DKGWF Chapter 3

| Previous | Table of Contents | Next |

Rong Jiahui had finally met the legendary Zhongli Luo, but unfortunately, before she could say much, Rong Chen had already instructed her to rest well and took him away. After all, he had only brought him over to introduce them to each other.

Although Rong Jiahui secretly decided to take advantage of the situation, she was not in a hurry. She knew that this person would be living in their household from now on. Though she hadn’t known much about him before, she was generally aware of what had happened to the Zhongli family. She also knew how her father had become acquainted with Zhongli Luo’s father. Her grandfather, the old Marquis of Zhen, had fought alongside her great-grandfather to help the founding emperor establish the empire forty years ago, earning numerous military merits. Back then, the founding emperor often praised the young marquis of the Rong family as the "Jade-faced General."

However, within just two years of peace, this less-than-twenty-year-old "Jade-faced General" no longer had a battlefield to prove himself. It wasn't until years later, when the frontier was invaded by the Rong people, that he, having lived in peace for twenty years, felt the urge to move his muscles again. He volunteered to lead an expedition and brought along his idle, good-for-nothing son, who couldn’t even hold a proper stance on horseback—her father, Rong Chen. At the time, Zhongli Qing, Zhongli Luo’s father, was just a junior officer under her grandfather’s command. Her grandfather had no intention of favoring his own son, so he assigned Rong Chen to serve as a mere soldier under Zhongli Qing.

At that time, her father, Rong Chen, was just a sixteen-year-old boy, while Zhongli Qng was over ten years his senior. He treated Rong Chen like a younger brother and took great care of him, forging a deep friendship between them. After several years of battle, the Rong invaders were defeated and surrendered. After returning home, their contact gradually dwindled.

Zhongli Qing was born to fight on the battlefield. However, after the war, he was given a minor official position of the fifth or sixth rank in a provincial post. His upright nature offended people, leading to his dismissal. Not long after, his beloved wife passed away, leaving him heartbroken. On his journey home with his son and his wife’s coffin, he fell ill and died. Just like that, Zhongli Luo became an orphan.

With Zhongli Luo’s personality, no matter how kind her parents were or how comfortable life in the marquis’ residence was, he probably didn’t want to live under someone else’s roof. Unfortunately, twenty years ago, a plague swept through their region. His relatives either perished or fled, and even those within five degrees of kinship were nowhere to be found. Even if they were found, who would be willing to take him in?

Thinking of this, Rong Jiahui couldn’t help but sigh. Back then, she had been too young and too spoiled, held in high regard by everyone. She had even blamed Zhongli Luo for always being cold and distant. But given his circumstances, who could possibly remain cheerful? Her past attitude toward him had been unfair—she deserved the "bitter melon" she had swallowed.

Speaking of bitter melon, she touched her throat, still feeling a faint sense of dread. She decided she would never eat it again.

She reached out for a pastry, only to realize that she had already finished the plate while thinking about Zhongli Luo. At the same time, a large plate of sliced chilled melon had been placed beside her, its flesh glistening red, emitting a fresh and fragrant aroma.

"Miss, this is your favorite chilled melon," said Bailu, the fourteen-year-old maid, with a sweet smile.

Just hearing the words "chilled melon" made Rong Jiahui’s throat tighten, almost making her choke. Let alone eating it—she couldn’t even bear to look at it. She waved her hand and said, "I don’t want it. You all can have it."

Bailu was stunned. Had the heavens changed? The young lady had always loved chilled melon the most. The entire household saved the best melons just for her, even her elder brother had to wait in line. Why had she suddenly changed her mind?

Seeing Bailu standing there dumbfounded, Rong Jiahui glanced at the plate of chilled melon again. Its bright red color, like fresh blood, made her stomach turn.

Though she had never been one to lose her temper at servants, a sudden surge of irritation welled up inside her. She slapped the table and snapped, "I told you to take it away, didn’t I?"

Realizing that her usually gentle mistress was genuinely upset, Bailu snapped out of her daze and quickly carried the plate away.

Watching her retreating figure, Rong Jiahui let out a breath of relief. Finally, she wouldn’t have to see that wretched melon anymore.

Fate was truly ironic. She had once loved chilled melon the most, but now she was terrified of it. She would never forget that suffocating feeling from before, even though, in this scorching summer, no fruit was better for cooling off than chilled melon.

Cooling off…

She looked at the blazing sunlight outside the window, feeling a pang of bitterness. If she couldn’t eat chilled melon, what else could she eat? The heat was becoming unbearable. She really wished she could build an icehouse and live inside it. Ice!

She pulled a wry face and turned to Shuangjiang, who was fanning her with a block of ice behind her. "Go tell Guyu to bring more ice."

She had no desire to see Qiu Fen, that scheming girl. She had found an excuse to send her back to her parents to prevent any further trouble. With Qiu Fen gone, she had promoted the plain-looking but honest and reliable Guyu, which put her mind at ease.

