Resplendent – Chapter 409

Chapter 409 — Competing for Affection?

“Do you like apples, Sister?” It was early autumn, the season when fruits ripen, so the apple in Gu Ye’s hand didn’t arouse any suspicion from Chu Mushan. He looked at his sister affectionately, watching her munch on the apple with delight, and said cheerfully, “On our Yantai estate, the apples are crisp and sweet. The harvest should be arriving soon. You can have as many as you want!” 

“Yantai estate? Besides apples, what else do you grow there? Do you have cherries?” Gu Ye couldn’t help but ask.

In her previous life, the Red Fuji apples from Yantai, Shandong were famous throughout China, and the large Shandong cherries were delicious too. 

 “Cherries? No, we don’t grow those! But if you like them, I’ll have a few trees moved there. By early summer next year, you’ll be able to eat fresh cherries!” Chu Mushan’s fair little face turned bright red. His sister had spoken to him! His sister finally wanted to talk to him! 

Gu Ye: … When did she ever not want to talk to him? She just didn’t know what to say!

Gu Ming, however, let out a derisive snort. “There is no need to plant any. My sister can already have all the fruit she wants!”

In the past two years, their household had never been short of fruit. Brother Ling knew his little sister loved fruit, so he kept sending local specialties and fruits from all over the country to their home without end. The exotic fruits shipped from the southern regions dazzled him with their variety.

Transporting fruit from the south often meant that more than half would spoil on the way. Even so, their house never once ran out of fruit. His sister once said that a single crate of lychees shipped to Yan City would cost at least a hundred taels of silver. And that wasn’t even the most expensive kind! Brother Ling was truly generous!

But the thought that Brother Ling harbored improper intentions toward his sister left him irritated again. Looking at the young girl who had already grown into a graceful beauty, Gu Ming couldn’t help but feel a pang of melancholy — ‘My little girl has grown up.’ 

His sister was picky and loved good food; fruit was an essential part of her diet. She was not easy to care for. If someone had to dote on her, it might as well be Brother Ling. At least he could afford her tastes and was willing to spoil her.

But now, his sister had suddenly become someone else’s daughter. As for her future marriage, neither he nor his grandfather would have any say in it! 

Brother Ling, you’re on your own now!

Seeing that her two brothers were about to start arguing again, Gu Ye quickly pressed her fingers against her temples. “Oh no, my head hurts. Maybe I’ve gotten heatstroke…” 

The two young men panicked immediately. Gu Ming hurriedly pulled open all the carriage curtains, while Chu Mushan used his own outer robe to fan air toward his sister. The whole carriage instantly turned into a scene of flustered chaos.

“Are you feeling any better? Once we get back to the manor, Father will send his calling card to invite an imperial physician. Just hold on a little longer…” Chu Mushan fanned his sister anxiously, his face full of worry. 

A cool breeze drifted in through the carriage window. It was quite a pleasant day. How could his sister have gotten heatstroke? She must have inherited her mother’s frail constitution.

“No need. Just let me rest quietly for a bit. I’ll be fine soon!” Gu Ye murmured. She closed her eyes again, holding the half-eaten apple in her hand, unsure whether to keep eating it or not. 

Alas! To keep her two brothers from fighting, she really had it tough!

The carriage rumbled along for nearly half an hour before moving from the eastern part of the city into the West District. The west side was home to high-ranking officials, noble families of military merit, and members of the royal clan. The streets were wide and well-paved, and the buildings on both sides were grand and imposing. 

Gu Ye guessed they must be close to their destination, and her ‘heatstroke’ symptoms quickly ‘subsided.’ She leaned eagerly out the window, curious and full of energy again.

Huh? That young lady in red, just stepping out of a carriage up ahead — she looked very familiar. She was walking this way…

Oh! A flash of recognition lit up Gu Ye’s mind. She suddenly remembered who that person was.

