senses, there was an extra chicken leg in the bowl.
"Thanks."
Gu Yun Shen put down his chopsticks and gave a smile: "What did the letter say that made you so happy?"
Yu Wenxue swallowed a piece of chicken. "Your older brother will be here in a few days."
"You're so happy he's here?"
Why does that sound so sour?
So what if she's happy?
Yu Wenxue picked up a dumpling for him and said, "Dumplings with vinegar are so delicious, the more you eat, the better."
"Eat up, eat more."
Gu Yunshen remained silent, lowering his head to eat the dumplings in his bowl.
While eating, he didn't forget to put food on Yu Wenxue's plate: "Gu Rongting is a full five years older than you."
Yu Wenxue glanced at him: "Hmm, what's wrong?"
"He's not good-looking, and he looks old."
"..."
"His money is all in Cui's hands; he himself is penniless."
"..."
Yu Wenxue was confused by these nonsensical words. Just as she was about to ask for clarification, she heard the anxious voice of a guard outside the door: "Lord Gu, Miss Lin has been infected with the plague."
"What!" Yu Wenxue couldn't catch her breath, put down her rice bowl, and ran out.
Lin Qingwan was assigned to the courtyard where other sick people lived.
A notice had been posted on the room, and several people were burning mugwort leaves at the door.
Yu Wenxue wiped the sweat from her forehead and said in a calm tone, "Please let me in to take a look."
The guard, wearing a mask, stopped her from entering: "Miss, you cannot go in."
"It will only take the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."
"The plague is extremely contagious. Every teacup and bedding used by an infected person will be destroyed. If you rashly barge in, and it causes a larger-scale infection, I'm afraid..."
The guard looked troubled. He recognized the girl; she was a woman who served Lord Gu.
Offending him will not end well for anyone.
But the plague was a real, real disease that could kill people, and none of them dared to take that risk.
Yu Wenxue glanced at the closed doors and windows, "In that case, I won't make things difficult for you."
That being said, sitting idly by and waiting for death is not in her nature.
So, in the dead of night, she secretly put on the mask she had made herself and climbed into Lin Qingwan's room through the window.
Before coming, she had asked Lu Qingsheng, and as she expected, this plague was different from the symptoms of the past, and the infected people would be covered with red blisters.
It's less like a natural disaster and more like a man-made one.
In the stillness of the night, Lin Qingwan was still fast asleep, her already thin cheeks becoming even more sunken.
Sure enough, this plague bore a striking resemblance to modern chickenpox.
Having confirmed this, she focused on taking care of Lin Qingwan and preparing her medicine, rarely leaving her room. Even the children who often came to play with her avoided her.
Wu Yu noticed the unusual behavior.
Recently, taking advantage of his past experience with the plague, he has been frequently entering and leaving Lin Qingwan's courtyard.
After Lin Qingwan finally had the strength to get out of bed and walk around, he stepped forward and hesitated before saying, "Miss Lin has been bedridden for so long, and Miss Yu has not shown her face at all. I wonder what she has been busy with."
Lin Qingwan's face was pale, and the red rash on her face had not yet subsided. Upon hearing this, she simply smiled faintly and said, "She's like a child, playful and finds everything interesting."
Wu Yu concealed the fleeting jealousy in his eyes, then smiled and said, "Miss Lin treats her very well, like her own younger sister."
"But... her kindness to you is far less than your kindness to her."
The smile on Lin Qingwan's lips gradually faded.
She wasn't stupid; she understood Wu Yu's unspoken meaning. In her slightly cold voice, she said, word by word, "Wen Xue is my sister. I won't allow anyone to speak of her like that."
She waved her hand and said, "I'm tired too. If Young Master Wu has nothing else to say, Qingwan will take her leave now." After saying that, she left without looking back.
The porcelain bottle hidden in his sleeve was gradually squeezed tighter. Wu Yu's lips curled into a wicked smile as he muttered, "How superfluous."
To win Lin Qingwan's heart, I must first get rid of that meddlesome woman.
But things did not go as Wu Yu had hoped.
Before he could make a move, Gu Rongting arrived in Yidong.
He's lost his former fair and handsome appearance; he's gotten quite tanned, supposedly from the sun while rushing here on horseback.