But after waiting for a quarter of an hour, the ice still hadn’t arrived. Instead, Guyu came rushing back, looking flustered.

Seeing her empty hands, Rong Jiahui scolded, "Where’s the ice? Did you run into a ghost?"

Guyu stood before her, panting heavily. She clutched her chest and gulped down the water handed to her by Hanlu before exclaiming, "Miss, the young master has returned from the Duke of Jing’s residence!"

Rong Jiahui’s eyes widened in surprise and joy. "Really?"

Thinking of the mischievous troublemaker in her memories, she couldn’t help but smile. Her beloved Jiaze had finally returned. Ever since they were young, her younger brother, Rong Jiaze, had always been especially attached to her. Since they were less than two years apart, they had grown up playing together and shared a very close bond.

The moment she heard that her younger brother had returned, her anger at Guyu for not bringing the ice instantly flew off to Java.

She chided, “Why didn’t you bring that little rascal to me?”

Oh, how she longed to pinch her ten-year-old brother’s chubby little cheeks! That little troublemaker had been so much cuter when he was younger.

Guyu hesitated for a moment, then pointed outside and said nervously, “Just now, I saw that Young Master Zhongli… he threw the young master to the ground…”

In this household, it had always been Rong Jiaze bullying others, never the other way around. And now, someone had dared to bully him! That was why she had rushed back to report the news.

Upon hearing that her precious little brother had been thrown to the ground, Rong Jiahui’s face instantly paled with shock. “What did you say?”

Without waiting for Guyu’s response, she immediately stood up, took a step forward, and asked anxiously, “Where is he now? Take me to him at once!”

“In the garden…”

The moment she heard that, Rong Jiahui didn’t wait for another word. Without bothering to take an umbrella, she dashed out into the scorching sun.

When she arrived at the garden, she saw Zhongli Luo standing to the side with his arms crossed. Meanwhile, her poor little brother—her precious little brother—was sitting on the ground, wailing loudly. The servants around him were trying to console him but to no avail.

Seeing this, Rong Jiahui was instantly furious, her anger flaring straight to the top of her head. Her brother, no matter how mischievous, had never been touched by so much as a finger—not even by her! And now, someone had dared to lay hands on him?

She hurried forward to help him up, gently wiping his tears as she coaxed, “Ah Ze, be good. Does it hurt? Don’t worry, your sister is here now. Tell me, who bullied you? Your sister will teach them a lesson for you!”

As she spoke, her gaze locked onto Zhongli Luo, who remained expressionless.

Seeing his beloved sister arrive, Rong Jiaze immediately straightened his back and pointed at Zhongli Luo, crying, “Sister, it was him! He hit me!”

Rong Jiahui patted his head and comforted him in a soft voice, “Alright, alright. Ah Ze, don’t cry. Your sister will stand up for you.”

Then, she turned to Zhongli Luo, puffing out her cheeks in anger. She looked up fiercely at the fifteen-year-old boy, who had already grown much taller than her, and demanded, “Why did you bully my little brother?”

Zhongli Luo ignored her and simply turned around, preparing to leave.

Seeing that he was about to walk away, Rong Jiahui quickly grabbed his sleeve and snapped, “Hey! You’re already so big, and you’re bullying a ten-year-old kid? Do you even have a conscience? What did my brother ever do to you? Tell me! You’re not allowed to leave unless you give me a proper explanation!”

Zhongli Luo tried to pull his sleeve free but realized that she had gripped it so tightly that he couldn’t break free. After a moment, he finally turned back to face her.

Seeing that he had stopped struggling, Rong Jiahui huffed and said, “Just apologize to my brother, and I won’t hold it against you! Otherwise… I’ll… I’ll tell my parents!”

She didn’t want to blow things out of proportion. If he could just apologize properly, she would let it go. After all, he had nowhere else to go, and she didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.

Zhongli Luo stared at her deeply, then suddenly pointed at her face and said, “There are pastry crumbs on your face.”

“Eh? What did you just say?” Rong Jiahui was momentarily confused.

Zhongli Luo pressed his lips together, then reached out toward her face.

Rong Jiahui instinctively dodged backward, looking at him warily. “What are you trying to do?!”

Zhongli Luo did not answer but instead continued to gently stroke her face, as if carefully wiping something away.

Rong Jiahui, though confused, let out a sigh of relief. She had initially thought he was going to hit her as well.

Still, his hand was surprisingly warm. Perhaps it was because of the strong sunlight, making it almost hot to the touch. Unlike her own smooth and delicate hands, his were a bit rough, yet the sensation was still pleasant. Ah, what was she thinking? She wasn’t behaving like a proper lady at all…

After a moment, Zhongli Luo withdrew his hand. Noticing that Rong Jiahui had unknowingly loosened her grip on his sleeve, he turned and walked away without a single glance back.

Watching his tall, straight figure retreat into the distance, Rong Jiahui was momentarily stunned. Then, touching her suddenly heated face, she couldn’t help but mutter, “What is with him? He just randomly touches my face and leaves… Did he take advantage of me?”

