Chapter 853 Deep Brotherhood
When Yuwen Ye's voice rang out again, Shang Ruyi felt as if a long time had passed, as if she had been traveling in a dream. His deep, hoarse voice once again drew her soul back to her.
He said, "Do you remember when I told you that I was very lonely when I was a child? Even before my mother gave birth to Yan Jie, she only had eyes for my father. The people who took care of me were all around me."
Shang Ruyi was filled with doubt, but she still nodded gently.
These words, spoken at Dayan Temple, were the first time Yuwen Ye revealed his true feelings to her when she wanted to completely sever ties with him because of Empress Dowager Jiang.
At that time, all she remembered was his loneliness during his childhood and the gentle comfort from Empress Dowager Jiang.
This topic suddenly came up at this time—
Just as she was having some doubts, Yuwen Ye continued, "Actually, what I didn't tell you is that before I was old enough to understand, I went through a period of time that wasn't lonely, because he was there for me."
Shang Ruyi's eyes widened slightly: "Big brother?"
"yes."
"You, with him—"
Yuwen Ye chuckled and said, "You may not believe it, but although Aunt Hui raised Yan Jie to be like that, my elder brother is not as hostile to me as Yan Jie is. Although I don't know what Aunt Hui and the Duke of Shenwu said to him when he was a child, I can imagine it."
As she spoke, she lowered her head again, her chin brushing against Shang Ruyi's forehead: "You could have guessed that, right?"
Shang Ruyi nodded as well.
Of course she could think of that. After all, Yuwen Cheng was Yuwen Ye's own brother, yet he had been taught to be estranged from him. Besides Yuwen Cheng's own cruel, willful, and vindictive nature, the deliberate guidance of others also played a significant role. As for Yuwen Qian, he was Lady Dong's child. How could the Dong family allow him to be in love with Lady Guan's child and eventually become a respectful brother? Moreover, Lady Guan was still alive at the time. If she were to make decisions on important matters, Yuwen Qian's final fate would likely be to spend his life working for someone else's benefit.
Yuwen Ye said, "But my elder brother is still very good to me. He is five years older than me, and he always takes the lead in everything we do at home, and I follow along. He would take me to climb mountains, go down to the river, climb onto the roof, and even steal vegetables from the kitchen."
If she hadn't been so heavy-hearted, Shang Ruyi would have even laughed out loud.
Because she simply couldn't imagine that the elegant and refined Yuwen Qian and the valiant and skilled Yuwen Ye would have been so mischievous as children. But thinking back, who is born extraordinary? Who doesn't start from babbling and taking their first steps, and eventually stand tall and walk their own path in life?
Then, her breath hitched, and she let out a soft sound that sounded like laughter. When she looked up again, Yuwen Ye's lips seemed to curl up slightly.
He seems to miss it too.
Therefore, the deep brotherhood he spoke of was truly deep.
Shang Ruyi asked, "Anything else?"
"besides,"
Yuwen Ye's lips twitched slightly, and the faint smile gradually faded. He said, "I was ignorant back then, but when I grew up and looked back on some of those things and my elder brother's attitude towards me, I could still feel that Aunt Hui and the Duke of Shenwu had put a lot of effort into him. Sometimes he would suddenly become very cold to me, but after a couple of days, he couldn't resist my pestering and would still take me out to play as usual."
"..."
“When I climb a tree, he will protect me; when I twist my ankle, he will carry me home.”
"..."
"Around that time, he had already—"
Already what?
His words trailed off, immediately stirring up Shang Ruyi's doubts. She wanted to ask, but then realized that Yuwen Ye's silence meant he hadn't thought of what to say, so she suppressed her suspicions and simply reached out to hug his waist. The two pressed even closer together, and she could feel that beneath Yuwen Ye's broad chest, his heart was unusually pounding not for her.
After that pause, Yuwen Ye continued, "The day I fell ill, we had made a promise that he would take me boating on the lake."
"A boat trip on the lake?"
"Yes, we agreed to go in the afternoon, and I planned to take a good nap. But that noon, my mother came to my room, which was unusual for her, and she talked to me a lot and was very gentle with me."
As he spoke, his tone softened from its low sullenness.
Even though it was pitch black all around, and even though he rested his chin against Shang Ruyi's forehead, preventing her from seeing his expression clearly, Shang Ruyi could still sense that his face was filled with a longing and tenderness she had never seen before.
She also understood that Yuwen Ye was certainly not as mature and aloof as he had always appeared.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have so longed for tenderness during his childhood, when he was neglected by the official's wife, to the point that he developed such an attachment to Empress Dowager Jiang, and now he would have such a profound memory of the years he spent with Yuwen Qian.
That's why he remembers that day so vividly—because it was "rare."
Shang Ruyi blurted out instinctively, "Mother—"
Yuwen Ye said, "I only found out later that it was because she found out she was pregnant that day."
"……oh."
"So, she came to keep me company and talked to me for a while. When she was about to leave, I held her hand and didn't want her to go, so she stayed and took a nap with me."
Shang Ruyi understood that it must have been one of the most unforgettable noons of Yuwen Ye's childhood.
However, this unforgettable experience was not solely due to the rare gentleness of the official's wife.
She waited for Yuwen Ye to tell her what happened next, but after a while, all she got was silence and Yuwen Ye's long, drawn-out breathing. He seemed to be caught in a whirlpool of sweet memories, almost drowning, yet unwilling to leave, until Shang Ruyi spoke: "And then?"
His chest trembled again.
This time, however, his breathing became rapid and heavy. He had clearly pulled himself out of that sweet, swirling memory and regained his composure and clarity. He said, "Later, I suddenly woke up."
"..."
"When I woke up, my mother was still asleep. She was holding me on the bed. It was almost autumn that day, but the sun was shining brightly through the window. I had never felt the sun so warm before."
"..."
"It was already time for the appointment I made with my older brother, but I didn't want to get up."
"..."
“It was at that moment that I realized that my older brother had been standing outside the window the whole time—he had come to find me, but he didn’t come in to call me; he just stood outside the window and looked at me.”
"..."
"No, he should be looking at his mother."
"..."
"He was so focused on watching that he didn't even notice when I woke up."
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