Chapter 453: 453. First Snow Day

Translator: 549690339

Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu usually have the same daily routine, almost waking up at the same time.

On this day, the two woke up and felt that it was particularly bright outside. They looked at each other, and Zhengzheng hurriedly put on his clothes, “I actually got up late today!”

Ji Xiaoshu jumped out of bed, stood on a chair, and opened the window.

Just sitting up, the sleepy Ying Ye looked bewildered at the white outside the window, “Am I still dreaming…”

Ji Xiaoshu paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up, “It’s snowing! It’s snowing!”

Zhengzheng blinked and stopped dressing halfway, running over to look out the window. He hugged Ji Xiaoshu and cheered, then was hugged by Ying Ye, jumping around excitedly.

The first snow of this winter in the capital city came a little late, and the children had been complaining about it a few days ago. Especially Ji Xiaoshu, who had grown up in the south, had a special love for snow.

Ying Ye exclaimed, “I’ve never seen snow before! It’s so beautiful! Let’s go out and play!”

Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu each grabbed Ying Ye, who wanted to jump out of the second-floor window in his underwear, and quickly got ready. Then, they all jumped out of the window together…

The snow was still falling thickly, and the air was filled with the children’s happy laughter.

Su Liang opened her eyes and heard the commotion outside. When she got up, she saw Gu Ling carrying Gu Xiaonuan, pacing in the room.

“Brother… brother!” Gu Xiaonuan pointed at the window with her little hand, wanting to go out and find her brother.

Gu Ling tried to distract his daughter with something else. The weather was cold, and Su Liang hadn’t gotten up yet, so he didn’t want to open the window.

“Is it snowing?” Su Liang said with a smile, “You take the child downstairs to see the snow first, and I’ll be there in a moment.”

Gu Ling carried Gu Xiaonuan downstairs, along with her little red hat, gloves, and blanket.

Cen Man, Lao Bai, and Weng Ming were chatting and admiring the snow near the first-floor window while waiting for breakfast. When they saw Gu Xiaonuan coming downstairs, the three of them immediately stood up to greet her.

In the end, it was Lao Bai who grabbed Gu Xiaonuan first, while Cen Man wanted to close the window, saying it was too cold outside.

“No need to close it,” Gu Ling said. “Let her look. We’ll go out when the snow stops.” Yuanming Pavilion had a coal stove that kept it warm, and it wasn’t cold with the window open for ventilation.

Lao Bai held Gu Xiaonuan while Cen Man and Weng Ming wrapped the little girl in her blanket and put her hat and gloves on. Only after she was fully protected did they let her go to the window to watch the boys running around in the snow.

“Master, come out! Let’s see who is better!” Ji Xiaoshu held a snowball in his hand and challenged Gu Ling through the window.

Gu Ling shook his head slightly, “Childish.” Then he went upstairs to find Su Liang.

“Why don’t you go out and play with them?” Su Liang stood by the window and laughed, asking Gu Ling who had just entered the room.

Gu Ling hugged Su Liang from behind, “They are no match for me.”

Su Liang nodded, “That’s true. But if you want to play, you can let Sheng Yue out of the dungeon to join in the snowball fight, which should be interesting.”

“Tie him up and let the children hit him,” Gu Ling said, accepting only this condition.

Su Liang coughed gently, “Although I don’t trust him, that’s too much. I think it would be more interesting to tie you up and let you lie in the snow, seeing how long it takes for you to break free and counterattack after the children besiege you. What do you think?”

Gu Ling frowned, “Can you bear to see me being bullied by them?”

Su Liang smiled, “Ji Xiaoshu would surely like my suggestion.”

Gu Ling nodded, “Actually, I like it too.”

The excited children were dragged back to Yuanming Pavilion to wash their faces and hands before breakfast.

“Madam, let’s go out and play later without Master!” Ji Xiaoshu enthusiastically suggested, his face still flushed from the cold wind.

Su Liang rubbed Ji Xiaoshu’s face and said, “You should take your master with you. He actually wants to play but is too shy to say it.”

Ji Xiaoshu looked at Gu Ling with a proud face, “Master, is it true?”

Gu Ling looked into Su Liang’s interested eyes and nodded slightly, “Yes.”

“Why didn’t you say that? How could we know? Right, big brother?” Ji Xiaoshu was instantly excited.

Zhengzheng nodded, “Right!”

“Master, just say it, and we’ll take you with us to play!” Ji Xiaoshu felt that he could do it again.

Then, Gu Ling got up, picked up Ji Xiaoshu, turned him upside down, and threatened, “Just say it once, and it’ll be done.”

Su Liang chuckled, so the Great God was only allowed to use single words? How adorable.

