Chapter 4 Compromise

That night, the sky was clear and the moonlight was like water.

The bright moonlight shone through the tree branches, casting dappled patterns on the ground. Aman curled up in bed, burying herself under the covers, her hands and feet cold, too afraid to move.

The shadows of the burned trees outside crept in through the window, casting flickering light on the ground like menacing demons. The broken branches swayed in the wind, and the creaking sound they made as they swept across the eaves sounded to Aman no less than the roar of demons.

She covered her ears tightly, but the sound was everywhere and she couldn't get rid of it no matter what she did.

Aman was drenched in cold sweat, her clothes clinging to her body. The stuffy heat under the covers made her extremely uncomfortable. Just when Aman thought she might suffocate in bed, the creaking sound outside suddenly stopped.

Aman held her breath and waited quietly for a few moments to make sure the sound was indeed gone.

But she dared not lift the blanket, much less look outside. She only dared to open a small crack. Just as Aman felt her heartbeat gradually calming down, she heard an even more terrifying sound.

"Wow—wow—"

"Wow—wow—"

The sound was mournful and low-pitched, exceptionally clear in the quiet night, rising and falling, chilling and terrifying to the ear.

Aman was so frightened that her heart was pounding. She shuddered violently, terrified out of her wits. Without thinking twice, she got up, threw on a blanket, and rushed out of the room.

The night was as dark as ink, and only the east-facing room in the entire courtyard was still lit. Without thinking, Aman rushed over and knocked on the door with trembling hands.

Inside the room, Fu Yunxiu was copying calligraphy. His hands, thin and bony from illness, gripped the brush, yet the characters he wrote were quite well-structured and insightful.

While grinding ink, Mantou casually mentioned Aman.

According to Aunt Yuxiu, Aman was seen by the lady's people when she sold herself in the county to bury her grandmother. At the time, those people did not actually notice her. However, everyone in the county knew that Aman was a filial child and praised her highly. Moreover, many people said that the reason why Grandma Zhou was able to live for three more years was due to Aman's excellent care at her bedside.

Fu Yunxiu had always been in poor health, but because he was aloof and preferred quiet, he only had Mantou as his servant. Although Mantou had been with Fu Yunxiu since childhood and was very familiar with his habits, he was still a man, clumsy and rough, so it would be better if he had a woman who knew how to take care of him.

It was for this reason that Madam Fu chose Aman.

"Does she have no other relatives?" Fu Yunxiu asked.

“No,” Mantou shook his head. “It is said that she was raised by her grandmother from a young age, and after her grandmother passed away, she was left as an orphan.”

Upon hearing this, Fu Yunxiu felt a deep sense of empathy; the loss of one's beloved family member is the most painful for the living.

With a sigh, Fu Yunzheng was about to say something more when he was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.

The two looked at each other in confusion, not understanding for a moment who would open the door so late at night.

Mantou put down what she was holding and went to open the door. She was surprised to see Aman. "Miss Aman? What brings you here so late?"

And he even brought a blanket?

Aman didn't have time to say anything and crawled under his arm into the house, which startled Mantou.

Is this young lady Aman trying to force herself on the young master because he won't let her stay?

"Miss Aman, the young master is in poor health."

Subconsciously closing the door, Mantou hurriedly went around the screen and saw Aman staring at her young master.

Aman felt a chill run down her spine as Fu Yunxiu scrutinized her with his cold gaze, but compared to the haunted room, it was nothing. She simply hugged the blanket tightly, looking somewhat embarrassed.

She appeared in the man's room late at night wearing only her undergarments and carrying a quilt, looking flustered and with shifty eyes. Fu Yunxiu scrutinized her for a long time but couldn't figure out what she was up to. He coldly curled the corner of his mouth and asked, "What is Miss Aman up to?"

"I..." Aman wanted to say she was afraid of ghosts, but she was afraid that Fu Yunxiu would think she disliked this place, and then he would be even less likely to let her stay. Changing her tone, she said, "I thought it was getting late, so I came to keep watch for you, young master?"

"Keeping watch?" Fu Yunxiu smiled sarcastically, as if he had heard something pleasing. "Dressed like this to keep watch?"

