The Golden Cane and the Wild Rose - Chapter 29

Chapter 29

“Ah Ran, what are you looking at?”

Gu Hongfei could tell that Yun Ran was distracted today, and he also guessed it was related to what she had overheard customers in the shop discussing about the shooting at Jiang Musheng’s home.

“It’s nothing,” Yun Ran evaded. “I’m going to the back to help in the kitchen.”

Yun Ran went to the back, only to find the cooks and helpers there were also talking about the incident.

When they saw her, they all stopped.

Everyone in Hong Kong knew she had been with Jiang Musheng, and even though they were busy in this small kitchen, they could still get information from other sources.

They read newspapers and listened to gossip.

Jiang Musheng’s gossip was the most extraordinary in all of Hong Kong, more sensational and eye-catching than which beautiful Miss Hong Kong had become the mistress of another rich man.

Once, Yun Ran even accidentally heard them talking in the kitchen about how Jiang Musheng must have grown tired of her and abandoned her.

Yun Ran clenched her fists then, trying hard to hold back so she wouldn’t go in and argue.

She had left Jiang Musheng on her own accord; it was her choice and had nothing to do with anyone else. What others thought didn’t matter, as long as Gu Hongfei treated her the same as before.

A peaceful, well-fed, and prosperous middle-class life was what she wanted most.

Now, she was infinitely close to her goal. As long as she held on and Gu Hongfei’s love for her also held on, she would soon be on the path to the ultimate happiness she had longed for.

Her past, and Jiang Musheng’s condition whether he was alive or dead had nothing to do with her.

She couldn’t get confused at this moment, nor could she let her “senior” see that she was even slightly worried about Jiang Musheng.

Her “senior” was already suspicious.

She had to control her heart.

But the heart is often the hardest thing to control.

Her heart, ignoring her warnings, wanted to worry about Jiang Musheng.

She wondered if Jiang Musheng had been shot.

What was the extent of his injuries?

“Miss Yun, wake up,” a kitchen helper reminded her with contempt.

Yun Ran was startled to find her hand was burning from the stove.

“Miss Yun had better go and help in the front, lest she get hurt in the back kitchen and our young master comes in here to scold us.”

The words were sharp, but not too harsh, at least not for her. She had heard a few bushel baskets of worse and even malicious words when she was a child.

Yun Ran didn’t take these words to heart, but she did mind that the people in the back kitchen of Gu Hongfei’s roast goose shop were dissatisfied and prejudiced against her.

If she really became the future young mistress of the Gu family, these people might treat her with more respect someday, but the memory of today would still resurface.

If she went down this path and saw it through to the end, would she really be happy?

Walking to the sink, Yun Ran rinsed her scalded hand under cool water. After soaking it for less than a minute, she walked out.

Before she had even left, those people started talking about her again.

“I wonder what Young Master Gu sees in her.”

“What’s there not to know? Isn’t it obvious? It’s that face, of course!”

“If you ask me, the young master is just being foolish. They say you should marry a virtuous wife; lusting after beauty is a no-go.”

“That’s why Mr. Jiang dumped her so fast, isn’t it? It shows that relying on beauty doesn’t work. The affection faded before the beauty even did.”

“Oh, don’t say that. Can a crush on a pretty face even be called ‘love’?”

“Do johns love hookers?”

“How is she any different from a hooker?”

A hooker again. How interesting.

Yun Ran didn’t want to listen anymore. She went back to serving customers, her mind inevitably wandering to a question she had never considered before.

Do hookers all choose to become hookers happily and willingly?

In the past, she, like most people, thought that being a hooker was self-degradation and the lowest of professions. Now, she only felt a sense of sorrow.

She recalled the cries of those hookers in Kowloon Walled City before nightfall; their cries were so miserable that just hearing them made her heart tremble.

She had listened to her “old dad” and hadn’t degraded herself, vowing never to become a hooker, but in the eyes of others, she was no different from one.

Perhaps there really was no difference.

She didn’t like Gu Hongfei, but she had continued to “develop feelings” with him for a stable life.

She didn’t like Jiang Musheng, but she had stayed by his side for nearly a month because of various considerations.

