Chapter 143
Luo Futu kept his voice extremely low, and apart from Xie Xubai, no one else noticed anything unusual about the two of them.
Madam Gu then took the opportunity to continue the conversation, cheerfully recounting the events of the previous day.
Luo Futu stroked his beard and smiled approvingly, "So that's how it is. You're truly a young man of noble character. Judging from your accent, you don't seem to be a local. What brings you to Haidu?"
"..." Lu Jiu pinched his palm hard, trying his best to hide his fluctuating emotions, and said with his head down, "This year's harvest is not good, and my family can't even afford to eat. I heard that you can make a lot of money in the sea, so my father asked me to come with my uncle to do odd jobs and broaden my horizons."
Luo Futu squinted at him and asked sarcastically, "If you want to make a lot of money, why did you return the watch? Don't you know that this watch is a rare item with limited sales on the market, worth a fortune?"
"A thousand pieces of gold?" Lu Jiu seemed to be startled. He immediately raised his voice and waved his hands in a panic. "I, I didn't know. It's too valuable. I can't accept it! Gentlemen, ladies, and young masters, now that the item has been returned to you, can I leave? My uncle is still waiting for me. If he doesn't see me, he'll be so worried."
Luo Futu: "Oh? Where is your uncle? Do you need me to send a message for you...?"
Lü Jiu: "No need, no need!"
Pretending to be overwhelmed by the enthusiastic greeting, Lü Jiu immediately turned around, suppressing the urge to run, and strode towards the gate of the mansion.
Luo Futu's still-smiling gaze fell on Lü Jiu's back, like sharp claws scraping against his heart, making the hairs on his body stand on end and cold sweat seep from his temples. He kept silently counting in his mind, nervously measuring the distance between himself and his chance of survival.
Thirty meters, twenty-five meters, twenty meters...
It'll be soon, it'll be soon... Luo Futu came here to do business, he wouldn't neglect Master Gu for a commoner like him... He won't catch up, I can run, I can run, I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid, I'm faster, faster...!
However, at that moment, Luofutu behind him suddenly laughed.
Lü Jiu suddenly stopped.
He stopped, not because Luofutu laughed, but because after that soft laugh, two imposing figures suddenly appeared on the side of the carved gate.
From the moment they arrived, they had been hiding in Lü Jiu's blind spot, staring at him like wolves.
Lu Jiu would never forget the faces of these people, even in death. They were Luo Futu's trusted subordinates, unlike the three lackeys who had chased him. He couldn't outrun them, much less defeat them in a direct confrontation.
Inside the house, Luo Futu was still chatting with the Gu couple, his laughter hearty and amiable: "Mr. Gu, to be honest, I quite like this young man. He came for the money but isn't greedy, which is truly rare. I was just about to invite him to work for me, but I didn't expect him to run away so quickly."
"Where were we? Oh right, that shipment from Jinzhou... Mrs. Gu, this watch is a bit strange. Is there something tucked inside?"
The sound of conversation could be faintly heard. Despite the warm sunshine overhead, Lü Jiu felt a bone-chilling cold.
He turned his head and looked into the hall inside the house.
The people at the dinner table were intrigued by Luo Futu's words, and their eyes all fell on the pocket watch in Madam Gu's hand.
Once opened, a slip of paper will fall out, detailing the secret meeting between the Gu family steward and Luofu Temple.
—What would he do if they saw what was on the note?
Lu Jiu's thoughts raced through his mind.
This is a serious matter. Whether it's his duty or to give the Gu family an explanation, the patrol captain surnamed Chen will definitely not let him go. Luo Futu, to prove his innocence, will also relentlessly pursue him. He has no evidence, only his mouth, but who will believe a child's "nonsense"?
If he were to be completely honest, how likely would the Gu family believe him?
No, they simply won't believe it!
He was in a hurry to escape, so he pretended not to know Luofu Tu. This contradicts himself, and the Gu family will only suspect both of them.
Lü Jiu trembled all over.
If this matter is ultimately left unresolved, then the Luofu Temple, which knows his whereabouts, will—
Suddenly, Luo Futu, who was focused on the pocket watch, casually lifted his eyelids and smiled slightly at him.
—I will kill him.
The Buddha will kill him. He will die a terrible death.
Lu Jiu couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't bought an envelope to save money. If the note was in an envelope, even if Luo Futu noticed something was wrong, he couldn't ask Madam Gu to open it in front of him.
He wondered why he was meddling in this ridiculous mess. He was such a fool, an idiot, a complete simpleton! Didn't he even know his own worth? Did he have the time and ability to care about other people's lives? Huh?!
With a soft snap, Lü Jiu's wrist was suddenly grabbed from the side.
Lu Jiu shuddered, his eyes bloodshot as he looked over and saw Gu Nan's calm face.
His pupils contracted, and when he looked up again, he found the hall deathly silent.
The Gu family couple and Captain Chen looked at him, and Luo Futu also looked at him.
The head of the Gu family asked kindly, "What's wrong, young man?"
Lu Jiu was somewhat dazed and breathless. Looking back, he realized that he had been so overwhelmed by the rush of blood to his head that he had actually run back from the doorway.
