He straightened up, roughly grabbed her hand, and shoved something cool into her palm.
"If you encounter danger, just blow it! I'll come to your rescue as soon as I hear the whistle!"
He turned and left. She leaned weakly against the rock. What was he angry about this time? Could it be… that he liked her? Did he like women? This most straightforward and simple answer made her somewhat incredulous. After all, he was too profound, too enigmatic; every move he made had a purpose she couldn't fathom.
But...the way he looked at her, his kisses, his body...
She looked down at what was in her hand—a small, exquisitely crafted solid gold whistle.
The Smiling Flower, Chapter 44: Simple Reaction
The summer sky was exceptionally blue. Xiaoyuan stood in the shade of the artificial rockery, watching everything bathed in sunlight, so vividly clear. Gazing at the vast, boundless sky, her heart remained heavy and troubled.
"Little Yuan! What are you doing standing here?!" Pei Fuchong held a sword in his hand, his forehead covered with a layer of sweat, but his voice was still loud.
Xiao Yuan looked at the man, who was over fifty years old. He was indeed old; his hair was gray, and his beard was white. But his eyes were still as innocent as a child's. When she looked at him, his wrinkled face actually turned red.
“Miss Xiaoyuan, that day…that day with Murong Xiao…” He scratched his head, increasingly embarrassed. “Please don’t take what I said to heart. I…”
Xiao Yuan shook her head and smiled gratefully at him, "Uncle Pei, I wasn't good that day either." These past years have been tough on him too...
"No, no! We, the entire Pei family, are grateful to you for sacrificing yourself for Juyuan!" Pei Fuchong said sincerely. "You are simply our benefactor! I, Old Pei, thank you! If you ever need anything from me, just let me know!"
Xiao Yuan looked at him with a hint of excitement. Others might think he was exaggerating, but she understood. He was grateful to her for saving his young master. He valued the Xiao family and "her" so much!
"Uncle Pei!" she called out to him loudly, her nose tingling with emotion.
Seeing how touched she was, Pei Fuchong felt a little embarrassed and casually made a conversation, "Let's not stand under the scorching sun. I'm going to see A-Wu. Do you want to come too?"
Go see him? Ever since he was injured, she hadn't dared to see him. She finally mustered the courage to go, only to bump into him and Yi Chunjun…
"Okay, let's go together."
He nearly died for her, but she… had lost even the courage to face him. She couldn't see him, couldn't take care of him; he had a fiancée. Thank him, felt guilty? She couldn't bring herself to say it. The moment she went to exchange for Xiao Juyuan, he didn't stop her. Although she knew he couldn't, she still felt a little resentful, disappointed, and heartbroken.
Sure enough, Xiao Juyuan was in his room.
Fortunately, Pei Fuchong was preoccupied with worrying about this and that, talking incessantly as if no one else was around, making her silence seem less strange. She looked at the blood-stained bandage that had just been removed from the table, and she couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart.
"Xiao Yuan, have a seat." Xiao Juyuan greeted her with a smile. Xiao Yuan looked up at her, a chill running down her spine. Beneath the smile in her eyes lay a ruthlessness that had haunted her for ten years. What was she plotting?
Startled, the golden whistle in his hand fell to the ground with a crisp sound and rolled to Xiao Juyuan's feet.
"What is this?" Xiao Juyuan picked it up curiously and examined it carefully from all angles.
"It's nothing." A sense of unease welled up inside her, and she didn't want to say anything.
“There’s a word on it, Jun.” Xiao Juyuan laughed. “Is it a token of love from Senior Brother Yi? Just kidding, don’t be angry, Xiaoyuan. He likes men, you know.” She finally reached out and handed over the whistle.
Xiao Yuan took it without saying anything, but held the whistle tightly in her hand. Xiao Juyuan felt a pang of sadness as she held it in her hand.
“It’s probably used for communication,” Pei Junwu said indifferently, having remained silent until now. “Yi Chunjun is in charge of guarding the mountain pass. He must have given Xiaoyuan a whistle just in case something happened to her.”
Xiao Juyuan's eyes flickered slightly, and she pouted, "Brother Wu, aren't you worried about me? Didn't you think of making one for me too?" She said, half coquettishly and half seriously.
Pei Junwu glanced at her and smiled slightly, "With your skill, as long as you use 'Thousand-Mile Message,' I will naturally come."
Xiao Juyuan was very satisfied with his answer and smiled happily.
Xiao Yuan unconsciously clenched her fist again; the whistle felt like it was going to pierce her palm, and it hurt a lot.
Pei Fuchong drank most of a bowl of tea, and absentmindedly glanced up to see his son's gaze fixed on Xiaoyuan. Although Awu had only briefly lifted Xiaoyuan's lowered face, he, as her father, could still see the helplessness and pain in his eyes. His hand trembled, and the cup and tray clattered a few times. This child, does he really like Xiaoyuan? But… he then looked at Juyuan, who was still staring at Awu.
He'd had quite a bit of contact with Juyuan over the past ten years, but he still felt like he couldn't quite grasp her heart. Sometimes she was adorable and easygoing, other times she was very opinionated and stubborn, and her shrewdness was astonishing. The decisiveness and determination she occasionally displayed also impressed him greatly.
This is probably what the child born to the third brother and Fairy Chrysanthemum should look like.
He really wasn't sure what she would do if she knew what Ah Wu was thinking.
"Juyuan, I just saw Datong leading people to open the warehouse and count the grain. Let's go together. You know, Datong is a man who doesn't understand things."
Pei Fuchong sighed inwardly, realizing he had childishly resorted to such a trick.
Xiao Juyuan glanced at him, her smile turning cold, but her tone remained unchanged: "Alright, let's go."
As they brushed past each other, Xiao Yuan sensed that she paused, as if making a decision. Was she overthinking it? Why did her nervousness and unease intensify?
Now that only she and he were left in the room, Xiaoyuan could finally take a good look at him. He was alright; although his injuries were severe, they were only superficial wounds.
“You…” She felt her mind go blank and didn’t know what to say.
Pei Junwu also looked at her. She nervously gripped the whistle in her hand, loosened it slightly, and then gripped it tightly again.
"Did he... say anything to you?" He looked away. Now that the pretense had been exposed, Yi Chunjun would definitely have to make things clear to her. Seeing her unsettled state, he felt a pang of unease.
"Hmm." Xiao Yuan nodded absentmindedly. "Pei..." For a moment, she didn't know how to address him. Senior Brother? Too distant. Calling him by his name directly was too intimate.
"That day, you..." she couldn't help but ask.
"Xiao Yuan, can't you really see?" He frowned; it was ironic that he was saying this. "Yi Chunjun doesn't like men at all. What he likes is..."
She was taken aback, "But..."
"I was just checking it one last time," he confessed, annoyed.