Chapter 47: The Only Daughter of the Reclusive Family

“Enough, stop joking around. If we're late getting back, your mother will scold me!”

Poor Gu Jun, who commands such authority within the clan, is at home a model husband, upholding the virtues of a dutiful man—a paragon among the twenty-four filial husbands!

No matter what the clan says, Gu Jun always puts the Gu Clan first, followed by Gu Ming, and then Gu Hua.

Gu Hua: Alright, I know I'm the extra one; no need to single me out...

As clan leader, Gu Jun is far from impoverished, yet ever since Gu Hua came along, he moved with Gu Ming and the three of them to a new residence. Now they live on Gu Jun’s own estate, in a small wooden house he had built—a living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms, and an outhouse.

Aside from his duties in the clan, Gu Jun is a man who finds joy in life: cultivating flowers and grass, raising fish, admiring bamboo.

The flowers in the courtyard are his cherished varieties; if one is picked, Gu Jun can’t help but feel a pang of sadness. In such moments, only Gu Hua’s mother can soothe him.

Gu Hua’s mother, Gu Ming, is a woman of remarkable character, skilled with the whip, her cultivation nearly equal to Gu Jun’s. Yet after marrying him, she willingly set aside her ambitions, dedicating herself to preparing meals for Gu Jun and Gu Hua—her culinary prowess unmatched!

Every dish Gu Ming prepares always evokes memories for Gu Hua. Back in the Kingdom of Jiang, Shen Yue Ru possessed such skill as well.

Later, in a moment of reminiscence, she learned through Xiao Jian Jian that the King of Jiang had specifically buried Shen Yue Ru and Jiang Jiu together. During the funeral, Jiang Ling even said, “Shen Yue Ru, I’m entrusting Xiao Jiu to you. Down there, you must protect him well, and cook plenty of delicious food—he loves what you make best, sob sob sob...”

Xiao Jian Jian’s imitation at the time was outrageous!

Now, whenever Gu Hua recalls Xiao Jian Jian’s expression, her mouth still twitches involuntarily.

...

To send Gu Hua off properly, Gu Ming went to the market and bought fish, shrimp, and chicken, preparing a table overflowing with delicacies.

All of Gu Hua’s favorites: sweet and sour squirrel fish, spicy chicken pieces.

Naturally, there were also a couple of lighter dishes—scallions with tofu, boiled greens—these belonged to the clan leader!

Earlier in the day, the clan leader had remarked, “Hua Hua, you eat so much greasy food; won’t it make you unhealthy?”

Indeed, because of this, the clan leader’s wife remembered it all day.

His dinner: two dishes, with white rice, all you can eat, refill if needed!

Gu Hua eagerly took her seat at the table. “Mother, you’re wonderful! Everything is just what I love!”

Lian suddenly realized she enjoyed this feeling of home—the house was never empty, there was always someone preparing food, waiting for her to come back. Such warmth.

Gu Ming smiled gently. “Tomorrow you’ll leave the mountain; for the next three years, you won’t taste your mother’s cooking. Tonight, eat your fill!”

Gu Hua, usually strict about her figure, indulged herself for once.

“Alright! Tonight I, Gu Hua, am going to feast! Father, you stick to your two dishes; your daughter won’t compete with you!”

Gu Jun could only laugh and cry—was it too late to trade this daughter for another?

He glanced at his occasionally reliable daughter and found himself an excuse.

Forget it; she’s good enough—no need to swap.

After dinner, Gu Hua returned to her room to pack. She went over her luggage again and again, though there was little to prepare.

She tossed in a few daily necessities, when suddenly the door swung open.

It was Gu Ming, her mother.

“Mother?”

Gu Ming sat beside Gu Hua’s bed, smiling as she took her daughter’s hand. “Hua Hua, you’re fifteen now.”

Gu Hua didn’t quite understand what her mother meant. “Hmm?”

“I mean, you’re still young. Don’t get involved in matters of love yet; I worry you’ll get hurt,”

Gu Hua suddenly understood. “Don’t worry, Mother. I have no such feelings for any of our clan’s brothers.”

Gu Hua was naturally carefree. “Besides, I never planned on it. I, Gu Hua, am destined for greater things—love only slows down my progress on the zither!”

Gu Hua’s talent on the guqin is astonishing, especially since neither Gu Ming nor Gu Jun, nor even any ancestor, could play.

She hadn’t brought out Nirvana yet; this journey down the mountain would provide the perfect excuse to dust it off. After so long in storage, the zither was nearly moldy.

Gu Ming brushed Gu Hua’s nose playfully, making it itch.

She stood. “Well, my daughter’s grown up, with her own ideas. I’ll worry less. Rest early; tomorrow you’ll likely leave at dawn.”

“Mm-hmm!” Gu Hua nodded like a little chick pecking at rice—adorable.

Gu Ming smiled as she closed the door, sighing outside.

Ah, no matter how spoiled a daughter is, she must go out and see the world. It’s only three years; not so long...

Not far away, Gu Jun waited at the door for his wife.

“Come on, let’s go inside.”

Gu Jun took Gu Ming’s hand. “Let’s go. Our daughter will become a phoenix, standing on her own. This experience will speed her transformation. Don’t worry too much; I’ll ask our clan in the Scarlet Moon Dynasty to help her.”

“Thank you, husband.”

Her voice, light as a feather, brushed Gu Jun’s heart, making it itch.

“We’ve been married so long; what’s the point of ‘thank you’?”

Gu Ming leaned against Gu Jun’s chest, beneath the moon in the courtyard—a pair beneath the night.

The next morning, Gu Hua woke unusually early.

In the distance, a rooster crowed once or twice.

This sanctuary, like a paradise in a steamed bun, today she would leave the place she’d lived for fifteen years. There was a strange reluctance.

Gu Hua shouldered her bundle, gazing at the little wooden house behind her—so many memories in those walls.

Outside the clan, Gu Zhi and the others had been waiting for some time.

Gu Jun waved from afar; Gu Hua waved back.

He watched his daughter’s retreating silhouette:

“Daughter! Stay safe!”

Gu Hua paused, turned with a radiant smile, as dazzling as the morning sun over the Gu Clan.

She whispered, “Farewell, my...father...and mother...”

“It’s time to go, Gu Hua. If we don’t, we won’t reach the Scarlet Moon Dynasty before nightfall,”

Gu Zhi was reluctant to disturb such a harmonious scene, but any later and they truly would have to sleep under the stars!

Gu Hua turned, her tone unreadable. “Let’s go.”

...

Gu Ming was sewing a winter coat, obviously sized for Gu Hua.

Gu Jun watched her, sensing her bittersweet emotion. “Why not come with me to see Hua Hua off?”

Two warm tears fell onto the fabric in Gu Ming’s hands, dampening it. “I’m afraid...if I see her leaving, I won’t be able to stop myself from crying aloud…”

Gu Jun, awkward and rough, hurried to wipe her tears. He feared nothing more than his wife’s tears.

So, daughter, three years is a long time; your father and mother will miss you often...