Seeing this, Xiao Shu carefully accepted the money and tiptoed out, making sure to close all the doors and windows behind her so not even a draft would enter.
Gu Heng slept until the sun was high in the sky.
When she opened her eyes, she was startled to see Ah Zheng sitting at her bedside, eyes red.
“What are you doing? Don’t tell me you didn’t sleep again last night?”
Ah Zheng shook his head. “I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t fall back asleep… so I came to check on you.”
Gu Heng’s serious illness had really scared him. He feared that if she closed her eyes again, she might never wake up.
Gu Heng smiled wryly to comfort him. “Don’t worry. I’m fine now, aren’t I? Go get some rest. If you fall sick too, I won’t forgive you.”
Just then, hurried footsteps approached.
Looking up, Gu Heng saw Xiao Shu entering, her face full of anxiety. She couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong? Why are you so flustered?”
Xiao Shu placed the bags of preserved fruit on the table and said breathlessly, “When I went to town just now, I overheard a few idle men chatting. They said something happened at the county magistrate’s residence—there’s already white mourning cloth hanging!”
In that instant, Gu Heng’s heart sank.
“Did you find out who it was?”
Xiao Shu had run all the way back. After catching her breath and taking a sip of tea, she continued, “I heard the old madam passed away. She caught the plague that’s been going around and didn’t survive two days.”
Gu Heng felt as if lightning had struck her.
In the grand county magistrate’s residence, from childhood to now, aside from her Yiniang, only her grandmother had truly treated her well.
Her grandmother had never minded that she wasn’t born of the main family and treated her like her own granddaughter.
At that moment, her grandmother’s gentle image surfaced before her eyes. All their past memories came flooding back, and tears fell uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Ah Zheng was heartbroken but didn’t know how to comfort her.
After a while, Gu Heng made up her mind. “I must return to the residence and mourn for Grandmother.”
Xiao Shu panicked. “Second Miss, the master ordered that you must remain at the zhuangzi. Without his command, you can’t return!”
Gu Heng’s eyes were red. “My beloved grandmother has passed. If I don’t go back to see her one last time, I’d be unworthy as her granddaughter.”
Wiping away her tears, Gu Heng got out of bed and began packing.
Xiao Shu was terrified. “You only just woke up yesterday, and your health just recovered. Do you really have to leave so soon? Why not wait a few more days until it’s warmer?”
Gu Heng spoke as she packed, her tone unwavering. “No. I must leave today.”
Seeing she couldn’t be persuaded, Xiao Shu’s expression was filled with worry.
She stepped forward and held Gu Heng’s hand. “Second Miss, I know it’s presumptuous of me to say this, but… if the residence treats you poorly, you can always return here. Everyone in this zhuangzi remembers how you saved us and truly respects you.”
Gu Heng nodded and patted her hand. “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
Tears brimmed in Xiao Shu’s eyes. “Then let me boil you another bowl of medicine. Drink it before you go.”
With that, she left the room.
For a moment, only Gu Heng and Ah Zheng remained.
She suddenly felt troubled.
Stopping her movements, she walked up to Ah Zheng, her expression a mix of reluctance and acceptance.
“I’m heading back now. Your injuries have mostly healed. Perhaps… it’s time we part ways.”
Ah Zheng froze.
What did she mean? Was she going to abandon him?
She was the only person he knew in this world. And now she was going to leave him behind?
The thought filled him with panic—worse than anything before.
Without thinking, he hugged Gu Heng tightly, his voice full of grievance. “I’m not leaving! Wherever you go, I’ll go!”
Gu Heng laughed helplessly and tried to pull away, but his grip was too tight.
“Alright, alright… All good things come to an end. These days we spent together were already a kind of fate. If it’s not over, we’ll meet again, won’t we?”
But just as she said that, she felt him tighten his grip, to the point it hurt. She had to push him gently. “Let go… You’re hurting me…”
Finally, he loosened his hold a little. But when she looked up, she saw his eyes red with hurt. “You…”
“Ah Heng, am I a burden to you? Is that why you don’t want to take me with you?”
Gu Heng suddenly had a headache. “It’s not that. It’s just… I’m going back to face wolves and tigers in the residence…”
Before she could finish, he cut her off anxiously.
“I don’t care about wolves or tigers. I just want to go with you!”
Gu Heng looked up and saw a tear fall from his eye. “You know I’ve lost my memory. You’re the only person I know. If I don’t go with you, where would I go?”
“But…”
“No buts! You said I used to live next to you in the county. Then I have to go. Maybe returning there will help me remember more.”
A wave of guilt rose in Gu Heng’s heart.
He was right. He was now like a blank slate.
