Resplendent – Chapter 559

Chapter 559: Budding

Shao Ziyan stole a glance. The young girl’s smile shone like the sun, radiant as a blossoming flower. Her dark eyes, clear as autumn water, now curved into two crescent moons. The dimples at the corners of her lips resembled ripples on a pond after rain, rippling through one’s heart. He had never seen a girl laugh so freely, live so vividly…

“Bookworm Shao, look. There’s a bird’s nest in that tree… Can you climb trees?” Gu Ye carried the fish basket filled with fish, shrimp, and crabs to the tree’s base, pointing up at the nest.

Shao Ziyan flinched as if scalded by boiling water, hastily averting his gaze and stammering, “No… I can’t!”

“Then… Can you hunt?” A teasing glint danced in Gu Ye’s eyes. She adored teasing the pretty boy.

“Um… I know a little about horseback archery,” Shao Ziyan replied modestly.

“Digging traps, snaring hares, chasing roe deer through the snow—can you do those?” Gu Ye pressed on.

A thin sheen of sweat formed on Shao Ziyan’s forehead as he shook his head repeatedly, struggling to keep up.

Gu Ye’s voice brimmed with disappointment. “Then… fishing in the river, catching shrimp, you’ve never tried those either, have you? What exactly can you do?”

Young men always harbored a competitive streak, especially before an exceptional young lady. Shao Ziyan paused for two breaths before murmuring softly, “I compose poetry and prose. My essays have earned praise from our teacher. I dabble in the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, painting, each to some degree…”

Gu Ye nodded indifferently. “So you spend most of your time in the academy or study? No wonder you’re so frail. A mere young boar could knock you flat!”

“I-I’m not as weak as you make me out to be!” Shao Ziyan’s face flushed crimson. 

Back then, a classmate had fallen, and the wild boar charged toward him. He had only shouted to draw the boar’s attention in order to save the boy, but none of this had ever been spoken aloud. He was the kind of good kid who did good deeds without seeking recognition…

“You scholars are all too delicate. A dozen grown men, beaten to a pulp by a mere wild boar… Sigh…” Gu Ye shook her head in exasperation.

“…” Could we just drop this topic? Please, no more talk of the wild boar, all right? Shao Ziyan hung his head like a puppy denied its bone.

Seeing the young man surnamed Shao nearly burying his head in the dirt from his cousin’s teasing, Jun Qicheng kindly stepped in to defuse the situation. “It was all so sudden and chaotic at the time. I was a bit stunned myself. Otherwise, Brother Ziyan wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

“As if you’re some kind of hero! If my brother had been there, he could’ve taken down a wild boar or two barehanded! Cousin Cheng, your half-baked skills just won’t cut it!” Gu Ye shifted her barbs toward Jun Qicheng.

Jun Qicheng looked at Gu Ming, patted his sturdy shoulder, and laughed. “Brother Ming has grown taller and stronger! Unlike us, he’s destined to become a martial arts champion. Naturally, he must master both literary and martial arts. Learn more from my uncle and cousins, it’ll serve you well!”

Gu Ming nodded. At the Duke’s Manor, he trained daily with the Chu brothers. The Duke himself instructed him in martial arts as if he were his own nephew. Though he’d been in the capital for just over a month, he felt he’d gained more than in the entire previous year.

As for his studies, there was no need for worry. His grandfather had already secured the Duke’s recommendation letter and enrolled him in a renowned academy in the capital. He would begin his studies as soon as the convention concluded. In the capital, conditions in every aspect were vastly superior to those in Yan City. If only there weren’t so many rivals vying for his sister’s attention!

Back in Yan City, when his sister ran the pharmaceutical factory, life was busier than usual. Yet every evening, they would always find time for a chat. She’d ask about his days at the private academy, if anyone had bullied me, if he’d studied diligently. In return, he would cross half the city to bring her the finest pastries and snacks Yan City had to offer. They lived together in a small courtyard, modest yet warm and cozy.

After arriving in the capital, the Duke’s Manor was vast, and he and the Chu brothers resided in the outer courtyard. Though the rules weren’t as strict as elsewhere, even her own brothers seldom entered the inner courtyard, let alone a guest like him. With his sister preoccupied preparing for her examinations, he couldn’t recall the last time they’d spoken alone. Ah…

“Young Master Gu intends to take the military examinations?” Shao Ziyan, who had long heard that the Chu family’s young lady had grown up in the Gu household and harbored special feelings for this brother, couldn’t help but say, “In my study lies a copy of The Essentials of Military Preparedness. It should prove useful for your future military examinations. It sits idle in my study, gathering dust. When I return home, I will retrieve it and present it to Young Master Gu.”

Gu Ming felt both flattered and overwhelmed, hastily declining, “I wouldn’t dream of accepting such a generous gift without merit!”

Shao Ziyan shot a quick glance at Gu Ye, then added with a hint of shyness, “Miss Ye saved my life. A book is nothing to be concerned about.”

