Chapter 123: Caught in the Act
“Mother!” The door opened, and Gong Changan rushed in like an arrow.
Gong Xu was startled and involuntarily loosened his grip, allowing Wen Mingqian to break free.
“You… cough… weren’t you with Grandmother? Why are you here so late?” Gong Xu said unnaturally.
“Father, your son has written an article,” Gong Changan said, calmly hiding the small dagger back into his sleeve. “I need to show it to the Tutor in a few days, but I’m not confident, so I wanted to ask Father to point out any errors first.”
“Uh, this… let’s talk about it tomorrow!” Gong Xu had no interest in critiquing an article; he just wanted to reconcile with Wen Mingqian.
But Zhang Ma and the others had also returned by then. Upon seeing the situation, Zhang Ma immediately understood and said, “Madam, that gold brocade is missing from the storeroom in the back courtyard. Should we search for it tonight or tomorrow?”
“That gold brocade was originally meant for Old Madam’s clothes after autumn. How could it be missing?” Wen Mingqian said as she walked out. “Where is the person in charge of the storeroom?”
Gong Xu watched, somewhat dumbfounded, as Wen Mingqian led a group of people out. He opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a single word.
“Father, why don’t you look at my article then?” Gong Changan said to him with some helplessness.
“I had some wine today, another day!” Gong Xu suddenly deflated like a leaky ball and walked out dejectedly.
Gong Changan followed him without a sound. At this moment, Gong Xu had no one by his side, and the night was dark.
Gong Changan spotted a cobblestone the size of a fist near the lotus pond. He secretly exerted force with his foot, kicking it towards where Gong Xu was about to step.
Gong Xu was walking along when he unexpectedly slipped, cried out, and fell into the lotus pond with a splash.
Gong Changan watched coldly as he thrashed in the water a few times before shouting, “This is bad! Master has fallen into the pond! Someone, quickly!”
Yun Ying heard a servant say that Gong Xu had gone to Wen Mingqian’s courtyard and hurried over. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw everyone pulling a drenched Gong Xu out of the pond.
“Master, what happened?” Yun Ying quickly stepped forward.
Gong Xu had no time to answer her. He gasped, “Be gentle, everyone. I can’t put weight on my right foot; I think I’ve sprained it.”
People brought lanterns and rolled up his trouser leg. At first glance, nothing seemed amiss, but he himself felt excruciating pain.
“Quick, quick! Bring the carrying stool and carry Master to my room,” Yun Ying ordered. “And go invite a doctor.”
After a flurry of activity, Gong Xu was carried into Yun Ying’s room. Yun Ying wiped him clean and changed his clothes.
By the time the doctor arrived, Gong Xu’s ankle had swollen to be thicker than his calf.
“It’s alright, it’s alright, no bones are broken,” the doctor said after a thorough examination. “However, it is a sprain of the tendons, and you will need to rest well for some days. Be very careful with this foot injury; it bears the weight of your entire body and is the most difficult to heal. If not treated properly, it could lead to a lifelong ailment.”
Afterward, he wrote a prescription and left the external liniment for bruises and sprains.
Yun Ying opened a cabinet, gave the doctor his consultation fee, and ordered someone to escort him back.
It was already past midnight. Wen Mingqian had only sent Zhang Ma to check in, offering a few perfunctory words.
Gong Xu’s heart felt heavier than his leg at this moment. He understood that Wen Mingqian’s heart had truly grown cold. He had hurt her too deeply; how could he expect her to return to him so quickly?
“Master, you should try to sleep a little,” Yun Ying said softly. “If you sleep, the pain might lessen.”
“Yun Ying, if someone hurt you, would you still forgive them?” Gong Xu couldn’t sleep and tried to probe Yun Ying with his words. In truth, he was using Yun Ying as a substitute for Wen Mingqian, knowing he wouldn’t get an answer from Wen Mingqian herself.
“That would depend on who it was and how deep the hurt was,” Yun Ying replied without revealing her emotions. “If it were my parents, who raised me, even if they hurt me, I could endure it.
Besides them, if it were someone who had shown me great kindness, even if they hurt me, I would consider it repaying their kindness, until it was fully repaid.
If it were brothers or sisters, considering the bond of blood, I could yield seventy percent. However, if they did not regard me as a sibling, then that bond would be broken. Though named brother or sister, in reality, they would be no different from strangers from two lifetimes.
As for anything else, it all depends on one’s own conscience. When two people are in harmony, affection is slowly cultivated.”
“What about between husband and wife?” Gong Xu asked.
“Marriage is naturally a destined bond. Two people who were originally unrelated become the closest pair in the world. It is said that a night as husband and wife creates a hundred days of kindness, and also that young couples grow old together.
Although I haven’t studied for many years, I know a saying: husband and wife are the closest and yet the furthest in this world. If their hearts are united, they can face any danger together. If discord arises, even sleeping in the same bed, they will each harbor their own secrets.
If one party hurts the other, and the hurt is deep, how easy is it to return to how things were before?”
“Is it truly impossible to return to how things were? Even with sincere efforts to make amends?” Gong Xu was unwilling to accept this.
“While wound medicine is good, it’s better not to be injured at all,” Yun Ying said, lowering her head and not looking at Gong Xu. “To say ‘return to how things were’ is merely for the person who was wronged to continue to be wronged.”
Gong Xu’s sore spot had been hit, and he stopped asking further questions, lying down dejectedly on the pillow and turning to face inward.
In fact, he didn’t need to ask Yun Ying; he knew it in his heart. He had simply been unwilling to think about it deeply until now.
The former Wen Mingqian had shown him no pretense, but he hadn’t liked that.
The current Wen Mingqian was the model wife and mother in the eyes of the world: gentle and amiable, skilled in managing the household, filial to elders, and intelligent and beautiful.
However, her heart was now far, far away from him. No matter what he did, she maintained that indifferent, lukewarm attitude.
Yun Ying knew that tonight would not be a peaceful sleep, so she didn’t bother to undress.
Due to his foot injury, Gong Xu was in a state of semi-sleep.
In his dreams, Wen Mingqian always walked ahead of him, not too close, not too far, about three or four steps apart. They appeared to be within reach, but when he stretched out his hand, he couldn’t touch her.
Gong Xu wanted to walk faster to catch up to her, but his legs refused to move, no matter how hard he tried.
He wanted to call out to Wen Mingqian, but for some reason, his throat was hoarse, and he couldn’t make a sound.
He was going mad with anxiety in his dream, yet he was powerless.
Yun Ying listened to Gong Xu’s murmurs, gently turned over, and covered her ears.
Only when Gong Xu suddenly kicked out, hitting his injured spot and crying out in pain, did she get up and say, “Master, what’s wrong? Would you like some tea?”
“What time is it? Why isn’t it dawn yet?” Gong Xu asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“It’s still early, only the fourth watch,” Yun Ying said softly. “Master should sleep a little longer! After dawn, have breakfast, then take your medicine, and the pain should be somewhat better.”
Gong Xu had no choice but to drink some tea and lie down again.
But his heart felt as if it were being pressed down by a stone, and every beat seemed to require great effort.
