Chapter 17

The Gu family courtyard was filled with the scent of medicine. Their old stove had broken, so Zhang Cuilan sent Gu Chengwu to buy a new one.

After bringing back the medicinal stove, Gu Chengwu entered the main hall, slinging the hemp rope bow he had twisted the day before over his shoulder. With a whistle, the big black dog followed him as he prepared to head into the mountains.

“Are you leaving already? I was going to cook you some extra smoked meat to take with you,” Zhang Cuilan hurriedly said. Gu Chengwu would be in the mountains for several days with no one to care for him, surviving on plain millet buns. He certainly needed some meat.

Gu Chengwu’s features were sharp and his expression solemn as he shook his head. “No need. You all keep it for yourselves.”

It was obvious who “you all” referred to.

Zhang Cuilan, if she didn’t understand before, surely did now. She grabbed Gu Chengwu and whispered in his ear, “Are you sure? His birth family is not easy to deal with. Don’t do this out of pity…”

Gu Chengwu cut her off sharply, “It’s not all pity. If he wakes up with other options, I won’t force him.”

With that, Gu Chengwu picked up his tools and soon disappeared from Zhang Cuilan’s sight.

Zhang Cuilan sighed, glancing toward the bedroom where the injured man still lay. She suddenly remembered the medicine simmering on the stove. She gasped and hurried to the kitchen to fetch firewood, preventing the medicine from burning dry.

Warm medicinal broth, meat porridge cooked with care, and tender, concerned reminders—these were luxuries Jiang Yun never dared to imagine.

When he jumped into the river, he was determined to die. Better to drown himself cleanly than to be buried with the dead, half-decayed. He thought that even in the underworld, he could rest peacefully. No one would have to bother retrieving his body; the fish and shrimp could devour it in the river.

But when he opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar place. His foggy memories of attempting suicide felt like a lifetime ago, like a nightmare.

Jiang Yun’s eyes were hollow, his spirit lost. It wasn’t until Zhang Cuilan brought him a bowl of medicine that he was pulled from that desolate, deathly sorrow.

Seeing him awake, Zhang Cuilan was overjoyed. She had feared the ten taels of silver were wasted, but it seemed they had indeed helped save a life. That made the expense worthwhile.

“You’ve finally woken up. These days of medicine have pulled you back from the King of Hell himself.”

Jiang Yun usually kept his head down working in the fields and rarely saw Zhang Cuilan. His first reaction was unfamiliarity, even some fear and defensiveness toward the unknown.

Zhang Cuilan noticed his fear and said softly, “You don’t know me. I’m Gu’s godmother, often working in town. If you don’t mind, just call me Auntie.”

Her tone was gentle, and Jiang Yun visibly relaxed. When she mentioned Gu Chengwu, his tense shoulders slowly eased, and a strange sense of reassurance filled him. That cold figure and silhouette gradually became clearer in his mind.

“Drink your medicine first. After you finish, I’ll find Doctor Xu to examine you again.”

Jiang Yun was bewildered, clueless about what happened after he jumped into the river. But he guessed it was them who saved him.

He was a forsaken boy sold off, unable to repay debts even in a lifetime, and had no right to make others spend money on a doctor for him.

Hastily, Jiang Yun shook his head, voice barely audible and head bowed. “Th-thank you, Auntie. I’m fine… really.”

He stammered, afraid to speak much lest he be disliked.

Seeing Jiang Yun’s timidity, Zhang Cuilan’s heart grew angrier at Liu Guihua.

She stepped out of the bedroom. “Since you’re awake, there’s still some meat porridge simmering. Let me ladle you a bowl—it’ll help restore your strength. Stay here at Auntie’s for now. Don’t worry so much about the future. Once your cruel stepmother’s true face is exposed, everyone will understand how hard you’ve had it.”

---

Even a few scraps of meat were something Jiang Yun hadn’t touched for years. In the countryside, ordinary families couldn’t afford to raise pigs; just enough food to fill their own stomachs was a blessing. At best, they might keep a few chickens or ducks.