Gu Ming pondered for a moment before suggesting, “How about we compromise? Young Master Shao could lend me the book to read. Once I’ve copied it out, I’ll return it to you…”

The Essentials of Military Preparedness was a rare military treatise with few surviving copies. The one the Second Grand Secretary keeps is likely a precious edition. How could Gu Ming possibly accept it?

Gu Ye frowned at their indecisive back-and-forth, pushing back and forth. “It’s just a book. Take it and be done with it. I noticed that Lady Lu seems slightly deficient in qi and blood. I’ll take her pulse later and prescribe some tonic herbs to restore her vitality. That should settle this debt of gratitude!”

Gu Ming scratched the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly, “Sister is about to take her final examinations. How could I possibly let you get distracted?”

Gu Ye swung the fish basket at his face, glaring and planting her hands on her hips. “Are you treating me like an outsider now, Brother? Spouting all this polite nonsense. Are you deliberately trying to make me angry?”

“Fine, fine! I was wrong, okay?” Gu Ming caught the basket, tiptoeing around his sister with excessive caution.

A sweet, charming young girl, even when roaring like a lioness, remained endearingly amusing. Shao Ziyan had no time to admire her expressive face; his entire focus was captured by her earlier words.

“Miss Ye, what you just said—is it true?” Shao Ziyan’s slightly upturned, affectionate phoenix eyes fixed on her without blinking. They held delight, excitement, and anticipation.

Gu Ye was momentarily confused about which words he meant and asked, “Which one?”

Those beautiful eyes dimmed slightly as Shao Ziyan whispered, “The part… where you said you’d trade medicine for books…” As he spoke, he felt ashamed of himself. Just moments ago, he’d promised to give her the books. Yet now…

But his grandmother’s health had indeed been declining these past two years. She often suffered from dizziness and fatigue, and this summer she’d even fainted. Numerous doctors had been consulted, all attributing it to severe qi and blood deficiency from her youth, now manifesting in old age. She’d taken countless medicines and followed medicinal diets, yet the results remained minimal. The entire family worried deeply for her.

The Second Grand Secretary came from humble beginnings as a scholar and married his wife in their youth. To support his studies, Lady Lu exhausted herself and endured great hardship. It was during that time her health began to fail…

Shao Ziyan had heard from his grandmother that the Duchess of the Defender Duke suffered from far more severe blood deficiency, leaving the imperial physicians utterly helpless. However their recently recovered daughter who was a pharmacist had concocted a remedy for her. After taking it for only a short while, she began to show improvement. Within a mere month, she was already indistinguishable from a healthy person.

As long as she was willing to assist in preparing the medicine, his grandmother’s health could certainly be restored!

Gu Ye smiled faintly. “Even without that copy of the Essentials of Military Preparedness, given our families’ ties, could I stand by while Elder Madam suffers? Rest assured, your grandmother’s health is in my hands!”

Shao Ziyan was overcome with gratitude, cupping his hands in a deep ninety-degree bow. “Thank you, Miss… Thank you so much…” At that moment, all his literary grace and scholarly knowledge seemed to vanish, leaving only the word ‘thank’ repeating endlessly on his lips.

Gu Ye waved him off with a dismissive gesture. “Enough, enough! Dealing with you scholars is the most troublesome thing, so tedious! Brothers, see to Young Master Shao’s hospitality. I’ll head to the kitchen to see if there are any fresh ingredients.”

Shao Ziyan was dismissed as ‘too troublesome’. He stammered uncertainly, unsure what to say. Jun Qicheng patted his shoulder and chuckled, “My cousin speaks her mind. She’s not good at social niceties and can be blunt. Don’t take it to heart, Brother Ziyan.”

Chu Mubai slapped Jun Qicheng hard on the back and glared. “Who are you calling blunt? Dealing with you scholars is exhausting. All sticky and unpleasant. Sister truly carries our Chu family blood. She’s got the straightforward spirit of us martial artists!”

Jun Qicheng grimaced from his cousin’s iron-palm strike. ” Fifth Cousin, you hit way too hard! You nearly gave me internal injuries!”

“Useless! I barely used three percent of my strength! Little Sister is absolutely right—you scholars are just too weak! How did you get saved by a little girl when you encountered a wild boar? Ugh… I’m embarrassed for you!” Chu Mubai sighed deeply.

Jun Qicheng gritted his teeth and said to Shao Ziyan, “Ignore him. My Fifth Cousin never speaks kindly. I vaguely recall hearing that Brother Ming and my cousin possess extraordinary strength from birth. Knocking out a wild boar barehanded is no challenge for them. Back in the mountain village, my cousin even hunted leopards…”

Shao Ziyan listened to Gu Ye’s past as if hearing a legendary tale. He never imagined that even growing up in such an environment—poverty, harsh treatment, bullying—had never extinguished her spirit. Like a blade of grass growing against the wind, she stubbornly fought against fate.

Under such harsh conditions, she had painstakingly mastered medical skills and refined pharmaceutical techniques. The effort required was unimaginable to those of them born into privilege.

Shao Ziyan gazed in the direction the young girl had departed. Her figure was petite and frail, yet her posture was straight and resolute… He gently pressed his left chest, where it felt as though a seed had taken root, slowly sprouting within his heart…