Chapter 117: Brother and Sister

Su Wan noticed her guardedness; to her, Su Wan was nothing but a stranger.

The little girl’s experiences were obvious—she had suffered a lot.

Su Wan didn’t insist. She took out two taels of silver from her sleeve and placed them in the little girl’s palm: “This is for your travel expenses, to be used for food and transportation.”

Su Wan supported herself on her knees with both hands and stood up, taking off her embroidered shoes and placing them in front of the girl. She called Gu Huaizhi to get on the carriage and leave.

Jiu Ge stared blankly at Su Wan’s back, completely not expecting that a chance encounter would result in someone giving her two taels of silver and food without requiring anything in return.

Is there really someone other than her brother who is good in this world?

Jiu Ge gripped the money in her left hand and touched her emaciated right arm, which was covered in gruesome whip marks, knife wounds, and burns, showing that she had endured inhuman torture.

She lowered her eyes to the water and food in her hands, recalling her brother’s words. He had said, “All kindness in this world without reason is either because of a hidden cause or ulterior motives. Gē’er, be obedient, and don’t easily accept others’ kindness.”

Tears welled up in Jiu Ge’s eyes as she clenched the food, wanting to throw it away. But she had escaped and had not eaten for many days, surviving only by gnawing on bark and wild vegetables to stave off hunger.

The oil-paper package emitted a sweet aroma that made her stomach growl, and her stomach aching with hunger. She desperately wanted to eat, lacking the courage to throw the snacks away.

But she couldn’t ignore her brother’s words.

Jiu Ge swallowed hard, determinedly throwing the food to the ground, and got up to leave.

Suddenly, her gaze froze, fixated on a striking string of red beads on the green grass.

Jiu Ge’s expression changed dramatically. She picked up the bracelet on the ground with excitement. Confirming it was her brother’s bracelet, her fingers trembled slightly, and tears rolled down her face.

Her brother was still alive. That was wonderful, truly wonderful.

Remembering something, Jiu Ge suddenly looked towards the distant carriage, now only a trail of dust in the air. She hurriedly picked up the shoes and food from the ground and started chasing in the direction the carriage had gone.

“Wait for me, please wait for me…” Jiu Ge ran with all her might, her feet covered in thick scabs being torn open by the gravel, leaving bloody footprints with each step.

“Thud—”

Jiu Ge fell to the ground, gasping for breath, her legs were weak and she fell to the ground, and her mouth was full of dust. She watched as the carriage disappeared from sight, tears streaming down her face.

Suddenly, she scrambled to her feet, wiping away her tears with her hands. Her tear-washed eyes were now clean and resolute.

She had to find her brother!

Jiu Ge continued to chase in the direction Su Wan had gone.

—

This time returning home, Su Wan and Gu Huaizhi did not rush their journey. They traveled at a normal pace, and it took them five days to reach Xinghua Village.

As soon as the carriage entered the village, Su Wan heard a neighbor shouting loudly, “Liu Guixiang, your son-in-law and daughter-in-law are back! Hurry home!”

Mo Chen had the driver stop the carriage.

Su Wan handed a bundle to Mo Chen: “Distribute these nuts to the neighbors.”

“Alright,” Mo Chen said, taking the large bundle and handing out nuts to the neighbors.

The neighbors’ words were as sweet as if they were coated in honey, showering them with many festive greetings.

At that moment, Mother Gu rushed over, lifted the carriage curtain, and her sun-reddened face broke into a big smile. “You’re back, Wanwan! You returned so quickly!”

Su Wan pulled Mother Gu onto the carriage, and threw herself into her embrace. “I missed you. After taking care of business, I came back with Huaizhi right away.”

“Wanwan, let go. I’m all sweaty and dirty, I’ll make you dirty,” Mother Gu said, quickly pulling Su Wan’s hands away and anxiously giving Gu Huaizhi a meaningful look.

Gu Huaizhi remained unmoved, clearly pleased with Su Wan’s closeness to Mother Gu.

“You’re not dirty. I came back from the capital, covered in dust and sweat from the journey too.”

Su Wan noticed Mother Gu’s discomfort and released her. She took out a bamboo tube and handed her a jar of water. “Why didn’t you go to the restaurant today?”

Mother Gu, with mud-stained hands, nervously gripped the bamboo tube. “The restaurant’s business is booming, always full of guests, with many still waiting in line. The manager calculated that with Fengwei Pavillion across the street having gone out of business, our restaurant’s business will only get better with you around. So, he took over Yanzhi Pavillion and is renovating it now. We’ve all been given a holiday, and it will reopen the day after tomorrow.”

“Yanzhi Pavillion?” Su Wan frowned. Did Shopkeeper Jiang take over the shop?

Mother Gu smiled. “Shopkeeper Jiang said we’re all family, no need to be too formal. With Yanzhi Pavillion’s business improving, he took over the old Fengwei Pavillion, and both will reopen together the day after tomorrow. Your arrival is timely; the two Shopkeepers will be very happy to see you.”

Su Wan smiled happily. “I didn’t expect so much change in the time I was away. I must go to town tomorrow to take a look.”

Mother Gu hadn’t expected Su Wan to have such capabilities. Although she should be happy for Su Wan, the more capable Su Wan was, the more uncomfortable Mother Gu felt.

Gu Huaizhi’s frail health and lack of accomplishments led people to say that, even setting aside family background, the two were mismatched and that Gu Huaizhi was marrying above his station.

Mother Gu worried that the more capable Su Wan became, the further she might drift away, and one day, she and Gu Huaizhi might part ways.

Mother Gu asked with her dry throat, “Wanwan, when Huaizhi went to meet your family, what… what did they say?”

Seeing Mother Gu’s anxious expression, Su Wan tightly held her hand and said with a smile, “Grandmother really likes Huaizhi. She even prepared gifts for you, Second Brother, and Third Sister.”

Mother Gu was stunned. “Really?”

Could it be that they didn’t mind Gu Huaizhi’s humble origins?

“Grandmother praised him, saying he is remarkable for passing the imperial examination at such a young age and that he has great potential for the future.”

Su Wan glanced at Gu Huaizhi, and put her head on Mother Gu’s shoulder. “Huaizhi’s health is nearly restored. He will be taking part in the upcoming provincial examination. Just wait, he will earn a title for you.”

Mother Gu was stunned. Is he really cured?

She looked at Gu Huaizhi, seeking confirmation.

Gu Huaizhi nodded slightly.

Tears streamed down Mother Gu’s face. Heaven had finally opened its eyes and started to favor the Gu family!

“Alright, earn a title and come back!” Mother Gu’s heart was a mix of joy and sorrow, as if she finally had something to be proud of, and she straightened her back. “I can finally give an account to the Gu family.”

The carriage stopped. Mother Gu wiped away her tears and, with full of excitement, she lifted the curtain, only to see Mrs. Hu standing at the door. She lowered the curtain again.

“Wanwan, Mrs. Hu is here,” Mother Gu said, with a darkening face. “Song Dalang died in prison, and Song Erlang passed the imperial exam and will be taking part in the provincial exam this time. Their family holds a grudge against us because of what happened to Song Dalang. I don’t know what Mrs. Hu is up to, but don’t pay her any mind.”

Su Wan remembered that Mrs. Hu had helped her once before. After a moment’s thought, she got off the carriage.

As soon as Mrs. Hu saw Su Wan, she knelt down on the ground with a thud.