She lowered her head. The jade bracelet on her right wrist was still beautiful and crystal clear. That past month seemed to be a trade for this bracelet; she had sold half of her freedom to Jiang Musheng.

When she left Jiang Musheng, she was very decisive but not very principled.

In her eyes, this jade bracelet was more important than principle.

Or did she fundamentally believe that her time with Jiang Musheng was a thoroughly ambiguous transaction without a signed contract?

As she thought about this, she subconsciously glanced through the glass wall and saw a human wall.

Gu Hongfei was blocking her view.

“Ah Ran, I want to have a good talk with you.”

Yun Ran was slightly stunned, then quickly put on an impeccable smile and said, “Okay, senior. Please wait for me. The shop is a bit busy right now. We can talk when we have a break.”

“Okay,” Gu Hongfei didn’t pressure her.

Yun Ran maintained a fake smile and went out to continue serving customers.

There were an unusually large number of customers today; it seemed someone had spread the word that she was working at this shop.

Jiang Musheng’s girlfriend works at a roast goose shop?

No, no, it should be Jiang Musheng’s ex-girlfriend, who was already abandoned, works at a roast goose shop?

But even if she had been abandoned, she was still the only ex-girlfriend of Jiang Musheng in the eyes of the people of Hong Kong.

Many Hong Kong people projected their curiosity about Jiang Musheng onto her, seeming to rush over from wherever they were just to get a glimpse of her.

Yun Ran felt that Jiang Musheng was the brightest star in Hong Kong—a star that was usually dangerous and out of reach.

And she, now working at the roast goose shop, could be seen by anyone.

She felt like an animal on display in a zoo. Fortunately, the customers were respectful, at most asking, “Are you really the Miss Yun who dated Mr. Jiang?”

Since things had come to this, Yun Ran didn’t bother to hide it and simply nodded yes.

She was already being treated like a monkey, and getting angry was useless. It was better to drum up more business for the shop.

For several days in a row, the roast geese at the shop sold out early, and they had to bring in goods from other branches.

At first, Gu Hongfei’s parents were worried, thinking that having her, a living sign connected to Jiang Musheng, was too conspicuous and might attract trouble. But their son insisted, so they gave in, although they remained anxious in their hearts.

At these moments, Yun Ran would think of a saying:

“What a pity for the hearts of all parents.”

She didn’t remember her birth parents; she had no impression of them at all.

Later, she had an “old dad,” but now he was gone, too.

She was alone again.

She was trying to grasp something again.

Grasping Gu Hongfei. However, this initial wish was no longer as intense as it once was; it had become somewhat faint.

After a busy afternoon, the shop finally closed.

Gu Hongfei took her to a tea restaurant, ordered two Hong Kong-style milk teas and a portion of French toast, and asked her if she wanted anything else.

“This is enough,” Yun Ran replied with a sweet smile. She took a sip of her sugar-free milk tea through the straw; it was a little bitter.

Gu Hongfei asked, “Isn’t it bitter?”

Yun Ran smiled and said, “It’s fine.”

Gu Hongfei tore open a packet of sugar and added it to his own milk tea.

Yun Ran ate a small square of the French toast, which was drizzled with condensed milk. She found it too sweet, almost cloying.

Gu Hongfei asked, “Ah Ran, is it not good?”

Yun Ran smiled and shook her head, no longer eating the French toast.

“Let’s go to another place.”

“No need, senior,” Yun Ran took another sip of her milk tea. “Didn’t you want to have a good talk with me? It’s getting late. Let’s just talk here.”

Gu Hongfei said, “We should talk well, but you should also eat well.”

He called the waiter, asked what new items the restaurant had recently, and what the most popular dishes were, and ordered a lobster linguine and a beef chow fun.

Yun Ran’s face was smiling, but in her heart, she wondered: Is her “senior” planning to have a long, deep conversation with her?

The lobster linguine and beef chow fun were served. Her “senior” portioned them into a small bowl for her and buried his head in his own food, as if he had completely forgotten about the conversation.

But Yun Ran could see that her “senior” was nervous and was using the food to ease his tension.

Yun Ran wasn’t in a hurry either and waited for him to speak.

