The Foolish General's Mute Spouse - Chapter 91

91: The Ring

Qi Ren was still unaware that the young man before him secretly harbored thoughts of bringing about his demise. Instead, he was preoccupied with bringing him clothes the next day.

This kid was truly cut from the same cloth as the nobleman who had taken him in—sharp-witted and tight-lipped, impossible to pry any information from.

The Emperor said he’d struggle to climb the ranks in the capital without a patron? What nonsense!

This kid’s a damn fox!

Qi Ren lowered his head, observing the boy’s deliberately shy smile, then earnestly spouted some generic advice about working hard and applying himself.

Siqi clasped his hands in a respectful salute, bid him farewell, and calmly returned to the training grounds.

The next day, Qi Ren arrived home carrying a sack of clothes.

Fu Yu’an was startled, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.

“What did you bring back? Who gave it to you?”

Siqi shrugged, hauling the sack into the courtyard and loosening the opening to show him.

Fu Yu’an leaned in for a look and immediately recognized the garments inside.

Wait… that crumpled, thick cloak—isn’t that the one I left at the General’s estate?!

“Don’t tell me that general gave this to you?”

Siqi nodded solemnly, confirming his suspicion.

“He said they were winter clothes for me. A kind gesture, I suppose.”

Fu Yu’an pressed his lips together, unconvinced.

“If he gave them to you, then keep them! Now that they’re here, it’s not like we can return them… Why did you agree to take clothes from him in the first place? Don’t you know gifts always come with strings attached?”

“My apologies, Young Master. But I didn’t even have a chance to refuse. I thought he was just being polite—who knew he’d actually deliver them the very next day after mentioning it?”

“…”

Fu Yu’an’s expression darkened as he rummaged further through the sack, muttering, “He’s never been one for empty words. Why would he bother with politeness?”

Siqi frowned slightly. “Young Master seems to know him quite well?”

“I don’t,” Fu Yu’an replied. “Just a guess.”

Si Qi clearly didn’t believe it and grew even more certain that this must be the enemy the young master feared.

“What kind of clothes are these? Take them out and let me see.”

Take them out and let me see how many more of my clothes he stuffed in there!

What is this? Cutting off all ties with me?

No, no—it must be a test!

He curled his lips into a smile and had Si Qi carry the sack to a stone table nearby, then began pulling the items out one by one.

“This cloak smells so nice, a familiar scent… similar to the young master’s. And this… this outer robe is huge, it must be the general’s! Then whose is this smaller one?”

Si Qi pulled out a long robe Fu Yu’an had left behind—his favorite one.

Fu Yu’an smiled faintly. “Perhaps it’s the general’s from when he was a child.”

Si Qi shook his head, sniffed it, and analyzed: “This robe has the same scent as the cloak from earlier, but it’s different from this one… the general’s. It’s not unpleasant, but I can’t quite put my finger on the difference.”

Fu Yu’an couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you a dog? Your nose is so sharp!”

But there did seem to be a pleasant scent on him—hard to describe, like the lush pines weighed down by snow yet still thriving in winter.

“It’s true! Here, smell for yourself!” He pulled out another jacket, shook it, and was about to hand it over when—

Clink.

Something fell onto the stone floor.

Both of them turned to look. Si Qi, sharp-eyed, picked it up with a surprised “Huh?”—it was an exquisitely crafted silver ring.

Fu Yu’an clenched the fabric in his hand, his throat tightening for a moment.

“This ring… it looks just like yours, young master! Don’t you have one that’s very similar?”

Fu Yu’an tried to force a smile, but his expression was uglier than if he had cried.

Subconsciously, he touched the ring hidden at his chest and nodded. “It was a popular style back then. I bought one because it looked nice. Maybe they were mass-produced, so a lot of people have them.”

Si Qi keenly noticed the unnatural tone in his voice. He wouldn’t even look at him, and his words were halting—he was definitely lying.

“Ah, I see. Then I’ll return it to the general tomorrow.”

Fu Yu’an nodded, his gaze lingering on that familiar ring, no longer able to feign a smile.

He actually stored this ring with old clothes? And here I’ve been wearing mine close to my heart all this time, while he…

Couldn’t care less.

Well… I already knew that. He stopped caring long ago.

Someone as moody and strange as me—how could he possibly stand it?

Fu Yu’an’s heart sank, feeling as though all the lights around him had suddenly gone out, leaving not even a single window of hope.

Just as Si Qi was about to put the ring away, an impulsive urge surged in Fu Yu’an’s chest, and he spoke up, asking for the ring back.

“This ring seems more exquisite than mine. Let me take it back and make a copy to see if any craftsman can replicate it—I’ll have one made for you too.”

Si Qi didn’t know what he was up to, but he had no reason to refuse. So he nodded, accepting this seemingly reasonable yet utterly absurd excuse.

Fu Yu’an secretly locked Qi Ren’s ring in a small box and hid it deep in his wardrobe.

When Si Qi returned that evening, he didn’t mention the ring at all, as if the other party hadn’t noticed the switch.

Fu Yu’an wanted to ask several times but couldn’t bring himself to speak.

If he pressed the issue now, it would only make his guilt more obvious.

He ate in silence, the food tasteless in his mouth.

Meanwhile, Si Qi was carefully observing his reactions. Seeing his hesitation, he became even more certain that the ring held some significance.

The relationship between the young master and General Qi must be anything but simple!

He wanted to ask directly, but if Fu Yu’an was being so secretive, it might be a painful memory. Bringing it up would only reopen old wounds.

The two of them ate a few bites, then cautiously glanced at each other—it was a strange sight.

Finally, Si Qi couldn’t hold back anymore. He picked up a piece of fish for Fu Yu’an and said with a smile, “Here, young master, your favorite fish! Speaking of which, General Qi seems to like fish too, doesn’t he?”

Fu Yu’an froze. “…Huh?”

“How do you know that?”

“Ah… I just remembered him mentioning it when I returned the ring today.”

What kind of nonsense was this?

Fu Yu’an didn’t have the energy to question the sudden change in topic, but he still took the opportunity to probe further. Softly, he asked, “So… you gave him the ring?”

“Of course! The general was quite pleased. He asked me where I found it and said he’d lost it a long time ago and couldn’t find it.”

“Lost it?”

“Seems like it. I didn’t ask too much. But at first, he didn’t seem to care much about the ring. Later, though, he picked it up and examined it…”

“And then? What happened?”

“…Nothing much. He just put it away.”

Fu Yu’an’s heart sank at those words—his last flicker of hope was extinguished.

Fine. If he didn’t care, then he didn’t care. There was no point in lying to himself anymore.

He let out a bitter laugh inwardly, even consoling himself: At least I left early. If I’d stayed longer and grown even more attached, only to be cast aside later, the pain would’ve been worse than death.

Si Qi, chewing on his chopsticks, watched his ever-changing expressions with fascination. Unable to hold back any longer, he asked, “Young master, be honest with me—did you and General Qi have some kind of falling out in the past? Why do you always look so heartbroken whenever he’s mentioned?”

Heartbroken? Do I?

Fu Yu’an let out a vague sound and lowered his head. “There wasn’t any falling out. We were just… acquaintances. Focus on your studies at the Imperial College. Don’t cause trouble, and… don’t provoke him.”

The moment he finished speaking, he regretted it. The more he tried to explain, the more suspicious he sounded!