The Dragon

Nanzhu’s Treatment for Chronic Illness

Zhong Michu said, “It was my… I’ve said too much.”

With just one sentence, Gu Fuyou was left speechless, choked up with regret for her thoughtless words and discomfort from touching upon a sensitive issue. All these emotions bottled up inside her, fermenting into frustration.

The two returned to their residence, one in front and one behind, without speaking to each other.

That evening, Gu Shuangqing prepared a feast and invited Zhong Michu. Even though she had been fasting, the bustling atmosphere was inevitable.

Although Gu Fuyou still consumed regular food, she didn’t have the appetite during the banquet, mostly due to her unsettled emotions, and barely touched her chopsticks.

Zhong Michu was a woman of few words. But recently, influenced by Gu Fuyou, her thoughts had become more animated and she spoke more. But now, she reverted to her quiet self.

Both Gu Shuangqing and Gu Huaiyou noticed the difference in her demeanor and kept shooting glances at Gu Fuyou, hinting for her to take action.

Gu Fuyou remained silent.

Later, as everyone retired to their rooms, Gu Fuyou lay on her bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

In the deep silence of the night, it’s the best time for self-reflection.

Frustrated, Gu Fuyou tugged at her hair and buried herself deep under the blankets, screaming.

A moment of silence, then suddenly a frustrated head popped out from under the blanket.

Resting her chin on the pillow, she became lost in thought.

Why did she say those things to Zhong Michu?

She clearly understood Zhong Michu’s situation. The gap between her and her mother was no different from the gap between herself and her own father. How could she mockingly use this against Zhong, especially when she knew she meant well?

Recalling the look on Zhong Michu’s face at that moment, which turned noticeably pale, Gu Fuyou thought, “That’s her weak spot! You intentionally hurt her where it hurts most! Are you stupid, Gu Fuyou?!”

Tossing and turning in bed, resembling a fish out of water, she finally let out a deep sigh. She turned her gaze to the melancholic moonlight.

The loneliness of the night, just like her life for the past twenty-plus years.

The strained relationship between Gu Fuyou and her father was a sore spot, a chronic illness. People often say that acknowledging an illness is the first step to healing. But when others try to intervene, it’s natural to resist.

Upon reflection, she realized that what Zhong Michu said wasn’t wrong.

Even if opening up and talking about it doesn’t help, if she wanted change, she had to take that first step.

If stuck in the status quo, nothing will change.

Turning over, Gu Fuyou adjusted the covers and muttered to herself, “I shouldn’t have said those words to her. I’ll apologize tomorrow.”

The next day, Gu Fu You overslept because she had been kept awake by her thoughts. Hurriedly freshening up, she went to knock on Zhong Mi Chu’s door, only to find that she wasn’t there.

Upon asking, she learned from Lu Shiqing that Zhong Michu was in the study. Heading there, she found the door shut. She knocked and called out, “Senior Sister Zhong.”

She felt the presence of someone inside, who seemed to approach the door upon hearing her voice.

“Senior Sister Zhong, I have something to discuss with you. Could you please open the door?”

Even though it was her home and she could have forcefully entered, starting an apology in such a manner would be insincere.

No response. “Senior Sister Zhong, I’ve come to apologize.”

Silence. Gu Fuyou, shifting uncomfortably, began, “I’m sorry for what I said yesterday, it was very rude. I didn’t mean to hurt you…”

“I was angry at the time, and I wasn’t thinking,” she said, pursing her lips. “That’s just how I am, and I’m pretty bad, aren’t I? I always think of myself first. I can be thoughtless, act impulsively, I know. I have many flaws, I’m not a good person…”

She ran her fingers down the strands of hair by her forehead, keeping her head lowered, as if Zhong Michu was standing right in front of her: “But I will change. I will change bit by bit.”

At one moment, she clutched her left hand with her right, and in the next, she tugged at her right hand with her left, looking up at the door, saying, “Senior Sister Zhong, I…”

Suddenly, laughter came from inside the room.

Gu Fuyou froze, the words stuck in her throat.

The door slowly opened, and Gu Shuangqing stepped out, “Little brother, did I hear correctly? What does our third sister want?”

Gu Huaiyou, hiding a grin behind a book he held, responded, “She wants to turn over a new leaf.”

Gu Fuyou’s face flushed from her neck upwards, “Why, why is it you two?”

Gu Shuangqing laughed, “We were reading in the study. Why can’t it be us?”

“You… you… why didn’t you say something earlier?”