Looking at Gu Hongfei in front of her was the only way she could force herself not to think about Jiang Musheng, who was in an unknown condition far away.

After finishing the last shrimp tail of the lobster, Gu Hongfei finally spoke.

“Ah Ran, are you very worried about Jiang Musheng?”

Yun Ran pretended to be surprised. “Senior, why would you think that?”

“Because… at the shop, I saw you kept looking outside, and I thought you were looking at Jiang Musheng’s men.”

“No, I was looking at the customers. There have been so many customers these days. I was just estimating if we could serve everyone.”

“Is that all?”

“Of course. What else could it be?” Yun Ran asked with a smile.

“I thought…”

“Thought what?”

“That you’ve fallen for Jiang Musheng,” Gu Hongfei said with hesitation.

Yun Ran’s smile suddenly disappeared.

Gu Hongfei gripped his chopsticks tightly, watching her nervously.

She tried hard to control her trembling facial muscles. “Senior, don’t think nonsense. I’m afraid of Jiang Musheng; how could I possibly like him?”

“But you’re worried about him.”

Yun Ran’s heart skipped a beat. She realized that outright lying wouldn’t work, so she had to change her approach. “Maybe I am a little worried about him, but it’s just worry. He was good to me during the days I was with him.”

“Ah Ran, you…”

“But I don’t like him. Even if I did, I wouldn’t be with him. If I had a choice, I would never stay with such a dangerous person. There are kidnappings and shootings. I just want to live a stable, peaceful life.”

Gu Hongfei finally regained some confidence from her words.

“Ah Ran, I can give you that life.”

“I know.”

Gu Hongfei was happy for a while, but then on the way back to her apartment, his happiness suddenly faded.

Yun Ran felt she should show more concern for him, so she asked, “What’s wrong, senior?”

“Ah Ran, you said you don’t like Jiang Musheng, but you don’t like me either, do you?”

“You’re leaning toward choosing me, but it’s not because you like me, is it?”

Yun Ran didn’t know how to answer that question.

Maybe she was good at reading people and guessing their thoughts, but genuine feelings weren’t that easy to fake, and love was even harder.

This time, she remained silent for a long time.

Gu Hongfei stayed with her in front of the apartment, and they were silent for a while.

Finally, Gu Hongfei maintained his gentle smile and said, “Go in and rest.”

But Yun Ran clearly saw his lips trembling, and she quickly replied, “Senior, you should go back and rest too.”

After she entered and closed the door, a strange feeling arose in Yun Ran’s heart.

It felt like she was, without realizing it, walking into a cage again.

It was her “senior’s” cage, named “love.” She suddenly felt a little scared, thinking that the stability she had now was also exchanged for a part of her freedom.

It wasn’t much better than being with Jiang Musheng and even made her feel more uncomfortable.

Why did she feel this way?

Yun Ran suspected that her memory was somehow in error, or else why would she suddenly lean toward Jiang Musheng?

At the Jiang family’s villa, Jiang Musheng lay on her bed, enduring the pain to change the dressing on her shoulder wound and re-bandage it.

Xueyu, Alan, and Zheng Hangyi were all waiting outside.

“I say, Xueyu, your brother is really strange. I used to think he was strange for not wanting to go swimming and always being so tightly wrapped up, never wanting to get close to me. Now, he’s been shot and won’t even let a doctor near to treat it. He’s a grown man, not some young lady from the old days who never leaves the house. I’m really worried he won’t handle it well, it’ll get infected, and he’ll die a miserable death.”

“Hangyi, don’t say such unlucky things,” Xueyu said with a frown.

“Okay, okay, I won’t say it anymore.”

Zheng Hangyi slapped his mouth three times and said, like breaking a curse, “Don’t be a jinx.”

Alan said, “If being a jinx were that easy, Mr. Zheng could become a wizard.”

She had been by Mr. Jiang’s side for a long time and had seen him suffer more severe injuries. Before falling into a coma, she would instruct that no one was allowed to touch her and that medical equipment should be prepared so she could treat her own wounds after she woke up.

After all this, Mr. Jiang was already a very experienced doctor.

Alan wasn’t worried at all.

