Chapter 258: Brother Complex

 Chapter 258: Brother Complex

Daohua arrived at the room at the back of the ship’s cabin and saw Dong Yuanyao talking to the rescued people. As she walked over, she overheard them discussing the damage caused by the flood.

Dong Yuanyao smiled when she saw Daohua: "You're here!"

Daohua nodded, looking around before asking, "What about the person who helped me earlier?"

Dong Yuanyao pouted: "That person jumped back into the river while you were changing clothes and swam back to the shore."

Daohua showed regret: "What a pity. I still don’t know his name. If it weren’t for him helping me, I wouldn’t have been able to get Grandma and that strange monk on the boat so easily."

She smiled again as she spoke.

"That person is such a strong swimmer. In such a raging river, he managed to swim so fast! He’s also quite warm-hearted—jumping into the river to save someone in that situation. He must be brave and kind-hearted."

Dong Yuanyao’s expression shifted slightly. She had said quite a lot about that person at the gate of Xingyun Prefecture earlier. Now that she thought about it, her reaction had been a little too intense.

Daohua didn’t say much more, walking straight to the corner where Grandma and the strange monk were sitting.

At this moment, although Grandma no longer faced a life-threatening danger, she was still in a precarious condition. The strange monk sat motionless, holding her hand.

When Daohua approached, Gu Jian lifted his eyes to look at her.

Daohua glanced at Grandma, noticing her flushed face. Without needing to feel her forehead, she knew she had a fever: "Strange monk, do you remember me?"

Gu Jian glanced at Daohua, then lowered his eyes without saying a word.

Seeing this, Daohua pouted and muttered, "You’ve turned cold again, ignoring people!" When she and the villagers went to the temple for medicine, he hadn’t even spared her a glance, even though she was just a five-year-old child back then.

However, his medical skills were truly exceptional. Thanks to the five doses of medicine he gave her and the ingredients she had in her space, she was able to restore her grandmother's health.

Daohua turned to Grandma and said, "Grandma is ill and needs treatment right away. I know you're a divine physician, but you don’t have the right herbs right now. How about we return to Xingyun Prefecture together later?"

Gu Jian looked at Daohua again. After a moment of silence, he rasped, "I just heard them call the young man with you 'Young Prince.'"

The strangeness of the monk wasn’t just in his personality; despite being a monk, he never referred to himself as a 'poor monk' or 'old monk.' When they were at the temple, he always said 'I' like it was his own name.

Daohua looked at him curiously: "Why do you ask that?"

Gu Jian glanced at her and lowered his head again: "Forget it."

Daohua: "..."

Who’s the one begging now?

Just then, Xiao Yeyang walked in.

The servants all bowed: "Young Prince!"

Xiao Yeyang nodded, then walked straight to Daohua.

At this moment, Gu Jian lifted his head again, staring directly at Xiao Yeyang.

Xiao Yeyang stood by Daohua, looking at Grandma and the unconscious monk. He asked, "Do you know them?"

Daohua nodded: "We’ve met a few times. After Grandma recovered, she always took me to the temple to give thanks, and we would talk with Grandma."

Xiao Yeyang looked surprised: "You have a good memory."

Daohua shrugged: "The people are too special. It’s hard not to remember them."

The strange monk was renowned for his medical skills, and Grandma had a face half burned, making them unforgettable once seen.

Xiao Yeyang was silent for a moment: "Since you know them, then take them back to Xingyun Prefecture."

Daohua glanced at the strange monk, who had already averted his gaze, looking down while holding Grandma’s hand. "But we don’t know if they’re willing to go."

Just as she spoke, Gu Jian raised his head and said, "Go." He glanced at Xiao Yeyang before lowering his head again.

Daohua froze. Hadn’t he been so cold just a moment ago?

An hour later, the ship docked at the Xingyun Prefecture pier.

Xiao Yeyang assigned the rescued people to Defu and then took Daohua and Dong Yuanyao back to the Xingyuan.

At this point, everyone had finished their tasks and returned to rest.

"Young Prince, was the food delivery smooth?"

Dong Yuanxuan asked as usual.

Hearing this, Daohua’s heart tightened, and she quickly looked at Xiao Yeyang.

Xiao Yeyang, seeing Daohua’s look, silently turned away.

Since he had promised, he would follow through. How could she not trust him?

---

"Everything is fine, it’s just..."

Daohua quickly walked over and whispered, "Xiao Yeyang, don’t say anything strange."

Yan Wenxiu looked over: "Young Prince, just what? Did my little sister cause trouble?"

Xiao Yeyang looked at Daohua, who was clearly nervous, and smiled: "She didn’t cause trouble. It’s just that I feel the outside is still a bit unsafe, so from now on, when we go out, don’t take Daohua or Miss Dong with us."

Upon hearing this, Daohua immediately relaxed, smiling awkwardly: "I didn’t want to go out in the first place. If you hadn’t asked, I’d still be busy with the porridge."

Seeing Xiao Yeyang’s irritated expression, Daohua quickly grabbed Dong Yuanyao and dashed off.

Seeing this, Yan Wenxiu helplessly shook his head: "My little sister is too carefree. After we go back, I’ll talk to our mother and ask her to keep an eye on her."

Hearing this, Xiao Yeyang paused and quickly said: "Actually... Daohua isn’t careless. She’s just cheerful. I think it’s a good personality. There’s no need to impose too much restraint."

Yan Wenxiu froze for a moment, then looked at Xiao Yeyang with some surprise.

Xiao Yeyang realized he had overstepped. As an outsider, he shouldn’t be involved in matters of family upbringing, especially in front of so many people. Just as he was unsure how to explain, Yan Wenkai burst out laughing.

"I think so too. Big Brother, Little Sister is fine the way she is. Do you want her to be like other young ladies, weak and crying at the slightest trouble?"

"Look at Dong Big Brother. Miss Dong is much more carefree, yet Big Brother doesn’t say anything, right? Isn’t that right, Big Brother Dong?"

Dong Yuanxuan glanced at Yan Wenkai, speechless: "My sister is not carefree. She’s just lively."

Yan Wenkai couldn’t be bothered to argue: "Alright, lively or carefree, as long as she’s happy. As big brothers, what’s wrong with indulging her a bit?"

Yan Wentao added: "I also think Daohua is great, straightforward!"

Yan Wenxiu gave his two younger brothers a look: "I’m just thinking about her. It’s fine now, but if she’s like this after she gets married..."

Yan Wenkai immediately cut him off: "So what if she gets married? With us brothers around, who would dare bully my sister? Hmph, if my future brother-in-law doesn’t know his place, we’ll take care of him, and I guarantee his parents won’t even recognize him."

Yan Wentao seriously nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Yan Wenxiu fell silent.

Everyone’s life is theirs to live. When things happen, family can help, but in the end, one must rely on themselves to solve problems.

He didn’t think his little sister was wrong, just that her personality needed a little more restraint.

The world is harsh, and living too freely isn’t always a good thing.

(The End of This Chapter)