57

One day Zhou Chuyu woke up and found Nie Huanzhang sitting there, staring at him. He smiled at Nie Huanzhang and said:

"Huanzhang, sorry to make trouble to you."

Nie Huanzhang frowned with concern and asked:

"Why? Why do you call me Huanzhang instead of Ge? As you know, every time you call me by my name, I always feel like you are leaving me. Wangshi, please! I will never leave you again."

Zhou Chuyu smiled wryly and said:

"I'm in poor health. I'm afraid I won't get better."

Nie Huanzhang kissed him on the forehead and said:

"Don't be disappointed. Chuqi and I will find a better doctor for you. But no matter whether you are fine or not, I will be with you forever."

"That's my wish. Ge, promise me one thing. If we have to apart from each other, please promise me to take care of yourself and have a good time every day."

Nie Huangzhang was stunned and asked:

"Why do you say like this?"

Zhou Chuyu smiled and said:

"Chuqi told you that the living in peace is good for treating my disease so I may find a quiet place with beautiful scenery to live for the rest of my life."

"I will be with you."

Zhou Chuyu shook his head and said:

"Ge, here is your home. Your mother is here. She is your blood relative. Of course you have your own brothers now. It is good."

Nie Huanzhang shook his head and said tearfully:

"Wangshi, you are always my first relative. Don't leave me please. My baby, I am afraid of your words. Why?"

Zhou Chuyu smiled and said:

"Ge, I love you but if you want to be with me, you have to think more about your mother because she is the princess and now your identity is complete different."

Nie Huanzhang breathed a sigh of relief and smiled:

"Don't worry. I don't need to think more about this because I am the same person as before. And I love you a lot."

"Ge, kiss me please." 

They kissed each other for a long time. Then Zhou Chuyu said:

"Ge, go to bed early because tomorrow you have to attend the meeting at the imperial court. It is first time for you. Good Luck!"

"I will come here after the meeting. Waiting for me please!"

The same night, it was silent but there was a carriage and a horse standing at the back door of Princess Yun's mansion. After a while, Zhou Chuqi came out, carrying Zhou Chuyu on his back. A servant, behind Zhou Chuqi, took two clothing bags. With the assistance of the coachman, Zhou Chuqi placed Zhou Chuyu in the carriage, stepped out of the carriage, took the clothing bags from the servant, put them in the carriage and said to the servant:

"Please inform Her Highness that we are leaving now. I appreciate her help." then he mounted the horse and said to the coachman, "Let's go."

The servant went into the door and then locked it.

When approaching the city gate, Zhou Chuqi met Yu Weiwei and four bodyguards with two carriages. Knowing his parents and sisters were inside, Zhou Chuqi said:

"Dad, Mom, Chuqi is here."

Zhou Huai'an said:

"Don't say anything and let's go. Oh, how about Chuyu?"

"He is fine. Zheng, you go and accompany Chuyu. He is alone there."

As Zhou Zheng got out of the carriage, Zhou Chuqi spoke to her in a lower voice:

"Comfort him well. He has been crying the whole day."

Zhou Zheng nodded and entered the carriage. Zhou Chuyu, turned his head to the other side, with a dim light from a small candle. She knew he was crying. Then she sat down, took out a handkerchief, gently stroked his head and wiped away the tears on his face. They didn't say anything and left Jingdu in the swaying carriage.

Yu Weiwei asked Zhou Chuqi:

"Did Huanzhang suspect?"

"I don't know. Maybe he saw something wrong in Chuyu's attitude toward him. He would plan to stay with Chuyu tonight. You know there is a big meeting tomorrow for the Emperor, who will summarize the rebellion of the Second Prince and Huanzhang must attend because the Emperor wants to meet him. So I let Huanzhang go to bed early. Mr. Yu, won't you attend this meeting tomorrow?"

Yu Weiwei smiled and said:

"I don't need to attend this meeting. As you know, I was a staff of the Eldest Prince before. Of course, I can get the reward from the Emperor and the Eldest Prince can do everything for me in the central government."

"Now where are you going? You're not deliberately sending us back home, are you?"

Yu Weiwei looked at the carriage where Zhou Chuyu and Zhou Zheng were, saying:

"Well, I promise you. Of course I definitely help you. Now I'm free. I might as well take this opportunity to go on vacation. I think it's better for me to accompany you home. After all, you need help, right?"

