Chapter 1175 - 853: Deep Brotherhood
When Yu Wenye’s voice sounded again, Shang Ruyi suddenly felt as if a long time had passed, as if she had wandered in a dream, and his deep, hoarse voice once again drew her heart and soul back.
He said, "Do you remember, I once told you that I had a very lonely childhood? Even before my mother gave birth to Yan Jie, her eyes only saw my father, and it was others around us who took care of me."
Shang Ruyi was puzzled but still nodded gently.
These words were spoken at Dayan Temple, when she wanted to completely sever ties with him because of Empress Dowager Jiang, and it was the first time Yu Wenye revealed his heart to her.
At that time, she only remembered his childhood loneliness and the gentle comfort from Empress Dowager Jiang.
Bringing this up suddenly now—
While she was feeling a bit puzzled, Yu Wenye continued, "Actually, what I didn’t tell you is that before I became sensible, I did have a period that wasn’t lonely because he was there."
Shang Ruyi slightly widened her eyes. "Elder brother?"
"Yes."
"You, with him—"
Yu Wenye unexpectedly chuckled lightly and said, "You may not believe it, although Aunt Hui taught Yan Jie to be that way, elder brother was not at daggers drawn with me like Yan Jie. Although I don’t know what Aunt Hui and Duke Shenwu told him about me when he was a child, I can imagine."
As he spoke, he bowed his head slightly, his chin brushing against Shang Ruyi’s forehead, "You can imagine too, right?"
Shang Ruyi also nodded.
She could certainly imagine it. After all, Yu Wencheng is Yu Wenye’s blood brother and was taught to grow estranged from him. Beyond Yu Wencheng’s inherently cruel and willful nature, the deliberate guidance of others also played a significant role; since Yu Wenqian is Mrs. Dong’s child, how could the Dong Family allow him to get close to Madam Guan’s child, eventually growing to love each other like brothers? With Madam Guan alive, if she wanted to be in charge of major affairs, Yu Wenqian’s ultimate fate might have been a lifetime of serving others’ interests.
Yu Wenye said, "However, elder brother was still very good to me. He was five years older than me, and he took the lead in everything we did at home, with me following along. He would take me to climb mountains, wade in rivers, climb rooftops, and even steal vegetables from the kitchen."
If it weren’t for the heaviness in her heart, Shang Ruyi almost burst into laughter.
Because she really couldn’t imagine how the elegant as a cloud Yu Wenqian and the brave and battle-seasoned Yu Wenye could have been so mischievous in their childhood. But then again, who is born extraordinary? Who doesn’t go from babbling and learning to walk to eventually standing tall, treading their own path in life?
So, she took a breath, letting out a sound that seemed like a laugh. When she looked up again, Yu Wenye’s lips also seemed to curl a bit.
He seemed to also be cherishing those memories.
So, what he said was indeed a deep brotherly bond.
Shang Ruyi said, "And then?"
"And then,"
Yu Wenye’s mouth twitched slightly, the faint smile gradually fading, and he said, "At the time, I didn’t understand, but looking back on some things after I grew up and understanding elder brother’s attitude toward me, I could feel that Aunt Hui and Duke Shenwu put a lot of effort into him. Sometimes he would suddenly act very cold towards me, but after two days and my persistence in clinging to him, he would still take me out to play."
"..."
"He would protect me when I climbed trees and carry me home when I twisted my ankle."
"..."
"Perhaps from then on, he already—"
Already what?
His words broke off there, and the question in Shang Ruyi’s heart immediately arose. She wanted to ask but realized that Yu Wenye didn’t say it because he hadn’t figured out how to express it, so she held back the doubts in her heart, simply reaching out to hug his waist. The two of them pressed closer together, and she could sense beneath his broad chest, that heart unusually hammering not because of her.
After that pause, Yu Wenye continued, "On the day I fell ill, we had planned that he would take me out to the lake."
"To the lake?"
"Yes, we had agreed to go in the afternoon, and I planned to take a good nap. And that noon, my mother came to my room, which was a rare occurrence, and she spoke to me a lot, very gently too."
Saying this, his tone shifted from deep to gentle.
Even if it was pitch dark all around, even if he pressed his chin against Shang Ruyi’s forehead, preventing her from seeing his expression, she could still feel that there must be unprecedented nostalgia and gentleness on his face.
She also understood that Yu Wenye certainly wasn’t as mature and stern as he always seemed.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have yearned so much for others’ tenderness during a childhood neglected by Madam Guan, wouldn’t have developed such an attachment to Empress Dowager Jiang, and wouldn’t have indelibly engraved the time he spent with Yu Wenqian in his memory.
That’s why he remembered that "rare occurrence" of that day so vividly.
Instinctively, Shang Ruyi said, "Mother, she—"
Yu Wenye replied, "Later on, I found out that it was because she learned she was pregnant that day."
"...oh."
"So, she stayed with me, spoke with me for a while. When she was about to leave, I held her hand, not letting her go, and she stayed to nap with me."
Shang Ruyi knew that it must have been the most unforgettable noon of Yu Wenye’s childhood.
However, this unforgettable moment was bound to be due to more than just Madam Guan’s rare tenderness.
She waited for Yu Wenye to continue, but after a while, only silence and his deep breaths came. He seemed to be lost in a blissful whirlpool of memories, almost immersed, unwilling to leave, until Shang Ruyi asked, "What happened afterward?"
His chest trembled again.
And this time, his breathing became tense and heavy, clearly having pulled his mind from that sweet whirlpool of memories, calming himself, he said, "Later, I suddenly woke up."
"..."
"When I woke up, Mother was still sleeping. She was holding me as we lay on the couch. That day was nearly autumn, but the sun shone beautifully, streaming through the window, and I had never felt the sun so warm."
"..."
"By that time, it was already around the time when my elder brother and I had agreed upon, but I didn’t want to get up."
"..."
"It was then that I realized my elder brother had been standing outside the window. He had come to find me but hadn’t called me from outside, just stood there, watching."
"..."
"No, he must have been watching Mother."
"..."
"He was so focused that even when I woke up, he didn’t notice."