Chapter 15 – I’m Running Away from Home
At times like this, as a loyal system, 179 was definitely on Xia Yi’s side, standing with him on the same front.
“Bah.” In Xia Yi’s mind, 179 spat at Huai Yu, “Little vixen.”
“See? Even someone as straightforward as you noticed something off about her,” Xia Yi angrily retorted to 179.
But true to form, Gu WenZhu, the original straight man, hadn’t noticed anything strange about Huai Yu from start to finish. Each time Xia Yi secretly hoped Gu WenZhu would give her the cold shoulder, he instead remained polite and respectful.
Xia Yi felt dissatisfied.
This kind of petty frustration wasn’t something he could bring up to Gu WenZhu, so he could only brood in silence. Though his appetite hadn’t decreased, every time Gu WenZhu served food, Xia Yi would nitpick and find something wrong.
“Too salty.”
“Too bland.”
“Too hot! Are you trying to burn me?”
“Overcooked. Too dry.”
Gu Wen Zhu: …But I haven’t even finished cooking this dish yet.
He assumed Xia Yi was still upset after the emotional incident picking mushrooms and missing his parents, so he tolerated all the complaints. After all, don’t they say people vent their frustrations on those closest to them? If he doesn’t take it out on me, who will he take it out on? Let him blow off steam—it’ll pass eventually.
Gu WenZhu thought back to Xia Yi’s grief that day, and his heart ached even more, so he treated Xia Yi with even more tenderness. Xia Yi had wanted to pick a fight and use that as an excuse to bring up the issue with Huai Yu, but Gu WenZhu never took the bait. Every day, he just agreed with everything: “Yes, yes, you’re right.”
Xia Yi felt like he was punching a pillow—his frustration only deepened.
Finally, on the ninth time Huai Yu came over, Xia Yi snapped.
Both outfits Huai Yu was working on only had the sleeves left to finish, so she must have realized her opportunities to visit were dwindling. That day, when Xia Yi wasn’t around, and only Gu WenZhu was preparing dinner in the courtyard, Huai Yu mustered up the courage to confess her feelings.
The day before, Xia Yi had made plans with a *ge’er* named Liu Qing to go to the mountains and pick chestnuts, so he left early to work in the fields. Now, as he was about to return home to get ready to meet Liu Qing, he paused at the courtyard door, hearing Huai Yu’s voice. His hand froze on the door, and he strained to listen.
“Brother Gu, the reason I’ve stayed single this long is because I wanted to find someone I truly like…”
“She’s finally showing her true colors, trying to seduce him!!” 179 shrieked furiously.
“I see you don’t have anyone to help you, and you’re still looking after your little brother…”
“Little brother? What little brother? You’re his fiancée! I’m going to rip her mouth apart,” 179 raged, his voice trembling.
“I’m willing to serve you for the rest of my life.”
*
“I don’t want to listen anymore.” Xia Yi abruptly turned away, stomping off toward the outskirts of the village. “It’s infuriating.”
“179, from now on, don’t say a word. Let me be alone for a while.”
Xia Yi found a patch of grass outside the village, collapsed onto his back, and let waves of frustration surge through him. He didn’t have the nerve to confront Gu WenZhu and throw a fit, nor the courage to directly ask him about it. “I’m a man, not some jealous wife.”
But keeping it bottled up was hard.
An angry fire blazed in Xia Yi’s chest, making him toss and turn in the grass until he was covered in burrs.
“179, I’m going to run away from home,” Xia Yi suddenly sat up and declared resolutely.
“What? What about your land? The radishes are still growing! Are you really going to just hand Gu WenZhu over like that?” 179 was shocked. “Aren’t you at least going to try to fight back? Giving up without a fight doesn’t sound like the ‘ge’er’ way. Even if you lose, at least secure a position as his second wife. That way, you can stay and guard the farm!”
“No, no, no, I’m not really running away,” Xia Yi explained calmly. “It’s like in TV dramas—I’ll make it seem like I’ve left but leave plenty of clues behind.”
“He’ll wonder why I left and follow the clues to find me. And then, just like in the plot, he’ll explain everything, saying, ‘Darling, you misunderstood. I never had feelings for her…’”
Alright then.
Xia Yi returned home. Gu WenZhu wasn’t there, so Xia Yi left a note on the table that read, “I’m leaving.” He packed some clothes and his money, took a few pancakes from the kitchen, and even pocketed some charcoal before starting his so-called escape.
Qilin, their dog, wagged its tail and tried to follow, but Xia Yi patted its head and softly said, “Be good. I’ll be back soon. You go play with Da Hei for a bit.” Qilin obediently sat at the courtyard gate, watching Xia Yi walk off into the distance.
At the village entrance, Xia Yi pulled out the charcoal and drew a small dog on a nearby rock—specifically, he drew Qilin.
“It’s like a random sketch made while in a distressed mood, but clearly something I would draw,” Xia Yi explained. “It’s like an unintentional clue.”
“After all, I can’t just drop necklaces or earrings like they do in TV shows. Not only do I not have any, but even if I did, I wouldn’t want to lose them. What if someone else picks them up? I’d be devastated.”
