Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Itâs You Who Chose to Give Up!
The Gu Familyâs courtyard was large, and beyond it was no other home, just an unfrozen, still unthawed river.
There were several fruit trees in the courtyard.
He recalled that when he visited at the end of last summer, the crabapple tree was full of bright red fruits hanging from its branches.
Back then, Gu Qiaoqiaoâs eyes and brows were brimming with joyful smiles. She had picked a basin of crabapples for him and sat across from him, her chin propped in her hands, watching him eat with a smileâŠ
Back then, Gu Qiaoqiao seemed as transparent as a clear spring, you could see right to the bottom at a glance.
But nowâŠ
...
Qin Yize furrowed his brows, perhaps because he had spent a lot of time with Gu Qiaoqiao lately, he couldnât help but think of her.
He felt that once he returned to the base, he should be able to stop thinking about her just as before.
Thinking this, Qin Yize felt somewhat relieved and then got busy with Butcher Zhao.
After more than half an hour, the wolf meat in the courtyard was processed, and all the social obligations were handled by Lian Yuhong.
Gu Tianfeng and Qin Yize sat again on the living roomâs heated brick bed, chatting casually.
Qin Yizeâs gaze fell on Gu Qiaoqiao, who was sitting by the Eight Immortals table, calling Grandma Qin.
He hadnât expected that Gu Qiaoqiao would still be talking with Grandma.
Gu Qiaoqiao hadnât expected either that Grandma Qin would truly miss her so much.
She had thought it would be a short conversation, but it kept on extending. Then Qin Xiaoyu told her that Shang Qing wanted the Gu Familyâs phone number, but she was unsure of Gu Qiaoqiaoâs desires, so she didnât dare to give it rashlyâŠ
In short, she thought that leaving the Imperial Capital would mean losing contact with them forever, but in reality, that was not the case.
At night, Gu Qiaoqiao was driven to Qin Yizeâs current room by Lian Yuhong.
Gu Zishu was reluctant to leave, but still obediently went to the large heated brick bed in the living room.
Gu Qiaoqiao didnât mind; given Qin Yizeâs cold nature, she guessed that even if she stripped naked in front of him, he would still remain indifferent.
She sat on a chair soaking her feet, her head bowed, lost in thought.
When Qin Yize came back from outside, he saw a pair of feet as delicate as jade carvings swaying in the basin of water.
The owner of the feet seemed lost in a reverie.
She didnât even notice when he came in.
Suddenly, Qin Yize felt the temperature in the room seemed much higher than in the living room.
He paused for a moment and then walked towards the chair next to Gu Qiaoqiao, sitting down on another chair and placing a small paper box on the table.
With a deep look, Qin Yize glanced at the curious Gu Qiaoqiao who was now looking up at him and spoke softly, âthese are the upper canines of those two wolvesâŠâ
Wolfâs Fang?
Gu Qiaoqiaoâs eyes widened in surprise. It was truly her first time seeing wolfâs fangs, especially the upper canines.
âItâs said that people in Northern Tibet and Inner Mongolia revere wolfâs fangs. Iâve even seen bone carvings of wolfâs fangs; they are very distinctive. These two have been processed; you can take them and carve them as you like. They are said to ward off evil spirits,â Qin Yize explained calmly and lightly.
Gu Qiaoqiao took over the paper box, which contained four fangs, all curved like bullâs horns.
She picked one and examined it closely against the light. It seemed nourished by oil, smoother than white porcelain, gleaming with a subtle cold light.
If something were carved on this, it would definitely be more valuable than nucleus carving.
Joy was unmistakably etched between Gu Qiaoqiaoâs brows. âThe quality of these wolfâs fangs is really good. Iâve heard upper are righteous and lower are evil; for amulets, they use the upper canines, though many people also use dogâs teeth to impersonate themâŠâ
Qin Yize moved his eyebrows noncommittally.
âYou know how to handle wolf skins and even wolfâs fangsâŠâ Gu Qiaoqiao turned her eyes to Qin Yize, asking with a hint of surprise, âWho did you learn all this from? Do you practice this at the base too?â
âThe base doesnât practice this; I learned it from Engineer Chen in Inner Mongolia.â Qin Yize saw that Gu Qiaoqiao really liked them and felt his efforts hadnât been in vain. Moreover, these were indeed perfect for her.
So the voice was very gentle.
Gu Qiaoqiao stared at the Wolfâs Fang, thought for a long time, and then said, âIâll keep one, and you can take the others away.â
âDonât like them?â
âNo!â Gu Qiaoqiao quickly shook her head.
âThen they are all yoursâŠâ Qin Yize stood up, pointing to the basin at Gu Qiaoqiaoâs feet, he asked, âHas the water gone cold?â
It was then that Gu Qiaoqiao realized the water in the basin had indeed cooled down. She hurriedly placed the Wolfâs Fangs carefully into a box and sincerely said to Qin Yize, âThank you.â
She then hurriedly wiped her feet, put on cotton slippers, carried the water out to pour away, and then came back inside to look at Qin Yize and asked with rare concern, âDo you soak your feet? If you do, Iâll get the water ready for you.â
The living conditions of the Gu Family and the Qin Family were worlds apart, especially in winter, when it was very inconvenient to take a bath.
However, it was comfortable to soak the feet, with the basins made of wood and specially designed bottoms that were comfortable to step on.
Qin Yize gazed intently at Gu Qiaoqiao, who was standing at the door â it was indeed the first time something like this had happened.
Was it because of those Wolfâs Fangs?
âIâll do it myself.â Qin Yize changed his shoes and took the wooden basin specially prepared for him to the kitchen.
In the large iron pot in the kitchen, there was hot water.
He carried the wooden basin back to the room, only to see that Gu Qiaoqiao had already crawled into her quilt.
The distance between their quilts was neither close nor too distant.
The room was similar to their bedroom in the Imperial Capital, yet strangely, that wisp of the young girlâs delicate scent seemed even more suffocating than it was in the Imperial Capital.
It made Qin Yize feel that the water in the wooden basin seemed even hotter than before.
He also suddenly felt the temperature in the room rising.
He took a deep breath, lowered his gaze, and refrained from looking at the young girl who was leaning on the pillow, pondering the Wolfâs Fangs.
The night deepened, and the moonlight was like water.
The two of them, not having much in common to begin with, hadnât spoken since the light was turned off.
The room was utterly quiet.
The large kang was very warm. Gu Qiaoqiao sneakily glanced at the seemingly asleep Qin Yize and thought to herself that actually, Qin Yize was a man full of mysteries.
And he was too clever. In any field he engaged in, he always excelled.
Problems that, in her previous life, she couldnât fathom even if she racked her brains, in Qin Yizeâs hands, a few light words would make everything crystal clear.
His world was much bigger and more complex than what she knew.
She wondered who the woman who could step into his world would be.
Then, thinking about it, she fell asleep.
In the dimness, Qin Yizeâs half-closed eyes slowly opened, a deep glint passing through. He slightly turned his eyes to look at the sleeping Gu Qiaoqiao.
This time, he finally confirmed that Gu Qiaoqiao really had no interest in him at all.
This realization made Qin Yizeâs heart rise with a strange sensation.
The feeling was somewhat sudden, somewhat inexplicable.
Yet, it inexplicably made it seem as if there were sparks burning in the bottom of his heart. Qin Yize clenched his hand, the palm hot to touch.
And this change had nothing to do with primal desires.
He took a deep breath and quietly exhaled.
The corners of his mouth slowly curved into a meaningful smile, while in his heart he murmured lowly: Gu Qiaoqiao, you actually had a chance to start a new lifeâŠ
It was you who gave it up!