Aman knew how frivolous it was to barge into a man's room in her undergarments, but she was terrified and didn't care about putting on clothes.

Aman clutched the blanket tightly, feeling ashamed and on the verge of tears. Mantou, however, noticed something else in her sweat-dampened, disheveled hair.

"Is Miss Aman afraid of ghosts?" he asked.

“I…” Aman stammered, wanting to say that she wasn’t afraid, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Fu Yunxiu hadn't expected this reason. He raised an eyebrow, thinking this was a good opportunity. "Someone did die in this courtyard three years ago."

Sure enough, after he finished speaking, Aman trembled almost imperceptibly. He continued, "But there is no ghost story. Miss Aman, you can go to sleep and leave on your own tomorrow morning."

Ah Man wouldn't dare go back to sleep now. Even if Fu Yunxiu spoke eloquently, she would never step into that room again.

As for being told to leave, she subconsciously pretended not to hear it.

She shook her head, her gaze resolute. "This servant will keep watch for you, young master."

In order to stay, she even changed how she was addressed.

“Miss Aman, the young master has never liked people keeping watch at night,” Mantou said.

Aman had often heard in the village that wealthy young masters and ladies needed someone to keep watch over them at night in case of any problems. She assumed that Fu Yunxiu, being in poor health, must also need someone to keep watch over him, which was why she came up with such an irresistible excuse. Little did she expect...

Aman was extremely embarrassed because she couldn't think of any other way to get Fu Yunxiu to agree to let her stay.

"Please, young master," Aman pleaded in a very low voice, her eyes brimming with tears. This was the second time she had cried since her grandmother passed away.

Grandma was an optimistic person, always smiling in her interactions with others, which made Ah Man laugh more and cry less.

But Grandma, why didn't you tell me that laughing is such a difficult thing?

Thinking of her grandmother and all the hardships she had endured these past few days, Aman's tears flowed like a broken string of pearls, unstoppable.

She kept her head down, and Fu Yunxiu couldn't see her expression. The small figure was hidden in the dim candlelight, all alone, frail and lonely.

This instantly reminded him of a rabbit that Fu Yunting had raised before—a tiny rabbit with red eyes, weak and unable to take care of itself.

Fu Yunxiu's cold and hard heart softened for a rare moment, but only for a moment.

He looked away and said coldly, "Mantou, take Miss Aman back to her room to rest."

“Young Master…” Mantou wanted to say a few words for Aman, but when he met Fu Yunxiu’s cold gaze, he swallowed his words back. “Miss Aman, please.”

Aman looked up, her eyes red from crying like a little rabbit's. After glancing at Fu Yunxiu through her teary eyes, she finally followed Mantou out.

The two came out and closed the door. Mantou wanted to comfort Aman and tell her not to be afraid, but she saw Aman wrap the quilt around herself and squat down by the door.

"What are you doing, Miss Aman?" Mantou asked, puzzled.

"I will keep watch for the young master." Aman's voice was still a little choked with tears, but her tone was absolutely firm.

Since the young master wouldn't let her keep watch at night, she would keep watch outside; she was determined not to go back to that room.

Mantou was completely stunned. "Miss Aman, is it early spring yet?"

If she were to stay out in the cold all night, she would either freeze to death or get sick, let alone the fact that she was dressed so thinly and only had one blanket.

Aman knew what Mantou meant, but her mind was made up. "Brother Mantou, don't worry about me. Go and serve the young master first!"

The two of them were incredibly stubborn. Mantou looked at Aman, then at the room, and felt utterly overwhelmed.

What a mess this is!

With a helpless sigh, Mantou pushed open the door and went inside. At the desk, Fu Yunxiu had already started practicing calligraphy, his expression as usual, seemingly unaffected by what had just happened.

Mantou was certain that the young master had heard what he and Aman had just said, but since the young master didn't ask, he couldn't say it directly. He opened his mouth again and again, but in the end, no sound came out.

About an incense stick's worth of time passed before Fu Yunxiu put down his brush, picked up the Xuan paper, and showed it to Mantou. "How is it?"

