Resplendent – Chapter 437

Chapter 437: Am I Dreaming?

“You? Xiaoliu? Do you even know what you’re saying? Claiming a sister out of nowhere? Stop interrupting!” Jun Qicheng thought that his cousin, just two months younger than him, was teasing him. Did he have the mind to play along right now?

Gu Ye rolled her eyes, scooted to the side, had a maid pull up a stool, and called out loudly, “Brother Cheng, you’ve run across most of the capital. What a tough journey! Haven’t eaten yet, right? If you don’t mind, why not have some hotpot together?” 

Jun Qicheng’s frantic expression froze on his face. Following the voice, he saw—sure enough—it was his Sister Ye. 

How could she be at his aunt’s residence? Glancing around the dining table, he saw that Grandpa Gu and Brother Ming were also there. The tension in his body suddenly released, his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

Jun Qicheng plopped down on the stool next to Gu Ye in bewilderment and asked, “What’s going on? Just now, what was that about Xiaoliu claiming a sister? There’s no way that’s real, right? You recognized someone else as your brother again? I’m so heartbroken. I thought I would be your only sworn brother!”

Chu Xiaowu snapped at him, “What sworn brother? Ye’er is our real little sister, our legitimate sister! Xiao Cheng, were you out of your mind? Look how much our little sister and Xiaoliu look alike, and you didn’t even recognize her! You made her drift around outside for years!” 

“Aunt, Ye’er is our little cousin who got lost outside? It can’t be such a coincidence, can it?” Jun Qicheng couldn’t believe his ears and quickly turned to his aunt for confirmation.

Lady Jun couldn’t eat hotpot, but seeing everyone enjoying their meal so much, her appetite was surprisingly good, and she even drank half a bowl more porridge than usual.  Hearing this, she smiled at her nephew and nodded. “Xiaowu is right. My Bao’er, your little cousin has been found! Our family is finally reunited!” 

Jun Qicheng felt as if he were dreaming and murmured, “This is too incredible. The sister I recognized really is my sister…”

“What do you mean ‘your sister’? She’s clearly our sister! No share for you!” Chu Xiaoliu, sitting to Gu Ye’s left, eagerly picked up a slice of tripe for his sister. “I cooked this one, just like you said—‘seven up, eight down.’ Try it, sister.”

Gu Ye dipped it in the sauce, slowly savored it, and nodded. “Not bad. But it’s a little undercooked. If you boil it a bit longer, the texture will be even better!” 

Jun Qicheng rolled his eyes at Chu Xiaoliu and said, “Cousin is also my sister. Ye’er, could you cook me a piece of tripe to try?” 

Chu Xiaoliu pushed a whole plate of tripe toward him and said irritably, “Do it yourself! Sisters are for cherishing and pampering, not for bossing around. If she has to cook a slice for every brother, she’ll get exhausted!” 

Gu Ye chuckled. “I’m not as delicate as you think, Sixth Brother…”

“That doesn’t work either. You are my legitimate little sister. If no one else cherishes you, I will! Sister, eat the lamb. The cooks in our household may not be great at everything, but their knife skills are pretty good.” Chu Xiaoliu cooked the lamb slices and placed them in Gu Ye’s dipping sauce bowl. 

“Thank you for caring about me, Sixth Brother. I’ll make a dipping sauce for you as thanks…” 

“Me too!” Before Gu Ye even finished speaking, four empty bowls were already thrust in front of her. Besides the loudest one—Chu Xiaowu—her fourth brother, third brother, and Cousin Cheng were all smiling fawningly, waiting for her dipping sauce.

And there was yet another burning gaze. She followed it and, of course, it was her father. The Duke couldn’t compete openly with his sons, but his eyes made his desire perfectly clear. 

Alright then… one bowl for each person!

Gu Ye asked everyone about their preferred flavors, then carefully mixed each dipping sauce. Chu Xiaoliu clicked his tongue at his brothers. “You guys, seriously! Don’t you know how to cherish our sister? All you do is make her work…” 

“Didn’t she make yours too? You took advantage and still complaining!” Chu Xiaowu shot him a dramatic eye roll. 

Chu Xiaoliu puffed up proudly. “That’s because she offered to make mine. I didn’t ask her for anything! Sister, aren’t I the brother who loves you the most?” 

Gu Ye quickly finished mixing the dipping sauces and had the maids distribute them to everyone. Hearing their teasing, she laughed and said, “I’m really lucky to have so many brothers who love me. I’ll use juice in place of wine—here’s a toast to all of you. I hope my brothers will continue to dote on me!” 

“We will, we will! You’re our only little sister. If we don’t spoil you, who else would we spoil?” Chu Xiaoliu’s mouth was practically dipped in honey. In his mind, he was absolutely the best brother among them—definitely the one who cherished her the most. After all, out of all his older brothers who had seen her before, he was the only one who recognized at first glance that she was their real sister.

That night, the family ate until very late. Except for Lady Jun and Gu Ye, everyone else was stuffed to the brim. 

The broth base and dipping sauces had all been carefully crafted by Gu Ye. The grilled meat and lamb offal soup were exceptionally delicious, better than the famous old shops outside. Before anyone realized it, they had all eaten far too much.

Gu Ye handed each of them a small bottle of digestive pills and told them to snack on them like candy. Chu Xiaoliu had drunk a bit too much; his steps were unsteady, yet he still vowed solemnly, “Sister, I will get up early tomorrow and line up to buy candied fruits to make it up to you!”

Earlier, during their chatter, Gu Ye had half-jokingly complained that the candied fruits her brother had queued so long to buy were dropped on the ground because her Sixth Brother scared her during his ‘forced sibling recognition.’

Chu Xiaoliu immediately thumped his chest and promised to buy her more—better and sweeter ones.

It was late at night when all the children gathered at Rong’an Garden finally dispersed. 

Lady Jun even sent her most careful maid, Luo Mei, to escort her daughter with a lantern so she wouldn’t trip in the dark. As for her lively, thick-skinned sons—if they tripped, so be it!

The five Chu brothers sighed: Only their little sister was truly born of their mother; they must have been picked up from the roadside. 

The Duke kicked each of them out one by one—You’re such grown men but still competing with your sister for affection! How shameful! 

Once the children were gone, Rong’an Garden returned to silence. Lady Jun lay in her husband’s arms, tears slowly gathering in her eyes. The Duke was startled. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying again? Are you feeling unwell?”

Lady Jun shook her head, voice thick with emotion. “Everything that happened today was all so sudden. It feels like a dream. Brother Fan, pinch me. I’m terrified this is just a dream. If I wake up, our daughter might still be suffering somewhere…” 

Chu Bufan held her tighter and said with a soft laugh, “It’s not a dream. Our daughter truly came home. If you don’t believe me, then you pinch me—Ow—hey, that’s cheating! No biting!”

Lady Jun let go of his hand and looked up, nervous. “Did it hurt?”

Seeing the deep row of teeth marks on his hand, Chu Bufan lied quickly so she wouldn’t feel guilty. “No, no, it doesn’t hurt at all…”

Tears slid silently down Lady Jun’s cheeks. Flustered, Chu Bufan hurried to wipe them away, murmuring, “Don’t worry. Really—I’m not hurt.”