Chapter 147 Gouging out the heart
Xiao Jin was the only one in the guest room. He had lost a lot of weight, and his handsome and delicate face was almost sunken. His eyes were tired and bloodshot, indicating that he had been working hard and busy these days.
If it weren't for his resemblance to the Xiao family members, Xiao Yuxuan would hardly have recognized her long-lost third brother.
"Third Brother."
She called out to him in a nonchalant tone, without curtsying, and simply stood quietly, looking at him.
"Yu Xuan, Mother, she..."
Upon hearing the voice, Xiao Jin immediately tried to get straight to the point and explain his purpose, but after only saying half a sentence, he froze on the spot when he saw Xiao Yuxuan's appearance.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd spent time with his younger sister. It seemed like the last time he saw her, she was gentle and kind, with clear, innocent eyes, and she would smile as she spoke. But now—
She just looked at me coldly. Her face still resembled my father and mother, but it inexplicably had a noble and dignified air that was different from the Xiao family.
It was as if she was born to be the daughter of the eldest princess and had never stayed in the Xiao family!
Startled by the thought that popped into her mind, Xiao Jin hurriedly took two steps forward, trying to show that they were still twins by closing the distance between them.
However, with each step he took closer, Xiao Yuxuan would take a step back, as if she were facing some kind of ferocious beast, which was extremely terrifying.
"Third Brother, just speak your mind. Could it be that Father and Mother are going to send me to Jiangnan again?"
Her sharp words stung Xiao Jin. He also knew that not long ago, his grandmother had given his father such a terrible idea: not only to officiate at his elder brother's and Yu Yao's wedding, but also to send Yu Xuan to Jiangnan for "discipline"!
He knew his grandmother well; she usually only liked her sons and grandsons, and was cold and biased towards her aunts and other cousins. Only Yuyao could get a few kind words from her.
If the old lady were to send her granddaughter Yuxuan, whom she had never met, back to Jiangnan, she would be so ruthless that she could drive people crazy!
"How could that be? In the end, it was Father and Mother who acted improperly. Now that you have been taken to the Princess’s residence, there is no need to worry that they will try to send you away again."
His face was bitter, and by the end, his voice was strained.
When did he come to think that it was a good thing for Xiao Yuxuan to be taken away by the Princess? He subconsciously blurted out his inner thoughts.
"My mother is sick. It's an epidemic, and it's very serious."
"Many people in the capital are suffering from the plague. The doctors recruited by the court have been working tirelessly to treat the patients. If the Xiao family has any needs, they only need to go to the thatched hut where the patients are gathered and explain the reason..."
Xiao Yuxuan was interrupted by Xiao Jin before she could finish speaking.
"No, I heard that since you volunteered to help the Prefect of the Capital deal with the epidemic in the capital, have you developed any effective medicine to cure the epidemic... Even if you haven't, it would be good if you could come home with me to see my mother. She... she misses you very much..."
When the fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy spoke of his seriously ill mother, his eyes were already brimming with tears. He stubbornly turned his head away, not wanting his younger sister to see his tears.
Xiao Yuxuan lowered her eyes, staring at the tips of her shoes, and remained silent for a long time.
"Third Brother probably doesn't know yet. I went back a few days ago."
In fact, she had long suspected that Lin Hui had contracted the plague in her life, and that she had been unwell recently because of getting angry.
She was busy taking care of the eldest princess, dealing with patients in the capital, preparing prescriptions... she had so many things to do.
Her body and soul no longer belonged to that small Xiao family, nor did she exist solely to please the Xiao family.
Moreover, Lin Hui had already said that she would not see her.
"When did this happen? I've never heard Li's mother mention it."
This time, Xiao Jin was stunned. He thought that Xiao Yuxuan had never returned to the Princess's residence since that night, so he didn't know about his mother's illness.
"It doesn't matter anymore. My mother said she wouldn't see me, so I won't go back and upset her, so as not to make her angry while she's sick."
"How could that be?! She's been talking about you the whole time!"
Xiao Jin became increasingly agitated.
He had personally heard his mother's weak voice calling out to Yu Xuan, and now he refused to believe it no matter what.
"Speaking of which, isn't Fourth Sister at home? With her serving her closely, why would Mother still be thinking about me?"
It would have been better if this hadn't been brought up, because Xiao Jin's expression became a little unnatural.
"she……"
He couldn't possibly say that Xiao Yuyao knew about the epidemic and was afraid of contracting it, so she didn't even dare to leave Baozhen Hospital.
Her mother invited her several times, but she always declined, saying she couldn't go.
Let alone serving and taking care of me like my three older brothers, I'm not even willing to talk to them through the door.
Even so, the Xiao family only thought she was spoiled and did not blame her.
Xiao Yuyao was pampered and spoiled since childhood. She was truly treated like a precious gem, and no one could bear to make her unhappy. As a result, the Xiao family had become numb to this long-standing habit over the past fourteen years.
“She is still under house arrest and cannot go out. These days, it is the few of us who are taking care of our mother.”
Xiao Yuxuan seemed to believe it, and nodded seriously:
“In that case, I will continue to trouble my three brothers to take care of Mother. The Princess has also contracted the plague, and I am the only one by her side. Mother has both a son and a daughter, so having me will not make a difference. I will stay here to take care of the Princess.”
"How can they be the same?!"
Xiao Jin quickly said:
“You are bound to us by blood. No matter what, if your mother is seriously ill, as her children, you should be by her side. Aren’t you afraid that outsiders will criticize you for being unfilial?”
After he finished speaking, he realized that his words were inappropriate. Just as he was about to explain that he did not mean to be aggressive, he saw that Xiao Yuxuan, who was already indifferent, was becoming more and more distant.
“Third Brother, I still call you Third Brother now because you are not as biased as Father and Mother, who sent me alone to Jiangnan. But that doesn’t mean we have a close brother-sister relationship.”
“I have already told you what to do. Whether you find a doctor or your fourth sister, it will comfort and soothe your mother.”
"The appropriate prescription is still under development. Once it is complete, we will spread the word far and wide so that no one in the capital will be left without treatment."
"As for me, since my mother has already said she won't see me, and I'm currently too busy to attend to many things, I will naturally go to that home that doesn't welcome me once everything has settled down."
"Third Brother, is there anything else you want to say?"
Every word Xiao Yuxuan uttered felt like it was tearing Xiao Jin's heart out.
Just a few months ago, things weren't like this.
He also hoped to find his younger sister and rekindle the sibling bond they had lost for fourteen years, so that she could be like Yu Yao... no, like any other younger sister, softly and sweetly relying on him, her twin brother.
But how did things end up like this?
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