11
The dumplings were pinched with decorative edges, looking pleasing and tasting delicious. Gu Pingtíng ate her fill that evening. After bathing and washing up, she lay on the bed playing with a Luban lock.
Feng Shan came in after emptying her bathwater and saw her frowning on the bed. He asked, “What’s wrong?”
Gu Pingtíng threw the Luban lock aside, annoyed. “I had solved it earlier, but after putting it back together, I can’t figure it out again. It’s so frustrating.”
Feng Shan smiled. She must have solved it by accident the first time, so now that it was reassembled, she couldn’t open it again.
Feng Shan picked up the Luban lock, fiddled with it for a short while, and opened it. He handed it to her, saying, “Here, it’s open now.”
Gu Pingtíng’s face lit up with a smile. “You know how to solve it. Teach me.”
Feng Shan reassembled the lock and patiently guided her step by step. Following his instructions, Gu Pingtíng finally opened it and exclaimed happily, “Haha, this princess is truly clever and amazing!”
Feng Shan smiled without saying a word.
Gu Pingtíng set aside the Luban lock, slipped under the covers, lay down, and closed her eyes, ready to sleep.
With her eyes closed, Gu Pingtíng heard Feng Shan’s heavy footsteps pacing back and forth, and then she caught a whiff of a fresh, crisp fragrance.
Gu Pingtíng knew Feng Shan had lit incense for her. The mountain village was full of mosquitoes and insects, and she was most afraid of being bitten.
After lighting the incense, Feng Shan walked to the bedside and sat down. Gu Pingtíng felt the mattress sink slightly beside her, so she turned over to face the wall and sleep.
Feng Shan always waited until she fell asleep before leaving. With him guarding her, Gu Pingtíng wasn’t afraid at all.
At first, Gu Pingtíng wasn’t used to it, since Feng Shan was a man, and it felt somewhat inconvenient. But compared to being alone in the dark, earthen-walled house with tiled roof, she much preferred having Feng Shan watch over her.
So, by now, she had grown accustomed to it and could fall asleep as soon as she lay down.
Gu Pingtíng slept soundly in the first half of the night, but in the second half, she had a dream. She dreamed she had returned to the palace, where her Royal Father and Royal Mother embraced her joyfully, and her Crown Prince brother and sister-in-law surrounded her, laughing and chatting.
Just as Gu Pingtíng was feeling happy, she suddenly heard the loud crow of a rooster in the quiet morning of the mountain village.
Gu Pingtíng woke up, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the bare wooden beams of the tiled-roof earthen house directly above her. She felt utterly heartbroken.
This wasn’t her home. The beams in her home were all painted and carved with intricate designs. Whenever she woke up, she would always see the beautiful, delicate gauze canopy above her head.
As the saying goes, what you think about during the day, you dream about at night. Gu Pingtíng sat up and stared blankly into space.
When Feng Shan came in after preparing breakfast, he saw Gu Pingtíng sitting on the bed looking dejected. He didn’t understand why she was so down so early in the morning, but he patiently tried to cheer her up. Gu Pingtíng remained sullen and silent.
Gu Pingtíng missed her family and didn’t smile for several days in a row.
One day, the weather was pleasant and not too hot. Feng Shan took Gu Pingtíng out, saying he wanted to take her for a walk to lift her spirits.
Gu Pingtíng, feeling low, followed him outside.
This was the first time Gu Pingtíng had ventured out since arriving here. The village was just as she had imagined—earthen-walled houses with tiled roofs, scattered in small clusters here and there.
The men had gone up the mountain to hunt, while the women stayed home to mend animal hides. The children gathered together, bending over to play with mud. Though the small mountain village was remote and rundown, it was peaceful and harmonious.
Every household in the village was friendly. As Feng Shan led Gu Pingtíng out, everyone they met greeted them warmly.
Everyone praised Gu Pingtíng for her beauty, which lifted her gloomy mood slightly. But when she turned to look at Feng Shan, she saw his smile was so wide it almost reached the back of his head. Gu Pingtíng couldn’t understand why.
Why was Feng Shan so happy just because she was praised for being pretty?
The two walked up to a house with a walled courtyard. A large black dog at the gate bared its teeth and growled at Gu Pingting. Gu Pingting quickly moved closer to Feng Shan. Seeing her fear, Feng Shan shouted and chased the big black dog away.
After driving off the black dog, Feng Shan led Gu Pingting into the courtyard.
As Gu Pingting approached the gate, she saw Silly Girl and Qing Yatou sitting under the corridor playing in the mud with a group of children.
At the sight of Qing Yatou, Gu Pingting was reminded of the unpleasant incident from that day and refused to enter. She asked, “Why did you bring me here?”
“I noticed you’ve been gloomy at home all day, so I brought you out to play with friends.”
Friends? Gu Pingting was puzzled. “Are you talking about Qing Yatou? Why would I play with her?”
