Chapter 15: Yun Ge'er Had a Particularly Wonderful Dream

Once Brother Yun had wrapped himself in his cloak, only his small round face remained visible, looking remarkably like a festive little red berry.

“All set, let’s go, Brother Yun,” Gouzi said, glancing at the path as he led Brother Yun toward where Brother Yi lived. On flat ground, Brother Yun walked on his own, but whenever they encountered steps, Gouzi would go down first, then carry Brother Yun one step at a time.

Though Brother Yun had grown considerably stronger, Gouzi was only six years old, and carrying a little bundle up seven or eight steps in one go was still a challenge, so they took it step by step.

When they were about twenty or thirty meters from Brother Yi’s place, Brother Yun and Gouzi quietly hid themselves behind some cover.

Gouzi reached into his collar and pulled out a small bamboo whistle hanging inside.

Having grown up in hardship, Gouzi was especially adept with his hands. He not only knew how to wash dishes and cook but could also use tools to fix simple tables and chairs. Making bamboo whistles from small pieces of bamboo was his specialty.

After joining Brother Yun, Gouzi once saw the gardener tending the Li family’s little courtyard, where a few crooked, slender bamboo stalks had been planted near the edge.

Not being fond of bamboo, Li Fu simply uprooted them.

Gouzi picked up some of the discarded bamboo and made several whistles, all of which he gave to Brother Yun. They weren’t valuable items, just something to pique Brother Yun’s interest.

Unexpectedly, Brother Yun took a great liking to them and asked Aunt Xin to thread red cords through the whistles. Then he and Brother Yi, along with Brother Yi’s playmate Buhong, each received one to wear around their necks.

Brother Yi was a loyal “little brother”; once he wore his whistle, he wouldn’t let the Buhong family take it away even when he slept.

Brother Yi had a stubborn temperament. Besides a small quilt he had used since childhood, the whistle was one of the few things he couldn’t do without. If one was missing, he couldn’t sleep and would cry and fuss in bed.

Gouzi initially thought Brother Yun was merely sharing for fun, but later realized Brother Yun treated the whistles as a secret code—a special sign just for the four children, something the adults were never told about.

Sure enough, when Brother Yun blew the bamboo whistle, after a few minutes, they saw the door on Brother Yi’s side open, and Buhong peeked out cautiously, looking around.

Gouzi quickly waved.

Buhong understood and carefully opened the door wider before carrying the warmly dressed Brother Yi outside. Buhong was a bit older, already eight years old. Though he had done rough work before, he grew up in the Buhong family and was well-fed, making him sturdier than Gouzi.

At that age, carrying Brother Yi was manageable for a decent distance.

After a short while, Buhong, panting, reunited with Brother Yi and Brother Yun.

“Good thing you came now, Brother Yun. The madam just fell asleep; otherwise, Brother Yi wouldn’t have been able to get out,” Buhong said with a smile.

These days, Brother Yi wasn’t allowed outside. Like a stubborn Akita dog kept indoors, he either cried or caused trouble at home, leaving the Buhong family and the maids utterly exhausted.

The moment Brother Yi fell asleep, rare peace settled, and they all immediately followed suit and rested. But Brother Yi, full of energy, only pretended to sleep.

Within minutes, his eyes darted around wide awake. He sat up and struggled down from the bed.

Luckily, Brother Yun had arrived just then.

“What shall we do?” Buhong asked, holding Brother Yi comfortably.

Brother Yun thought for a moment and whispered, “Let’s go to Father’s study for an adventure game!”

Buhong’s eyes lit up. “Hide and seek? That sounds fun.”

It was a game Brother Yun had taught them not long ago, and they loved playing it. When Brother Yi heard “hide and seek,” he clapped his hands excitedly.

“Let’s go,” Brother Yun waved his hand and headed straight for the study.

Li Fu had been busy preparing Long County for winter and rarely came home; he hadn’t been to his study in days.

Brother Yun came not only to play but also to browse the books.

Ever since he dreamed that Father used regular script in his writing, Brother Yun hadn’t really touched the books.

Previously, the books Zheng Zuosheng gave were put away by Mother, who said they could only be taken out once he was more mature. She insisted books weren’t toys, and despite Brother Yun’s protests, she never relented.

Later, Li Fu only read to them; touching the books himself and to Brother Yi was forbidden, fearing they might damage them with careless hands.

Brother Yun grumbled—they wouldn’t let him read on his own.

Besides, without adults, Brother Yun dared not take Brother Yi and the others to the little courtyard to play. There was a small rockery and a pond there; Brother Yi was naïve—what if he fell in?

They hurried to the study.

Buhong and Gouzi were there for the first time. The children were eager but didn’t dare enter without permission.

Brother Yun wasn’t afraid; he pushed the door open and went inside.

