Vol 7 Chapter 1 (1/2)
VOLUME 7 CHAPTER 1: DON’T TELL ME THIS IS THE PROLOGUE OF VOLUME 7
Liu Bei POV
Life in Jiangdong has been extremely comfortable.
We first stayed in an inn, and thereafter at Shouchun’s official residence. It was extremely large and housed a dozen or so administrative officials and warrior generals. What made it really livable for me was that there was a small attic built on top of the main hall in the residence.
The attic was about 2-3 meters taller than the main hall, and though I called it an attic, it’s perhaps more appropriate to consider it an observation tower of sorts. It wasn’t closed off, and apart from some fences for safety purposes, it was structurally the same as an ordinary pavilion.
After lunch, I would always go up and spend some time there. Shouchun was closer to the south but it had both the dryness of the north and the wetness of the south which made for nice, cooling sea breezes.
The scenery before me was breathtakingly beautiful but I had no mood for enjoying it as many recurrent issues continued to dog my thoughts.
It’s already been almost a week but Yi De’s memories have shown no sign of recovery. Though she has gotten more and more familiar with everyone, she still hasn’t given any indication that she has returned to the original Yi De.
Hua Tuo said that if she can’t recover immediately, then the recovery period will be rather prolonged. I was prepared for this from the start but now that there isn’t a miracle happening, I can’t help but feel down about it. Sometimes when I b.u.mp into Yi De, I really don’t know how I should face her.
Similarly troubled by this is Yun Chang. Up till now, she still intentionally brings up things about the 3 of us from time to time, which bring tears to my eyes, but it’s still better than being the one to bring it up. Just from this alone, I’m impressed about Yun Chang’s emotional tenacity. I really hope that Yi De recovers soon and I’m worried that Yun Chang gets too impatient and does something rash.
“… My lord, it’s time for your lessons.”
A scent wafted in along with a gentle breeze that blew from behind me. I turned and saw Gong You with her hands tucked into her sleeves with her eyes half-closed patiently waiting for me in a respectful pose.
It hasn’t even been long since lunch has ended.
“Alright, let’s begin.” I gave up, and raised my hands as I stretched my back, and said as I looked at Gong You, “Gong You, are you sleepy?”
“… No.” She hurriedly blinked as she said so to invigorate herself.
She didn’t say it but I knew. In this period, there have been a fair amount of administrative work for our troops. On top of that, there are the various administrative procedures and communication materials with Jiangdong relating to our borrowing of resources and use of lodgings. These things can’t be gotten just by opening your mouth and asking after all.
And so, in this period, Gong You has had a lot to do. But even so, she still continues to conduct lessons for me.
“If we’re going to have lessons, why not have them here?”
“… Here?”
“Yeah, there aren’t many people around, it’s quiet and even more comfortable.” I said as I sat on the floor of the attic.
“… Since my lord has said as much.”
Gong You chose to compromise with me as usual and held her long robes up with her hands as she bent forward with her toes and swiftly but elegantly descended into a kneeling position on the ground. Her skirt descended in a very orderly fas.h.i.+on like a peony, and looked really beautiful ad it did so.
“It’s okay, you don’t need to be so formal about it.”
“… No, as the teacher, I must be an example.”
As she said so, she took out several freshly written bamboo scrolls and broke their bounds before spreading them out on the ground. Just looking at them made me irritated.
“Are we going to learn words today?”
“… No.” Gong You paused, “We will be learning how to understand.”
Understanding is a little too sudden. How am I supposed to do that when I don’t even know how to read?
I sighed lightly because I knew deep down that there was no way that I could become an outstanding student, no matter how well or serious Gong You’s teaching may be.
Compared to Zi Zhong’s machine gun pace, or xiao Yong who doesn’t have any motivation at all and just gets me to read on my own, Gong You is really dedicated and kind. No matter what it is I don’t know, she will always repeat herself for me, with no look of dissatisfaction or irritation at all.
Of course, any other expression on her is rare to begin with.
“By the way, has anyone come to look for me, Gong You?”
“Are you talking about Lord Sun Ce? Lord Sun Ce comes almost everyday, no?”
In this period, Bo Fu has come to visit every day. She always says that she’s here for business but she’s always here to play. Sometimes she would come over and play some games with Yun Chang and the rest or discuss food and cooking. In short, she always has fun without seeming tired at all and only returns when it’s late at night. Bo Fu seems a lot more cheerful ever since she put aside her authority.
“I know about Bo Fu, what I meant was… Umm, in the 2 days that I wasn’t around, did anyone from Lord Sun Quan’s side invite me?”
“Lord Sun Quan huh?”
I nodded at which Gong You brought out a piece of silk from behind her. On it was written the names of those who came to look for me, with the majority being Bo Fu.