Knowing the Warmth of Southern Tea (GL) - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Since Gu Zhen became acquainted with the bookstall owner, Shu Yi, the threshold for her reading material has dropped lower and lower. It started with The Analects, Great Learning, and Doctrine of the Mean, then shifted to The Handsome Scholar and the Pretty Lady, The Overbearing Prince’s Favored Concubine, and The Joys of a Second Wife… At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before she moved on to The Passion of the Cut Sleeve.

Gu Zhuang was firmly opposed to his daughter reading books that lowered one’s IQ. Once, Gu Zhuang happened upon some of the storybooks Gu Zhen had hidden at Rongrong’s place and felt that some of them were truly problematic and unrealistic. He sincerely hoped that Rongrong’s IQ wouldn’t be dragged down along with them.

However, because Rongrong was also a lover of miscellaneous books, every time Gu Zhen was caught by Gu Zhuang, she would claim the books belonged to Rongrong. Over time, Gu Zhuang simply learned to turn a blind eye. Furthermore, Gu Zhen’s IQ was generally above average; it was just that in certain matters, she clearly forgot to bring her brain along.

Gu Zhen envied the devoted love between her parents. Coupled with her overindulgence in storybooks, she began to believe that love was just like the novels: “love at first sight” or “love growing over time”… her standards sank lower and lower.

There was a period when she read stories about “the mistress rising to power” or “favoring the concubine and destroying the wife,” which culminated in “grand reunions.” This led her to worry deeply that her father and mother might find her a stepfather or stepmother. After all, they had been together for many years and surely the spark had faded. She never saw the two of them being “intimate”—or rather, “performing the Duke of Zhou’s rites”—so she spent every day watching the patients who came to see Rongrong, terrified that someone would seduce her mother. Moreover, while performing her duties at the yamen, she was on high alert to block anyone making malicious advances toward Gu Zhuang.

One can only say that storybooks lead people astray.

Yet, it was because of these very books that the relationship between Gu Zhen and Shu Yi grew stronger. It followed the trajectory of a protagonist’s story, from their first meeting to four years of companionship. The two had become the best of friends. If only…

But alas, there are no “ifs.”

With Gu Zhen’s parents away in Qingzhou, and her having no medical skills of her own, she told everyone who came looking for her mother to go kick rocks. Over time, word got out that the Physician Immortal was not home, so visitors dwindled, and the house grew quiet.

Gu Zhen was not one to mistreat herself, and finding life dull, she began going to the bookstall every day. She would read with Shu Yi and watch him practice his calligraphy. Occasionally, she would water Shu Yi’s plants (usually watering them to death).

Shu Yi was a candidate who had already passed the provincial examinations. In his own words, he had “luckily become a Juren”… But with so many scholars in the world, why was he specifically so lucky?

Luck is the humble word of the strong and the excuse of the weak.

This year, Shu Yi was preparing to travel to the Capital for the final Imperial Examination.

“Shu Yi, when do you set out?” Gu Zhen asked while eating roasted chestnuts, scattering shells everywhere. Shu Yi, ever good-tempered, picked up the shells she tossed. He thought for a moment and replied, “Perhaps in a few days. It’s not certain yet.”

“Shu Yi, is the Capital fun?” Gu Zhen asked earnestly. Shu Yi saw through her subtext: she wanted to go too.

“I don’t know, but the books say it is very prosperous.” Shu Yi did not answer directly. Perhaps, at that time, he didn’t want Gu Zhen to go to the Capital. He knew that if he described it vividly, she would definitely follow. Furthermore, with her parents away from Bingzhou, taking her with him would be effortless.

“I see. Look, Shu Yi, you’re traveling all alone—what if something happens? But if I accompany you, I can not only protect you but also keep you company. Most importantly, you only have to provide the food; you don’t even have to look after me,” Gu Zhen said vowedly. It definitely wasn’t because she had spent all the money her father left her and wanted to hitch a ride on Shu Yi’s dime.

The family finances were always handled by her father because her mother was terrible at math. Therefore, Xingyue’s allowance came from her dad. Gu Zhuang was not a stingy man; if Gu Zhen was out of money, she could only blame her own spending habits.

“But I could just hire a bodyguard or a page. Besides, men and women should maintain a proper distance; this would be detrimental to your reputation…” Shu Yi was interrupted before he could finish.

“Pedantic! How can you be so pedantic? And can a hired guard fight better than me? Besides, I am the daughter of the Physician Immortal Rongrong—how bad can my reputation be? My house is empty right now, and if you leave, I’ll be so bored I’ll start growing moss. I’m bored out of my mind every day.” Gu Zhen truly wanted to go. Compared to a stagnant life, an unknown one was far more interesting. However, sometimes the unknown brings a shock rather than a surprise.

Some people prefer a life of routine, and there is no fault in that; some prefer challenge and excitement, and there is no wrong in that either. It is simply a matter of nature.

“What about your work at the yamen?”

“Sigh, they’ve all received favors from my father and are practically his disciples. For his sake, they won’t mind. Besides, I haven’t even officially started; I just go there to play every day. It won’t matter if I’m not there. I’m going to pack my bags; you must take me with you.” Gu Zhen ran off to pack.

Gu Zhen, I hope we have a pleasant journey… I hope you don’t disappoint me. At that time, Shu Yi didn’t quite understand what Gu Zhen meant to him.

Shu Yi’s master had told him that Gu Zhen was his “fated person.” He had also told Shu Yi to kill her.

Shu Yi had agreed. He never believed in fate, and he certainly didn’t believe he would fall for a girl younger than himself. However, killing Gu Zhen would be difficult. Not for any other reason, but simply because of her martial arts—she wasn’t someone just anyone could defeat.

Gu Zhen, let’s have a pleasant journey.

Shu Yi watched her run into the distance and began packing up his bookstall. He sorted the books into categories; he likely wouldn’t be returning here after this departure.

But what Shu Yi didn’t expect was that he would eventually return to this very bookstall to live out the rest of his life in solitude. Only Xingyue never returned. To Xingyue, a place one cannot return to is called a “hometown.”

Many things, once missed, are gone forever. Fate is not set in stone; it can change unexpectedly based on a single decision. Shu Yi thought he had everything under control, unaware that he was also being held in someone else’s palm.

Rongrong was, in a sense, Shu Yi’s “Senior Sister.” They shared the same Master. Why the Master took another disciple after so many years was not because of Shu Yi’s talent, but because he was Xingyue’s fated person. There are some people one can kill, and some one cannot.

Unfortunately, Shu Yi did not yet know he had long been a pawn on someone else’s chessboard. He fancied himself the player, but he didn’t understand that once a piece is placed, there is no taking it back.

Shu Yi once asked himself: if he had known the ending, would he have changed anything? But there are no “ifs.”