Why did he run back? Was he trying to steal the pocket watch? With so many people in front of him, could he possibly win?
As reason returned, Lü Jiu preferred to pass out.
He stood before the crowd, meeting several pairs of suspicious eyes. Fear and tension gripped him, and his hand, held tightly by Xie Xubai, trembled uncontrollably.
He desperately tried to think of a reason to explain his unusual behavior, but his mind was blank; he couldn't think of anything. He licked his dry lips and said, "I..."
Xie Xubai suddenly moved, called out "Mother" with a smile, and took the item before Madam Gu could open the pocket watch. He stuffed it back into Lü Jiu's pocket and said with a smile, "I was just thinking of saying this, there's no reason to take back what's given away."
Lu Jiu's eyelids twitched suddenly, and he reached for the pocket watch in his pocket in disbelief.
Before her heart could catch its breath, she heard Xie Xubai say to the Gu family head, "No matter what, we can't let the Gu family's benefactor leave empty-handed. Father, don't you agree?"
Putting aside the fact that the Gu family head has always spoiled his child excessively, he would never embarrass the child in front of outsiders. He chuckled and nodded, "Of course, keep it, child. It's not convenient for you to come to Haidu for the first time."
Xie Xubai looked at the bewildered Lü Jiu: "Don't be embarrassed. No matter how valuable this is, it can't compare to our gratitude. Just accept it."
"By the way, haven't you eaten yet? Rong, could you find the kitchen to make me another breakfast and bring it to my room?"
Lu Jiu hesitated, but Xie Xubai didn't give him a chance to speak, saying in an unquestionable tone, "Just finish your meal before you leave. Don't worry about your uncle. I'll have someone tell him you'll be back later."
Seeing Xie Xubai dragging Lü Jiu upstairs, Madam Gu exclaimed twice, "Why are you leaving? Can't you eat here?"
Xie Xubai pushed Lü Jiu around the corner, then winked and pleaded with Madam Gu, "You adults are discussing serious matters, how can we, as juniors, disturb you? Captain Chen, Boss Luo, Dad, you're busy, you're busy—"
As Luofutu's hawk-like, sinister gaze disappeared, Lü Jiu finally felt the warmth of the human world again. He rubbed his sweaty, numb palms, turned his head, and met Xie Xubai's eyes, looking somewhat dazed.
Gu Nan's remnant soul, which had been silently floating beside Xie Xubai all night without making a sound, suddenly spoke: "...I remember now."
Gu Nan's lips moved, his voice hoarse: "The day he came to return the watch, he fainted. When he woke up, he begged me... he knelt down and kowtowed, begging me to take him in."
In the real past, when Lü Jiu was being beaten by three lackeys, without Xie Xubai's assistance, he was hit on the back of the head with a blunt object, instantly causing his head to bleed profusely and leaving him dizzy.
When he mustered his last bit of strength and ruthlessly finished off the three men, he was already at his limit. He leaned against the wall, swaying unsteadily, and walked out of the alley, bleeding all the way, before collapsing in front of Gu Nan's car.
Gu Nan had never seen a child so badly injured. Shocked, he felt pity and personally led people to a nearby hospital.
Lu Jiu was very wary and woke up with a start when he checked the bandages, but he was still not fully conscious. In his pain, he vaguely saw Gu Nan stuff some money into his pocket, hand him a pocket watch, and smile brightly, saying that he could come to the Gu family to find him if he needed anything.
Subsequent developments were largely the same.
Lu Jiu was seriously injured and did not go to the port to sell flowers, but when he left the hospital, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a rickshaw pulling Luofutu.
He gasped for breath, and despite the pain, he ran after them. After wandering around, he bumped into the Gu family steward, the same person who had been with Gu Nan at the hospital during the day. It turned out that he was colluding with Luo Futu.
Lu Jiu stood on the desolate, dark street, having gone through the same struggle, and in the end, made the same choice.
Afterwards, he got into a fight with a beggar, encountered Captain Chen, and was suspected by others. Helpless, he entered the Gu family home, personally returned the pocket watch to Madam Gu, and unexpectedly had a face-to-face confrontation with Luofutu.
Lü Jiu knew Luo Futu well. He knew that if he tried to escape and was caught, he would at most have his legs broken. But if Luo Futu found out that he harbored any disloyalty towards him and had the audacity to do so, he would be skinned alive.
At that time, without Xie Xubai's help to Lü Jiu, Gu Nan would never have imagined that there was a note hidden in his pocket watch, a note that revealed Lü Jiu's fear of Luofu Temple.
The pocket watch was opened by Madam Gu, and the note fell to the ground with a thud, like the tolling of a death knell.
Lu Jiu's heart skipped a beat, and he rushed over frantically, snatched the note, and stuffed it into his mouth.
Luo Futu realized the problem, his face fell, turning terribly grim. Without saying a word, he grabbed Lü Jiu and forcefully dug his fingers down Lü Jiu's throat, while feigning concern: "What did this child swallow? Everyone, please help him, make him vomit it up! He can't eat random things!"
