Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"Where's Shen Yuan?"

Ji Ping'an showed up at the teahouse entrance, drenched in sweat and out of breath, catching everyone's attention in the main hall.

Fang Zaoshang reacted quickly, pointing upstairs. "He's upstairs with the manager."

Ji Ping'an made straight for the second floor, his feet pounding on the stairs.

Shen Yuan and Ji Xingwang, who were in the private room, heard the racket and looked at the door, about to go out and see what was happening.

Before either could budge, Ji Ping'an burst in, looking anxiously at Shen Yuan. "Go back and pack your things. Take your little brother and sister and come with me."

Shen Yuan was confused, but seeing how frantic Ji Ping'an was, he could tell something was seriously wrong.

He glanced at Ji Xingwang, who was standing there awkwardly, not knowing whether to leave or stay, wishing he was deaf. "Manager, could you give us a moment? I need to have a word with Brother Ping'an. Don't let anyone come up."

Relieved, Ji Xingwang nodded hastily, promising to keep an eye out, and immediately left the room to take up a post at the top of the stairs.

Shen Yuan pulled Ji Ping'an over, urging him to sit down first.

It was rare to see Ji Ping'an so agitated. Shen Yuan was worried too. He used his sleeve to wipe away the sweat that kept beading on Ji Ping'an's forehead, his voice soft. "Brother Ping'an, what's wrong?"

"Fifth Granduncle taking an interest in your storytelling has made my parents greedy and murderous." Ji Ping'an's frown deepened as he looked at Shen Yuan, but his gaze seemed to see right through him to someone else, a pained look crossing his face. "I'm getting you out of Qingyun County to somewhere safe. No matter what, I'll keep you safe."

Shen Yuan lowered his eyes as understanding dawned.

Running away was meaningless.

Of course, Ji Ping'an knew this too, but he was terrified.

"But if you stay in Qingyun County, I might not be able to guarantee your safety."

For his parents to target someone powerless in Qingyun County would be as easy as drinking water.

"Brother Ping'an, are you saying that for our safety, you would even oppose your own parents and leave home?" Shen Yuan asked softly. "But what if Patriarch Ji sends people after us even in a new place? What if there's still danger?"

Ji Ping'an replied without hesitation, "I'll stand guard. As long as I live, I won't let the Ji family lay a finger on you."

Shen Yuan was deeply moved, but endless doubts also arose. The questions that had been accumulating finally had to be asked.

"Brother Ping'an, I meant to ask you that day at the dock. Why did you suddenly want to take me in as a brother? Was it just to plead for me? And why are you going to such lengths for me today?"

Ji Ping'an was silent. After a long moment, he said quietly, "I'm sorry, Xiao Yuan."

"I... I privately saw you as someone else."

Shen Yuan patted Ji Ping'an's back soothingly and asked, "Do you want to talk about it, Brother Ping'an?"

The fear Ji Ping'an had suppressed for years was violently torn open today by his parents' ruthlessness.

It made him unable to maintain his composure or think things through normally. He just wanted to hide and protect this person.

Ji Ping'an felt he couldn't hold on any longer.

He lowered his head and leaned weakly against Shen Yuan's thin shoulder.

"It was my younger brother, Ji Pingdong."

After Zhao Yueyun married into the Ji family, she lost several children due to schemes, making it difficult for her to conceive.

After many years of marriage, she finally gave birth to a daughter, but then went many more years without another child.

When she finally gave birth to a legitimate son, securing her position as the primary wife, she became extremely strict with her daughter and son.

Especially with Ji Ping'an.

He was the legitimate heir, Zhao Yueyun's hope.

Twelve years ago, Ji Ping'an was ten years old.

Having lived in the Ji family for ten years, he knew he had many siblings, but aside from his own full sister, he had never met any of them.

Zhao Yueyun did not allow the children born to concubines to approach Ji Ping'an.

Until the autumn of that year, when a concubine in the household passed away from illness.

Since she was a dancer from another country, she was wrapped in a straw mat after her death and discarded in a mass burial ground. No one cared.

Ji Ping'an didn't even know about this.

One day, Ji Ping'an woke up hungry. Not wanting to call for servants, he went to the small kitchen himself to find something to eat.

It was there that he first met Ji Pingdong.

The son of that deceased concubine. After his mother's death, with no one to care for him and a father who showed no affection, the child was starving and had to scavenge for food everywhere.

A five-year-old child, emaciated beyond recognition, with severely sunken eyes and cheeks.

