Snow statue broken
He said he would come to visit in two days, but in fact, it was not until the sky cleared up after the snow that Su Musong prepared enough gifts to visit Xiao Luoyao, which took several days.
Su Musong had been feeling rather conflicted these past few days. He had originally decided to treat Xiao Luochen as just a classmate, but after meeting him that day, he realized that this wasn't going to be easy. God knew how difficult it was to change the habit of years of acting both familiar and distant with Xiao Luochen.
He had to control his eyes that habitually looked at Xiao Luochen, control his feet that couldn't help but move closer to Xiao Luochen, and even more so, control his hands that always inadvertently rested on Xiao Luochen's shoulders.
Although he had tried his best, there were still some people he could not control, so he had to take over Xiao Luochen's duties and "discipline" the servants.
And his made-up decision didn't seem so certain anymore. The anger Xiao Luochen threw when he left made his heart, which had just calmed down, become even more chaotic again.
While in the carriage, Su Musong was still thinking that if he saw Xiao Luochen, he would ask him why he was angry with him that day, but the person who came to greet him was not Xiao Luochen, but his fifth brother Xiao Luokun. After asking, he found out that Xiao Luochen had accompanied the Prime Minister's wife to the temple to burn incense.
Things had been going badly for the Prime Minister's residence recently, so it was understandable that the Prime Minister's wife would go to worship Buddha. Xiao Luokun worked in the Hanlin Academy, but his duties were limited, and he didn't want to engage in a verbal battle with the Grand Tutor's followers, so he simply took leave and stayed home to look after Xiao Luoyao.
Xiao Luokun has always been upright and dislikes playboys the most. He used to look down on Su Musong. However, in recent years, Su Musong has made great progress in his studies and has gained a reputation for his talent in Kyoto. He is gradually showing signs of being on par with Xiao Luochen. Xiao Luokun's opinion of him has changed greatly.
When Su Musong met Xiao Luoyao, he told him in detail about all the matters concerning Miss Huo in the Anguo Mansion, and told him to just focus on recuperating and not to worry too much.
Xiao Luoyao's injured limbs prevented him from performing formal greetings, so he could only express his gratitude repeatedly. Su Musong recalled seeing him in Luzhou, where he had been agile and vigorous. Seeing him in this state was heartbreaking. It was no wonder that the Prime Minister's wife had so ruthlessly driven Miss Huo out of the Prime Minister's residence.
After leaving Xiao Luoyao's dormitory, Su Musong asked about his condition.
"The Sixth Young Master's injuries appear to be serious. What does the doctor say?"
"Most of them are external injuries. They can be healed, but it just takes some time."
Seeing Xiao Luokun's serious expression, Su Musong thought of what Xiao Luochen had said before about his sixth brother's injury, and guessed that Xiao Luoyao's injury might not be easily healed.
"Is there something else going on with his injury?"
"Well, the doctor said that the tendons and veins in his hand are damaged. I'm afraid he won't be able to hold a sword."
An inspector who cannot hold a sword is a useless person in the Sikou Mansion.
Xiao Luoyao's future at the Sikou Mansion was already ruined; even if he stayed, he would likely only be able to do clerkship. Coming from a scholarly background, finding another position wouldn't be difficult for him, but the position of Inspector General had been something he'd longed for since childhood, and Su Musong could understand the blow.
The two walked in silence for a while, and Xiao Luokun suddenly asked
"Have you and Luo Chen had a quarrel recently?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"I heard you haven't been to school for a while, and I can see he's been restless lately, and it's not entirely because of Luo Yao's injury. That day, he came back from Anguogong with a sullen look on his face, and for the first time ever, he punished the entire room of servants."
Su Musong knew that Xiao Luochen was always kind to his servants and rarely scolded them, but he actually punished a whole room of servants. It seemed that he was really angry that day.
"I caught a cold, so I stayed home to recuperate for a few days. Luo Chen went to the Anguo Mansion that day. I think he was angry because he lost the argument with me."
Su Musong just wanted to get away with it, so he made up an excuse. However, Xiao Luokun was not someone who could be fooled so easily. He knew his seventh brother's temperament very well. If he just lost an argument, he would never lose his temper and take his anger out on others. But seeing that Su Musong was unwilling to explain it clearly, he stopped asking. Anyway, these two little brats would make up in a few days.
A servant reported that Xiao Luoyao's colleagues from Sikou Mansion came to visit. Xiao Luokun hurried to greet the guests and let Su Musong, a frequent visitor, leave the mansion on his own.
When Su Musong walked to the vicinity of Xiao Luochen's study, he couldn't help but think of going out to take a look. When he reached the window, he heard the maid giving a lecture.
"I told you before, the weather has cleared up and warmed up in the past two days, so you have to be extra careful and add ice frequently. Don't let it melt again."
"Yes, yes, I remember it all. Sister Mozhu just passed by here with the heater and stopped for a moment. I guess the heat is what made the ice melt so quickly."
Su Musong was curious about what made them treat it as a treasure, so he decided to go and see what was going on.
