Volume One, Chapter Four: The Onset of Illness

After seeing Gu Yan off at the company, Gu Muyan and Chacha continued walking home.

Along the way, Chacha was full of curiosity about the things in the car, grabbing Gu Muyan and asking questions incessantly. He was happy to see her reveal her true nature and patiently explained everything to her.

When Gu Muyan finally carried Chacha out of the car and faced the enormous villa before them, Chacha couldn't help but gape in astonishment.

Wow, she had never seen such a huge house before. She only had a small cottage back in Dashi Village, but this house seemed bigger than the entire village.

Gu Muyan smiled and gently patted her small, delicate face. He decided then and there to raise her to be plump and healthy.

Just as he was about to enter the door carrying her, a series of high-pitched screams erupted from inside.

"Monster! Where do you think you’re going?"

"Amitabha, Wukong, please be respectful."

He was playing both parts.

Gu Muyan’s expression darkened.

Chacha, hearing the commotion, propped herself up and stared with wide, round eyes.

"Gu Xiaxun! Get off the sofa this instant, or you can forget about your allowance this month!" Gu Muyan gritted his teeth and spoke firmly.

He could tell Chacha was a little fearful and resistant to the outside world after being mistreated for so long. He had hoped to welcome her with the warmth of a loving family to help her adjust quickly.

But the household’s mischievous troublemaker hadn’t been disciplined for three days, and today he was going wild again.

"Hey! What kind of monster do you think you are, daring to act recklessly before the Great Sage Sun Wukong? Take this, one strike from me!"

Gu Xiaxun, clutching a long husky dog-shaped pillow, jumped down from the sofa and charged toward the two at the door, humming playfully.

Chacha’s pupils shrank as she saw the dog-like pillow swinging toward her.

She quickly curled up into a ball in Gu Muyan’s arms, thinking it would hurt less if she was hit this way.

Closing her eyes tightly, she braced for the familiar pain.

Gu Muyan looked helplessly at the little figure in his arms, who had instinctively curled up defensively.

This move was clearly learned from years of being hit.

He glanced up at Gu Xiaxun, who was still waving the pillow, his gaze turning dangerously sharp.

Meanwhile, immersed in his role as the Monkey King, Gu Xiaxun was oblivious and missed his last chance to save himself.

After handing Chacha over to the bodyguard and lightly patting her, Gu Muyan’s eyes hardened. He drew a bamboo stick placed by the door, signaling the bodyguard to close the door and keep a distance.

With a few swift swings, he charged at the little troublemaker.

Today, he was going to close the door and discipline the monkey once and for all.

The piercing screams echoed so far that even the neighboring families heard them, yet each remained calmly sipping tea.

Clearly, this was a common occurrence.

…

Gu Xiaxun gingerly sat down on a chair, but the slightest touch of the seat made him wince in pain.

Unable to bear it, he stood instead, glancing curiously at the soft sofa in the living room and at the child cradled in his older brother’s arms.

Is this their little sister? So tiny—can she even survive?

“Brother, Chacha’s hungry,” Chacha murmured softly into Gu Muyan’s ear, her stomach growling louder and louder.

Gu Muyan’s eyes flickered with remorse. He had been distracted by the mischievous Gu Xiaxun upon returning and had forgotten that Chacha was still hungry.

He quickly ordered the kitchen to prepare some food.

“Wow,” Chacha exclaimed, sitting in a child’s chair with eyes wide like a startled kitten.

The long table was laden with egg tarts, little cakes, dumplings, noodles, steak, yogurt…

The kitchen staff had heard about the arrival of the little lady and her pitiful past. They wished they could lay out a full banquet, but even their restraint resulted in half the table being filled.

Chacha was overwhelmed just looking at it. She reached out with her tiny hands, ready to dig in, but Aunt Wang gently held her hand.

“Miss Chacha, you mustn’t eat with your hands.”

Chacha obediently nodded, swallowing hard. Aunt Wang smiled at her sparkling eyes and began feeding her bite by bite.

At first, the feeding was pleasant and easy, but as Chacha ate more and more, a trace of worry appeared on Aunt Wang’s face.

“Miss, you can’t eat any more, or your tummy will hurt.”