The elders at the dinner table were speechless, thinking Gu Ling was too childish. Gu Xiaonuan clapped her hands happily, “Second Brother is fly-fly!”

But Gu Ling wasn’t playing “fly-fly” with Ji Xiaoshu, who quickly begged for mercy, saying all right, all right, anything will do.

However, soon after dinner, Ji Xiaoshu took Zhengzheng and Yuanye with him upstairs to change clothes, claiming the need to change clothes.

“My clothes don’t need to be changed, they’re not wet, and my shoes aren’t wet either,” Zhengzheng said. They were all wearing boots made specifically for snow, a gift from Aunt Yang Yu every year.

Ji Xiaoshu mysteriously said, “Let’s come up with a plan to defeat our master!”

“Why?” Yuanye asked, puzzled.

Ji Xiaoshu immediately turned on his praise mode, “Uncle Xiaoye, as the strongest main force in our team, you have to perform well. If we defeat our master, our mistress will definitely reward us! Because she wants our master to lose!”

Zhengzheng was dumbfounded, “That’s definitely not the case.”

“No, that’s exactly it,” Ji Xiaoshu shook his clever little head. “Think about it, our master is good at everything, so powerful. That’s so boring! Losing would be more interesting!”

Zhengzheng blinked his eyes; though it was bad reasoning, he still supported Ji Xiaoshu’s idea.

Hence, the three of them conspired for a while upstairs, and to disguise their activities, they changed clothes before coming back downstairs. They saw Gu Ling sitting next to Su Liang, who was tying his hands with a rope.

“What are you doing, Mistress?” Ji Xiaoshu ran over.

“Your master has said that to make it fair, he will play with you with his hands and feet tied. But be careful not to let him break free. Whoever begs for mercy first loses,” Su Liang explained.

The upcoming game suddenly became even more interesting.

Su Liang tightened the knots and then gently kissed Gu Ling’s forehead, “All right, let’s head out!”

Gu Ling stood up and looked down at his bound feet, “How am I supposed to go out?”

“I believe the Great God will have a cool way to show up,” said Su Liang, with a slight smile at the corner of her lips. “I will bring Nuannuan to cheer you on.”

Gu Ling nodded, “Then I’ll try the zombie walk from the legends.” With that, he turned around and hopped towards the door. Although it felt strange, it was quite fun.

Gu Xiaonuan’s eyes widened, not understanding what was happening to her beautiful father.

Old White mocked, “Your dad’s gone crazy.”

But Gu Xiaonuan had her response to that comment, giggling and parroting, “Your dad’s gone crazy!”

Old White’s mouth twitched, and moments later, he couldn’t help but laugh, “Nuannuan, you’re so smart! You don’t let anyone take advantage of you! That’s wonderful!”

The children who’d chosen their battlefield outside laughed heartily when they saw Gu Ling’s hopping appearance, with Yuanye falling straight into the snow.

Ji Xiaoshu cleared his throat, “Master, I have to say that your entrance has already won. However, since we’re fighting, it’s all about strength. Mistress, give the command!”

Su Liang held up Gu Xiaonuan’s red hat and moved it to the window, “Get ready! Begin!”

With the order given, the children started throwing the prepped snowballs at Gu Ling, moving closer as they attacked, surrounding him in the middle. But as agreed upon, snowball attacks only, no body contact, otherwise, they would be penalized.

Everyone in the mansion gathered at the Yuanming Pavilion to watch the battle. There were even some who were standing outside, asking if they could join in the fight. Su Liang said they couldn’t and to wait for the next round.

Initially, Gu Ling, who had his hands and feet bound, seemed passive. But as he expertly dodged the incoming snowballs, he also untied the ropes on his hands and feet. He remained standing and appeared composed.

In a three-on-one battle, and with the children’s attacks unpredictable, Gu Ling couldn’t dodge them all. However, as Ji Xiaoshu said, Yuanye was the main attacker, and Gu Ling only needed to dodge his attacks. The two children’s attacks were weak, so when they hit him, it didn’t hurt or itch.

Knowing full well that once Gu Ling untied his hands, they’d have no chance of winning, Ji Xiaoshu changed his strategy, “Quick! Bury Master’s feet!”

Yuanye and Zhengzheng immediately gave up throwing snowballs at Gu Ling and began joining Ji Xiaoshu, shoveling the surrounding snow over Gu Ling’s feet, stomping it down as they went, trying to trap him.

“Dad! Keep it up!” Gu Xiaonuan cheered from the window.

Gu Ling didn’t struggle, focusing on untying the rope on his hands. It wasn’t easy, as Su Liang didn’t give them a break. The children had examined the knot, but none of them knew how to untie it.

