Chapter 7 Okay, Let’s Do It Together

Song Youyou hurried home.

Gu Xiao followed behind her at a leisurely pace, a faint smile tugging at his lips, trailing her like a little tail. The road he usually found long didn’t feel far at all when walking with her.

As soon as they got home, Song Youyou immediately went into her room and locked the door.

When Gu Xiao heard the click of the door bolt sliding shut, the smile that had stayed on his face all the way back suddenly froze.
Was she hiding from him?
Or… was she upset about what he did at the supply store because she didn’t want others to know about their relationship?

As he considered this last possibility, something seemed to lodge in his chest, making it hard to breathe.
With what had happened today at the Song house, one thought kept creeping into his mind.

Under current policies, now that the Song family had severed ties with her, she’d most likely be sent to the countryside for labor—unless she could immediately find a job, or… get married right away.

That thought made Gu Xiao’s heart ache even more, like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

He wasn’t afraid of being used by Song Youyou—in fact, he’d be glad if she did use him.
He’d be happy to be used by her.

What hurt was…
Was she choosing to be with him not because she wanted to, but just to avoid being sent away?
Was she staying because she wanted to remain close to He Wenqing?

He Wenqing had grown up with her. Both families had known about their childhood betrothal for years.
Back when they were in school, Gu Xiao had seen with his own eyes how good she had been to He Wenqing.

That thought made Gu Xiao’s eyes turn darker—deep, cold, and desolate, like the midnight sky.

What Song Youyou didn’t know was how one unintentional act of hers had made someone else spiral into such overthinking.

The reason she had locked her door the moment they got home… was because her foot was bleeding.

Back at the Song house, when Song Baozhu smashed the cup, a shard of glass had cut her ankle.
But Gu Xiao had been so worried about her—she didn’t want to make him even more anxious. So the whole way back, she had hidden her pain, planning to tend to the wound herself.

Song Youyou took out the jade pendant she wore around her neck. With a slight mental focus, a clear drop of water emerged from the bright green jade.

She caught it with her fingertip and applied it to the cut on her ankle.

The next second, the wound miraculously healed—flawless, as if it had never been there at all.

Once done, Song Youyou tucked the pendant back under her collar and covered it with her clothes.

She had worn this jade pendant for as long as she could remember.
Her adoptive parents once told her that when they took her in, the pendant had already been with her.
And as a baby, if the pendant was taken away, she would cry nonstop.

So she’d worn it close to her body ever since.

But the pendant held a secret—one she had never told anyone.

When she was ten, she had accidentally bitten her lip and a drop of blood fell on the jade. That’s when she discovered that the pendant contained a hidden space.

However, it was small—too small for people or large objects to enter. Inside was just a tiny spring of water.

She experimented with it and discovered that no one else could see or sense the spring. Only she could.
She could clearly feel the little pool bubbling away constantly, and she could draw out drops of water at will.

As a child, her first instinct had been to tell her parents.
But that very day, she witnessed Red Guards beating people, smashing ancestral altars, and burning things in the name of fighting “feudal superstition.”

Her parents told her the victims were being punished for practicing superstition and would be publicly criticized.
The young Song Youyou had been terrified—afraid she’d be next, and that her pendant would be destroyed.

She had always felt a natural bond with the jade. She didn’t want it to be broken.
So she kept its secret to herself from then on, always careful, always cautious.

She even gave the spring water a name: Spiritual Spring Water.

When applied directly to wounds, it could heal them instantly.
When diluted and added to drinking water, it would strengthen the body.
And just a drop added while cooking could make even the simplest meal smell and taste incredible.

In the Song family, her adoptive father was a government official and her adoptive mother a textile factory worker—both busy people. Once she was tall enough to reach the stove, she was the one cooking every day after school.

Every day, she’d add a single drop of spring water to the household water jar, enough for all their cooking and bathing needs.

Thanks to the spring water, no one in the Song family had ever gotten sick over the years, and their skin was better than most people’s by far.

After tending to her injury, Song Youyou opened her door and stepped out.

She immediately saw Gu Xiao standing alone in the living room, his dark eyes distant and cold, clearly deep in thought.

“Gu Xiao?” she called softly.

“Hm? You’re out?” Gu Xiao snapped out of it instantly. “I’ll go cook now. What would you like to eat?”

He pushed down all his emotions and spoke with a calm, relaxed tone.

“Anything’s fine,” Song Youyou nodded. “Why don’t we cook together?”

It was already quite late, and the sky had gone dark. She figured Gu Xiao must be hungry by now.
Cooking together would be faster.

When Gu Xiao heard her invitation, a spark of surprise and excitement flickered in his eyes.

She wanted to cook with him!

Did that mean… she was trying to get along with him too?
Did that mean… he had a place in her heart, not just He Wenqing?

Gu Xiao couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face.
“Okay, let’s cook together.”