Chapter 22 Chapter 22

Chapter 22

1

Catching the look on Lin Chenxin's face out of the corner of his eye, Chen Gujun's eyes glimmered slightly. His fingertips gently brushed the tassels hanging from the lantern, sending the colorful strands shimmering with a radiant beauty under the sunlight.

Lin Chenxin: "..."

She pounced over, flailing her arms.

"No showing off in front of me!"

Chen Gujun raised the lantern in his hand higher, looking down at the indignant expression on Lin Chenxin's face.

The faint, almost imperceptible smile in his eyes softened Lin Chenxin's heart. She stopped her movements, her heart pounding wildly.

The air grew quiet, and the breeze blowing past felt exceptionally gentle.

Chen Gujun was momentarily spellbound, only snapping back to reality when the lantern was suddenly snatched from his hand. He watched Lin Chenxin's movements.

He saw Lin Chenxin swinging the lantern back and forth, saying happily, "This is mine now."

She toyed with the colorful tassels, grinning triumphantly in front of Chen Gujun.

Chen Gujun gazed deeply into her bright eyes, which were dazzling even in the shade.

His eyelashes quivered slightly, and he pursed his lips lightly, quietly going back to working on the lantern.

His snow-white hair cascaded over his shoulders. A sudden gust of wind ruffled the strands at his temples, blowing the snowy locks over his high-bridged nose before they settled on his chest, partially obscuring his face.

A hand reached out and brushed aside the hair near his cheek, followed by a pair of crystal-clear eyes peering at him.

He glanced sideways, then gently averted his gaze.

With his unhurried movements, a small, exquisite lantern took shape in his hands.

A soft, wondering exclamation came from beside him, tinged with playful, barely suppressed laughter.

"You're such a homemaker!"

Chen Gujun's movements paused. He picked up a bamboo strip and tapped the hand that had brushed his hair, not too lightly, not too heavily.

A crisp laugh rang out by his ear.

Not long after, she said excitedly again, "Let's hang a row of wind chimes under the eaves of the corridor!"

He lifted his eyes slightly but said nothing.

Yet, whatever she wanted, he would always fulfill it for her.

—

The old doctor had been conservative.

It didn't take three days at all for Lin Chenxin to regain her vitality.

In fact, after two days of consuming various tonics like red ginseng and bird's nest, her complexion had become much rosier.

She squatted in the backyard, looking troubled as she stared at the ground before her.

The previous heavy rain had pounded the muddy earth, leaving pit after pit. After the rain cleared and the sun shone, the land was baked dry, cracking into irregular clods of soil.

Forget sprouting; many of the seeds inside were probably dead.

Lin Chenxin sighed, straightened up, and still used the hoe to loosen the soil.

Just in case.

She always thought this way.

By the time she finished, it wasn't dark yet.

Perhaps because summer had truly arrived, the temperature had risen considerably.

Lin Chenxin had been healthy since childhood and wasn't afraid of the cold, but the Chen family seemed accustomed to solemn and formal attire. Wearing it made her feel tight, sticky, and uncomfortable.

Unwilling to dress so properly—as if it constrained even her soul—she took matters into her own hands and cut her pants.

Just then, a knock came at the door. She went straight over and opened it.

Chen Gujun, holding a tray, froze in place the moment he saw her. His gaze darted from the water droplets on her neck to her fair calves, then immediately averted, staring rigidly ahead.

Lin Chenxin sighed and said, "I feel like all these tonics might be overdoing it."

She was actually somewhat reluctant to drink it anymore.

But Chen Gujun seemed to think her body still wasn't strong enough.

It seemed that ever since the day she praised Chen Gujun for being well-read and exceptionally capable, he had started preparing tonics for her daily.

Seeing Chen Gujun standing stiffly, his eyes looking past her head straight ahead, she followed his gaze and turned around, only to see the patched-up window.

She was puzzled, wondering what was so interesting about a broken window.

"Are you coming in?"

She stepped aside from the doorway.

Hearing her voice, Chen Gujun seemed to snap out of his daze. He took the bowl from her hand and was about to leave.

She looked at her empty palm, paused for a moment, and said, "I haven't drunk it yet."

Chen Gujun's steps halted. He placed the bowl back into her hand.

She suddenly found it somewhat amusing and looked up, asking, "What's wrong with you?"

Chen Gujun didn't speak. His ink-black eyes glanced at her, then quickly looked away.

She didn't understand and looked at him with confusion.

But Chen Gujun remained steadfast, eyes fixed downward, refusing to look at her.

After a good while, Lin Chenxin finally realized something. Her expression froze, and she widened her eyes, saying, "I only cut these pants to the knee."

Chen Gujun said, "It's cold."

"I'm not cold."

"The medicine is getting cold."

Lin Chenxin: "..."

She drained the bowl of medicine in one go, watching as Chen Gujun wordlessly took the bowl and left.

"Wait," she called out to him.

Chen Gujun stopped in his tracks.

But Lin Chenxin's voice died in her throat.

In truth, she didn't even know why she had called out to him. The words were out before she knew it.

