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Long Yi continued to administer medicines to Xiao Liulang as he had done in the past – trying one type after another. As the attempts went on, Long Yi's movements grew increasingly anxious and chaotic.
He seemed to sense that the condition of Xiao Liulang’s leg wasn't improving.
Dragon Shadow Guards don’t cry.
Nor would they feel bad for others.
However, in that instant, Gu Jiao outside the door felt a tremendous sense of sorrow emanating from Long Yi.
......
Xiao Liulang came out after changing his clothes and said to Gu Jiao, who was waiting quietly in the corridor, "I'm better now, let's go."
Go?
Gu Jiao looked at Xiao Liulang in surprise.
It took a moment for her to realize that his "let's go" meant leaving this place.
Gu Jiao didn't tell him that it was best for him to stay here. Instead, she put down the twig in her hand, stood up, and looked at him, saying, "Alright."
Inside the carriage back home, Xiao Liulang remained silent.
Long Yi didn't appear, but both Xiao Liulang and Gu Jiao knew that he was following from a distance behind the carriage.
"Is it because of the princess?" Gu Jiao finally broke the silence.
Xiao Liulang tried to maintain a casual tone, saying, "She doesn't want to see me."
True, if she wanted to see him, she wouldn't have returned to the princess mansion.
Gu Jiao couldn't argue with that.
The carriage continued to sway and move for a while.
Xiao Liulang's complexion was very pale.
Gu Jiao couldn't quite tell whether it was because of the injury on his hand or the pain in his heart.
Gu Jiao remembered the portraits she had seen at the princess mansion. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Why?"
What Gu Jiao wanted to ask was, why did things turn out this way for you all?
Xiao Liulang, however, thought that Gu Jiao was asking why Princess Xinyang didn't want to see him.
This was a scar repeatedly torn open in his heart, a memory he least wanted to touch.
But since she asked.
He decided to tell her.
"Because I'm not her biological son."
"Her biological son died."
"Because of me."
......
Back at Bishui Alley, both of them had composed themselves, and there was no trace of anything unusual on their faces.
Long Yi quietly left after ensuring their safe arrival. After all, he was Princess Xinyang's Dragon Shadow Guard, and his duty was to protect her.
Today, there were only two classes in the Imperial Academy in the afternoon. Little Jing Kong was let out of school early and was currently snooping around their own doorstep.
While his small feet obediently stayed within the threshold, his little body seemed eager to leap out entirely. His small arms flailed behind him, resembling an impatient emperor penguin.
Little Jing Kong's antics brought a smile to Gu Jiao's face.
"JiaoJiao?" Little Jing Kong spotted Gu Jiao, tilted his head as he looked at her to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks, then turned to Yao Shi and Grannie Fang in the backyard, calling out, "JiaoJiao is back! I, I, I... I can go out now!"
With that said, he crossed the threshold with his little legs and rushed towards Gu Jiao in a series of hurried steps.
As expected, he tripped and stumbled once again.
It had been a while since he had last stumbled, but his instinct to protect his head was well-practiced.
He clutched his little head, rolling all the way to Gu Jiao's feet.
After his tumble, he seemed to feel that his tough image was once again ruined. His eyes swirled around, then he spread his arms wide and called out with an air of dominance, "JiaoJiao."
He wasn't embarrassed at all; it was others who were embarrassed.
Others, like his bad brother-in-law.
No one else had this little shameless appearance of pretending to be injured.
What a pity Xiao Liulang had left it all in the past.
Before Gu Jiao could bend down to pick up the little guy, Xiao Liulang simply grabbed the little guy’s tiny collar and lifted him up.
Aiyaya!
He wanted JiaoJiao to hold him!
Not you!
Xiao Liulang carried the little guy into the courtyard.
He had lost his crutch, but he was definitely stronger and more robust than before. He managed to prevent the little guy from falling, but just as they were about to enter the main room, his right foot gave out.
