Chapter 28: The First Time Alone (Mu Rong Shu vs. Zi Yu)

Because of Mu Rong Shu and the little one, everyone ate more than they expected at dinner. Afterward, Mu Rong Shu took the little one for a walk in the garden.

Song Yan Ran and Liu Ru Yan even quizzed the little one and found that he had not only learned the “Three Character Classic” and “Hundred Family Surnames” but also could recite some poems.

“Yu Er, you’re amazing! You’re so young and already know so many things!” Liu Ru Yan, though having met the little one later, couldn’t resist his cuteness and quickly became fond of him.

“These were all taught by Third Uncle. Third Uncle has so many books, he’s the most amazing person.” The little one thought he was still far behind Third Uncle and was determined to become as capable as him.

Song Yan Ran looked at Wen Jing, who was drinking tea in the distance, and thought, “In the entire Da Sheng Dynasty, how many people are like your Third Uncle? How many are like your father? No one compares, no one compares.”

At first, Song Yan Ran felt a little resentful when she didn’t know that the little one’s “Third Uncle” was Wen Jing. But once she found out, she fully acknowledged it. He was the child parents always praised, the nightmare of older brothers.

Whenever she heard her father tell her brothers, “Why don’t you learn from Wen San Gong Zi?” Song Yan Ran was relieved that she wasn’t a boy, otherwise, her father would drive her crazy.

Perhaps because they played too much during the day, the little one quickly fell asleep. Lady Wen asked the nanny to look after him, and because the little one strongly requested it, his room was placed next to Mu Rong Shu’s.

Mu Rong Shu found it hard to sleep in the new bed, so she decided to take a walk in the garden. When she opened the door, she saw Wen Jing sitting outside. In the moonlight, there was a lonely, solitary aura about him.

Wen Jing clearly hadn’t expected Mu Rong Shu to come out at this hour. After a brief pause, he stood up and bowed. “Miss Mu Rong, is it because you’ve moved to a new place and can’t sleep?”

Mu Rong Shu wanted to tell him that she simply liked staying up late, but this was the ancient times, and Wen San Gong Zi might not understand the pleasure of staying up. So, she just nodded.

“Please have a seat, Miss Mu Rong. It’s all because of Yu Er that you have to endure the trouble of insomnia.” Wen Jing felt guilty, thinking insomnia was a painful experience and that it was his nephew’s fault.

“I usually sleep late too. It has nothing to do with Yu Er.” Mu Rong Shu tried to explain, but it seemed to have little effect.

“Why are you also awake so late?” Mu Rong Shu asked out of pure curiosity.

Wen Jing hesitated before answering, “I’ve had poor health since I was young. My mother kept a close watch on me, so I rarely went out alone, let alone stayed somewhere overnight. Today is the first time, I’m just a little curious.”

Since the first day Mu Rong Shu met Wen Jing, she had heard about his poor health, and she was very curious. Looking at such a normal person, she wondered what exactly was wrong.

“Would you mind if I took your pulse?” As a healer, Mu Rong Shu’s curiosity got the better of her, and she wanted to know what was wrong with Wen Jing’s body.

Wen Jing hadn’t expected Mu Rong Shu to offer to take his pulse. His body reacted before his mind did, and he placed his hand on the stone table. “I’d be grateful, Miss Mu Rong.”

Mu Rong Shu immediately became serious, just like when she encountered a special case. She gently placed her fingers on Wen Jing’s pulse.

Perhaps because it was night, Mu Rong Shu’s fingers were a little cold. As soon as they touched his wrist, Wen Jing immediately felt a warm energy continuously flowing into his body.

At that moment, Wen Jing finally understood the warmth Yu Er had mentioned earlier, the warmth that came from the beautiful sister. It was the power of the one who could break the curse.

Wen Jing even wanted more of it. He wished he could hold Mu Rong Shu like Yu Er, but his upbringing made him feel guilty for having such thoughts. He sank into deep self-doubt.

As Mu Rong Shu felt Wen Jing’s pulse, she also fell into deep thought. From the pulse, his body was slightly weak, but there didn’t seem to be any major issues. However, it seemed as though he had once suffered a serious injury. For the first time, Mu Rong Shu questioned her own medical skills.

Reluctantly, Mu Rong Shu checked again, but the result was still the same. She hesitated before asking, “Mr. Wen, have you ever been injured?”

“Miss Mu Rong, is there something wrong with my body?” Wen Jing looked at Mu Song Shu’s expression and thought she was disappointed, suspecting there might be some other problem with his health.

“No, I’m just not skilled enough. I truly couldn’t tell what the issue is with your body.” Mu Rong Shu carefully chose her words, worried that being too blunt might cause Wen Jing to overthink.

“Don’t blame yourself, Miss Mu Rong. I’ve gotten used to it. My family has consulted many famous doctors, and their diagnoses were similar to yours.”

Wen Jing really wanted to tell Mu Rong Shu that his condition wasn’t due to an illness, but rather because he had inherited the Wen family curse. No one in his family had been fortunate enough to find someone who could break the curse, so he didn’t know how to lift it.

“Would Mr. Wen be disappointed?” Mu Rong Shu asked softly.

No one had ever asked him if he was disappointed. His father always told him to be strong and hopeful, that as long as he had faith, he would find the one who could break the curse.

“Maybe there was disappointment before, but it’s in the past now. I feel much better now. See, I’m able to sit here and enjoy the moon with you, Miss Mu Rong.” Wen Jing’s self-mocking words made Mu Rong Shu feel a pang of sympathy.

“Mr. Wen, I will definitely find a way to treat you.” Mu Rong Shu blurted out, then paused, surprised at her own words. Why was it that her emotions were so uncontrollable when she was facing Wen Jing?

“I believe in you!” Wen Jing’s four words made Mu Rong Shu’s heart leap with joy, as though she could hear flowers blooming.

“Wen Jing, from now on, let’s just address each other by our names. You can call me Rong Shu.” Mu Rong Shu couldn’t stand the formal titles like “Mr. Wen” and “Miss Mu Rong” anymore.

“You can call me Zi Yu, my courtesy name is Zi Yu.” Wen Jing, at this moment, seemed almost enchanted. He really wanted to hear this little girl call him “Zi Yu.” That would be the sweetest sound.

Mu Rong Shu nodded obediently, calling him, “Zi Yu.”

Although Wen Jing rarely goes out, he has read widely, and no matter what Mu Rong Shu asks, he is able to explain it to her. His deep voice drifted into the quiet night, and Mu Rong Shu found herself captivated by the sound, unable to pull herself away.

Mu Rong Shu even thought that if she had such a pleasant voice reading books to her every night before bed, it would be so blissful.

The two of them had such a lively conversation that they lost track of time. In the middle of the night, Song Yan Ran woke up, worried about Mu Rong Shu, and when she looked outside, she saw the two of them chatting in the garden.

All drowsiness vanished from Song Yan Ran’s mind as she quickly shook Liu Ru Yan awake.

“Yan Ran, what’s going on?” Liu Ru Yan, suddenly woken up, thought something serious had happened. She hadn’t slept soundly either.

“Yan Ran, I was just about to check on Shu Er, but I saw her talking with Wen San Gong Zi in the garden late at night.”

“Yan Ran, are you still half asleep?” Liu Ru Yan felt that Song Yan Ran must be imagining things. How could Shu Er be out in the middle of the night, chatting with Wen Gong Zi?