"Thank you very much, Mr Yu. To tell you the truth, I do need your help. You see, in this group I am the only stronger one but lack the ability to protect them. In case of any accidents, I'm afraid I can take care for this but lose that."

They hurried on the road for two days and one night. Yu Weiwei suggested to travel later and stop earlier every day, but Zhou Huai'an was worried about Zhou Chuyu's health. So he wanted to return home as soon as possible so as to allow Zhou Chuyu to rest and undergo thorough treatment. The elderly couple was tired but they endured the fatigue of the journey. Zhou Chuyu asked Zhou Zheng:

"Zheng, do we have arrived in Donghe Province?"

"Let me ask them." 

Zhou Zheng lifted the curtain and saw Yu Weiwei outside the carriage, she asked him, "Mr. Yu, are we in Donghe Province?"

"Yes."

Chuyu seemed to be caught up in good memories, saying with a smile:

"Zheng, I want to see the sunrise in Dai Mountain. It is really beautiful. Let's go and see it, okay?"

Zhou Zheng hesitated, looking at Zhou Chuyu whose eyes are with a pleading expression. She asked:

"Did you have been there and seen the sunrise?"

Chuyu nodded weakly. Zhou Zheng didn't dare to make the decision alone, so she said to Yu Weiwei:

"Mr. Yu, could you tell me where my elder brother is? There is something to ask him."

After Zhou Chuqi got on the carriage, Zhou Zheng explained him about Zhou Chuyu's thought. Zhou Chuqi was also stunned, looking worriedly at Zhou Chuyu, and said:

"Chuyu, let's go home first and take good care of your health. When you feel better, I promise you to accompany you to Dai Mountain." But Zhou Chuyu smiled faintly, looked at Zhou Chuqi with pleading eyes, and Zhou Chuqi sighed secretly and continued, "I can't make this decision. I will discuss this with Dad."

Zhou Chuyu said weakly:

"Don't tell Dad about my health, or he'll yell at me making trouble again."

Watching Zhou Chuqi getting off the carriage, looking hesitant and sighing, Yu Weiwei approached and asked:

"What's wrong?"

"Chuyu wants to see the sunrise on the top of Dai Mountain."

"What? Is it possible for him going up the mountain?"

Yu Weiwei felt that this little fox spirit was really crazy. With his current condition, he shouldn't have this thought. 

"He vomited the blood again yesterday. Since Princess Yun had talked with us, Chuyu began to vomit the blood sometimes. Actually this isn't the first time. To be honest, I'm really worried about him. I'm afraid...."

Zhou Chuqi couldn't continue but his eyes filled with tears.

"What special significance does Dai Mountain have for him?"

"I don't know exactly. But initially, Huanzhang took him traveling everywhere before."

"Chuqi, forgive me for saying something unpleasant. If he isn't good, try to fulfill his request. Don't let him have any regrets. This is my suggestion. But I'm not the member in your family. This still needs the agreement of your family. I'm not clear about his health condition. And you are a doctor, so..."

At this point, Yu Weiwei struggled to continue. Zhou Chuqi choked up, tears uncontrollable and said: 

"I'm still his elder brother."

Yu Weiwei, his eyes also filled with tears, reached out and patted Zhou Chuqi on the shoulder. This scene was witnessed by Zhou Zheng in the carriage. She seemed to understand something, slowly turned her body, tearfully looking at Zhou Chuyu. Zhou Chuyu, with a miserable smile, said: 

"Eldest sister, I'm fine, just want to see the sunrise."

Zhou Zheng, with tears in her eyes, smiled and nodded, saying:

"All right, let's go and watch the sunrise. I have never seen this before."

Mr. and Mrs. Zhou and Xiang, accompanied by four bodyguards of Yu Weiwei's, continued their way towards Yucheng. Zhou Chuqi, Zhou Zheng and Yu Weiwei accompanied Chuyu to Dai Mountain. 