Though she said this, her cheeks still turned even redder.

At this moment, Shuangjiang, who had been standing behind her the whole time, spoke up, “Miss, I think Young Master Zhongli was wiping cake crumbs off your face.”

“Cake crumbs?” Rong Jiahui asked, puzzled.

Shuangjiang pointed to her cheek. “You didn’t completely wipe your face after eating the pastries earlier.”

Ah! Rong Jiahui immediately covered her face in embarrassment. She hadn’t wiped her face clean?!

Squatting down, she felt utterly humiliated. She had been boldly thinking about seizing the advantage earlier, but in reality, she had been standing there with crumbs all over her face! Running up to confront someone with a face like that… Who knew how much he must have been laughing at her on the inside? Whatever little dignity she had left…

Glaring at Shuangjiang, Rong Jiahui gritted her teeth and said, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier that I had crumbs on my face?”

Shuangjiang, looking aggrieved, mumbled, “I… forgot.”

Rong Jiahui nearly coughed up blood. Why was she even paying this maid a monthly salary? A tael of silver each month could’ve been better spent on dog food—at least dogs would wag their tails at her!

Forget it, forget it. The days ahead were still long. She could rebuild her image eventually. Besides, this wasn’t even her most embarrassing moment. After the whole choking-on-cold-melon incident, she had become much more tolerant of her own mishaps.

Moreover, seeing her little brother still sulking made her heart ache all over again. That Zhongli Luo had actually hit a child—he wasn’t as great as she had imagined after all.

Thinking about how her brother had been bullied for no reason, Rong Jiahui’s anger flared up again. She turned to his attendants and demanded, “Dongzhi, Xiazhi, tell me exactly what happened! Every single detail—don’t leave anything out!”

Dongzhi and Xiazhi exchanged glances, hesitant to speak.

Rong Jiahui assumed they were afraid of being beaten by Zhongli Luo, so she patted her flat chest and assured them, “You two don’t have to worry. Just speak boldly—I’ll protect you. No one will dare do anything to you.”

Hearing her words, the simple-minded Dongzhi and Xiazhi hesitated for a moment but eventually chose to ignore Rong Jiaze’s darkened expression and told the whole story, detail by detail.

At first, Rong Jiahui was filled with righteous anger. But as she listened, her delicate face gradually turned pale.

Rong Jiaze! You little brat! Not only did you steal the jade pendant from Zhongli Luo’s waist, but you also tossed it around to provoke him? You even threatened to break it? Wasn’t that just asking for a beating?!

She wasn’t particularly bright, but even she could tell that an item kept so close must be important. If it weren’t for the fact that he was her most beloved little brother, she would’ve smacked him herself!

Seeing that Rong Jiaze was trying to sneak away, Rong Jiahui grabbed him by the collar and growled, “Rong Jiaze! You think you can just run away after doing something wrong?”

How embarrassing! Absolutely humiliating! Her reputation was ruined! She had charged over to confront Zhongli Luo without knowing the full story, and now he must be furious with her. She had failed before she even started, and it was all this brat’s fault!

Rong Jiaze pouted, then burst into loud, aggrieved wails. “Why are you being so mean to me?! I just wanted to play with him! Who told him to ignore me?! It’s just a stupid jade pendant! I’ll give him ten of them!”

Rong Jiahui snapped, “Oh? And now you think you’re in the right? Aze, be good and try to understand other people’s feelings. His parents are gone—he’s probably grieving! He doesn’t have the heart to play with you right now. Come on, listen to your sister. Go apologize to him, okay? After all, we’re going to be family from now on, and we’ll be seeing each other all the time. Why start a grudge?”

“No way!”

Seeing how stubborn he was, Rong Jiahui grabbed his ear and threatened, “Are you going or not?”

Rong Jiaze had never been scolded like this by his sister before. His eyes turned red, and suddenly, he pushed her hand away and cried out, “You’re horrible! You’re always siding with outsiders to bully me! I hate you! I’ll never play with you again! I’ll never be your best friend again!”

With that, he ran off, sobbing.

Watching his stumbling figure disappear, Rong Jiahui sighed helplessly. This foolish child—who even wanted to be his friend? She was his older sister! Though… she had to admit, she used to be easily swayed by those very same words when she was younger. Well, best not to bring up such embarrassing memories…

Turning around, she saw Dongzhi and Xiazhi standing motionless. Letting out a long sigh, she reached out and gave each of them a flick on the forehead.

“You two little rascals just let him cause trouble, and now that he’s run off, you’re still standing here? Hurry up and go after him! If anything happens to Jiaze, you’ll both be in serious trouble!”

Snapped back to reality by her words, Dongzhi and Xiazhi hurriedly bowed deeply and then sprinted off in the direction Rong Jiaze had gone. “Young Master, wait for us!"

T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, thank you🍊🍊🍊