“Young master’s calligraphy is naturally excellent,” Mantou replied somewhat absentmindedly.

He kept an eye on the door. It had been so long, and Miss Aman still hadn't left. Could it be that she was really going to spend the night outside?

Fu Yunxiu hadn't really wanted to hear praise. He moved his slightly sore arm, glanced at the candle on the table, which was already half burned, and said, "It's getting late, go to sleep."

"Yes." Mantou helped Fu Yunxiu wash his hands and then left. Although Fu Yunxiu had difficulty walking, he wasn't completely disabled. He just couldn't stand for long periods because the poison was sealed in his legs. Therefore, he didn't need anyone's help with small things like getting in and out of bed.

Just before leaving, Mantou finally heard his young master speak, "Tell the people outside that if she wants to stay outside, then let her. But even if she freezes to death today, I will not change my mind."

Fu Yunxiu's voice wasn't quiet; Mantou guessed that Aman must have heard it too.

When Mantou came out of the room, he saw Aman wrapped tightly in a blanket, with only her head sticking out of the blanket.

She had stopped crying, and her round eyes blinked as she looked at the moon, which shone brightly and clearly in the moonlight, as if it had been washed by water.

“Miss Aman, you must have heard what the young master said.” Mantou said, “The young master is stubborn, and once he makes a decision, he rarely changes his mind.”

Aman didn't speak or move; he just stared blankly at the moon.

Mantou continued, "Actually, there are no ghosts in this courtyard. I was just being cheeky and talking nonsense. Why don't you make do for one night? You're leaving tomorrow anyway. Just like the young master said, your indenture hasn't been officially transferred to the government, so you're still a free person and it won't affect anything."

Mantou tried to persuade her at length, but Aman acted as if she hadn't heard him and stubbornly refused to leave. Seeing that he was wasting his breath talking to a brick wall, Mantou stopped trying to reason with her and said, "Fine, do whatever you want."

Aman only reacted when the door next door slammed shut.

Of course she knew there were no ghosts in the courtyard. The creaking sound was just the wind blowing through the eaves, and the cawing was just crows perched in the trees. As for the menacing ghostly figures, they were just shadows of trees in the moonlight.

But so what? As the young master just said, someone died in this courtyard. After looking around, only the west wing, which was the most severely burned, is the most suspicious.

Her room was right next to the house with the fire.

Aman clenched the blanket in his hand and buried half of his head under it.

I won't go, I'd rather die than go.

Inside the room, Fu Yunxiu turned off the light and lay on the bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

It was common for his mother to find him concubines. Ever since she learned that he would not live past the age of twenty-five, his mother had been dedicated to making him carry on the family line and leave her an heir.

She was a maid in the Marquis's mansion before, and later came to Wutong Garden. Her mother then found someone from outside. In fact, Aman is the fourth one.

But looking at the others, none of them are as troublesome as Aman.

It looks small, but it's both timid and stubborn.

They were so afraid of ghosts, yet they didn't want to leave.

He thought that after hearing what he said, she would leave no matter what. But in the end, in this freezing weather, she preferred to stand outside, sniffling from the cold, rather than go back to her room to sleep.

The noise kept him awake at night.

Fu Yunxiu turned over and looked toward the door.

Even though the screen blocked his view, he could still sense that Aman was huddled by the door, shivering from the cold.

Suddenly, he remembered the look Ah Man gave him when she left, her eyes red and pitiful.

Unfortunately, he was not a man who knew how to cherish women.

Fu Yunxiu sighed and forced himself to fall asleep. After silently reciting the fifth article, Fu Yunxiu was surprised to find that the sound of sniffling outside had stopped.

?

He held his breath and listened carefully again; it was indeed gone.

Could they have frozen to death?

After much deliberation, Fu Yunxiu finally decided not to stand idly by.

Pushing the wheelchair over and opening the door, Aman was huddled by the door, wrapped in a blanket, shivering from the cold.

Hearing the sound, she raised her head from under the covers, her bright black eyes as clear as the moonlight, and softly called out to him, "Young Master."

As if under some kind of spell, Fu Yunxiu finally relented, "Come in!"

A note from the author:

----------------------

Please add this to your favorites!