Ger, So Proud

Chapter 80

Silence. An all-encompassing, deathly silence.

Luo Zhanming’s shocking words left He Ze and his companions with changed expressions.

The servant was equally stunned, seriously doubting whether his young master had stayed underwater too long and muddled his brain.

To know, his young master had been resisting all sorts of marriage arrangements imposed by his dad for the past three years. Yet, just now, he said he wanted to take responsibility?

Take responsibility? Was it the kind of responsibility he was thinking?

“What did you say?!” The phrase “not so pleasant incident” spun a web of associations in He Ze’s mind, making his face turn colder. He abruptly grabbed Luo Zhanming by the collar. “Say that again?”

“Young Master He, please let go. My young master…”

“Brother He, it wasn’t intentional. It was just that during the crowd’s push, I accidentally bumped into your brother, and then… then…” Luo Zhanming stammered, reluctant to explain further.

However, that very hesitation was enough for He Ze to assume guilt. His anger surged, and he swung a punch. Luo Zhanming, unable to keep his balance, fell to the ground. When he looked up, blood was seeping from the corner of his mouth, staining his pale face, making him look rather pitiful. The servant hurried to his side.

“Xiao An, what exactly did he do to you?”

“Nothing, you shouldn’t listen to his nonsense…”

“Speak!” He Ze coldly repeated.

“Tell us what happened earlier,” Lin Yu added with a stern expression.

He An tugged at the hem of his wet clothes, glanced at the fallen Luo Zhanming, then at his two worried companions. After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice barely a whisper. “Really, nothing happened! When he bumped into me, he just… just touched me, probably by accident, Brother!”

“Really? Just that?” He Ze’s face showed no sign of softening.

It wasn’t just that. Not only had he touched him, but he had also squeezed! He had squeezed so hard that He An almost got aroused! Although it was just a little bit… But after he squeezed, he hadn’t shown any sincere apology! A rascal! And most importantly, the bag of candied chestnuts he had just bought was knocked to the ground, leaving none!

Intolerable!

“Then why did you jump in to save him so eagerly? Didn’t Dad and Father always tell you to protect yourself? Don’t you know that being stubborn can get you killed even if you’re a good swimmer? Have you grown capable…”

“Brother, it was I…” He An hung his head lower.

“What?”

“I… I kicked him,” He An buried his head even deeper. “I didn’t notice the pond beside us at the time and kicked a bit too hard, and then…”

He Ze: …

The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.

The servant crouching next to Luo Zhanming was also shocked. When his young master fell into the water, he had gone to check on the lantern contest’s winner. So when he heard someone had fallen into the water, he found his young master struggling in the pond. The servant wanted to say something, but remembering that the brothers had just saved his young master, he found himself unable to utter a word.

“Ugh—”

Luo Zhanming instinctively touched his abdomen, which ached, causing him to cough twice. It seemed it was already bruised; He An had indeed kicked him “a little hard.”

Did he have a grudge against these brothers in his past life? The younger brother nearly killed him, and the older brother inexplicably punched him. He must be having the worst luck today!

But… Luo Zhanming looked at He An’s dripping wet head and felt a strange tickle in his heart. He suddenly remembered the desperation he felt while flailing in the pond, sinking faster despite his efforts, and then the sight of this person swimming towards him with all his might before he lost consciousness.

Why did he suddenly feel reluctant to blame him?

A cold wind blew, chilling everyone. Noticing He An’s slightly shivering shoulders, Luo Zhanming put away his playful thoughts. He stood up with the servant’s help, speaking earnestly, “Brother He, the fault is more on me. Although your brother kicked me, he also saved me. Let’s call it even. He’s still young; you shouldn’t blame him too much.”

“In that case, I apologize on my brother’s behalf, and also for the punch earlier… I was too impulsive. Please forgive me, Brother Luo.”

“No harm done. You were just anxious. I should’ve explained better,” Luo Zhanming replied magnanimously. “But about what I mentioned earlier…”

Hmm, if his dad arranged those marriage prospects to include this young ger, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad?

“Brother…”

He An anxiously tugged He Ze’s sleeve and glared at Luo Zhanming, who found it even more amusing.

“Brother Luo said the ‘incident’ was just a misunderstanding, and jumping into the water was an act of urgency. Please, for the sake of my brother’s reputation, don’t mention it further.”

He Ze’s underlying message was clear: stay away from my brother. Was he really that undesirable?

“Brother He…”

“The night is cold, my brother is not well, and his clothes are wet. I must take him home now. I’m truly sorry.”

Luo Zhanming wanted to say more, but He Ze cut him off, turning to leave with his brothers in tow.

After their silhouettes disappeared, the servant spoke up, “Young master, let’s head back to the manor and get a doctor…”

“No, we need to go to the medical clinic directly!” Luo Zhanming coughed twice. “Remember, Ah Mu, nothing happened today. No matter what my parents ask, if you dare sell me out…”

“Young master, I swear I won’t say anything!”

“Good.”

“But young master, you said you wanted to take responsibility earlier…”

“Just do as I say. Don’t worry about the rest! Tomorrow, go to the flower bird alley and find Master Cai. Ask him where He Ze lives. After all, I should visit and thank him properly for saving my life, right?”

“But young master, if it weren’t for Young Master He’s younger brother, you wouldn’t have fallen into the water. And your face…”

“It wasn’t entirely his fault. Forget it. Ugh…”

Luo Zhanming tried to laugh but ended up wincing in pain as he moved his mouth.

“I’ll take care of it tomorrow. Please don’t get too worked up!”