Only Yu Wenxue, who had read the original book, knew that he did it on purpose, so that Lin Qingwan would not be troubled by the damage to her appearance.
Having not seen each other for many days, and with Lin Qingwan just recovering from a serious illness, everyone decided to get together for a trip.
Along with Gu Rongting came Gu Yunshen's order of deployment.
He's leaving again.
Yu Wenxue thought.
For some reason, she felt empty inside. She sighed, and listlessly squatted down to play with foxtail grass, weaving a little rabbit.
Logically speaking, she should be happy.
But I just couldn't feel happy.
Not far away, several children, barefoot, pestered Gu Rongting, who had just arrived, to help them climb up a tree to pick fruit.
Popularity is a strange thing; despite spending so much time together, no one dared to ask Gu Yun Shen for anything.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he saw Gu Yun Shen take out an oil paper package from his pocket and distribute it to the children.
Has the sun risen in the west again?
She was lost in thought and didn't even notice the person standing next to her until someone gently tapped her forehead, bringing her back to her senses.
Looking up, Gu Yun Shen appeared languidly, holding a beautiful swallow kite in his hand.
Yu Wenxue's eyes lit up: "Kite, where did you get it?"
I found it on the road.
The painting skills are not exactly superb, at most just decent, but the glue at the connection point of the tail is handled meticulously, it seems that some thought was put into it.
Yu Wenxue didn't believe her and raised her chin, saying, "Where did you find it? Take me to see it, I want to find one too."
Gu Yun Shen turned to the side and said, "Let's talk when you can beat me."
...
Yu Wenxue has never flown a kite.
In her limited memory, there was a long period when she was particularly envious of other children who could play freely in the park.
She could only sit on the bench and watch longingly as others laughed and chatted happily with their parents.
Later, a child invited her to play together, and she was overjoyed. She had only run a few steps when the child's father interrupted her.
"I told you not to run around. Look at how sickly she is. What if she bumps into something and someone tries to extort money from us?"
"Go home, stay away from her..."
Before leaving, the man's slightly sympathetic yet subtly disdainful gaze saddened Yu Wenxue for a long time. She couldn't understand why her poor health would lead to such malice.
She has experienced far less joy than her peers because of her poor health; no one wants to play with her.
But now, she has received a lot of kindness.
They are beautiful and pure.
Her eyes gradually welled up with tears, and the wounds that had long since drained her heart began to heal little by little. By the time Yu Wenxue recovered, a handful of kite string had been stuffed into her hand.
It was the same little girl from last time, with pigtails and a missing front tooth. "Fairy sister, shall we fly a kite together?"
This place is open and lush with vegetation, making it ideal for flying kites.
Gu Yunshen wrapped his arms around her from behind, leaned close to her ear, and said, "Remember, what truly controls the direction is the hand, not the wind."
Yu Wenxue's eyes flickered slightly, and she started running in a very professional manner, mimicking his instructions.
Her little face was rosy, and her bright smile was even more radiant.
The swallow gradually flew into the sky, passed through the clouds, and finally turned into a black dot, disappearing along with the few lines of small characters on its back.
Several children nearby were cheering loudly.
They clapped and shouted, "It flew so high!"
"Fairy sister is so amazing."
The long-standing gloom vanished instantly. She put away the spinning wheel and excitedly threw herself into Gu Yunshen's arms: "See? I can fly a kite now!"
Realizing she had overstepped her bounds, she quietly withdrew her hand and pretended to look up at the sky: "That's nice, thank you."
"Why thank me? You put it there yourself."
The words weren't exactly flattering, but they didn't sound cold at all.
Yu Wenxue picked up the spinning axle and waved it in front of him, saying earnestly, "Thank you to the kite maker."
A hint of warmth appeared on Gu Yun Shen's cold face. His knuckles, hidden in his sleeve, tightened slightly as he asked, "Do you still stand by what you promised me last time?"
Yu Wenxue tilted her head back: "Hmm?"
"You said you could give me a gift, and I've already decided what I want."
Author's Note: Thank you for your support, my darlings! There's a red envelope giveaway in this chapter! [hugs][hugs]
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