Weng Ming laughed, “This is really lively. Let Ranran and the others go out to play later and make a snowman for Nuannuan.”

Nangong Qian expressed her interest and was already eager to join the fun.

Before long, when the children had buried snow up to Gu Ling’s knees and stomped it down, Gu Ling finally untied the rope on his hands.

“Run!” Ji Xiaoshu reacted quickly.

Following the rules, Gu Ling didn’t try to grab them. Instead, he effortlessly dug through the children’s compacted snow pile and freed his own feet.

At that moment, Ji Xiaoshu, Zhengzheng, and Ying Ye had hidden behind their “fortress”, ready to defend themselves.

“This won’t work, Xiaoshu. We have to move!” Zhengzheng said, noticing Gu Ling approaching and realizing their strategy was flawed.

Ji Xiaoshu immediately nodded, “You’re right, senior brother! Uncle Xiaoye, run! Don’t let Master catch you!”

So they ran off in different directions, starting a chase scene with Ji Xiaoshu heading straight into the woods.

Gu Ling captured Zhengzheng first and rubbed his small hands, “You’re a prisoner now. Off to the prisoner camp.”

Zhengzheng obediently ran into Yuanming Pavilion.

Next was Ying Ye. He ran fast, but not faster than Gu Ling.

“Xiaoshu, I’ve been caught!” Ying Ye shouted.

“Go find Nuannuan,” Gu Ling patted him on the head.

Ying Ye happily rushed back to Yuanming Pavilion and yelled, “Xiaoshu, it’s all up to you now!”

Meanwhile, Ji Xiaoshu, who had climbed up a tree to hide, was considering whether surrendering voluntarily would save face. Otherwise, he was sure Master would carry him back upside down… What if Master stopped looking for him? It was so cold, and he couldn’t move. He was becoming a snowman.

While pondering this, Ji Xiaoshu didn’t hear any footsteps. When he looked down, he saw Gu Ling standing at the foot of the tree, reaching a hand up to him, “Come down.”

“No!” Ji Xiaoshu shook his head without thinking.

“Oh, alright then.” Gu Ling turned and walked away.

Ji Xiaoshu: …

“Master, come back!”

Gu Ling stopped in his tracks.

Ji Xiaoshu coughed lightly, “Return to your original position and catch me.”

“No.” Gu Ling refused more casually.

So, Ji Xiaoshu assessed the distance, then stood up on the tree, leaped with a push, and aimed for Gu Ling…

However, instead of landing in Master’s warm embrace as expected, Ji Xiaoshu watched wide-eyed as Gu Ling stepped back…

Just as Ji Xiaoshu thought his face was about to make intimate contact with the snowy ground, he was hooked by Gu Ling’s foot and lifted up to cling to Gu Ling’s neck. He then heard Gu Ling’s cool voice, “Your hand touched me first, you lost.”

Ji Xiaoshu’s face was lost for words as he clung to Gu Ling, “Master, keep denying it. You just love me the most!”

Gu Ling shook his head, “Impossible, I love your mistress the most.”

Ji Xiaoshu snickered, “Ah, what a coincidence, I also love my mistress the most.”

Everyone laughed as they watched Gu Ling carry Ji Xiaoshu back, creating a harmonious picture. As soon as the master and apprentice entered the room, they quickly separated, and Ji Xiaoshu cleared his throat to say, “I declare, the winner of this round is… my mistress!”

Zhengzheng gave Ji Xiaoshu a thumbs up: … Refusing to admit defeat while avoiding being beaten – brilliant!

Soon, the young ladies joined the kids in building snowmen again, saying they’d make a Snow House for Nuannuan. Before long, the elderly joined in too.

“Great God, aren’t you going?” Su Liang asked Gu Ling.

Gu Ling shook his head, “I have to release Sheng Yue.” He wanted to join, but there were more pressing matters. He’d play later.

“I think I forgot about Yan Shiba,” Su Liang coughed.

Gu Xiaonuan had been bundled up and taken to play, so the couple went to handle their own affairs.

When Su Liang entered Weng Ran’s courtyard, she heard Yan Shiba’s weak howl from inside the room, “Is anyone there…? You cruel girl… evil girl… I knew you didn’t care about me…”

Feeling a little guilty, Su Liang pushed the door open and immediately apologized.

Yan Shiba had a wronged expression on her face, “I dreamed I had an invincibly adorable baby girl. Tell me it wasn’t a dream.”

Su Liang shook her head, “It was a dream. I have her, but you don’t.”

Yan Shiba picked up a pillow to throw at Su Liang, but the pillow fell to the ground as she ended up coughing again.