Gu Huaiyou chuckled, “If we had, how could we have heard your heartfelt words?”

“Gu Huaiyou!”

Gu Shuangqing and Gu Huaiyou exchanged glances and both burst into laughter. Gu Shuangqing said, “Third sister, I’ve never seen you apologize to anyone before. I remember having to persuade you with great effort in the past, trying to get you to reluctantly admit a mistake.”

“Big brother!”

Gu Shuangqing looked up at the sky, “Did the sun rise from the west today? Not only did our third sister admit her mistake, but she also recognized her shortcomings and is willing to change.”

Gu Fuyou’s face turned even redder, “Big brother, if you keep talking, I’ll ignore you!”

Gu Huaiyou laughed, “I wonder what method Senior Sister Zhong used.”

Gu Shuangqing added with a grin, “Second Brother, you once said she has changed a lot, and I didn’t believe it. But seeing her now, I can’t deny it—Miss Zhong really is something special!”

The two brothers teased in tandem. Angrily, Gu Fuyou turned and stormed away, “I’m ignoring both of you, forever!”

Gu Shuangqing called out from under the eaves, “Miss Zhong is at the martial arts platform, training your spirit beast.”

From a distance, Gu Fuyou could still hear their laughter. Grinding her teeth and stomping her feet, she wished she could stomp a hole in the ground. Despite the cool breeze brushing her face, her cheeks remained hot and flushed.

As she entered the martial arts platform through a side door and stepped into the square, a white figure rushed at her. She quickly dodged, only to hear a roar as a black figure pounced, chasing after the white one.

Gu Fuyou exclaimed, “Ah Fu?”

The black figure turned, holding a blue and white porcelain plate in its mouth. Seeing her approach, its tail wagged.

Yi’er walked over. Ah Fu promptly let go of the plate, allowing Yi’er to take it. Rubbing up against Yi’er and tensing its front limbs, it seemed ready for another round.

Gu Fuyou frowned, “Yi’er, why are you using this to play with it? This isn’t a toy!”

Yi’er looked puzzled, “But I’ve seen others play with dogs this way, and Ah Fu seems to love catching the plate. Right, Ah Fu?”

Gu Fuyou said, “Ah Fu isn’t a dog, he’s a Zhenmao!”

Ah Fu brought over the plate and offered it to Gu Fuyou, wanting to play together.

A certain sadness welled up in Gu Fuyou’s heart as she remembered her helplessness when facing Zuo Tianyi in the underground cave. Without the Yan’er Bell, she would have been at the mercy of others. Even with the bell, she couldn’t protect everyone.

She looked at Ah Fu and said, “You’re not a dog. You’re a Zhenmao! You roar like thunder, shaking the very heavens!”

Ah Fu pushed the plate into her arms. “You!” Gu Fuyou chuckled and playfully smacked it on the head.

A voice from behind said, “It’s still young, just a few months old and naturally playful. The pride of a Zhenmao won’t disappear; let it play and have something it enjoys.”

Gu Fuyou turned around to see Zhong Michu approaching. She hadn’t noticed her before, perhaps she had been standing in some corner. The fact that Zhong Michu had been there all along meant she probably approved of Ah Fu playing with the plate.

However, Gu Fuyou was too distracted to think about that now. She had come to apologize to Zhong Michu.

But as soon as she saw Zhong Michu, Gu Fuyou remembered the embarrassing incident outside the study. Heat quickly rose to her face, the previously faded blush rapidly reappearing, even her ears turned red.

There’s a saying: “Strike while the iron is hot.”

After these two distractions, when she finally tried to apologize, she could only muster, “Senior Sister Zhong…” and then her words got stuck.

After struggling for a while, she could only say, “You are right.”

Gu Fuyou: “…”

Although she was internally screaming, “What am I saying?!”, she never managed to apologize properly in the end.

But in the end, she never really managed to apologize properly.

That night, as she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, Gu Fuyou sighed and thought, “Senior Sister Zhong seemed more relaxed today. Maybe she’s not mad anymore…”

Tossing and turning, she was awake until midnight. Her stomach began to grumble. She hadn’t eaten properly for the past few days, and her stomach felt entirely empty.

Reluctantly, she got out of bed and headed to the kitchen to find something to eat. However, she only found cold pots and leftovers.

After some searching, she found fish that a fisherman had given her. She decided to cook for herself. She cleaned and fried the fish, then went to the storeroom to fetch some good wine. Holding the plate and hugging the wine, she returned to her courtyard and went up to the rooftop to enjoy her meal under the moonlight.