Su Musong came to Xiao Luochen's study quite often. The maids in the room all knew him, and they were not surprised at all when they saw him come in.
"What kind of treasure are you raising with such seriousness?"
Seeing this, Su Musong felt complicated.
It turned out that this treasure was the small snow sculpture he had given to Xiao Luochen before. It was placed in an ice container with a lot of ice around it. It seemed that a lot of effort had been put into preventing it from melting.
However, after so much time had passed, even with the most careful care, it had deteriorated a lot. The face of the statue could no longer be discerned, but one could roughly tell that it was a standing human figure.
Su Musong leaned over to take a closer look, and the little maid suddenly felt like she was facing a great enemy.
"Mr. Su, please stay away. You have a lot of heat in your body. If you get any closer, it might melt again."
Su Musong stood further away as he was told, feeling a little lost. This snow sculpture was like the relationship between him and Xiao Luochen. It might remain unchanged in the right season and environment, but once the season or environment changed, it would melt away.
He and Xiao Luochen will not always be just teenagers studying together, so will there be a day when nothing will remain between them, like water?
"It's just a snow sculpture. No matter how careful you are, it will eventually melt if the weather changes. Why bother with it?"
"I'm afraid only Master Su can persuade my master. He previously punished all the servants for the melting statue, so we dare not say anything more about this matter."
Knowing that Xiao Luochen valued this statue so much, Su Musong's heart was like a holly leaf covered with frost in the early morning of late autumn, which was illuminated by the warm sun and the coldness faded away, and came back to life again.
"You're right. It's just a snow sculpture. There's really no need to keep it."
Xiao Luochen came back at some point. He was already annoyed by Su Musong's deliberate alienation that day, but after hearing what Su Musong said, he thought he was laughing at him for being too obsessed and unable to let go, and he became even angrier.
"If it weren't for careful care, it wouldn't have stayed this long. Luo Chen still wants to keep it, right?"
"I'm just grateful for the kindness of seeing it off in the snow. Since the person who gave it to me also thinks it's just a dead object, there's really no need to keep it."
"Luo Chen, seeing that you cherish it so much, I am very happy in my heart."
"Happy? Because you only see me as a classmate, but I see you as a close friend. In the end, you're the one who's better than me, so are you happy?"
"Luo Chen, how could you have such an idea? You know very well that this is not what I meant."
"I don't know what you mean. Since you've changed your address to Sixth Brother to Sixth Young Master, does that mean you should call me Seventh Young Master Xiao tomorrow? Should I also change my tune and politely address you as Great Young Master Su?"
Seeing this situation, all the servants in the room quickly left the study. If they had left later, they might have become the innocent victims of the burning city gate.
"Why bother saying such irritating words? You know better than anyone how I got my current name. Are you calling me Young Master Su to slap me in the face?"
Xiao Luochen was speechless for a moment. He naturally remembered that he was the one who gave Su Musong his name, but once the fire in his heart started, it was not so easy to extinguish.
"Things are different now. You and I are no longer the naughty children we once were. It's only natural that we've become estranged. How can you say I'm being slapped in the face?"
Su Musong felt wronged when he heard this. He didn't want to be estranged from Xiao Luochen at all. It was clearly because he couldn't give an answer to that question.
"Who is so careless? Who let go first by the lake that day?"
"What do you mean by abandoning? Who disappeared without a word and is still avoiding us?"
"I……"
The one who left silently was naturally Su Musong, but he was not avoiding him at all, he was clearly fleeing.
He felt that he had confessed his feelings to Xiao Luochen on impulse, but received no response from Xiao Luochen. Young people are naturally shy, not to mention that he and Xiao Luochen were not ordinary lovers. In the situation at that time, he could not think of any other way except to escape.
What he saw today made him realize that Xiao Luochen was not indifferent to him, but what he didn't understand was why Xiao Luochen refused to admit it.
"Since you won't flee or evade, then answer me, what will you choose? Who am I, Su Musong, to you, Xiao Luochen? If your heart is clear, why are you taking such pains to preserve this statue that will eventually dissolve?"
Su Musong's words were like a heavy hammer hitting Xiao Luochen's heart, making him feel anxious and breathless, as if he was drowning in water and unable to breathe.
In a moment, Xiao Luochen, with red eyes, picked up the statue placed in the ice container and threw it heavily to the ground. Ice fragments flew everywhere and the statue shattered completely...
Su Musong stayed where he was. He had not expected Xiao Luochen to do this.
Xiao Luochen took out his handkerchief and wiped the water stains on his hands carefully. He calmed down and said calmly:
"Well, there are no more statues, and you have nothing to worry about. Line one, see you out."
The servant boy waiting outside the door trotted over to Su Musong and acted as if he was leading the way to see off a guest.
"Master Su, I will escort you out of the house."
Su Musong felt a tightness in her heart, her nose aching uncontrollably. She bit her lips, but couldn't help but shed two tears in front of Xiao Luochen. Then, perhaps feeling too embarrassed, she grabbed her sleeve and wiped it across her face twice. Without a word, she left the study and headed straight for the door.
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