And these past days had shown just how unstable his emotions were.
More than once, if she hadn’t stopped him, there could’ve been bloodshed.
Right now, it was better to keep him close—at least she could restrain him if needed.
“…Alright. Then pack your things. Come with me.”
Hearing this, Ah Zheng finally broke into a smile.
His sharp, beautiful face lit up with crescent-moon eyes.
It had been so long since she’d seen him smile like that—Gu Heng couldn’t help but smile too.
“Fool. Even suffering, you want to share with me.”
***
Soon, the two had packed their belongings.
Gu Heng visited Xiao Hua, then said her farewells to Xiao Shu, Xiao Cao, and Zhao Momo before setting off for the county.
Sitting in the carriage, Gu Heng was full of mixed emotions.
When she came here, she’d just fallen ill, her body aching. Worse, she’d been blamed by her father for causing her Yiniang’s death.
Halfway there, her vicious stepsister even pushed her off a cliff—barely surviving.
She never expected that on her return journey, she wouldn’t be alone.
Somehow, she felt at peace. Leaning against the carriage, she fell asleep.
Unknowingly, she leaned to the right.
The moment she fell asleep, Ah Zheng noticed.
Seeing her lean toward him, his heart skipped a beat.
Instinctively, he held her and let her rest comfortably in his arms.
For the rest of the journey, he didn’t dare move a muscle—not even when his legs went numb.
But Gu Heng slept soundly, only waking as they neared the gate of the county residence.
Opening her eyes, she saw she was nestled in Ah Zheng’s arms.
Embarrassed, she quickly sat up and rubbed her nose. “Did I disturb your rest?”
“No. You slept like an angel.”
In truth, he wished the journey were longer—just so he could hold her a bit more.
At that moment, the coachman’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Second Miss, Young Master Shen, we’ve arrived. Please get off quickly.”
Hearing this, Gu Heng felt as though she had found a savior.
“Alright, we’re coming down now.”
She had never been a peaceful sleeper since childhood—though she didn’t talk in her sleep, her posture was always sprawling in all directions.
She had no idea if she’d tossed and turned during the journey or drooled in her sleep.
The very thought made her feel embarrassed, so she hurried to get off the carriage to break the awkwardness.
After the two got off, the coachman turned the carriage around and headed back to the zhuangzi, while Gu Heng and Ah Zheng walked toward the entrance of the County Magistrate’s residence.
Looking up, Gu Heng saw that the residence was indeed draped in white mourning cloth.
On the way there, she had still harbored a shred of wishful thinking, but now, faced with reality, she could no longer deceive herself.
Walking in closer, she saw two idle house guards lazily sitting by the gate.
Seeing her approach, they reacted as if they had seen a ghost, springing to their feet.
“Second Miss, why are you back?! Didn’t the Master order you to stay at Baixue Manor to recuperate?”
Gu Heng’s expression was cold. “My grandmother has passed away. As her granddaughter, am I not allowed to return and fulfill my filial duty? Move aside!”
The two guards exchanged a glance. The one on the left spoke with a troubled expression, “Second Miss, it’s not that we mean to make things difficult for you. It’s just that we can’t defy the Master’s orders!”
As he spoke, the two of them raised their staffs in a defensive posture, firmly blocking her path.
Seeing this, Gu Heng’s anger surged. She reached out to push their staffs aside, but they didn’t budge.
Seeing her persist, the two guards even pushed their staffs out further.
The force caused Gu Heng to lose her balance and nearly fall backward. Fortunately, Ah Zheng reacted swiftly and caught her in time.
In that moment, a glint of hostility flashed through Ah Zheng’s eyes.
“You insolent dogs—are you trying to lay hands on your mistress?”
Only then did the two notice him. Their expressions turned to shock in an instant.
“Young Master Shen? Why are you here?”
Ah Zheng reached out and directly snatched the staffs from their hands—then broke them barehanded.
“That’s none of your concern.”
The two guards were so terrified by the sight that their legs turned to jelly.
Seeing this, Gu Heng quickly led Ah Zheng into the residence.
Watching their retreating backs, the guards finally snapped out of their daze. “Hurry, go report to the Master and Mistress!”
But before they could run off to tattle, Gu Heng and Ah Zheng had already stepped into the main hall.
The moment Gu Heng saw her grandmother’s coffin laid out in the center of the hall, her eyes reddened. She immediately knelt before it and cried out loudly, “Grandmother, your granddaughter has come late!”
The scene was so sudden that the onlookers didn’t know how to react.
It was Gu Yue who finally came to her senses and snapped with wide eyes, “Gu Heng! Weren’t you told to stay at Baixue Manor? How dare you defy Father’s orders and return on your own!”
