Destined

Gu Jiusi returned to his room and splashed cold water on his face.

After several splashes, he sobered up.

This was the first time since their marriage that someone had spoken to him about the relationship between him and Liu Yuru—not in name only, but as a real married couple. It made him clearly realize that Liu Yuru was his wife.

In the future, she would bear his children and spend her life with him.

In the past, he had never thought about these matters because he firmly believed that one day he and Liu Yuru would go their separate ways. When the time came that he had secured for Liu Yuru the position of Imperial Order Lady, and she had obtained everything she desired, their marriage would come to an end. This was what he had agreed upon with her from the very beginning.

However, he was acutely aware that the deeper meaning behind this agreement was that neither of them had any expectations for the future. He had never considered spending his life with Liu Yuru, and he recognized that a lifetime with him would not bring her happiness.

From the start, his only intention had been to find a path to happiness for her. He understood clearly that Liu Yuru had married him and entertained the idea of spending her life with him not out of affection, but because she fundamentally believed that once a woman married, she must follow her husband for life—as she put it, "marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog." Even if the man were not Gu Jiusi, as long as she was married, she would never think of leaving.

But could such a marriage bring Liu Yuru happiness?

No, it could not.

In his heart, he wished for Liu Yuru to marry someone she truly loved and to obtain the things she truly desired.

That was why, from the beginning, he had tried to persuade her—not only for his own sake but for hers as well.

Yet now, the situation had changed. He had begun to feel that spending his life with Liu Yuru might not be so bad after all.

At the very least, for him, he could not imagine a world without Liu Yuru.

If it were to be a lifetime, he would have to think about these matters—about the future, about children.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to stop dwelling on these thoughts. With his father newly deceased, this was not the time to ponder such things. After all, he still had a long, long time to discuss this matter with Liu Yuru.

So he stood before the water basin until he had completely calmed down. Then he wiped his face with his hand, turned around, and went back into the inner room.

Liu Yuru was sitting on the bed, folding his clothes. As she folded, she said, "We're in a much better situation now. I'd like to ask Young Master Zhou to hurry our departure back to Wangdu. I wonder how my mother and mother-in-law are doing."

"Mm," Gu Jiusi responded. He lowered his gaze and said, "I'll speak with Brother Zhou. We'll set off tomorrow."

That night, Gu Jiusi discussed the matter with Zhou Ye, who understood and agreed. Zhou Ye nodded and said to Gu Jiusi, "I still have some matters to attend to in Lucheng, so I'll have my guards escort you back first."

"Thank you, Brother Zhou."

With this settled, the next day, Zhou Ye sent people to accompany Gu Jiusi and Liu Yuru back to Wangdu.

The journey took two days, but these two days were far more comfortable than the previous two months of travel.

They had protection, a carriage to ride in, and plenty of food and drink. As a result, both of them were in much better spirits.Liu Yu Ru was curious about Youzhou and spent the entire journey sitting in the carriage, gazing around. Meanwhile, Gu Jiusi had borrowed books from Zhou Ye and immersed himself in reading them one by one along the way.

Zhou Ye had sent word ahead to the Gu Family, so on the day Gu Jiusi and Liu Yu Ru returned to the city, Jiang Rou and Su Wan waited together at the city gate. Liu Yu Ru sat in the carriage, peering out through the rolled-up curtain.

Youzhou was different from Yangzhou. Yangzhou had a warm climate, filled with weeping willows and small streams, carrying an indescribable air of refined artifice. In contrast, Youzhou was grand and rugged, shaped by nature's masterful hand. The trees stood in straight rows, reaching skyward, but their leaves were sparse, lacking the vibrant greenery that characterized Yangzhou.

The men of Youzhou were bold and straightforward, their voices loud and hearty. Along the way, Liu Yu Ru saw young men riding past their carriage, singing and laughing joyfully—a stark contrast to the desolate expanse of Cangzhou.

As the two approached the city gate, Jiang Rou and Su Wan had their attendants waiting. Spotting them from afar, Liu Yu Ru exclaimed excitedly, "It's my mother and mother-in-law!"

Gu Jiusi looked up from his book, using it to lift the carriage curtain. Seeing Jiang Rou and Su Wan standing in the distance, he smiled and said, "Your eyesight is quite sharp."

The carriage came to a halt, and Liu Yu Ru eagerly stepped down, rushing over to Su Wan and calling out loudly, "Mother!"

Tears welled in Su Wan's eyes as she watched her daughter run to her and embrace her tightly.