Seeing someone approach, Ji Pingdong knew he couldn't run and simply squatted on the ground. He protected his head with one hand while desperately stuffing vegetable scraps, still covered in dirt, into his mouth with the other.

Ji Ping'an stepped forward and reached out to pull the vegetable roots from the child's mouth.

Thinking he was about to be beaten, Ji Pingdong quickly covered his head with both hands and curled up on the ground.

After a slight pause, Ji Ping'an used some force to pull the roots away and said expressionlessly, "You can't eat this."

Hearing his voice, Ji Pingdong suddenly let go of his hands. He looked at Ji Ping'an with bright, shining eyes and called out, "Brother Ping'an!"

Although Ji Ping'an didn't recognize his siblings, all the other children in the household knew what he looked like.

If they accidentally encountered him on a path, they had to make way.

This was the rule Zhao Yueyun had established.

Ji Ping'an frowned in confusion. He didn't recognize the child before him.

"You know me?"

Ji Pingdong nodded, grinning widely. His small teeth were coated in mud. "I'm hungry. Brother Ping'an gave me sesame pancakes to eat."

Ji Ping'an thought for a moment, recalling the incident.

Not long before, he had bought sesame pancakes from outside. But his mother forbade him from eating street food and made him throw them away with his own hands as a lesson.

Those were sesame pancakes he had been craving for a long time, but he could not disobey his mother's words.

He had no choice but to carefully select a spot that he thought was scenic to go and bury the sesame flatbread.

Unexpectedly, a child popped out from the grass. Seeing the child's frail appearance and eyes glued to the sesame flatbread, Ji Pingan tossed it into the child's hands.

Too upset to take a good look at the child's face, Ji Pingan never imagined it was his brother.

The boy still remembered him.

Ji Pingan dug out a portion of rice cakes from a cabinet, sat on the ground, and handed one to the drooling child.

"What's your name?"

Mouth full of rice cake, the child mumbled but responded immediately, "Brother Ping'an, my name is Pingdong—it means born in winter."

Ji Pingan nodded.

The two shared the plate of rice cakes without further words.

Every day after that, Ji Pingan would quietly get up at night to see if his winter-born brother was searching for food in the small kitchen.

Half a month later, Ji Pingan saw Ji Pingdong in the small kitchen again.

Still skin and bones, Ji Pingdong’s eyes lit up at the sight of Ji Pingan. He proudly pulled out a cold, hardened flatbread like it was a precious treasure.

"Brother Ping'an, I washed Xiao Ye's clothes today, and he rewarded me with this sesame flatbread. It's super delicious. I saved it for you."

Ji Pingan looked down at the flatbread, then at Ji Pingdong, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. "I have rice cakes to eat. Why save this for me?"

"It's tasty. I wanted to share it with you," Ji Pingdong said with a smile.

Ji Pingan took the sesame flatbread and gave Ji Pingdong a plate of rice cakes. "If you don't have good food in the future, you can come to me."

Ji Pingdong’s mouth fell open in surprise before he threw himself into Ji Pingan's arms. "Brother Ping'an, you're the best!"

Unaccustomed to such closeness, Ji Pingan was at a loss, letting the child hug him.

Their bond grew stronger. Ji Pingdong would affectionately call him "Brother Ping'an" every time they met, and when happy, he would pounce into Ji Pingan's arms and nuzzle against him like a kitten.

Seeing his brother put on a little meat under his care, Ji Pingan pinched the child's cheek and smiled.

When winter came, it was Ji Pingdong's birthday.

When Ji Pingan asked what he wanted, Ji Pingdong said he wished to go outside and see—he had never left the Ji family estate.

Ji Pingan nodded and agreed.

Keeping it a secret from Zhao Yueyun, Ji Pingan took only his personal attendant along.

Unexpectedly, they were snatched by thugs in broad daylight. The servant failed to catch up and rushed back to the Ji family to report.

During the journey, Ji Pingdong managed to use his teeth to gnaw through the ropes binding Ji Pingan. With no time left, Ji Pingan couldn't free Ji Pingdong.

"Brother Ping'an, run! Go back and get help to save me. Just go!"

"Xiao Dong, wait for me. I'll definitely come back to save you!"

"I believe you, Brother."

Ji Pingan ran all the way home, where the chaotic Ji household finally fell silent.

As he was about to collapse from exhaustion, he said to his father, Ji Mingfeng, who held him, "Dad, the old post station outside the city... Xiao Dong is there. Save him..."

