The marinated pig's knuckle wasn't hot, but for some reason, Gu Liyue felt as if her face was on fire. She subconsciously pushed the knuckle away.
Gu Chengzhi asked in surprise, "Don't you want to eat it?"
Gu Liyue hung her head shyly. Did he buy the marinated pig's knuckle specifically for her? Such an expensive dish was probably not bought for the Fourth Brother but for her. Did she look that gluttonous?
Gu Chengzhi picked up another piece and put it on her plate. "Sister, eat quickly. Look, I've already eaten half of this whole knuckle."
Gu Liyue ate slowly. After a moment, she asked, "Um... Is he... Is he still not back?"
It took Gu Chengzhi a while to realize she was talking about Lu Jinchen. He nodded. "He's very busy. He even sent someone to tell me that he had ordered a pig's knuckle at Fuguilou last month and told me not to forget to pick it up."
Gu Liyue felt warm inside. Whether he thought she was gluttonous or not, it made her happy that he could still think of her when he was so busy.
She was also pondering over the fabric in her hand, wondering what to make for him as a return gift.
Gu Chengzhi had eaten half of the pig's knuckle and felt too embarrassed to eat any more. He put down his chopsticks. "I'm full."
Gu Liyue quickly put down her chopsticks too. "Danju, wrap up the remaining pig's knuckle and send it to Sister - in - law."
Gu Chengzhi stopped her. "This is for you, sister. Why are you giving it to Sister - in - law?"
Gu Liyue's eyes curved into a smile. "A Xun must like it too. I'm sending it for him to eat."
Gu Xun was the eldest son of Gu Junyan and was almost three years old.
Gu Chengzhi immediately shook his head. "No. Our Gu family men should not live in luxury. It's already good enough that A Xun eats delicately with Sister - in - law. If you send the pig's knuckle over, not only will Sister - in - law be in a difficult position, but Brother will definitely be angry if he sees it."
Gu Liyue stared at him in disbelief. "You all don't eat expensive food?"
Gu Chengzhi nodded. "Not only the pig's knuckles from Fuguilou, but even the ones made at home are only available during festivals, and there's only one. It's already good if each person can get two pieces."
Gu Liyue felt restless. She didn't know how others ate, but in her case... She didn't eat much of the pig's knuckle because it was too greasy, but she had chicken, duck, fish, beef, and mutton almost every day, cooked in different ways. She thought that since the Gu family was a marquis family, everyone ate like this. It turned out not to be the case!
Gu Chengzhi divided the pig's knuckle for Gu Liyue again. "Alright, sister, eat quickly. You have to finish all these. I'll help you divide them."
Gu Liyue didn't refuse anymore. She told Danju to call Yunniang and wanted to share the food with her.
But Danju looked embarrassed and explained, "Yunniang is ill."
Gu Liyue was shocked. These days, she had been worried about the Fourth Brother, Qin Caiyin, and Jiang Che, and she hadn't even noticed that Yunniang hadn't come to see her for two days.
"She's ill? What's wrong with her?"
Danju explained, "She has a bad cough. She's afraid of passing the illness to you, so she hasn't been going out much these days."
Gu Liyue stood up and wanted to go and see Yunniang, but Danju quickly stopped her.
"Don't be in a hurry, miss. We've been boiling snow pears for her every day. I think she'll get better in a couple of days. If you go and catch the illness, it'll be our fault."
Gu Liyue wouldn't listen. She didn't even want to eat the pig's knuckle anymore and insisted on going to see Yunniang.
When Yunniang heard the news, she had someone close the door and gently tapped on the door panel.
When they were kids, Miao disliked them for wasting oil by lighting lamps and always scolded them. Gu Liyue loved to cry, and since Yunniang couldn't speak to comfort her, she would tap on Gu Liyue's palm. This kind of tapping always made Gu Liyue feel at ease.
A maid spoke on Yunniang's behalf. "Miss, Yunniang said she'll get better in a couple of days. She told you not to worry."
Gu Liyue always listened to Yunniang. She just tearfully told her to take care and then turned to send someone to invite a doctor with the token.
When she returned to the room, the pig's knuckle was all cold. Gu Liyue had no appetite. She stared at the knuckle for a long time and then said, "I had never seen a pig's knuckle before I went to the Feng family."
Gu Chengzhi was taken aback. He knew she had a hard time before, but he didn't know why she suddenly brought this up.
"But Yunniang had seen it. Yunniang told me that when we were kids during the Chinese New Year, Father would buy a lot of delicious food. My mother and Yunniang would cook together, and there would always be a marinated pig's knuckle."
Gu Chengzhi licked his lips and nodded. "If there's a banquet in the capital, there's always such a dish on the table."
Gu Liyue continued, "At that time, I loved to cry but dared not. I would secretly cry in her arms when I was sleeping. Sometimes it was because I was beaten, and sometimes it was because I was so hungry. She would gesture to me and tell me about the past. She also said that when we had money in the future, she would definitely cook a table full of delicious dishes for me."
Gu Chengzhi saw his sister with red eyes and felt really sad. He immediately said, "Tell me what those dishes are, sister. I'll have someone prepare them for you today."
Gu Liyue shook her head. "I didn't know until I went to the Feng family that even the food of the servants of the rich was much better than that of the poor. When I went to the Jiang family, I learned that the diet and behavior of the big families had rules and could not be violated casually. When I returned to the Gu family, I found that I could eat whatever I wanted. But after eating too much, I realized that it was just food for filling the stomach. What was special was the emotion contained in it."
She looked up. "Thank you, Fourth Brother."
Gu Chengzhi didn't understand. "Thank me for what? Thank me for bringing you the pig's knuckle? It was Jinchen who bought it for you. Sister, don't worry. Although Jinchen has a conflict with the prince's mansion, he is, after all, the son of the Prince of Liang and the nephew of the emperor. In the future, when you're with him, you'll never have to live a hard life like before."
Gu Liyue saw that Gu Chengzhi didn't understand what she meant and didn't care too much. She just gently shook her head.
When the doctor came, Gu Liyue waited for the doctor to examine Yunniang. Only then did she find out that Yunniang's illness was not a minor one. The cough had affected her lungs, and she needed good care.
"The autumn is very dry. Boil this prescription for nourishing the lungs every day. Boil three bowls of water down to one bowl and take it three times a day. In addition, if there's hot spring water, you can soak in it every other day, but you must be careful not to catch a cold again. If you want to completely cure the illness, it may take until next spring."
Gu Liyue nodded and asked, "There's a spring in my courtyard. It's well - built. Can I soak in it every day?"
The doctor shook his head. "You can't soak in it every day, or your body won't be able to bear it. There are also some dietary taboos. Call the maid who serves the lady closely to write them down."
The little maid wrote them all down.
When the doctor was about to leave, he seemed to remember something and said, "The hot spring pools in the capital, although they are natural hot spring water, are still different from those in the suburbs. If there's a hot spring on the estate, it's more beneficial to health."
Gu Liyue was worried. She didn't know if there was a hot spring on the Gu family's estate. It seemed that she could only ask her grandmother later.
Yunniang covered her face with a veil. Seeing that Gu Liyue was still worried, she quickly gestured: Now that the doctor has come, what are you still worried about? Don't worry. I'll take the medicine and recuperate well and get better soon.
Gu Liyue was uneasy. "If I had noticed earlier and invited the doctor earlier, it wouldn't have taken you until next year..."
Yunniang smiled. "You're so childish. It's not a serious illness. And the doctor said that it will take until next year to completely cure it, but I'll get better in just a month or two. Don't worry about me anymore."