I Was Afraid You'd Get Sick

The two hurried to the garden. The rain was only coming down in drops.

"Don't come out and get wet." Gu Zhuoling stopped Shen Xinde and quickly ran toward the flowerpots himself.

The garden's large plants and flowers that required more advanced care were tended by someone else. As for some of the smaller potted plants, they were left to Gu Zhuoling to manage on his own, given the young master's interest.

Three or four flowerpots were sitting under a tree. They were rather large, so Gu Zhuoling could only carry one at a time.

From a distance, Shen Xinde looked at one pot that had already bloomed. That hint of pale green stood out even under the dark sky.

It was the lisianthus Gu Zhuoling had mentioned.

The rain seemed to be getting heavier. Shen Xinde watched the flowers swaying wildly in the strong wind. The raindrops were growing bigger and fiercer, splashing into rings when they hit the ground. If they fell on the petals, they might break them.

Without stopping to think, Shen Xinde rushed out into the rain too. Just as Gu Zhuoling was about to pick up a flowerpot, a pair of small hands reached over from the other side.

"Why did you come out?" Gu Zhuoling frowned.

The rain was falling wildly. Through the downpour, Gu Zhuoling saw Shen Xinde's bright eyes. With no time to say more, he hurriedly worked with Shen Xinde to carry the last pot of lisianthus indoors.

It was only a short distance, but by the time they reached the eaves and set the pot down safely, Shen Xinde was already soaked like a little drowned rat.

His usually smooth hair was damp and clumped together. Rain spots of all sizes covered his clothes, and his shoulders were completely wet.

"Why did you come out?" Gu Zhuoling paid no attention to his own soaked and bedraggled state as he tugged at Shen Xinde's damp clothes.

"Haoyao was afraid you couldn't carry it." The corners of Shen Xinde's mouth lifted into a radiant smile. For some reason, getting caught in the rain had left him a little excited, and his eyes narrowed into crescent moons.

"So pretty. It's green." Shen Xinde turned and crouched down, studying the blooming lisianthus before him. Its beauty was hard to describe in words,

It was a very fresh shade of green,

The lisianthus petals overlapped in layers, swaying in the fierce wind. Their texture was soft and delicate, with a silky feel that made one want to reach out and touch them.

Following the urge, Shen Xinde reached out and touched a petal. It really was soft, and for some reason, his heart softened too.

Gu Zhuoling looked at the round crown of his head. From above, he could see his long eyelashes fluttering.

Outside, the rain fell harder and harder, and the wind lashed the branches like a monster. When the rain blew a little way indoors, Gu Zhuoling finally came to his senses and hurried to close the door.

"Oh my! Young Master! Young Master Shen! How did you both get soaked?"

When Grandpa Butler saw it raining outside, he hurriedly called a servant to accompany him to the garden and check whether any flowers had been left out. Before they even got there, he saw the two precious little darlings soaked through and still crouching there talking. He immediately sent someone for dry towels.

"Dry off first." Gu Zhuoling took a dry towel and, without attending to himself, wiped Shen Xinde all over first.

"I'm fine, Dolly." Shen Xinde was still grinning foolishly.

"Go take a hot bath. You'll get sick." Gu Zhuoling covered Shen Xinde's mouth, not wanting to see him grinning foolishly anymore, and led him inside. "Grandpa Butler, take Haoyao for a bath first."

"All right, Young Master." Grandpa Butler didn't dare delay and took charge of Shen Xinde from Gu Zhuoling.

"What about Dolly?" Shen Xinde let Grandpa Butler lead him upstairs, but he still remembered to turn back and ask Gu Zhuoling.

"I'll bathe too." Gu Zhuoling dried himself enough that he was no longer dripping and followed Shen Xinde.

"Be good and take your bath."

Gu Zhuoling told Shen Xinde to bathe in his room, while he took some clothes and went to the guest room.

Shen Xinde hadn't listened. Gu Zhuoling had heard from Zhou Jingyi that Shen Xinde had been born more than two months before his due date, weighing much less than a normal baby. He had then spent over thirty days in an incubator and stayed in the hospital for several months before he was cleared for discharge.

During that time, he had suffered illnesses both serious and minor, and Auntie Xia and Uncle Shen had signed many medical notices.

When Shen Xinde was little, he would go outside, get hit by the wind, and come home with a fever. His health had been terribly frail.

Even when he played with Gu Zhuoling, he would get tired after a while, his face turning pale. Then he would cling to Gu Zhuoling and make a fuss about needing a rest.

The shower water was warm as it slowly soaked Gu Zhuoling. Unlike the rain just now, it was gentle and warm.

Gu Zhuoling remembered meeting Shen Xinde's bright eyes in the rain, the way Shen Xinde had crouched beside him and praised the flower's beauty, and his face as he smiled foolishly at him, soaked all over.

He didn't know whether getting caught in the rain would make him sick.

So disobedient.

Gu Zhuoling quickly finished getting ready and went out to find him.

When he returned to the room, Gu Zhuoling saw that Shen Xinde had already finished bathing and was curled up under the covers, waiting for him.

"Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere, Haoyao?" Gu Zhuoling climbed onto the bed, touched Shen Xinde's forehead, and asked softly.

"No." Shen Xinde shook his head. "Don't worry, Dolly. Mommy says Haoyao is very brave."

Being brave has nothing to do with your poor health.

Gu Zhuoling pressed his lips together and reached out to muss Shen Xinde's hair. "Next time I tell you not to come out, you mustn't run off."

"Got it." Shen Xinde pouted. He felt that Gu Zhuoling's tone was harsh, and it made him very uncomfortable, so he rolled over and burrowed under the covers.

In the blink of an eye, all Gu Zhuoling could see before him was a lump with no face. He reached out and tried to tug Shen Xinde out.

To his surprise, he couldn't.

He's pretty strong.

Gu Zhuoling sighed, felt around until he found where Shen Xinde's head was, and bent down to speak softly. "I was afraid you'd get sick. You'd feel awful."

"Got it," Shen Xinde's muffled voice came from under the covers.

They were both silent for a while, and then a grumbling voice came from beneath the covers again. "Why were you so mean?"

"I'm sorry."

Gu Zhuoling had learned that, no matter what, the right thing to do with Shen Xinde was to apologize first.

Shen Xinde was easy to appease. If you apologized and then reasoned with him, he would obediently listen.

Gu Zhuoling put his arms around the lump. "I won't do it again. Come out first. It's time to eat."

Only then did Shen Xinde emerge from the covers. He folded his arms and gave Gu Zhuoling a sidelong look. "Hmph."

"Let's eat."

Gu Zhuoling couldn't help laughing at his haughty expression. He took Shen Xinde's hand and led him off the bed.

Both of Gu Zhuoling's parents had been unable to leave work on time today, and Shen Xinde's parents had also gone to work that afternoon. The rain was too heavy, and after calling to make sure the two children were playing happily at home, they decided not to come home for dinner.

So only the two children sat at the dinner table.

Because Gu Zhuoling had looked expressionless and sounded too fierce earlier, Shen Xinde decided that the meanie would pick up food for him throughout dinner today, while he would only be responsible for spooning up his rice.

Gu Zhuoling was happy to oblige, of course. Shen Xinde wasn't particularly deft with chopsticks, so Gu Zhuoling usually picked up most of his food for him anyway.

And so the two finished dinner in harmony.