Captain Chen's interrogation techniques were professional; Lü Jiu swallowing the note was clearly suspicious, so he couldn't help but be suspicious.
He then helped Luo Futu by holding Lü Jiu's chin down, preventing Lü Jiu from closing his mouth. He then used his hands and knees to press Lü Jiu's arms and legs down, forcing him to kneel on the ground.
Luo Futu slapped Lü Jiu's back repeatedly, his palm striking the unhealed wound, causing Lü Jiu's vision to blur with pain. Luo Futu's fingernails dug incessantly into Lü Jiu's mouth, drawing blood from the inside of his mouth, a pain worse than being pricked with needles. He smelled Luo Futu's scent again—the smell of smoke, the smell of mud, and the stench of what seemed like rotten blood.
He felt like throwing up.
Lu Jiu desperately covered his mouth, tears and stomach acid gushing out as he repeatedly vomited, only to be swallowed back down. He couldn't vomit.
I don't know how long it took before I finally passed out.
Luo Futu repeatedly emphasized that Lü Jiu had a problem, and the Gu couple also knew that there were many suspicious things about the child, but when they saw Lü Jiu faint and covered in wounds, they finally softened and pretended not to see the note, and did not let Luo Futu continue to induce vomiting in the child.
When Lü Jiu woke up again, she was in the guest room of the Gu family's house.
The Gu family couple were busy, and Captain Chen and Luo Futu had also left. Gu Nan rushed over upon hearing the news and saw Lü Jiu leaning against the wall, curled up like a hedgehog with its fur standing on end, glaring at anyone who approached with a fierce look in her eyes.
Meanwhile, one of the Gu family's stewards, holding the medicine, earnestly urged Lü Jiu to drink it: "Guest, please drink it quickly."
Gu Nan teased Lü Jiu, "Why don't you want to drink the medicine? Are you afraid of the bitterness?"
Lu Jiu remained silent, and the manager answered for him as if telling a joke: "It's not that we're afraid of bitterness, but the young guest suspects that it's been laced with poison."
Gu Nan was so angry he laughed: "Poison? Kid, are you dreaming? You're just a beggar, penniless and destitute. What good would it do us to poison you?"
Lu Jiu stared at the manager's face, remained silent for a few seconds, and then suddenly laughed. He crossed his arms, scratched red marks on his arms with his fingers, and laughed so hard that his body was shaking.
At the time, Gu Nan couldn't understand the smile, nor did he know that the steward serving the medicine was one of the traitors who colluded with Luofutu.
He felt that Lü Jiu's smile was uglier than crying, and that there seemed to be something wrong with his mind.
Then, like a firecracker, Lü Jiu suddenly jumped up from the bed, knocked over the medicine bowl in the steward's hand, and knelt on the ground.
He began to kowtow, his head slamming against the solid floor with a loud thud. He said that he was actually an orphan with nowhere to go, and begged Gu Nan to take him in. He would do anything, be a page or a servant, as long as he could stay by Gu Nan's side and repay his debt of gratitude.
As the recollection ended, the remnant soul Gu Nan said with a wry smile, "To be honest, at the time I just thought this kid was inexplicable. Why did he suddenly change his mind and want to stay? I'm afraid he has ulterior motives and has his eye on something in the Gu family."
Gu Nan rationally didn't intend to agree.
But Lü Jiu was begging him. Her eyes were red and tears were streaming down her face as she pleaded with him.
Gu Nan: "Some people are so extraordinary and proud that you can tell at a glance. Lü Jiu is such a person. When I took him to the hospital, the doctor gave him anesthesia, cleaned his wound, and stitched him up. But this guy had a strong tolerance to the drug and actually woke up halfway through. Everyone was scared. What if the patient struggled? But Lü Jiu grabbed the edge of the bed with his hands, the veins on the back of his hands were bulging, and he didn't make a sound."
"At the time, I thought, how old is this guy? Is he some kind of monster?"
That scene had a tremendous impact on Gu Nan, and it also made him, inexplicably, not leave immediately.
During the period when Lü Jiu was in a daze after the surgery, Gu Nan noticed that the child had a seemingly affectionate but distant attitude towards everyone.
Nurses, doctors, the patient in the next bed—no matter who approached, Lü Jiu would reflexively glance at them, give them a sweet smile, and then turn her head away, expressionless.
I guess it's just being a jerk.
After discovering that Lü Jiu might be a seemingly warm but actually cold person, Gu Nan suddenly felt something different, like curiosity, or perhaps an impulse to break or conquer something.
So much so that when he saw Lü Jiu shedding tears in front of him, he was once again bewitched. Looking down at the kneeling child, he asked, "I'll do whatever you ask. Don't be ridiculous. If I told you to die, would you do it?"
Lu Jiu stared at him intently, tears welling in the corners of her bloodshot eyes. Her tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, and she smiled: "Young Master Gu can give it a try. Who knows, I might really die?"
The past fades away with the tide, until the show resumes and time turns back to the old days.
Having been reborn, Gu Nan discarded his resentment and glimpsed the secrets behind the scenes. Recalling Lü Jiu's several nonchalant smiles during this period, he finally read the deep-seated despair beneath those smiles.
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