Chapter 31: You Be My Timely Rain, I’ll Be Your Endless Sunshine

Cheng Dakuan lay on the bed, his complexion sallow.

He lived in the right side courtyard of the first compound of the Main House, consisting of one main room and one side room. His family did not usually reside in the villa, but his wife had brought the children up the mountain to care for him. "Leopard Head" had two sons and a daughter; the eldest was seven, the second was five, and the youngest was not yet a year old. With his wife occupied tending to her husband, the eldest son had dutifully taken on the responsibility of looking after his younger siblings, cradling his baby sister and playing with his brother in the courtyard like a little man.

Suddenly, four or five burly men dressed in guard uniforms walked in. Seeing their hostile expressions, the eldest boy quickly set his sister down on a stone table, ran over to pull his brother close, and watched them with timidity. The guards stopped before Cheng Dakuan’s room, their paces faltering as they exchanged hesitant glances. After a brief, whispered discussion, one of them cleared his throat and called out loudly, "Is Mistress Cheng in?"

Mistress Cheng was sitting by the bedside, watching her comatose husband with deep anxiety. In this age, a high fever from a cold could truly claim a life. When she first heard that her husband had gotten into trouble and fallen gravely ill, she felt as if the sky were collapsing. Regardless of the impending spring plowing, she had packed a bundle and brought her three children up the mountain. She had spent the last few days in tears, imagining the tragic future of raising three children alone if her husband were to pass away. For now, he remained unconscious, waking only to take medicine, drink porridge, or use the commode. Fortunately, his high fever was subsiding, which offered her a sliver of relief.

Hearing the call from outside, Mistress Cheng wiped the tears from her eyes and went out. She was in her early thirties, and though she possessed a certain charm, the years of raising children alone in the countryside while her husband served the Yu family had left her looking weathered.

"Brothers, what is this about?" She asked, surprised, sensing they were not here to visit Dakuan.

The lead guard looked slightly embarrassed. "Mistress Cheng, this house was assigned to him because... because Brother Cheng was the Captain of the Guards. Now..." He rubbed his hands together and gave a forced smile. "Mistress, you see..."

Mistress Cheng instantly realized they were here to evict them. A fire ignited in her heart, and her voice sharpened: "Brothers, my husband isn't dead yet, and you're already in such a rush to have us vacate? Are you afraid he’ll draw his last breath in this room and ruin your good feng shui?"

Not all the guards were thick-skinned; two of them immediately turned red with shame. The leader felt awkward too, but remembering this was his "pledge of allegiance" to Captain Liu Yu, he steeled himself and his face darkened.

"Mistress Cheng, your husband failed to protect the Young Master, which is why he was punished by the Clan Leader. It is a massive grace that the Clan Leader hasn't killed him; you shouldn't push your luck. Captain Liu is being generous by having the storage room in the west corner cleared out for you. Move there yourselves, and you might keep a shred of dignity. Otherwise..."

The new Captain, Liu Yu, lived right next door, separated only by a wall. In fact, their quarters were originally one complete small courtyard, divided by a wall built down the middle. Mistress Cheng’s blood boiled—did the camaraderie of years of service count for less than the greed for a single courtyard?

My husband isn't dead yet, and the tea is already cold while the person is still here? Overcome with grief and indignation, Mistress Cheng’s tears streamed down. She cried out in despair, "You truly are Dakuan’s 'good brothers.' My man hasn't even breathed his last, and you’re already impatient to drive us out!"

She fell to her knees with a thud. "I beg of you, can’t you let us stay until my husband’s coffin lid is nailed shut? I’m afraid that if he wakes up and finds out his 'good brothers' treated him this way, he’ll be angered to death! I’m begging you..." As she spoke, she began to kowtow repeatedly. The guards, startled, jumped back to avoid her.

Pressed by her actions, the lead guard’s face flushed a deep, uncomfortable red. He muttered, "Mistress... we are just following orders. Please don’t make things difficult for us..."

Liu Yu was listening from the other side of the wall. Hearing his lackey reveal his name, he felt his face heat up, and he grew irritable and embarrassed.

When the two boys saw their mother being bullied, they rushed over to pull her up. Mistress Cheng, acting as if she had lost her mind, continued to kowtow until her forehead was stained with blood. The children were terrified and broke into loud wails. Hearing the crying of their mother and brothers, the baby on the stone table began to shriek as well.

The burly men, who could kill without blinking, suddenly broke into a cold sweat. This was not the work of decent men! But... they were already here; if they left empty-handed, wouldn't Captain Liu make their lives miserable later? The lead guard steeled his heart and said harshly, "Mistress Cheng, all your crying and wailing is useless today. Vacate the room now to keep some dignity; otherwise, the brothers will have to 'help' you become dignified!"