So, when Jiang Yun lived with the Jiang family, Liu Guihua guarded those few chickens and ducks like treasures, never letting him touch them.

Zhang Cuilan was busy in the kitchen, the clatter of pots and pans from frying food drifting through the air.

Jiang Yun cradled a bowl of steaming lean meat porridge, listening to the kitchen noises. Warm tears welled in his eyes and trickled down into the bowl. His eyes glistened as he ate the porridge in big gulps, swallowing the tears along with the food.

July was the height of summer heat. Everyone left early to work in the fields and returned by noon to avoid the scorching sun. The fields were mostly empty at midday. The Gu family, being hunters, had no paddy or dry fields—only a small courtyard garden.

Though small, Zhang Cuilan tended it well. After checking on Jiang Yun, she grabbed a hoe from the corner and cleared the weeds from the garden, then shoveled some fermented chicken manure to fertilize the vegetables. The smell was pungent, especially the fermented kind, but Zhang Cuilan was used to it. To rural folk, it was no great offense.

Jiang Yun lay weakly in bed, uneasy in the unfamiliar surroundings. Zhang Cuilan’s care only made him feel more anxious, unsure how to repay her kindness.

The afternoon sun was fierce. After eating, Zhang Cuilan brought a bowl of food to Jiang Yun’s room, then returned to her own to nap. Her snores ebbed from loud to soft until she woke herself, drowsy, hearing the sound of weeding outside.

Gu’s son was already back from the mountains?

Taking a palm leaf fan, Zhang Cuilan got out of bed and stepped outside. She saw a frail figure struggling to wield a hoe almost as tall as himself, pulling weeds. Half the yard’s weeds were cleared, and the difference was clear.

Zhang Cuilan quickly dropped her fan and hurried over. “The doctor said your body’s not well enough to be exposed to wind. Don’t do this kind of work.”

Jiang Yun pressed his lips together, voice small and halting. “I can do this… I want to do this.” He feared appearing lazy and displeasing others, and truly didn’t know how to repay their kindness.

Zhang Cuilan sighed. Seeing his timid state, she knew he had been bullied and fearful for years. She took the hoe and pulled Jiang Yun back inside. “If you catch a chill, you’ll have to keep taking medicine. Better wait until you’re stronger.”

The medicine with ginseng was precious. Jiang Yun’s eyes trembled with helplessness as he quickly nodded, “I-I understand. I won’t go out.”

Zhang Cuilan didn’t mean to frighten him; it was just that without such warnings, Jiang Yun could never feel at ease.

Word spread quickly in the village about Jiang Yun being rescued by Gu Chengwu and staying at the Gu family home. Qingmiao Village wasn’t large; news traveled fast, and in less than a short incense stick’s time, everyone knew.

Some kind-hearted couples brought food, but there were also those with sharp tongues who whispered that Jiang Yun, not yet married, was living in Gu Chengwu’s house—improper behavior.

Liu Guihua, too afraid to leave the house after being scolded, snapped back whenever she heard bad rumors about Jiang Yun, as if rallying a cause. “I saw it all. That little slut and Gu Chengwu were all tangled up, improper. It wasn’t my choice to sell him to the Liu family; with his ruined reputation, no one else wanted him.”

Such dirty slander spread like wildfire, impossible to wash away. In the village, a young woman or man who lost their purity before marriage was ruined for life.

Gossip found every crack to slip through. Jiang Yun saw the pointing fingers of women outside the bamboo grove. Only when his visiting aunts told him the truth did he realize what was happening.

Almost knocking over the medicine in his hand, Jiang Yun felt his reputation destroyed. Without it, he could not survive.

“Auntie Yun, don’t worry. We watched you grow up. We don’t believe Liu Guihua’s nasty words,” Aunt Xu said angrily, fearing Jiang Yun might despair. She secretly brought eggs to nourish him, away from the men of the house.

In truth, the village women had heard worse but kept silent, fearing Jiang Yun couldn’t bear it.

A young man’s reputation was a lifelong matter. Unless truly heartless, no one would stoop to such slander. Liu Guihua never intended to leave Jiang Yun any chance.

