Zhi Nu and Qilin met for the third time in a dream a month after returning to the capital with Lord Wang.
Qilin found Zhi Nu, nearly unconscious, lying in a pile of firewood. He picked him up and held him in his arms, only to feel dark red stains of dried blood beneath his touch. The child had been whipped so severely that his entire body was covered in wounds.
“Zhi Nu, what happened to you?” Qilin asked.
Zhi Nu lowered his head and covered his face, unwilling to look at Qilin or let Qilin see him.
Qilin sighed and didn’t press him further. He simply removed the dirty straw from Zhi Nu’s body, took out some medicine, and began applying it to his wounds.
Zhi Nu slapped Qilin’s hand away and said angrily, “I don’t need your pity.”
Qilin shook his head. “I’m not pitying you. I just thought… your situation is very similar to mine.”
Only then did Zhi Nu lift his head and look at Qilin. His dark eyes were filled with resentment. “Not at all. Your father is dead. My father is still alive. I will save him no matter what.”
Qilin’s tears fell like broken pearls, rolling down his cheeks in large drops.
Zhi Nu was startled and hurriedly wiped his tears, apologizing, “I’m sorry. I lost my temper. I didn’t mean to bring up your pain.”
Qilin asked, “Why were you beaten?”
Zhi Nu hesitated, then spoke in a low voice, “I begged Wang Chengxing to save my father, but not only did he refuse, he locked me up. When the old madam of the Wang family came to see me, I stole the gold hairpin she was wearing, used it to pick the lock, and escaped. Then, I pawned the hairpin for silver and bribed the prison guards at the county prison to let me see my father.
"My father had been eating contaminated food in prison and had fallen severely ill with dysentery. I wanted to hire a doctor for him, but I had no way to get money quickly enough for his treatment.”
Qilin wiped his tears and, still sounding nasal, asked, “So you ran back to the Wang family to steal again?”
Zhi Nu lowered his head and murmured, “I was only borrowing it for an emergency. Once my father is free, I’ll pay them back double.”
Qilin asked, “And did you manage to ‘borrow’ the money?”
Zhi Nu shook his head. “They caught me, gave me a brutal beating, and locked me in this woodshed. Wang Chengxing told me to ‘reflect on my mistakes.’ If I admit I was wrong and promise not to run away again, I can regain my status as a son of the Wang family.”
Qilin sniffled and said, “But you don’t want that.”
Zhi Nu looked at his reddened eyes and nose and asked in confusion, “Why are you crying so much? I’ve been beaten and suffered all this pain, but I’ve never shed a tear. You’re already a grown-up. Why are you crying?”
Qilin protested, “No matter how old you are, if you want to cry, you should cry. If you want to laugh, you should laugh. What’s the point of holding it all in?”
Zhi Nu nodded. “That makes sense.”
Qilin said, “A true man knows when to endure and when to act. If you want to save your father, you have to save yourself first. No matter what, Lord Wang still has some genuine affection for you. It’s best to endure for now—agree to be his son, regain your freedom, and then find another way to save your father.”
Zhi Nu remained silent for a long time.
Qilin asked, “Why aren’t you saying anything? Have you gone mute?”
Zhi Nu let out a deep sigh. “I’m just… a little scared.”
“Scared of the Wang family beating you?”
“No. I’m scared that if I stay someone else’s son for too long, I’ll forget who I really am. Becoming Young Master Wang is easy, but being Zhi Nu and saving my father… that’s incredibly difficult.”
Qilin said, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. As long as you don’t fear hardship and don’t give up hope, your father still has a chance to be saved.”
Zhi Nu suddenly spread his arms and hugged Qilin, whispering, “Little Celestial Brother, please remember this for me: my name is Wu Zheng, not Wang Cang Hai. My father’s name is Wu Qiong, not Wang Chengxing.”
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