Chen Gujun stood motionless, his back to her, as if waiting for her to speak.

She stood still for a moment, then walked toward him, only to see him turn his face away, his hand hanging at his side clenching tightly.

Seeing this, a flicker passed through her eyes, a strange, subtle feeling stirring in her heart.

'Why is he so easily embarrassed?'

"It's like you've never seen anything before..." she said teasingly with a laugh, taking his hand, but then she suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Chen Gujun really hadn't seen much of anything.

His world was only as big as this courtyard.

Someone who would silently copy Buddhist scriptures had never witnessed the bustle of the city nor experienced the vanity of the secular world.

The books in the study taught him to become a reserved and upright gentleman, but they also closed his ears and locked his eyes.

She wanted to say something, but she saw Chen Gujun press his lips together tightly, his face holding an expression unlike any she had seen before.

She immediately froze in place.

This was the first time she had seen such a vivid expression on Chen Gujun's face.

"So you're not completely numb to everything," she murmured to herself.

No wonder she thought so.

No scent had ever clung to Chen Gujun; his skin was deathly pale, even cold to the touch, devoid of a living person's warmth.

More than once, she had thought that Chen Gujun's body seemed like a moving corpse that was somehow alive.

But now, things seemed different.

"Then... then you..."

Lin Chenxin opened her mouth, her gaze dropping of its own accord. At the memory, her face grew redder and redder.

She had even wondered, once...

Chen Gujun closed his eyes for a moment, then looked at Lin Chenxin with a deep, inscrutable gaze.

He wasn't entirely dead, after all.

Lin Chenxin found her hand empty, watching as Chen Gujun strode straight into the study, still holding the bowl, without even going to the kitchen first.

"Well..." she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

A moment later, she scrubbed at her burning face, peering out between her fingers to look ahead.

So, Chen Gujun wasn't so strange after all.

She quickly closed her eyes, burying her face in her hands again.

Meanwhile, back in the study, Chen Gujun sat in a chair, lifting a hand to his forehead. His long hair spilled down, covering his face and revealing only his tightly pressed lips.

Setting aside all the unusual aspects...

He was also a mature man.

After a moment's thought, he slowly lowered his hand, his dark eyes staring fixedly ahead, his Adam's apple bobbing uncontrollably.

But when he saw his own hand, his expression froze, and a chill seemed to settle around him.

He lowered his eyelashes, silently staring at the glaring sigils on the back of his hand, slowly clenching his fingers.

Just then, the sound of footsteps pacing back and forth came from outside, as if someone was pacing restlessly along the corridor.

He turned his head to look out the window. Under the red lanterns, a figure's shadow fell across the study door.

His heart clenched, his fingers abruptly tightening. His sharp nails dug into his palm, oozing dark red blood.

A thick, coppery scent of blood overwhelmed the ink fragrance in the room. He leaned his head back, eyes closed for a brief moment. When he opened them again, his gaze was calm, yet as deep and unfathomable as a tranquil lake.

And the faint glimmer in his eyes had completely sunk to the bottom of the lake, vanishing without a trace.

——

Lin Chenxin slept fitfully that night.

When she woke in the morning, dawn had not yet broken, but she couldn't fall back asleep. Wanting to keep busy, she picked up a watering can and went to the backyard.

Although she didn't know whether those seeds were dead or alive, she still clung to a sliver of hope.

After watering, the sky was fully bright.

The cool breeze soothed her restlessness. She stretched, feeling refreshed, and walked toward the front courtyard.

But as soon as she stepped out, she saw a servant standing at the courtyard gate, looking as if they had been there for quite some time.

Upon seeing her, the servant hurriedly said, "Young Mistress, the Master requests your presence."

Lin Chenxin's brows and eyes moved slightly.

Mr. Chen wanted to see her?

How unusual.

Her eyes darkened slightly as she replied calmly, "Understood. I'll go change my clothes."

As she left, Lin Chenxin threw a glance back over her shoulder and saw that the study door was still closed.

Whenever there were other people in the courtyard, Chen Gujun would always make himself scarce.

It was almost funny.

The person they feared had never truly posed a threat to them.

Leaving the Gentleman's Courtyard, Lin Chenxin wasn't taken to the main hall but was led instead to the Shufang Study in the rear courtyard.

She followed the servant with a calm expression.

When they reached the study door, the servant knocked respectfully, then pushed it open and stood aside to usher her in.

Lin Chenxin glanced at the servant and stepped over the threshold.

The door closed behind her, blocking the light that had filtered in.

She glanced back briefly, her face betraying nothing.

Inside, only Mr. Chen was present, his back turned to her as he faced a calligraphy scroll on the wall.

It bore only four bold, sweeping characters:

— Honor the Past, Enrich the Future.

Yet the sharp strokes here seemed not merely a compliment but more like a warning.

Do not disgrace your ancestors, nor let future generations curse your name.

Lin Chenxin took only a glance before shifting her gaze to the large desk.

There lay a large tray, neatly arranged with countless leaves.

"Three hundred and sixty-five leaves in all, one for each day of the year."

Mr. Chen turned to face her.