“Second Brother Chu! Second Brother Chu! It’s Fu’an County Princess!” Gu Ye said with a mischievous glint in her eyes, leaning toward the carriage window and winking at Chu Mufeng, who was riding alongside the carriage.

Chu Mufeng sighed helplessly and reached over to gently push her small head back inside. “What do you mean ‘Second Brother Chu’? Just call me Second Brother!”

“Second Brother,” Gu Ye obediently corrected herself, then added teasingly, “your rotten peach blossom has come calling!”

“Lady Fuan?” Chu Mushan poked his head over to look outside. When he caught sight of the young noblewoman, he curled his lip and said disdainfully, “Someone that spoiled and rude? Hmph! She can forget about marrying into our family for the rest of her life! I already made an agreement with our five older brothers. When we take wives, they must be gentle, virtuous, respectful to elders, and most importantly—” he thumped his chest, “they must be good to our little sister! So, before we find our sister, none of us are going to get married!”

“If you’d never found your sister, were all of you planning to stay bachelors forever? That’s ridiculous!” Gu Ye felt touched by their devotion, though she also thought her brothers were being a bit too extreme. 

Could that really be why Chu Muhua, already in his twenties, still hadn’t married?

“Well, we’ve found her now, haven’t we?” Chu Mushan grinned, showing his teeth as he began telling stories about their eldest brother. “You don’t know how miserable Big Brother’s been while recuperating at home! Every day, Father and Mother come up with new ways to pressure him into marriage. When Mother’s feeling well, she hosts flower-viewing gatherings and invites all the young ladies of the capital. But really, it’s just an excuse to find Big Brother a match!”

“As a result, Big Brother ran off to the racecourse in the outskirts of the capital. He’d rather gamble on horses with the city’s most notorious playboys than stay home and endure the matchmaking. Mother was so angry she cried, and Father lashed Big Brother with a whip out of fury. Then Mother’s heart ached for him, and she started giving Father the cold shoulder…”

“Second Brother isn’t that young either, right? It’s about time he started thinking about marriage,” Gu Ye said, peeking through the small gap in the carriage window.

Outside, she spotted the haughty Lady Fu’an acting all shy and ladylike in front of Chu Mufeng. The sight was so absurd that she nearly choked, spraying apple bits everywhere.

Hearing a girl’s cough from inside the carriage, Lady Fu’an’s expression immediately darkened. 

A young woman personally escorted by Second Young Master Chu? That could only mean she held a special place in his heart. Who was she? Which foolish girl dared compete with her for a man?

Her eyes flicked toward the carriage: an unmarked, ordinary green-curtained coach, the kind any commoner might use. Could it be that Chu Mufeng had fallen for a girl from an ordinary family? Would the Duke ever allow that?

“Eat slower, careful not to choke,” Chu Mushan said softly, patting his sister’s back with concern. When she stopped coughing, he continued, “Second Brother reached adulthood last year. But he’s sly. He keeps pushing the matter away, saying, ‘Elders first, juniors later,’ using seniority as an excuse to dodge marriage! Third Brother is two years younger than Second Brother. With two older brothers in front of him, he has even less to worry about!”

Gu Ye finished her apple, then leaned her little head out the carriage window — only to lock eyes with a pair of venomous glares. Before she could react, the owner of those hostile eyes had already snatched a riding crop from a servant and began whipping it toward the carriage window.

“Watch out, sister!” Gu Ye barely had time to register before Gu Ming yanked her back into the carriage. The whip’s tip was caught by Chu Mushan.

Chu Mushan put his strength into it and wrested the crop from Lady Fu’an’s hand. He glanced back at his sister; seeing she was unharmed, he exhaled in relief. 

Angrily he climbed down from the carriage, flung the riding crop to the ground at Lady Fu’an’s feet, and glared at her fiercely: “You woman, how can you be so vicious? If that whip had hit someone in the eye, wouldn’t you have blinded them?”