In her childhood, Liu Yu Ru had been extremely lively, but ever since Zhang Yue'er entered the household, she had restrained her temperament. Rarely did she show such unrestrained emotion—clearly, she was overjoyed.

Su Wan gently patted Liu Yu Ru's back, sniffing as she said, "It's good to have you back, it's good to have you back."

Jiang Rou watched Liu Yu Ru with a smile in her eyes, then slowly turned to see Gu Jiusi stepping down from the carriage.

He was dressed in blue robes, with a cloth headband tied around his hair. He had grown much thinner and seemed to have grown even taller. More notably, he had shed his former flamboyant demeanor, standing quietly before Jiang Rou with a reserved and gentle aura, much like a scholar.

For some reason, Jiang Rou felt her eyes grow moist at the sight of this transformed Gu Jiusi, but she forced herself to remain composed. She smiled as Gu Jiusi bowed respectfully and said steadily, "Greetings, Mother."

Jiang Rou managed a smile, sniffing as she replied, "It's only been two months—since when did you learn such formalities?"

"Father always said I lacked proper decorum," Gu Jiusi said with a smile. "Now I feel it's time I grew up. I'm not sure how to be an adult, so I thought I'd start by learning these formalities."

"That's a good thing."

Jiang Rou did not mention Gu Lang Hua, instead continuing, "I'm glad you've changed for the better. Enough talk," she said, turning aside. "Let's enter the city. The family has prepared a meal and is waiting for your return."

With that, everyone urged Liu Yu Ru and Gu Jiusi to proceed into Wangdu.

The residence the Gu Family had purchased was in the best area of Wangdu. As they reached the entrance, Liu Yu Ru recognized the Gu Family's style. The estate had originally been built by someone from Jiangnan, preserving the characteristics of Jiangnan gardens. Despite Wangdu's relatively scarce water resources, a waterside pavilion had been constructed in the courtyard.

Liu Yu Ru and Gu Jiusi stood at the entrance, stepped over a basin of fire, and allowed Jiang Rou to lightly pat their heads and shoulders with mugwort dipped in water.The ceremony brought Liu Yuru an inexplicable sense of relief, as if it heralded the end of a calamity and the beginning of a new life.

The two entered the house together, where laughter and cheerful chatter filled the air. Liu Yuru and Gu Jiusi saw familiar faces, all vividly greeting them with calls of "Young Madam" and "Eldest Young Master." For a moment, both felt as if they were still in Yangzhou.

Gu Jiusi instinctively took Liu Yuru's hand. She looked up at him, and he smiled gently, saying, "Having you by my side at a time like this feels truly wonderful."

Because of their return, the dinner table was laden with many dishes. Though it couldn't compare to their past life, for the two who had just endured a famine, it was nothing short of a feast.

The family chatted and laughed during the meal, but no one mentioned Gu Langhua. His name seemed like a taboo, and no one dared to say much about it.

After the meal, much food remained. Watching the leftovers being taken away, Gu Jiusi frowned, and Liu Yuru felt a pang of sadness as well.

Perhaps because they now understood the true value of food, seeing it wasted inevitably stirred a sense of heartache.

So Liu Yuru sighed and stopped the servants, saying, "Don't throw away the food. See if there are people outside who need it, and distribute it if so."

The servants exchanged glances, then replied, "Yes."

After the servants had left, Jiang Rou took a sip of tea, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked, "How have you two been these past two months?"

Gu Jiusi and Liu Yuru exchanged a look. Gu Jiusi smiled wryly and said, "We managed."

"What happened? Tell me about it."

Jiang Rou wanted to know what they had been through. In the past, Gu Jiusi would have understood and recounted everything in detail. But now, for some reason, he opened his mouth but couldn't speak. After a long pause, he said briefly, "I went back to save Father. Yuru saved me, but we couldn't save Father. A fire... took him."

Jiang Rou listened calmly, as if unsurprised, but when she spoke, everyone could hear the hoarseness in her voice. "And then?"

"The waterways were blocked, so we took the land route. With the drought in Cangzhou and the war, the journey took longer."

Gu Jiusi glossed over their experiences. Jiang Rou realized she wouldn't get more from him, so she didn't press further. After exchanging a few casual words with him, she let him leave.

After he was gone, Jiang Rou turned her gaze to Liu Yuru.

"Tell me the truth," Jiang Rou said calmly. "What really happened?"

Liu Yuru held nothing back. She recounted everything she had seen and heard in detail.

