Song Huaizhi was well aware that he was avoiding many things, especially Gu Ling right in front of him. In Song Huaizhi's eyes, Gu Ling was stupid and naive, like a delicate white flower that had never experienced the trials of life. With just a little effort, he would wither away like a fragile flower on the verge of death.
However, in the eyes of others, it was a different story. Gu Ling came from a top - tier family in the capital. He was also imbued with a rare sense of sincerity among the children of the powerful and wealthy. Moreover, Gu Ling was skilled in martial arts. With General Gu's protection in the future, it wouldn't be difficult for him to carve out his own path.
So he was also regarded as a most eligible bachelor in others' eyes.
And what about himself? Song Huaizhi was a man of unknown origin. Now he was barely an inexplicable relative of Meng Ruyi. The only thing he could boast about was that he was a disciple of Mr. Lin.
Thinking of this, the gloom in Song Huaizhi's eyes was like an indissoluble dark cloud, even tinged with a hint of coldness.
But so what?
Song Huaizhi watched Meng Ruyi and Gu Ling chatting, yet there was an inexplicable sneer in his heart.
As long as he was here, no matter how despicable he had to be, he would never let Gu Ling get close to Meng Ruyi. Besides, he was never a noble person. Song Huaizhi considered himself a malevolent ghost just scraping by in this world, never bothering with benevolence and morality.
The two people chatting were used to Song Huaizhi's usual silence, so they didn't notice anything amiss about him at the moment.
"You must write to me when you get to the capital!"
After Gu Ling said this, seeing Meng Ruyi nod at him, although her expression wasn't very sincere, it still meant that the young girl in front of him had agreed to his request.
So Gu Ling couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth, showing a hearty smile to both of them.
Song Huaizhi subconsciously touched the brocade pouch on his waist and returned a gentle smile to Gu Ling.
Gu Ling saw Song Huaizhi looking so gentle but subconsciously shrank his neck, feeling strange.
Why is Brother Song so gentle today?
...
It was sunny in the morning, but in the afternoon, it suddenly turned cloudy. Dark clouds hung low in the sky. In an instant, a strong wind blew up, kicking up dust from who - knows - where. The leaves rattled loudly.
They were set to leave the day after tomorrow, but now it looked like it was going to rain any minute.
Gu Ling should have been worried, but seeing his father and mother having a solemn conversation, he was secretly glad.
During a pause in the conversation, Mrs. Gu saw her son propping his chin and looking out of the window at the overcast sky. His face was expressionless, but his eyes revealed a suppressed sense of relief.
This child...
So Mrs. Gu looked at him, silently staring at her son. General Gu saw his wife staring at their son and stopped speaking, also looking at Gu Ling.
When Gu Ling came back to his senses, he saw his father and mother looking at him seriously. He almost slipped and banged his face on the table.
"Cough, cough, cough." Gu Ling cleared his throat and said to them, "The wind is quite strong. I'll go close the window."
Then he quickly got up to close the window that was creaking in the wind but hadn't been closed yet, and then lit a few candles, moving slowly.
General Gu and Mrs. Gu couldn't help but glance at each other.
"All done." After finishing these things, Gu Ling returned to his seat and lowered his eyes to them. "Father, Mother, please continue."
The light in the room became even dimmer, and the candlelight was especially glaring. After Gu Ling finished speaking, his eyes were involuntarily drawn to the candle flame. He silently watched the flame flicker, rising and falling, swaying from side to side, completely unaware that Mrs. Gu and General Gu were still looking at him.
"Gu Ling." Mrs. Gu spoke, her voice gentle. "Are you very disappointed?"
Hearing this, Gu Ling suddenly looked up at Mrs. Gu. His eyes, usually full of smiles, were now tinged with disappointment. "Yes, Mother."
He knew he couldn't hide his feelings from Mrs. Gu, but he also knew there was nothing wrong with these emotions. So he simply stopped hiding and asked Mrs. Gu, "It looks like it's going to rain. Are we still leaving the day after tomorrow?"
Mrs. Gu rarely ruffled Gu Ling's hair. She hadn't done this for a long time, but it didn't seem awkward at all. It was full of comfort. "Yes. We've been here for so long and should know that this kind of rain won't last long."
The mountain roads would be muddy after the rain, but the first part of the journey wouldn't be affected, so they didn't need to worry about it for the time being.
Gu Ling was also aware of this, so he realized his evasion and was momentarily speechless under Mrs. Gu's gentle gaze.
At this moment, Gu Ling suddenly saw clearly what was on his mind. He was not only melancholy about the parting but also worried about the road ahead.
He was worried that what he had learned was not enough to deal with the situation at the border, worried that he couldn't shoulder the future of the Gu family, that he couldn't inherit General Gu's mantle, worried...
Gu Ling stared fixedly at Mrs. Gu, feeling her gentle gaze always on him. She didn't say a word but just looked at him gently, silently comforting him.
Words would seem pale, so Mrs. Gu stopped talking. She just gently ruffled Gu Ling's hair and then patted his shoulder, just like when she used to lull him to sleep when he was a child.
"Thank you, Mother." Gu Ling looked at the smile on her lips and asked, "This trip to the north is full of dangers. Mother, why don't you go back to the capital since it's a military camp?"
"At least you have a conscience, boy." General Gu, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke after hearing Gu Ling's words. "I was just about to tell you that your mother will go back to the capital first. Then it'll just be us father and son."
"That's good." Gu Ling suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. "When I'm capable of taking over the Gu family, I'll return to the capital immediately."
"Tsk." General Gu looked at the smile on Gu Ling's face and said, rarely gently, "You've got a conscience today. Usually, you seem carefree, like you're... cough, cough. Anyway, it's good that you have this thought."
Gu Ling could feel that his father was trying hard to change the topic, and his eyes were overflowing with concern. So he nodded.
...
On the day of farewell, as expected, the weather was fine.
The Gu family left early. As soon as the sun came out and the road was visible, they had already packed their bags and were ready to go.
Meng Ruyi was wide awake. Song Huaizhi was standing beside her. Zhang Yunyun had also come to the Meng family the night before. Now she and Meng Ruyi had come to see off Gu Ling.
The four of them were like childhood friends they had met along the way. So at this moment, except for Song Huaizhi, the others all looked a bit reluctant.
"Alas!" Gu Ling had been sighing since he got dressed and couldn't stop, like something with a leak. "Well, I'm leaving."
"Alas!" Sighing again, Gu Ling took a few items from the servant beside him. He first took out a small brocade pouch and handed it to Zhang Yunyun.
Zhang Yunyun raised her eyebrows in surprise.