Hearing this, Gu Heng let out a breath of relief and nodded comfortingly.
“Then it seems bringing you back was the right choice. This is where you grew up. Seeing familiar faces and places should help you recover more quickly.”
Ah Zheng forced a smile. “Then I’ll head out for tonight. See you tomorrow.”
With that, he left the courtyard, even thoughtfully closing the main gate for Gu Heng.
But in the next moment, he didn’t head to his own quarters. Instead, he leaned against the courtyard wall outside Gu Heng’s room and sat down.
Under the bright moon, he looked up at its round glow, his heart full of confusion.
He thought to himself—what Gu Heng said must be true.
But those vague memories of his… they must be real too, right?
After all, they had been separated for years. In that time, it would be natural for him to have joined the army and gone to war.
After all, everyone who saw him was certain he was Shen Zhengyu.
If it were just one or two people, it might be a coincidence. But if everyone recognized him, there could be no mistake.
Thinking that, he finally felt a little more at ease.
It’s alright—even if he had forgotten everything from the past, at least he still had the future, didn’t he?
At last, he got up and returned to his own quarters. But once in bed, he couldn’t fall asleep no matter what.
***
Meanwhile, Gu Heng had had a long day and was just about to fall asleep when Ziyun suddenly cried out in alarm.
“Second Miss! How did this robe of yours end up torn like this—and there’s blood on it too?”
Gu Heng opened her eyes to see Ziyun holding up a garment, her face full of shock.
“This robe’s already torn like this—you should just throw it out. I’ll get rid of it with tomorrow’s garbage.”
As she spoke, she rolled the garment up, ready to put it with the other trash.
“Wait!”
Gu Heng stopped her and took the robe from her hands, examining it carefully.
“This was the robe I wore when I fell off the cliff that day. I remember getting snagged on a tree on the way down—it must have gotten torn then.”
Back then, she had dragged Ah Zheng to the zhuangzi, but fainted before meeting anyone.
When she woke, Zhao Momo had already been tending to her, and she was wearing clean clothes.
So it must have been Zhao Momo who looked after her, changing her out of her torn clothes and stashing the old robe in her bundle, which had followed her back to town.
Hearing this, Ziyun pouted. “In that case, the robe’s unlucky—we should throw it away even more!”
But just then, Gu Heng noticed something wrapped inside the sleeve. She anxiously pulled it out and discovered a torn scrap of fabric.
In an instant, the memories of falling from the cliff rushed back.
She remembered she had grappled with Gu Yue that day, and during the struggle, she tore a piece of Gu Yue’s clothing and held on tight as they both fell.
Gu Heng’s expression changed instantly.
“No—we can’t throw away this robe or the cloth scrap. They’re solid evidence that Gu Yue tried to murder me!”
Ziyun’s eyes widened in shock and she nodded solemnly.
“Miss is right. I’ll take good care of this robe.”
Gu Heng watched as Ziyun carefully wrapped the robe in cloth and pressed it to the bottom of a chest before she laid back down.
She must have been too exhausted, because the moment she closed her eyes, she fell asleep and didn’t wake until dawn the next day.
As soon as she opened her eyes, Ziyun burst in. “Second Miss, are you awake? Young Master Shen is already waiting for you in our courtyard!”
Gu Heng groggily rubbed her eyes. “Let him wait in the courtyard for a bit, I’ll go out after I freshen up.”
Soon, Ziyun brought over water, helped her wash her face and rinse her mouth, and deftly styled her hair into the most fashionable bun of the time, which made her look exquisitely beautiful.
“Miss, you must have suffered during these days at the zhuangzi. You’ve gotten thinner. But even so, you’re still the prettiest girl in our household—and even in our county.”
Hearing this, Gu Heng smiled and pinched Ziyun’s waist. “You and your silver tongue. Alright, now that I’m ready, let’s head out.”
As soon as Gu Heng stepped out the door, she saw Ah Zheng quietly sitting in the courtyard. A shaft of sunlight fell on him, and his already refined features looked even more stunningly beautiful.
Perhaps out of boredom while waiting, he had plucked a long blade of grass and woven it into the shape of a flower. When he saw her, he held it out with both hands.
“For you.”
Surprised, Gu Heng took the grass-woven flower and saw that it was incredibly well-crafted—lively and beautiful.
“Ah Zheng, when did you learn this skill? It’s so intricate.”
Ah Zheng smiled shyly and lowered his head. “I don’t really know. I just picked up the grass and started weaving. Maybe it’s something I knew before I lost my memory. I hope I didn’t make a fool of myself.”
“How could that be? I’ve never seen such a delicate thing before—I really like it. If you can make flowers, can you make little cats or dogs? What about crickets?”
Bombarded with questions, Ah Zheng looked dazed for a moment. Then he mentally reviewed the weaving process and nodded. “I think I can. When I have time, I’ll make some for you to play with.”
