Chapter 404: What’s the Cloth on Your Face For?

Gu Fei pulled on the reins, and Zhaoye began to slow, gradually coming to a stop.

Xiao Yu dismounted first. When Gu Fei dismounted, he held out his hands to support her, afraid she might fall.

They dismounted and stood by the roadside, neither saying a word.

After a long moment, Gu Fei shifted uncomfortably. "Thank you for today. I... I should be heading back now."

As she turned to leave, Xiao Yu suddenly grabbed her wrist.

He gazed at her, his eyes unblinking, and pulled a handkerchief from within his robes, reaching out to tie it around her face.

Xiao Yu’s movements were gentle. His fingertips accidentally brushed against her soft cheek. A faint blush crept onto his face, but he remained focused on tying the handkerchief properly.

Gu Fei waited dazedly for him to finish, her head bowed as she scuffed the ground with her toe. "Well, I... I’ll be going now."

Xiao Yu hummed softly in agreement. Gu Fei turned, gathered her skirts, and sprinted in the direction of her home.

Xiao Yu watched the hem of her dress billow in the wind, like a flower in full bloom.

It was a straight road.

Xiao Yu watched her figure grow more distant, shrinking until she was out of sight, yet he remained standing by the road in a daze.

Stone walked over and cleared his throat. "Young Master Heir, um, it’s past noon. We should return to the manor for a meal."

He then pointed behind Xiao Yu. "Also, Miss Gu’s fan—"

Xiao Yu reached behind him and took the round fan in his hand. It was made of thin silk, with a peach blossom embroidered on its surface. The blossom was white with a hint of pink, and it carried a faint, sweet scent.

Xiao Yu gazed at it for a long while before tucking the round fan into his robes, mounting his horse, and galloping away.

Gu Fei ran all the way home without stopping for breath.

Liu Zhu, the gatekeeper, didn’t even have time to call out "Miss" before Gu Fei had already dashed through the inner gate.

Gu Fei shouted as soon as she entered the courtyard, "Brother! Brother, come out, quick!"

Gu Qing had the day off. Even though it was the Lotus Festival and many people from the academy had gone out in groups to celebrate, he had stayed behind. ’I don’t feel I’ve earned the right to have fun,’ he thought, so he had shut himself in his room to study alone.

Hearing Gu Fei’s voice, he thought something was wrong, and in a panic, he tossed his book aside and rushed out.

He came out to see his younger sister with a plain white handkerchief tied over the lower half of her face.

"What happened to your face?"

Gu Fei waved her hand. "My face is fine." She excitedly pulled an envelope from her robes. "Brother, you can go to Qinglian Academy now!"

Gu Qing froze. "Qinglian Academy?"

’Only the exceptionally gifted or the children of high-ranking officials could attend Qinglian Academy. I inquired before but was told the academy wasn’t currently accepting new students.’

He looked at his sister, then at the envelope in her hand, taking it from her and opening it.

Gu Fei pointed to a blank space on the admission notice. "Here, you just have to fill in your name right here."

The notice was only a few lines long. Gu Qing finished reading it in seconds, his face breaking into a look of pure joy. He suddenly swept his sister up in his arms and spun her around. "Little Fei, you’re truly incredible! You even managed to get an admission notice for Qinglian Academy. Is there anything you can’t do?"

Gu Fei giggled as Mrs. Chen came out of the house, chiding them gently. "What’s gotten into you two? What’s all this happy commotion about?"

Gu Qing set Gu Fei down and rambled through an excited explanation for Mrs. Chen.

Mrs. Chen didn’t know what Qinglian Academy was, nor how difficult it was to receive such an admission notice. But if her children were happy, she was happy. She nodded. "Gu Qing, you must study hard, then. Don’t let your sister’s kind gesture go to waste."

Mrs. Chen glanced at Gu Fei. "Why are you covering your face with a cloth? It’s already so hot today, you’ll get a heat rash—" As she spoke, she pulled the handkerchief from Gu Fei’s face.