Upon waking, Ji Pingan's first question was about Ji Pingdong's whereabouts.

No one answered.

Under persistent questioning, Ji Mingfeng said, "We sent people. The kidnappers demanded a ransom. Giving in once will only lead to more demands. They'll never really return him."

"Dad, did you even try?" Ji Pingan asked.

Ji Mingfeng frowned. "Who would fall for such an obvious scam? It's just throwing money away."

"So, you didn't even try? You just gave up?" Ji Pingan cried out in despair. "He's your son! A human life! Why not try? Why?"

Fearing Ji Pingan would annoy Ji Mingfeng, Zhao Yueyun stepped forward and embraced her son. "My child, the world is about to fall into chaos. Our family's money is reserved for emergencies and survival. We truly can't spare any to save him."

Ji Pingan refused to listen further. He was determined to save his brother.

Pushing Zhao Yueyun aside, he rushed toward the door, only to be stopped by servants summoned by Ji Mingfeng. "As a son of the Ji family, you must prioritize the family's interests! Every person in the Ji family has their own value. Ji Pingdong's life isn't worth hundreds of taels! Besides, if you hadn't recklessly taken him out, this wouldn't have happened! Instead of blaming yourself, you're blaming your parents!"

Ji Pingan felt dizzy, his vision darkening, a metallic taste rising in his throat. He spat out blood but forced himself to keep moving.

He had promised to save his brother.

A dozen servants surrounded him, pulling and restraining him.

That day was bitterly cold. His mother's slaps struck his face, his father's wooden ruler beat his body. He lost track of how long it lasted, eventually feeling nothing. In the end, he couldn't hold on, couldn't leave the Ji family, and collapsed unconscious.

Ji Pingan's voice grew hoarse, his emotions nearing a breaking point. "The kidnappers, for whatever reason, later dumped Xiao Dong's body at the Ji family's gate. My parents found it inauspicious and threw it into the mass graves. I sneaked out at midnight, searched for a long time, found him, and buried him in the mountains."

"Xiao Yuan, you're so much like Xiao Dong. In temperament and actions. From the moment you called me Brother Ping'an, I couldn't distinguish between you and Xiao Dong anymore."

Every time he saw Shen Yuan, Ji Pingan felt both anticipation and fear.

He longed to see Shen Yuan, who resembled his brother, yet feared his deceased brother would resent him even more.

But he couldn't help seeing Shen Yuan, couldn't help being good to him.

Until he heard Shen Yuan say that immortal fate was real, and so were ghosts.

But why, in twelve years, had his brother never appeared even once?

Did he hate him, blame him, so much that he refused to see him again? For twelve years, not even a single dream of Ji Pingdong.

"That fool," Ji Pingan whispered, tears falling, his voice raspy. "He still called me Brother."

"I asked him if he blamed me, if that's why he never appeared. He said no—he was afraid that seeing me would make it hard to let go and move on."

"He said he had to leave and told me to live well."

"But how am I supposed to live?"

"I caused his death. I failed to protect him, failed to keep my promise."

Shen Yuan finally understood why, after returning from the neighboring county, Ji Pingan had wanted to recognize him as a brother.

It was a spiritual anchor, the very pillar that gave him the will to live.

Now he understood why Ji Pingan had been so unusual today—why he had been willing to fight for his safety at any cost, even if it meant opposing his own parents.

He truly saw him as a younger brother and refused to let the tragedy repeat itself.

Shen Yuan pulled Ji Pingan into a hug. "Brother, I'll buy you sesame flatbreads from now on. Let's keep living—we'll live on together."

Ji Pingan wept silently, his tears soaking through the collar of Shen Yuan’s robe. "You don’t blame me for selfishly treating you as Xiao Dong?"

Shen Yuan shook his head and said firmly, "I only know that you are genuinely good to me. You love and protect me as your own brother."

At these words, the sting in Ji Pingan’s nose intensified. He buried his face deeper and wrapped his arms tightly around Shen Yuan.

The cage that had confined him for twelve years had never been locked. As for that farewell dream, Ji Pingan would never know if it was truly the ghost of Ji Pingdong bidding him a final goodbye.

But in this moment of endless falling, a pair of hands grabbed him, pulling him out of the deep, dark abyss.

"Thank you, Xiao Yuan."

I'm sorry, Xiao Dong.

In the North Country, there are tales of ghosts, of past lives and future rebirths.

I hope your next life is smooth and peaceful, and that you grow up healthy.