Drinking under the moon had its charm.

With countless thoughts under the moonlight, she drank without reservations.

Half-drunk, while enjoying her fish, she suddenly noticed someone standing in the courtyard. The person was draped in silvery garment and looked up at her.

The person smiled and asked, “Are you a cat?”

As she tried to stand up, she stumbled and almost fell. In a blink of an eye, Zhong Michu was by her side, her dress dancing with the wind, her fragrance like the night mist. Under the moonlight, she resembled a blossoming moonflower on Xingyue Slope.

Zhong Michu held her by the elbow and said, “You should sit.”

Gu Fuyou gazed at her. While many described her as distant and cold, they didn’t grasp the depth of her character.

Overwhelmed by guilt, Gu Fuyou blurted out, “Senior Sister Zhong, I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that yesterday. You were just looking out for me. I was wrong. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

Zhong Michu said, “You didn’t say anything wrong, you simply pointed out the truth. There’s nothing to forgive.”

Zhong Michu lowered her eyes slightly and whispered, “How can I advise you when I can’t even handle my own affairs?”

Seeing her looking dejected, Gu Fuyou wanted to comfort her but struggled to find the right words. She finally said, “Everyone has their own struggles; maybe Yunran has her own. Although I’ve never met my mother, my brother always said she was the kindest, and all mothers in the world are kind. There’s no mother who doesn’t love her child; Yunran must have her reasons and pains.”

“Is that so?”

The two, one standing and one sitting, gazed at the moon. There were no clouds in the sky, the crescent moon was bright, and countless stars twinkled, making the night even more serene.

Zhong Michu murmured, “She wasn’t like this before.”

“Are you referring to Yunran?”

“In my memory, there was a time…” Zhong Michu paused for a long while. As a gust of night wind brushed past, she continued, “Inside Hechen Pavilion, there’s a type of ‘Nanyanzhi’, nurtured by spiritual energy, bearing fruits so red they seemed to drip. Thinking it was a berry, I plucked and put one in my mouth. That was the first time I saw her laugh, and the only time she hugged me. She took the Nanyanzhi out of my mouth and told me, ‘You can’t eat that.'”

Gu Fuyou, having sipped her drink, found it hard to swallow, “Senior Sister Zhong…”

After a prolonged silence, Gu Fuyou spoke, “Senior Sister Zhong, upon reflection, I think you were right yesterday. We should talk to them. While it might not completely bridge the gap, it might help a little. It’s better than always being distant.”

Zhong Michu turned her head back. With her back to the moonlight, her expression was obscured in shadow.

Gu Fuyou touched her cheek, feeling the warmth. She thought the wine might be getting to her a bit, but she still felt clear-headed. “I have a bad temper. Every time I talk to my father, we end up arguing. If I change my ways, things might improve. And you, Senior Sister, you rarely take the initiative to speak.”

“Mhm…”

Gu Fuyou chuckled, “You probably never took the initiative to approach your mother and speak with her, have you? You could talk to her, tell her that you miss her, love her, and wish for her to cherish and embrace you.”

Caught off guard by Gu Fuyou’s words, Zhong Michu exclaimed in surprise, “Gu Fuyou!” Her voice rising, betraying her fluster.

Gu Fuyou burst into laughter. She knew Zhong Michu’s character, she’d be too embarrassed to voice such feelings so candidly.

“Senior Sister Zhong, it’s because you’re like this that Yunran appears so indifferent.”

“How could you say that?”

“Isn’t that the way between mothers and daughters? If my mother was still around, I’d cling to her and act like a spoiled child every day.”

Zhong Michu sat next to her. In the moonlight, her face wasn’t clearly visible, but Gu Fuyou felt she was blushing.

Leaning on her hand and tilting her head, Gu Fuyou looked at her sideways. The two didn’t speak for a while. As the alcohol took effect, Gu Fuyou’s gaze became hazy. Laughing, she softly called out, “Senior Sister Zhong?”

Zhong Michu didn’t respond. Gu Fuyou asked, “Senior Sister Zhong, are you mad?”

“No.”

Gu Fuyou smiled and teased, “I don’t believe you. Call me ‘Ah Man’ and prove it.”

Zhong Michu turned her head to look at her, “Ah Man?”

Gu Fuyou responded with a grin, “Yes.”

Grasping the sleeve of Zhong Michu’s robe, Gu Fuyou swayed it and said, “My brothers, Si Miao, and the others all call me Ah Man. I only let those close to me use that name. From now on, you can call me that too.”

“…Alright.”