With that, the silhouettes of the master and servant gradually faded into the darkness.

On the other side, He Ze and his two companions hurried through the streets and alleys. Fortunately, the Yu Family Restaurant was still open when they arrived. Despite the late hour, the restaurant was almost empty.

“Brother, why are we here…” He An started to ask, but before he could finish, two attendants greeted them enthusiastically.

“Young Master He! Please come in! What happened to you…”

He Ze tossed a piece of broken silver to one of the attendants. “Go buy two large sets of clothes and be quick about it!”

“Right away!” The attendant rushed out the door.

“Where’s your manager?” He Ze turned to the shorter attendant.

“The manager went back home to visit family and hasn’t returned yet,” the short attendant said with a nod and a bow. After a pause, he continued, “Before he left, he settled last month’s accounts with you, so you can collect the money whenever you’re ready.”

“Alright.”

“Is there anything else you need? Just let us know. The manager instructed that you should receive free food and lodging whenever you visit.”

“Prepare some food, open two rooms, set up two stoves, and bring in two buckets of hot water.”

“Certainly, right this way!”

Inside the guest room, the attendant quickly brought in the stoves. He Ze pulled Lin Yu to sit by the fire, while He An stood nearby, anxious.

“Sit down and warm up. You have one minute to reflect on what you did wrong today,” He Ze said calmly.

The calmer he sounded, the more anxious He An became. He looked to Lin Yu for help, but Lin Yu only gave him a helpless look.

“Brother…” He An began to plead.

“You have one minute. Think carefully before you speak.”

“…”

Silence fell over the room. After a long pause, He An hesitantly spoke, “I shouldn’t have kicked him, and I shouldn’t have jumped into the river… But brother, I’m a good swimmer. It wasn’t dangerous!”

“Good? What if something had happened? If you had cramped up, gotten exhausted, or tangled with tree branches or water plants, what would I tell our parents if anything had happened to you today?”

“But, but I was the one who kicked him…”

“He deserved it! Who told him to act indecently?”

“Huh?” He An looked up in surprise.

“‘Act indecently’? What do you mean?” Lin Yu asked, confused.

He Ze realized that the term ‘acting indecently’ hadn’t been coined yet in this era. Lin Yu’s question momentarily distracted him, softening his expression. “Never mind. I just want to tell you that first, if someone bullies you next time, kicking them is fine. Just make sure there’s no pond nearby. If we hadn’t saved him today, it would have been a life lost.”

“Okay, okay!” He An nodded vigorously. Before the scoundrel woke up, he had been terrified at the thought that he might have killed someone.

“But if someone tries to hurt you, no matter the cost, you must ensure your own safety. This is the second point I want to make: in any situation, you are the most important. Remember what Elder Brother said, no matter what!”

“Jumping into the river to save someone isn’t wrong, but did you know that the river’s water level has risen a lot due to the rain over the past few days? The water is stagnant, with sediment building up, making it easy to get stuck. And remember all those potential accidents I mentioned earlier…” Only those who are thoroughly self-centered can survive the end times. Perhaps he could still be thankful he retained some decency, but it all hinged on not harming his own interests.

He Ze wasn’t sure if telling He An this was right or wrong; he only knew that his current family of four, and perhaps five or six in the future, couldn’t afford to lose even one member.

“Brother, I was wrong.”

“Do you really understand your mistake?”

“Yes, from now on, I’ll think things through before acting.”

He An remained in a standard sitting posture, head bowed and unmoving. Lin Yu nudged He Ze with his elbow, and after a long silence, He Ze finally relaxed his stern expression, speaking in a soothing tone, “Were you scared today? Lin Yu said your face was pale when you came ashore.”

“Yes! I was afraid something would happen to that person…”

“Don’t worry, nothing happened. If anything had, your brother would be here to help!” Remembering the panic and worry from an hour ago when he heard He An might be in trouble, He Ze reached out to ruffle He An’s hair. People aren’t made of stone, and through their daily interactions, he had long since regarded He An as his own brother, someone he must protect at all costs.

“Brother…” Seeing that He Ze’s expression had softened, He An tugged at his sleeve pleadingly, “Can we not tell our parents about this? I don’t want them to worry.”

“Now you know to be afraid?”

He An weakly remained silent.

“Alright, just this once. Don’t let it happen again.”

“Got it, no problem!” Hearing He Ze’s agreement, He An nodded vigorously.

The atmosphere lightened, and there was a sudden knock at the door. “Sir, your hot water and clothes are ready!”

“Go take a hot bath and change into some dry clothes. We need to head home soon, or we won’t be able to keep this a secret.”

He An nodded again.

“Let’s go to the next room,” Lin Yu said, standing up and pulling He An along. For the first time that night, they both smiled.

After their bath, it was already midnight, and all three were quite hungry. Given the late hour, they didn’t sit down to eat but packed some food to take with them.

On the road, with the moon as their lantern, He Ze and Lin Yu sat at the front of the ox cart, one on each side. After finishing the last piece of flatbread, He Ze took the reins from Lin Yu’s hand. “Alright, you can sit in the back now. It’s more comfortable there.”

“Don’t you need my help?”

“No, I don’t.”

He Ze slowed the pace. Lin Yu glanced at him and then stood up, holding onto the railing for support. He An, dressed in multiple layers, was munching on snacks, his voice muffled. “Brother Lin, come sit here. Brother wouldn’t let you suffer!”

“Eat your favorite chestnut flavor snacks!” Lin Yu said, stuffing a yellow apricot-flavored pastry into his mouth.