Zhou Chuqi hired four farmers to carry Zhou Chuyu on a stretcher to the top of the mountain. Zhou Chuyu smiled as he looked around, finally fixing his gaze in a certain direction. They lived in the Taoist temple. When Zhou Chuqi woke up at dawn, he was surprised to find Zhou Chuyu not in bed. He quickly got up and woke up everyone to search for Zhou Chuyu. Zhou Zheng suddenly said:

"Sunrise. He wants to see the sunrise. Where is the best place to see the sunrise?"

A taoist priest pointed in a direction, saying:

"There. Go that way. It's the best place to see the sunrise."

They ran in that direction and saw Zhou Chuyu sitting on the ground, leaning against a huge rock, gazing into the distance. Zhou Chuqi rushed to his side, tightly hugged him and shouted:

"Chuyu, let's go back."

Chuyu shook his head and said:

"Chuqi, it is time to see the sunrise soon. It is beautiful and wonderful."

Zhou Chuqi glanced at the sky. Although it was getting brighter, the mist covered everything. It was certain that there wouldn't be the sunrise today. With tears streaming down her face, Zhou Zheng squatted beside Zhou Chuyu, while Yu Weiwei stood behind her. Zhou Chuqi said:

"Chuyu, let's go back. It is foggy today. There is no sunrise. We can see it tomorrow."

Zhou Chuyu spoke with a heavy heart:

"Well, what a pity! Here is the best place to watch the sunrise. Chuqi, I always thought of myself as a lucky person, the cherished child in our family. Although my mother was our father's concubine, I received Father's love, Mom's care and little mom's affection. My siblings pampered me to the heavens. With all of you, I felt truly happy. So I wanted to achieve success all of the examination to fulfill Father's wish, make Mom and little mom happy and let my siblings proud of me. That way, I could repay all of your love. But now, everything has gone against my wishes. I not only let you down but also dragged you into danger. No, I'm not the cherish child in our family. I'm a disaster. I don't have fulfilled my filial duty to Dad and Mom, causing the death of little mom, my birth mother, affecting my brothers' prospects and ruining my sisters' happiness. This nearly tore our family apart because of me. I'm sorry to all of you. Please forgive me. This wasn't my intention."

Zhou Chuqi cried, shaking his head and said:

"No, don't say like this. Dad told me that it wasn't your fault. None of us are to blame in our family."

Zhou Zheng was already crying and couldn't speak. Yu Weiwei was also wiping away tears. Zhou Chuyu continued:

"Chuqi, Zheng, thank you for accompanying me and accommodating my headstrong. But now, it is all good. I won't bring you more trouble to you anymore. My time is coming to over, actually, I should have died long time ago without my beloved family and my lover. Yes, I can't be with my lover so Wangshi has died. Now Chuyu is going to die." 

Zhou Chuyu's lifeless gaze slowly swept over everyone. When he saw Yu Weiwei standing behind Zhou Zheng, he couldn't help but smile and said:

"Mr. Yu, thank you for everything you've done for our family. Also, thank you for your nickname. I like it and Ge likes calling me that too. Mr. Yu, you're Ge's friend. He doesn't have more relatives. No, he has Mom and brothers now, but... Ge is an untamed and free-spirited person, never stayed in the officialdom. If in the future, there is something happened so that he can't stay in Jingdu, please help him and treat him like your brother. Please don't abandon him. He needs friends, needs relatives." 

Yu Weiwei wiped away tears and said:

"Don't worry. He is my friend for a lifetime, a brother."

Zhou Chuyu looked into the distance and said:

"Chuqi, it is still dark now. What's the time now? It's so dark."

Zhou Chuqi looked at the dawn in surprise, waved his hand in front of Zhou Chuyu's eyes but there was no response. Zhou Chuyu continued:

"Ge, do you remember here? That night it was here where I completely became your little fox. We made love here. I watched the sunrise in your arms. What a beautiful and wonderful! Today's sunrise is also very beautiful but you're not here. Sorry, Ge, I am gone. I love you!"

The more he spoke the lower his voice. And in the end, he lowered his head, no longer making any sound. Zhou Chuqi felt a sudden heaviness in his arms. He hugged Zhou Chuyu tightly and cried loudly. Zhou Zheng pounced on Zhou Chuyu's body and also cried loudly. Yu Weiwei, supporting himself against a nearby rock, also had tears streaming down his face, thinking: Huanzhang, do you know that your little fox is gone now? He has just passed away in the most memorable place for both of you.