From the very beginning, Jiang Rou's tears wouldn't stop. When she heard about Gu Jiusi and Liu Yuru eating tree bark and roots, she could no longer contain herself. Clutching Liu Yuru's hand, she sobbed, "You've suffered... you've suffered so much."

"It's alright," Liu Yuru sighed. "Being able to return alive is already a blessing."

Jiang Rou nodded. Having gotten the answers she sought, she didn't linger. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Liu Yuru, she let her return to her room.She returned to her room where Gu Jiusi was reading. Hearing Liu Yu Ru enter, he continued looking at his book while asking, "Did my mother ask about my father?"

"She did," Liu Yu Ru replied, sitting at the dressing table and removing her jewelry as she comforted him, "Mother-in-law appeared quite composed. You needn't worry too much."

"What else can she do even if she weren't composed?"

Gu Jiusi smiled bitterly. "My mother simply knows how to restrain her emotions."

Liu Yu Ru's hand, holding a hairpin, paused briefly. After a moment, she lowered her gaze and said with some resignation, "Let's sleep."

The next morning, Liu Yu Ru went to Jiang Rou to familiarize herself with the situation, and Gu Jiusi went along.

Jiang Rou had been there for some time and had a general understanding of the circumstances. "After arriving, I first sought out Young Master Zhou and asked him to help look after us. Young Master Zhou is a good person; upon hearing about our situation, he has been assisting us consistently. However, his capabilities are limited, so I haven't troubled him too much."

Hearing this, Liu Yu Ru was somewhat surprised. "Young Master Zhou is General Zhou's son. In Youzhou..."

Liu Yu Ru and Gu Jiusi exchanged a glance. Though the words were spoken aloud, they both understood the unspoken implication.

Zhou Gaolang was the second-in-command in Youzhou. How could his son carry so little influence in Youzhou?

Jiang Rou understood their confusion and patiently explained, "In Youzhou, everything follows procedures and rules. The military governor, Lord Fan, is a man who values regulations. Everyone performs their own duties; even Zhou Gaolang himself cannot manage many matters."

Liu Yu Ru and Gu Jiusi nodded, and Jiang Rou continued, "Of course, that's not the most important reason. The core issue is actually that Young Master Zhou's position is somewhat awkward."

"How so?"

"He is not Zhou Gaolang's biological son."

This left Liu Yu Ru and Gu Jiusi stunned. Seeing their astonishment, Jiang Rou further explained, "Zhou Madam originally had a husband, said to be a scholar. They were moving together when they encountered bandits on the road, and he died. Lord Zhou happened to pass by and saved the mother and child. At that time, Lord Zhou hadn't married yet. They developed feelings over time and eventually married. So, although Young Master Zhou bears the Zhou surname and is the eldest son of the Zhou household, he is not a biological descendant. He holds no official position in Youzhou and has always been engaged in business outside. Only when the army needs to conduct business does he handle it."

More surprising than Zhou Ye not being Zhou Langhua's son was the fact that Zhou Madam, a widow with a child, managed to marry Zhou Gaolang—this indeed showed remarkable capability.

For Liu Yu Ru, this completely overturned all her previous understanding.

"Actually, most matters are settled now. The only remaining issue is that we haven't obtained the permit to open our restaurant. It's said that too many people are coming to Youzhou to do business, so our documents are still waiting in line. Tomorrow, I plan to go to the government office again to inquire about the situation."

"Then I'll accompany you," Liu Yu Ru quickly offered.

She looked back at Gu Jiusi, but he said, "I won't go. I'll wait at home for news."

Liu Yu Ru hadn't expected Gu Jiusi to say this; she had assumed he would go with them. But she suppressed her surprise and agreed.

The next day, Liu Yu Ru and Jiang Rou went out early. After resting for a while, Gu Jiusi took some loose silver and left the Gu residence.

The streets were bustling with people coming and going, and Gu Jiusi immediately noticed the refugees around.He beckoned to a child among the refugees. The child froze in surprise, so Gu Jiusi simply walked over to him. Crouching down with his hands resting on his knees, he looked at the young beggar and said, "Little brother, I have a small favor to ask of you. Would you be willing?"

As he spoke, Gu Jiusi took out some pieces of silver. At the sight of the money, the young beggar quickly replied, "Whatever you command, young master!"

"Go and find a few people for me," Gu Jiusi said thoughtfully. "At least one from each of the thirteen regions. I have some questions I'd like to ask them."