Chacha lifted her small head from the cake, cream smeared around her mouth and nose, and said confusedly, “But I’m still very hungry. Can’t I eat more?”

Having learned about Chacha’s background, Aunt Wang felt sorry for the child and hurriedly waved her hand.

“No, no, Miss, eat as much as you like.”

So Chacha continued her battle with the cakes. After finishing a large plate of dumplings, Gu Muyan and Gu Xiaxun were stunned.

“Brother, is it really okay for her to eat like this?”

Gu Muyan hesitated. “She’ll stop when she’s full, I suppose.”

…

Only one last plate of steak remained on the table, and the living room fell silent save for Chacha’s loud munching.

Gu Muyan quietly took out his phone and called the family doctor over.

Gu Xiaxun ran over to Chacha, scanning her little round figure and scratching his head in puzzlement.

“This little thing is only three years old, right? Could she be a big eater using some kind of shrinking magic?”

Everyone else was speechless.

Chacha patted her belly contentedly like a well-fed kitten. She rarely got to eat her fill. Her body felt warm, her headache gone, and a surging strength began to rise within her…

“Burp!”

Chacha quickly covered her mouth with both hands, her big eyes widening as she glanced around sneakily before sighing in relief.

Luckily, no one saw.

Gu Muyan looked up at the spotless chandelier. Catching Gu Xiaxun trying to hold back laughter, he smacked the back of his head, signaling him to lower his gaze.

Gu Xiaxun grinned sheepishly, holding his head seriously.

“This floor is really solid.”

Everyone was speechless.

…

The doorbell rang, rescuing the chaotic scene in the living room.

“What’s going on here? Oh, there’s a little girl! Uncle Gu still has his sharp blade.”

Before seeing him, his voice was already heard.

Gu Muyan looked at Ye Chen with a dark expression, asking, “Why are you here? Can a psychologist treat a little girl?”

Ye Chen lazily waved his bag.

“Multitalented, ever heard of it? I handle everything. This little bundle is the case, right?”

Aunt Wang set Chacha down on the sofa, and the curious child stared at the man in the white coat.

Gu Xiaxun came closer.

“Brother Ye, Chacha ate everything on the table. Quickly check if she has any health problems.”

Glancing at the empty plates and then at the flushed little girl, Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and took out his equipment to examine her.

After a moment, “She’s fine. Besides malnutrition, everything looks good,” Ye Chen said as he packed up.

Aunt Wang worriedly said, “But she’s only three. Won’t eating so much cause indigestion?”

Ye Chen bent down and pinched Chacha’s cheek.

“Little one, do you feel any discomfort?”

Chacha eyed the “doctor” warily.

In the neighboring village, Er Gou had to drink bitter medicine every day after the doctor’s visit. Chacha didn’t like bitter things.

In a soft voice, she said, “No, just my head itches.”

Ye Chen removed the bandage and calmly said, “It’s nothing; your brain is growing.”

Chacha hugged Aunt Wang in terror.

“I… I’m going to have two heads!”

Ye Chen was speechless.

Gu Muyan came over and looked at the scar on Chacha’s head. It was indeed much better than when it was first bandaged.

“Huh? Healing so fast?”

Suddenly remembering something, he patted Ye Chen’s shoulder.

“Be honest, what exactly are you doing here today?”

Ye Chen grabbed his bag and headed upstairs.

“Checking on the ancestor upstairs. It’s time for a follow-up.”

Gu Muyan watched anxiously as Ye Chen knocked and entered Gu Nanxu’s room.

“Did you and your second brother avoid the hospital because he relapsed?”

Gu Xiaxun stopped joking and spoke seriously.

“Yes. We were supposed to go to the hospital, but after learning Grandpa was fine, the second brother relapsed, so we came back. The home environment makes him a bit more comfortable.”

Gu Muyan pondered.

“Nanxu’s episodes have been happening more frequently lately.”

Chacha touched her newly bandaged head and listened vaguely to her brothers’ conversation.

She understood that the person upstairs was the second brother and that he seemed ill.

A scrap of paper lay on the floor. As Chacha was about to get off the sofa to pick it up and throw it away, a sudden loud shout came from upstairs.

“Everyone get out!”