Feng Shan had already entered the courtyard. Seeing that Gu Pingting hadn’t followed, he came back out. “I saw you playing happily together before. You really enjoyed that game where you pretended to be the Great King and the princess.”
Gu Pingting frowned. “Which eye of yours saw me happy? I don’t want to play with them!”
What was so fun about a bunch of little brats in the yard?
Gu Pingting refused. Feng Shan leaned down slightly, patted her head, and comforted her, “It’s alright, it’s alright. Even though you chased them all away that day, if you go to them now, they’ll definitely still play with you. Don’t worry.”
Gu Pingting slapped his hand away impatiently. “What are you talking about? That makes no sense!”
Angrily, Gu Pingting turned around and walked away on her crutch.
Feng Shan watched her helplessly and could only stride after her.
The more Gu Pingting thought about it, the more something felt off. After walking a distance, she stopped, put her hands on her hips, and asked Feng Shan, “I don’t understand. Why did you bring me to play with Qing Yatou? Don’t you know she’s not all there mentally? Why would you think I could be her friend?”
Her willow-leaf eyebrows were tightly knit, her hands on her hips—clear signs she was about to lose her temper. Feng Shan fell silent for a moment, unsure whether he should speak.
Seeing him remain quiet, Gu Pingting’s little face instantly darkened. She stared at Feng Shan and asked, “Do you think I’m like Qing Yatou—someone who’s not all there mentally?”
Feng Shan thought for a moment and said, “Don’t worry, I don’t look down on you.”
Hearing this, Gu Pingting trembled with rage. So that was it! No wonder he brought her to play with Qing Yatou.
Didn’t a little fool have to play with other little fools?
Gu Pingting was almost on the verge of tears. Her little mouth quivered, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Seeing she was about to cry, Feng Shan quickly cupped her face to comfort her. “Hey, don’t cry, don’t cry. I already said I don’t look down on you.”
Gu Pingting pushed him away, refusing to let him touch her, and shouted angrily, “Who cares whether you look down on me or not! I’m just asking you: do you, like everyone else, simply not believe that I’m a princess?”
Gu Pingting’s face was pale with anger. Feng Shan stared intently at her. It wasn’t that Feng Shan didn’t believe her. The truth was, Feng Shan had made inquiries. Within the state of Chu, there was no news at all about a missing Legitimate Princess.
He had asked around extensively, and the results all indicated that the Legitimate Princess was currently at the summer retreat in Yuanling to escape the heat. Therefore, Feng Shan could only conclude that this little woman had damaged her brain from the fall.
Seeing how agitated she was, Feng Shan knew explaining now would be useless.
His silence was tantamount to admission. Gu Pingting walked up to him and pounded his chest fiercely with her fists. “What about me seems like a fool? Why don’t you believe me?”
Gu Pingting was furious, wishing she could beat Feng Shan to death!
Her punches were no different from tickling, and Feng Shan didn’t feel any pain. Instead, he worried her hands might hurt, so he grabbed her small hands with his large palm.
Feng Shan said in a deep voice, “Gu Pingtíng, to be honest, you’re not very smart.”
He spoke very seriously. Gu Pingtíng was stunned for a moment, and tears welled up more and more in her eyes. She was a beautiful fool, and she knew it herself…
Gu Pingtíng couldn’t win in a fight, nor could she win in an argument. She shook off Feng Shan’s large hand and choked out, “You bully!”
After saying that, Gu Pingtíng turned and walked away, determined to never speak to Feng Shan again.
Like a cat with its fur bristling, she stomped forward angrily. Her leg injury hadn’t fully healed, so she limped as she walked. Feng Shan, afraid she might trip if she hurried too much, quickly followed her.
Gu Pingtíng didn’t want to see Feng Shan at all right now. Seeing him follow her, she turned around and snapped fiercely, “Don’t follow me! You don’t believe me anyway. You’ve been toying with me from the start, and you even said you’d send me back to Shengjing! I hate you! I never want to see you again!”
Gu Pingtíng glared at Feng Shan with her round eyes. “Since you won’t send me back to Shengjing anyway, I’ll just walk back by myself. Don’t follow me. I don’t need you to care about me!”
Her emotions were running high, and Feng Shan raised an eyebrow.
After finishing her tirade, Gu Pingtíng continued walking, but Feng Shan still followed her. Gu Pingtíng shouted at him, “Go away! I don’t need you to care about me anymore! Why are you still following me?”
Seeing that Gu Pingtíng was determined to break ties with him, and with things having reached this point, Feng Shan decided to lay his cards on the table.
Feng Shan stared at Gu Pingtíng and declared loudly, “Why am I following you? I’ll tell you the truth, Gu Pingtíng—I’ve taken a liking to you! I want to marry you and make you my wife. It’s as simple as that!”