“179, did you see that look? With just one glance, I instantly understood her intentions. I can feel it—this is the instinct of a man in love!”
After walking for a while, Xia Yi reached a fork in the road and drew another qilin on a tree. Over half an hour later, he arrived at a small grove, having drawn qilins all along the way. He found a clean rock to sit on, took out some food, and decided to nap.
“Let that man worry at home,” 179 said with a satisfied smirk, “imagining you’ve left, sobbing and beating his chest in regret.”
Xia Yi slept under the warm sunlight and had a dream. In the dream, as soon as Gu Wenzhu saw the note, he rushed out into the pouring rain, screaming Xia Yi’s name, with rain and tears streaming down his face. Xia Yi felt both satisfied and heartbroken, and couldn’t help but open his mouth to say, “I’m here.” But as soon as he spoke, he woke up.
Looking around, there was no sign of Gu Wenzhu, just the sound of birds and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
“Forget it, I’ll sleep a little longer. Maybe by the time I wake up, he’ll be here.”
But he couldn’t fall back asleep… Why hadn’t Gu Wenzhu come yet?
The sun was already setting! Could the clues not be obvious enough for him to follow?
So, Xia Yi got up, retraced his steps, and added two more qilins to the trees on either side of the path.
As the sky darkened and the sun dipped behind the mountains, still no sign of Gu Wenzhu. Xia Yi, no longer sitting on the stone waiting, stood in the middle of the road, anxiously looking out.
“Stop waiting,” 179 said coldly. “It’s only a half-hour walk. If he was coming to find you, he’d have been here by now.”
Villagers heading home from the fields started passing by in twos and threes, calling out, “Little Yi, what are you doing out here? It’s getting dark, you should go home.”
Standing by the roadside, Xia Yi picked at the bark of a tree, feeling his eyes burn with tears and his nose starting to sniffle.
“Don’t be sad, just go home,” 179 said gently. “It’s getting dark, and he’s not coming.”
“I’ll die out here before going back!” Xia Yi’s heart ached, and he began to choke up, tears threatening to fall.
“Don’t say things like that. Are you really going to stake your life on a man? Just go back, pretend nothing happened, and focus on finishing your tasks,” 179 coaxed.
Having no other place to go, Xia Yi picked up his bundle and, head hanging low, slowly began the walk home.
He gently pushed open the courtyard gate and hesitated for a long moment before mustering the courage to step inside. As soon as Qilin saw him, the dog happily ran up, licking his palm.
“You’re back?” Gu Wenzhu’s cheerful voice came from the house. “How many chestnuts did you pick? Come on, let’s eat. I’ve kept the food warm for you. I was about to go to Liu Qing’s place to look for you.”
“Ch-chestnuts?” Xia Yi looked up at Gu Wenzhu, startled, as his confused expression quickly turned into one of frustration. “Oh right, I told you yesterday I was going chestnut-picking with Liu Qing today.”
“Yeah, didn’t you leave me a note before you left?” Gu Wenzhu asked, his handsome face full of confusion. “You didn’t go pick chestnuts?”
Xia Yi remembered the note he left on the table: “I’m leaving.”
Xia Yi: …
All those qilins for nothing.
Turns out, Gu Wenzhu didn’t even think he had run away.
Feeling completely wronged, Xia Yi realized he had spent an entire afternoon waiting in the woods for Gu Wenzhu to be racked with guilt, weeping and desperately searching for him, only for Gu Wenzhu to have no idea and instead be preparing a whole feast.
Gu Wenzhu started to look him up and down, and when his eyes landed on the bundle Xia Yi was holding, his expression darkened. “Why were you carrying a bundle?”
Xia Yi scratched at his arm, where a few red mosquito bites had appeared from being in the woods. Unable to hold it in anymore, he exploded, his voice breaking with frustration, “Didn’t you notice I ran away from home? You didn’t even come looking for me! I waited all afternoon!”
“R-run away? Why would you run away?” Gu Wenzhu stared at him, eyes wide with shock, stammering in disbelief.
“I heard it all! I heard what Huaiyu said to you!” Xia Yi shouted, his eyes red.
“Baby, you misunderstood. I never had any feelings like that for her…” Gu Wenzhu finally realized what was going on and, with a helpless smile, walked over and gently pulled Xia Yi into his arms, explaining softly.
179: …
“I didn’t even notice her, so I had no idea she had those thoughts. As soon as she confessed to me, I rejected her. I even took the clothes back from her and told her not to come to our house anymore,” Gu Wenzhu reassured Xia Yi, stroking his hair gently.
“Really?” Xia Yi asked, still a little suspicious, though mostly convinced.
“Really. The only person I ever notice is you. No one else even registers as human to me,” Gu Wenzhu said, pouring out his heart.
Hearing that, Xia Yi couldn’t help but smile, his dimples showing. “What about the clothes? Let me see them.”
The two thick garments, one light purple and the other dark blue, were mostly finished except for the sleeves.
“What should we do about this?” Xia Yi waved the unattached sleeves in the air, frowning. “We’ve sent the seamstress away.”
Gu Wenzhu’s eyes flashed with determination. “I’ll sew them!”