On the other side of the wall, a triumphant, cold sneer escaped Liu Yu’s lips. He had sent them here not just to occupy the entire courtyard, but to anger Cheng Dakuan to death. He knew exactly how formidable Cheng Dakuan’s skills were. For twenty years, he had lived in Cheng Dakuan’s shadow. Liu Yu was unwilling to spend his life in that shadow, especially since no one knew if the Main House would even continue to exist. Once the Main House’s "tree falls and the monkeys scatter," the higher he climbed and the more useful he appeared to the Clan Leader, the better his prospects would be.

Thus, he had to remove this "stumbling block" as quickly as possible. Seeing Cheng Dakuan’s condition improve over the last two days had left him restless and anxious. Having followed Cheng Dakuan for twenty years—guarding him through wind and snow and accompanying the Clan Leader on thousand-mile journeys—he knew his temper all too well. He knew that if Cheng Dakuan woke up to find his wife crying, his children distressed, and his whole family shoved into a cramped storage room where the windows were too small to even stick a head through, the man’s temper would surely explode. With his internal organs already damaged by the severe cold and high fever, such a surge of anger would either kill him or leave him with an incurable condition, rendering him no longer a threat.

Inside the room, Cheng Dakuan lay flat. In his delirium, he vaguely heard the crying and shouting, which grew clearer by the moment. He thought hazily, "Am I dead? Is this my wife and children mourning me?"

Gradually, his consciousness cleared, and he heard the cries and the scolding outside. A surge of fury struck him, shattering his thirty years of iron resolve. As he coughed, he spat a glob of blood onto the bed, blooming like a striking red plum blossom.

With a loud *clatter*, the door was pushed open. Two guards walked in—the very men he had trained himself. As they stepped in, they saw two piercing eyes staring at them like a trapped beast. The guards shuddered, caught in a dilemma.

Didn't Captain Liu say he was on his deathbed? How could this be... Under these circumstances, they couldn't bring themselves to carry "Leopard Head" to the storage room.

Just then, a voice rang out in the courtyard: "What are you doing? What happened to Captain Cheng?"

Yang Can had just come from Master Li, the bookkeeper, and having nothing else to do, decided to check on Cheng Dakuan. He had been busy the last few days; after having Cheng Dakuan brought from the water dungeon and arranging for a doctor, he had left him to his own devices. He figured that since Cheng Dakuan was a Captain, the other guards would look after him. As for the persistent fever, Yang Can knew it was just the body's immune system fighting to recover. The doctor’s medicine and Cheng Dakuan’s own will were all that mattered; his presence wouldn't change anything.

Having finished his work, he came to visit, only to be shocked by the sound of wailing. He hurried into the courtyard to find a woman kneeling in tears, two children tugging at her while sobbing, and the guards standing by, at a loss.

Yang Can assumed Cheng Dakuan hadn't survived and had already passed away. Once he understood the situation, his expression darkened. "Even if Cheng Dakuan is no longer the Captain of the Guards, his accommodation is not for you to decide!"

He pointed at the room, his tone severe. "Whether he continues to live here, or if he leaves, who gets this room is a matter for Head Steward Li. Who gave you the right to act on your own?"

The guards stammered, unable to answer. In the next courtyard, Liu Yu stomped his foot. He wanted to come over and clean up the mess, but after taking two steps, he turned timid and stopped. It was clear that Steward Yang was protecting "Leopard Head." If he went out now, he couldn't plausibly claim he knew nothing about it. After hesitating, Liu Yu played the coward, acting as if he weren't there, hoping the matter would simply vanish. Ultimately, Liu Yu was a man of great ambition but little talent; he could only be petty, lacking the courage to openly be a villain.

"I will discuss how to arrange for Cheng Dakuan with the Head Steward. This is not for you to decide. Get out!"

At Yang Can’s shout, the guards, already caught in a difficult spot, felt as if they had been pardoned and scrambled away. Yang Can comforted Mistress Cheng and, hearing the baby still wailing on the stone table, urged her to go soothe the child. He then patted the two boys on the head, straightened his clothes, and walked into the room.

"Leopard Head" was propped up on one elbow, trembling as he tried to sit up. He hadn't shed a tear when bullied, but now his vision was blurred, and he couldn't even see Yang Can’s face clearly. Seeing his state, Yang Can rushed forward to steady him, saying joyfully, "Dakuan, your illness is improving! Lie down, don't try to get up."

Yang Can pressed him back onto the bed. Seeing him open his mouth to speak, he laughed. "No need to ask. I understand."

Sitting by the bedside, Yang Can said, "Since you were taken from the water dungeon, the Clan Leader has ignored you, but don't feel cold-hearted. The way the Clan Leader handled this means that the past is behind us." He patted Leopard Head’s large hand. "I said it before: as long as you aren't dead, there will be a day for a comeback. Focus on recovering, and when the time comes, I’ll take you to 'HAPPY' and take you to fly!"

Yang Ye was speaking nonsense again! However, this time, Leopard Head did not ask for the meaning of "HAPPY." He smiled, nodded heavily, and said, "Master Yang, I believe you! From this day on, I, Leopard Head, will fly with you!"