Su Liang bundled up Yan Shiba warmly and pushed a wheelchair prepared the night before. She helped her sit down, tucking her in with a blanket.

“It’s snowing.” Su Liang pushed Yan Shiba out the door.

Yan Shiba closed her eyes, “I hate snow.” She had been trapped on Wolong Snow Mountain before, and those days were unbearable to remember.

“The snow at home is different, don’t be afraid,” Su Liang said.

Stubbornly, Yan Shiba opened her eyes, “Who said I’m afraid? I just find it glaring!”

As they neared Yuanming Pavilion, and saw the people playing in the snow, Yan Shiba hesitated slightly, “These…are your family?”

Su Liang corrected, “Our family.”

Yan Shiba smiled, “I see my daughter. She’s adorable.” Gu Xiaonuan looked like a little sprite enveloped by the white snow.

Su Liang pushed Yan Shiba into the Yuanming Pavilion and brought her breakfast. Weng Ran had also prepared a medicinal decoction for her on the stove.

“I want to recover soon, I don’t want to be like a cripple.” Yan Shiba looked out of the window, her eyes full of longing. If she were energetic now, she could definitely have fun with Xiaonuan. Snow was common, but childhood was rare, and she had never experienced such simple happiness in her life…

Gu Ling unlocked the shackles on Sheng Yue’s feet, and released his two subordinates, asking them to wait outside the mansion.

Gu Ling brought Sheng Yue close to Yuanming Pavilion, and Sheng Yue looked at the warm and lively scene, his eyes resting on Gu Xiaonuan, “Your daughter is very cute.”

Gu Ling ignored him, and Sheng Yue asked again, “Where is Cheng Yun?”

“Are you trying to use him?” Gu Ling countered.

Sheng Yue shook his head, “Though I said I have no responsibility towards Cheng Yun, I’m not that cold-blooded. After all, he is my brother.”

“Hypocrite,” Gu Ling said.

“Believe it or not,” Sheng Yue said.

As the two entered Yuanming Pavilion, Yan Shiba was having breakfast. When she saw Sheng Yue, she threw the steamed bun she was holding at his face.

Sheng Yue caught it and took a bite, “Thanks.”

Yan Shiba yelled angrily, “Sister Liang, kill this bastard quickly!”

Su Liang handed another steamed bun to Yan Shiba, “Calm down.”

Yan Shiba bit into the bun viciously, as if it were Sheng Yue’s head.

With a calm expression, Sheng Yue finished the steamed bun and looked at Su Liang, “Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

Su Liang’s expression was faint, “Not an order. You said you needed time to think, and we gave you time to give us an answer. We are leaving today, so before we go, please tell us your plan. Maybe we can give you some advice.”

Sheng Yue squinted his eyes slightly, “What if I say, I’ll just go with the flow?”

Su Liang shook her head, “That’s not your style.”

“Of course you don’t trust me,” Sheng Yue’s eyes were deep, “You want to know how I will tell Mo Yan that you are his granddaughter without being suspected of deliberately concealing it before, and how I will persuade Mo Yan not to arrest innocent people anymore, and even if Mo Yan captures the hostages, how I will try to save them under Mo Yan’s watch?”

Su Liang nodded, “Yes. I don’t trust you, but I trust your brain. Now you can tell us your plan.”

Sheng Yue snorted, “Has anyone ever told you that your mind is frighteningly meticulous?”

Su Liang shook her head, “Not as good as my husband.”

Sheng Yue was a bit speechless, “There is no need to show off your intimacy in front of me.”

Su Liang’s eyes grew cold, “If you waste any more words, I’ll take it as you’re making up a story to deceive me.”

“To make up a story that can deceive you in such a short time, you think too highly of me,” Sheng Yue said, looking at the soup bowl on the table, “I want to drink some soup.”

Yan Shiba immediately scolded him, “Drink your head!” Then she turned to Gu Ling, “By the way, where is Cheng Yun? This bastard said he’s Cheng Yun’s brother, I don’t believe it!”

Su Liang nodded, “Sort of.” She then pushed the soup bowl directly in front of Sheng Yue.

“Where is my little brother Yun?” Yan Shiba asked again.

Sheng Yue picked up the soup bowl, drank it, and put it down. He looked at Yan Shiba and said, “Cheng Yun won’t like someone like you with a bad reputation, just like he won’t recognize me as his brother.”

Yan Shiba, who was sitting not far from Sheng Yue, picked up a bowl and smashed it on his head, “Shut up, you bastard!”

Sheng Yue wiped his face with a calm expression and looked at Su Liang, “Thank you for the soup. I can tell you my plan, and if you can give me some advice, that would be great.”