Gu Heng smiled. “Great! But we have things to do today, so no weaving for now. Ah Zheng, Ziyun—we’re going out of the residence today.”
Hearing this, Ah Zheng asked in confusion, “Aren’t we going to keep vigil for Grandmother today?”
Gu Heng felt a pang of sorrow, but there were more pressing matters. “Not today. We need to find Qin Momo and also settle Ziyun’s mother and younger brother into a new home.”
Ziyun’s eyes immediately turned red.
Miss had said just yesterday that she wouldn’t let them be bullied anymore. Ziyun thought it was just empty comfort, not something Miss would truly act on. She hadn’t expected that by the very next day, Miss would take the initiative to help her.
In that moment, she felt the urge to kneel again.
But catching the second young lady’s warning glance, she realized that if she knelt again, she might displease her, so she forced herself to hold back.
Soon, the three of them left the residence.
Gu Heng first went to the housing broker to look at properties. She chose a very discreet place, paid the rent, and also gave the broker a hefty sum to keep his mouth shut.
After all, if Qin Rou and her mother found out, then changing locations would be pointless.
The broker took the money, still harboring a trace of disdain—thinking how easy it was to earn money from a rich young lady.
But when he turned his head, he saw Ah Zheng staring coldly at him.
Though Ah Zheng’s face showed no expression, the broker felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
That look in the man’s eyes said: if you dare utter a single word about today, I will kill you.
Right then, the broker swore to himself that no matter who came asking in the future, he would never speak a word of this—he still wanted to live a few more years.
With the housing settled, Gu Heng and Ah Zheng followed Ziyun to her current home.
But just as the wooden door creaked open, a wave of rotten stench rushed out.
Ah Zheng instinctively frowned and shielded Gu Heng behind him.
Looking inside, they saw chaos.
A sickly middle-aged woman laid weakly on the bed, and beside her, a three-year-old boy was coughing, his face just as pale.
One glance, and it was clear—they’d both likely caught the recent plague.
Seeing Ziyun, the woman tried to get up but had no strength. After a couple of coughs, she leaned weakly against the bedhead. “Yun’er, why are you here?”
She glanced at Gu Heng and Ah Zheng. “And who are they?”
Seeing the state of her mother and little brother, Ziyun couldn’t hold back her tears.
She knelt by the bed and held the woman’s hand. “Your daughter has been unfilial. I didn’t know you and little brother were sick. I haven’t come to see you for so long…”
Her younger brother suddenly pounced over and hugged her, his hoarse voice calling out, “Sister, you’re finally back!”
Ziyun wiped her tears, then looked back at Gu Heng and continued speaking to her mother. “This is Second Miss. The one beside her is Young Master Shen, who’s been her neighbor since childhood. It’s only thanks to Miss’s kindness that I was able to visit you today.”
The woman immediately became flustered. “Why has such a noble guest come here? Our home is so filthy—it will dirty her dress. Yun’er, quick, tidy up the place!”
Even while sick, her mother still thought of her—Ziyun broke into uncontrollable sobs again.
That wicked eldest miss had actually used such a frail mother and child to threaten her.
If she hadn’t come today, they might’ve died even before the eldest miss made a move!
Seeing that the woman was really trying to get up, Gu Heng quickly stepped forward and gently pressed her back down.
“You’re so ill—don’t move. I’ll have Ziyun fetch some medicine for you. You’ll get better soon. Also, Ziyun has served me since childhood and has done very well. As a reward, I’m arranging a new home for you both.”
The woman was stunned.
She had always thought that in noble households, servants were treated like dogs—beaten and scolded at will, not even considered human.
But to her surprise, this mistress was so kind—willing to find a new home for her servant’s family!
Suddenly, she sat up and tried to bow. “Miss, this can’t be! What virtue does my Yun’er have to deserve your favor? She couldn’t repay this even with a lifetime of servitude!”
Gu Heng held her down, her expression solemn. “In my eyes, Ziyun is like a younger sister. She grew up with me and fully deserves this. Don’t worry about anything else for now. What’s most important is getting you healthy.”
The woman gave a bitter smile and looked sadly at her young son. “My body is already at the end of its rope. But my son is still so young. If he loses his mother, I don’t know what will become of him.”
Gu Heng sighed. “Don’t be so pessimistic. I’ve treated countless plague victims myself—yours can be cured too.”
At those words, a spark of hope lit up in the woman’s eyes. Though her tone had been sorrowful, the moment there was a chance at survival, she wanted to grab it.
“Miss, are you serious? Can I really be saved? So many neighbors have already died…”
Seeing she was about to spiral again, Gu Heng quickly interrupted, “If you trust me, then yes, you can be cured.”
She turned to Ziyun. “Do you have ink and brush here?”
