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墨書 Inktalez
The dawn broke.
As the first light appeared on the horizon, all the rooms in the courtyard that had light extinguished their lamps, except for the one where Shui Su had entered, which was now lit again. Xiao Mei found a clean spot to sit down and, after a long time, pulled out a crumpled cigarette from his pocket. He had forgotten who had given it to him, only remembering that it had been in his pocket for quite a while.
To be honest, he really wanted to investigate this courtyard. However, Shui Su had instructed them to stay put, clearly worried that wandering around might lead to other problems. He could guess why these people had gone through such trouble to "invite" them here; after all, having someone as sought-after as Shui Su around was certainly beneficial.
But according to Shui Su, this courtyard must be hiding its presence with some strange technique; otherwise, given the Ghost Messenger's capabilities, it shouldn't have taken so many years for anyone to notice something was amiss here. If only Song Bunan were here, Xiao Mei thought with a sigh; he missed him after just a few hours apart.
“Xiao Mei, has Shui Su been in there for a long time? Is everything alright?” Perhaps it was his calm demeanor that instilled a sense of unease in everyone. Although the sky was brightening, the courtyard remained dark, and the light spilling from the house felt oppressive.
He patted his companion's shoulder and shifted closer to them in an attempt to warm up, reassuringly saying, “It’s fine; trust him. Besides, those inside wouldn’t dare to move against him. It’s just tough on us; it’s clearly starting to get colder.”
The moments before dawn are always the coldest. They hadn’t dressed warmly for ease of movement inside, and the cold-sensitive Xiao Mei felt as if his lower body was losing sensation from sitting on the stone slab. Everyone understood his physical condition well; the one closest to him immediately unzipped their coat and wrapped him up warmly.
“This place is huge. If our people come to support us, they might not even be able to safely navigate through the front.” Although they hadn’t seen anyone inside those houses, there was an undeniable sense of difficulty about them. Now their group consisted of only five people besides Xiao Mei, all sitting in a row.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that the Gu Family Old Residence occupies half of Rongcheng. I didn’t really believe it at first, but today I’ve been proven wrong. It’s really big,” one person said as he stood up and began walking around them to keep warm.
“Do you think if our people really came in here, they would get lost? Bunan gets lost even in Jiang Family Courtyard; I can’t imagine how dizzy he’d get here,” someone joked as the sound of lighters clicking filled the air, soon filling the space with smoke.
“Now he has a partner! Just look at how that big guy looks at him; if we weren’t such a big team, I’d be worried they’d end up kissing,” another chimed in. With nothing else to do, they might as well gossip to lighten the mood. Xiao Mei snuggled deeper into his teammate's warm embrace and chuckled at the comment.
One person sighed upon hearing this and took a deep drag from his cigarette before saying, “Honestly, I was thinking of introducing my sister to Bunan back then. I thought this young man was responsible and good-looking; my sister isn’t bad either. But that plan went south quickly when he ended up with someone tall and handsome who doesn’t match my sister at all. But you know what? They actually look pretty good together.”
"Wow! Is that so?" Xiao Mei perked up, raising an eyebrow at the guy and asking why he hadn't mentioned it earlier. The man chuckled helplessly, saying that there was nothing concrete about it; he was just casually thinking out loud.
"What a pity! I've actually met quite a few people I wanted to introduce him to, some of them had great qualities. But the thing is, he’s always been into guys, and he's very firm about it. Back in school, he received two big boxes full of love letters," Xiao Mei exclaimed.
"Well, I’m just curious about something else, not trying to pry," the older brother who was holding Xiao Mei suddenly chimed in. "You were so close with Bunan back then; why didn’t you think about dating?"
His question was clearly one that piqued everyone's curiosity, and after he spoke, all eyes turned to him. Xiao Mei felt a mix of amusement and embarrassment as she swung her legs and explained to Shui Su's direction, "It’s just fate. No matter how well I got along with Bunan, he always felt like an older brother to me. We played and lived together, but there were no romantic feelings involved. Plus, I had a crush on Shui Su since I was twelve or thirteen; I didn’t have the heart to pursue anyone else."
Her words made the others burst into laughter, some even gasping in surprise, which made Xiao Mei feel a bit shy. The older brother tightened his embrace around her and encouraged her to rest her feet on his lap while covering them with his clothing. He ruffled her hair and said, "When you first came home, you were as small as a kitten. Uncle Meng held you, and you cried whenever someone approached you—crying so hard you could hardly catch your breath. I had just arrived home myself and couldn’t take it anymore; I went to get Shui Su. To my surprise, the moment you saw him, you stopped crying and reached out for him to hold you. But back then, Shui Su was so aloof; he just shook your hand and left, which nearly made us die laughing."
Hearing this childhood story made Xiao Mei laugh heartily as she tucked her cold hands into her clothes. In truth, she didn't have many memories from before she was five; most of what she knew came from others recounting stories now and then. This particular story was new to her—at least the part about shaking hands.
"I remember feeling like everyone around me was so serious when I was little. You all looked fierce as you passed by, and I was really scared you'd take me away to eat me. But Uncle Meng felt different; whenever he was near me, I felt safe."
"Of course! Our Uncle Meng is the 'matriarch' of the Jiang Family," her older brother chuckled. "His wife passed away shortly after giving birth to Shui Su, and the family head refused to remarry. Uncle Meng took care of many things inside and outside the house—not only managing everyone's daily needs but also overseeing business matters outside. Most importantly, he had to look after the children; before Shui Su could walk, Uncle Meng was already worn out from worrying. Thankfully, our young master Shui Su is a genius who lightened the family's burden early on."
"When you came along later, Uncle Meng looked so happy! He loves children so much that whenever there's a new addition to the family, he insists on holding them for a couple of days—it's like clocking in at work," someone added with a grin. "It’s said that all the children Uncle Meng has taken care of are smart. So everyone hopes that Uncle Meng can help their kids become wise too; they practically wear down the threshold of his room."
Uncle Meng is almost every member of the Jiang Family's dream figure—despite being in his later years, he still stands tall and straight. His graying hair complements his slightly weathered face beautifully, and his soft-spoken nature captivates everyone; even when he's reprimanding someone, they feel happy.
Xiao Mei has always loved having Uncle Meng around since she was little; there were times when she would be scared at night and seek him out for comfort. One stormy night with thunder crashing down—one bolt even struck right at her bedroom door—she was terrified beyond belief. Not yet old enough for school, she ran barefoot towards Uncle Meng's side without even putting on her shoes. She held her breath until she dove under the covers before daring to breathe again—almost suffocating herself.
Uncle Meng held her close, warming her icy feet in his hands as he said they should sleep for now and that he'd make her some lean meat porridge in the morning.
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