Li Fu’s study was elegantly arranged, featuring a moon-shaped inner archway, various antique shelves filled with books, bamboo slips, and silk scrolls.

Brother Yun had observed that Li Fu was very careful when using paper and took great care of the materials. Although many books were on paper, there were still bamboo slips and silk scrolls as other writing media.

Especially the bamboo slips, which contained writings of ancient sages but were somewhat old and prone to moisture and decay.

Li Fu, much like the teacher in Brother Yun’s dream, would perform simple repairs on these bamboo slips before copying their contents onto paper.

In a way, besides being a lover of literature, Li Fu was also a restorer of cultural relics.

Brother Yun frowned slightly as strange knowledge and words bubbled up in his mind.

“Restorer of cultural relics.”

His father was indeed well suited to that title. From now on, he’d call him that instead of “The Drunken Scholar.”

“Brother Yun, maybe we shouldn’t play here,” Gouzi said, a bit worried.

The study was spacious with many corners, perfect for hide and seek. Yet, seeing the books and artifacts somehow imposed an invisible pressure on the children.

They felt an innate reverence for the books and knowledge.

“It’s fine,” Brother Yun said. He and Brother Yi were not afraid.

They had been here many times and had grown accustomed to it. Brother Yun had also figured out some of Li Fu’s temperaments.

Li Fu appeared stern and was very demanding with him and Brother Yi. However, he never believed in punishing children by hitting; instead, he preferred to listen to their thoughts.

Even when Brother Yi cried loudly, Li Fu would awkwardly try to soothe him, only reluctantly handing him over to the maids when he really couldn’t manage.

At the mention of hide and seek, Brother Yi was the most excited.

He had been pent up for days, and now playing with Brother Yun, he eagerly chose the black-and-white guessing game, where the only “white” was Gouzi seeking, and the other three hid.

The game was endlessly fun. Brother Yun told Gouzi to close his eyes and count twice, then he and the others immediately went to find hiding spots.

They played until evening.

Children naturally had abundant energy when playing but could sleep deeply when tired.

The last time Brother Yun searched, he found the three—Brother Yi, Buhong, and Gouzi—wrapped in soft quilts on the empty couch.

They had lifted the quilt padding beneath the couch and lay side by side under the covers, foolishly thinking Brother Yun wouldn’t find them.

Brother Yun called out a few times, searched around the couch, then lifted the bulging quilt.

To his surprise, the three were sound asleep. Gouzi and Buhong slept outside, while Brother Yi curled against the wall, drooling. Fortunately, they lay sideways; otherwise, the couch was too small for all three.

For some reason, seeing them asleep made Brother Yun yawn; he suddenly felt sleepy himself.

After a moment’s thought, he yawned again, kicked off his shoes, and climbed onto the couch with some effort.

He lifted the quilt that was meant as padding, disregarding the wooden board beneath, and lay down just like the other three.

Though it should have been uncomfortable, Brother Yun felt the wooden board warmed by the others’ bodies. He couldn’t resist the drowsiness and fell into a deep sleep within minutes.

This time, Brother Yun dreamed a long dream he hadn’t had in a while.

The weather was fine. At that time, Brother Yun was not yet a university student but a child basking many books in a courtyard filled with colorful flowers.

His schoolbag lay by his feet, and beside it rested an old orange tabby cat.

An energetic old man sat nearby in a rocking chair. “Brother Yun, these old books aren’t worth much. Let them be.”

The old man had once been a barefoot doctor wandering the streets. The old books were handwritten medical prescriptions and other obscure, neglected manuscripts with no known authors.

Brother Yun continued to sun the books.

He knew they weren’t valuable but liked them and occasionally flipped through them. Understanding or not didn’t matter; he simply enjoyed looking.

Seeing Brother Yun ignore him, the old man turned and hummed an opera tune in the warm, pleasant weather.

The old cat meowed softly and curled up on the old man.

It was a good dream, and Brother Yun smiled.

Unbeknownst to him, the Li household was nearly frantic. Aunt Xin and Buhong had discovered the children missing. The Li estate was small, yet no one could find them.

They sent Mrs. Guo and others to dredge the small pond in the courtyard. When they found nothing, Aunt Xin and Buhong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They even suspected someone might have kidnapped the children, but it was uncertain.

Then Li Fu was urgently summoned home.

They had searched everywhere but overlooked Li Fu’s study, a place Aunt Xin and Buhong never entered.

Li Fu forbade them from going there.

Li Fu himself was anxious but went searching in the study with hope. Upon entering, he found it in disarray and noticed the bulging couch.

Lifting the cover, he saw the four children lying side by side, sleeping soundly.

Aunt Xin and Buhong followed closely, initially worried sick, ready to scold the children harshly.

But when Aunt Xin saw Brother Yun’s smiling, relaxed face—he looked as if he had just experienced something wonderful—her sternness softened.