Gu Jiao promptly scooped up Little Jing Kong and supported Xiao Liulang with her other hand, saving him from the embarrassment of stumbling and falling.
Feeling his weakened right foot, Xiao Liulang clenched his fists discreetly.
Gu Jiao hadn't told her family about Xiao Liulang being abducted by assassins. She had simply said he was away on official business. The original plan was for him to recover from his injuries under Princess Xinyang's care until he was fully healed, without the need to inform their family.
However, his early return meant his injuries couldn't be kept a secret anymore.
"Liulang is back. Your official business this time..." Sure enough, Yao Shi's words were cut off as she noticed his stiff right hand, "Liulang, your hand..."
Xiao Liulang nonchalantly explained, "I stumbled and grazed it on a step's edge while on official business. It bled a bit, but it's fine now."
He only needed more than ten stitches.
Gu Jiao mentally added that.
She felt sorry for her husband’s good-looking hand. If this wound actually left a scar, she would definitely chop off the assailant's hand!
Xiao Liulang's hand was wrapped in gauze, and Yao Shi didn't dare to actually remove the gauze to inspect his wound. She just believed his explanation that it was just a minor scrape. Nevertheless, her concern prompted Grannie Fang to simmer a pot of pig's trotter soup, intending to help him recover.
Xiao Liulang: "..."
Xiao Liulang still needed to receive an intravenous drip later in the day. Gu Jiao hung the infusion bag on the bookshelf behind the desk in the west room, and Xiao Liulang read while receiving the treatment.
Before long, Little Jing Kong approached with a portrait in both hands.
His stature was still quite short, and he had to stand on tiptoes to reveal half of his little head from behind the desk.
He decided to bypass the desk and approach Xiao Liulang. Tilting his head, he asked Xiao Liulang, "Do you have a little brother?"
Xiao Liulang didn't lift his head, continuing to flip through the arithmetic book from the State of Yan, "Why do you ask?"
Little Jing Kong looked at the portrait of the young Xiao Heng and said, "This person looks just like you!"
Xiao Liulang's expression froze. He turned his head and saw that Little Jing Kong was holding a portrait.
He immediately recognized the people in the portrait: a five-year-old him and a younger Princess Xinyang.
His fingers tightened slightly, "Where did you get this portrait from?"
"From JiaoJiao's basket." Little Jing Kong tilted his head and said, "Your little brother is handsome, even more handsome than you! Your little brother can smile, but you can't!"
The young Xiao Heng in the portrait smiled with innocence and joy, as if all the happiness in the world belonged solely to him. The delight in his eyes was about to overflow.
This was the Xiao Heng from the past.
Xiao Liulang looked at the portrait of himself and Princess Xinyang, feeling a moment of trance deep in his heart.
The feelings of maternal affection and filial piety seemed to have drifted far away from him, like a world apart. Looking back, it felt as though ages had passed.
……
In the afternoon, Princess Xinyang suffered a heart attack and fainted at the princess mansion.
Worried that the delay in seeking treatment might worsen her condition, Yu Jin decided to take Princess Xinyang to a medical hall.
Gu Jiao was taken away by Long Yi once again. The experience was both sour and refreshing.
Princess Xinyang was taking heart failure medication from the research institute, which effectively alleviated and controlled her condition. Her collapse wasn't due to a heart condition, but rather because she had gone without sleep the entire night and overexerted herself, resulting in low blood sugar.
Gu Jiao administered some glucose to Princess Xinyang.
Princess Xinyang woke up in the evening to find herself lying in an unfamiliar room, with a round little head near her bed.
She opened her mouth, her voice hoarse as she asked, "Where am I?"
Little Jing Kong, who was crouching on the floor playing marbles, looked up, blinking his big eyes at her, "Female benefactor, you're awake? You're in the medical hall. This is JiaoJiao's personal room, and you're on JiaoJiao's bed. How do you feel? Is there anything uncomfortable? JiaoJiao said that if you're not feeling well, I should tell her. She's in the front hall for consultations."
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