This slander not only defamed Jiang Yun but also Gu Chengwu. Zhang Cuilan insisted on confronting the Jiang family to clear things up.

---

Aunt Xu grabbed her arm. “It’s too late now. She already took the silver and bought food to return to her family. We can’t even find her.”

“Can’t just let her spread such filth. I’ll tear her mouth apart myself!” Zhang Cuilan, usually kind in the village, was furious this time.

The visiting women brainstormed for ideas. Jiang Yun’s mind was a haze—whatever was said outside, true or not, his purity was lost, and Gu Chengwu and Aunt Zhang were dragged into it unfairly.

He didn’t know where he found the strength, but he broke free and ran out, heading toward the Jiang family home.

His life was ruined, but he couldn’t drag innocent people down with him. Jiang Yun felt he truly shouldn’t be alive. If he had to die, it might as well be at the Jiang family gate, so their cruel couple would never have peace.

Zhang Cuilan and Aunt Xu were terrified. “Quick, stop him! This child looks like he’s about to do something foolish! Oh heavens!” They chased after him, desperate to stop him.

But just as Zhang Cuilan rushed out, she collided with a tall human wall—Gu Chengwu. The impact made her nose and eyes ache. Before she could scold him, she saw Gu Chengwu’s face.

Returning from half a month hunting, Zhang Cuilan usually greeted Gu Chengwu happily with his catch. Not this time. She hurriedly pushed him toward the door. “Quick! Go stop him at the Jiang family! Brother Yun is about to do something foolish again!”

Gu Chengwu’s eyelids twitched. He dropped his game and sprinted toward the Zhang home. Having trained in martial arts and fought in the military, his speed was unmatched. In a few strides, he caught up with the stumbling Jiang Yun.

At the Jiang family gate, since Jiang Yun left, no one had cooked. Jiang Shunde had quit his job and sold his son for sixty taels. Now lazy at home, he was so irritable from hunger that even Jiang Mo annoyed him, ordering Jiang Mo to cook.

Before he finished, he saw Jiang Yun recklessly running toward them. Not realizing Jiang Yun was seeking death, he cursed, “This unfilial bastard’s back? He’d better behave or I’ll beat him to death!”

Only then did he notice Gu Chengwu behind Jiang Yun—the formidable figure. Jiang Shunde stiffened and shrank back, like a quail hiding.

Jiang Yun was about to crash into the gatepost when Gu Chengwu caught him from behind, wrapping his arms around Jiang Yun’s waist and stopping him.

Gu Chengwu’s eyes were cold enough to chill the bone. He gripped Jiang Yun’s wrist until the thin skin reddened, fury burning in his gaze.

Jiang Yun realized what he had done. Facing Gu Chengwu’s icy stare, his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground, burying his face in his knees. His frail shoulders trembled as he sobbed, his voice choked and broken, breaking one’s heart.

Gu Chengwu had been angry—he had saved Jiang Yun with effort, not to have him try to die again. But seeing Jiang Yun cry, his anger vanished, replaced by a stare fixed on the Jiang family.

Zhang Cuilan and Aunt Xu arrived, breathless. Seeing Jiang Yun was safe, they finally relaxed and sat down heavily, panting.

“Don’t be angry,” Zhang Cuilan said. “It’s Liu Guihua’s wicked heart slandering you and Brother Yun. He came seeking death because he couldn’t bear it.”

She and Aunt Xu recounted everything that had happened in recent days.

“I understand. Let’s take him home first,” Gu Chengwu said calmly, but the coldness in his eyes was intimidating.

Overcome by grief and weakness, Jiang Yun fainted mid-cry. Before losing consciousness, he remembered Gu Chengwu’s terrifying gaze, fearing he had become a burden and was despised.

Jiang Yun was carried back to the Gu home. Aunt Xu and Zhang Cuilan kept the day’s events to themselves, knowing that speaking out would only fuel more gossip.

That night, while every household in the village ate and chatted, the Jiang family was shrouded in eerie silence.