After a while, a voice came from the room: “Come in.”

Alan raised her hand to open the door, letting Miss Yun and Mr. Zheng go in first.

“How are you feeling today?” Zheng Hangyi asked as he entered.

“Not bad,” Jiang Musheng said.

Her face was pale, but her skin was already overly fair, so it wasn’t obvious that the paleness was due to the injury. However, her bloodless thin lips gave her away.

“Xueyu, look, your brother is still being tough,” Zheng Hangyi said, a little angry. “I’ve never seen anyone who takes their own life less seriously than you.”

“If I didn’t take my life seriously, I would have died a long time ago,” Jiang Musheng said.

Zheng Hangyi rolled his eyes at her and looked at Jiang Xueyu.

“This unlucky talk wasn’t from me; your brother said it himself.”

Jiang Xueyu suddenly called out, “Brother.”

Jiang Musheng said softly, “I’m fine.”

“The wound isn’t infected, is it?” Zheng Hangyi asked with concern. “Why don’t you let me take a look? Just one look. I’ll go out as soon as I confirm you’re fine.”

“No,” Jiang Musheng said, not allowing any room for argument.

Zheng Hangyi said, “What’s our relationship? Don’t you trust me? I only date girls; I’m not interested in men’s bodies.”

“Then there’s even less need to look. Go back. Otherwise, your young lady will really start to suspect you have special feelings for me.”

This sentence seemed to hit Zheng Hangyi’s bottom line. He gave up and said, “Fine, fine. I don’t care to look, and I’m not qualified to look. I wonder who will be qualified to look in the future.”

“It won’t be you, anyway.”

Zheng Hangyi was completely annoyed and left. Only Jiang Xueyu and Alan remained in the room.

“Brother, Hangyi was just worried about you. Why did you have to say that?” Jiang Xueyu asked, confused.

“If I didn’t say that, he wouldn’t give up.”

“I guess so. But brother, can’t I even look?”

“No, the wound will scare you.”

“Brother…”

Jiang Musheng raised her hand with some difficulty and stroked her sister’s head. “What about Ah Ran? Has there been any news from her these past few days?”

“Yes,” Xueyu said excitedly, but then she fell silent.

“What’s wrong?”

Xueyu pursed her lips. Jiang Musheng looked at Alan. “Alan, you tell me.”

“Miss Yun, Miss Yun… ” Alan also hesitated to speak.

Jiang Musheng then asked, “Where’s Ah Biao?”

“Ah Biao is outside. At the banquet that night, he was worried about Mr. Jiang getting into trouble, so he secretly snuck back. Before he could get home, Mr. Jiang was shot. When he got back, he said he wanted to guard you himself and refused to go back to protect Miss Yun.”

“But Mr. Jiang, don’t worry. I have arranged for another brother to guard Miss Yun. There has been no bad news. Miss Yun is doing well, and the shop’s business is also very good.”

“That’s good,” Jiang Musheng slowly lowered her eyelids.

Under the lamplight, her face and lips had no color, making her look very weak.

Xueyu saw the sadness her brother was trying to hide in his eyes and felt for the first time that her powerful brother also had moments of vulnerability.

“Brother.”

“What is it?” Jiang Musheng looked up, and the trace of sadness in her eyes was gone.

Xueyu blinked and said, “Brother, I suddenly really want to eat roast goose.”

Jiang Musheng was stunned for a moment and said, “I want to, too. But it’s so late; the roast goose shops should all be closed by now.”

“Not yet, brother. I’ve already checked. There are many roast goose shops in Hong Kong, and a few of them are open all night. They also deliver. You can just call them, and they’ll send it over.”

“Alan, go get that flyer,” Xueyu said.

“Okay, Miss Yun,” Alan immediately went.

Jiang Musheng smiled helplessly.

“You.”

“What about me, brother?” Xueyu pressed.

Jiang Musheng just looked at her sister and smiled, not answering.

Xueyu said, “I don’t care; I want to eat roast goose!” She had to make her brother see her sister-in-law.

Alan quickly brought the flyer. Jiang Musheng glanced at it; the shop was exactly the one she was thinking of, Gu Hongfei’s roast goose shop.