Chapter 5 Splashing Medicine
These words were like a veil that had been covering their true feelings for a month being torn away, and the two moved from a covert contest to one in the open.
Looking at this person who had suddenly appeared and taken away her status as the only young lady of the Xiao family, Xiao Yuyao's eyes revealed undisguised disgust. She hadn't even gone to find Xiao Yuxuan yet, but this person had delivered herself to her doorstep.
"Fifth Sister, you can't take medicine indiscriminately, and you can't say things carelessly. What's the point of you saying that I'm looking for an opportunity to frame you with a self-inflicted injury?"
The young girl lying on the bed raised an eyebrow, her shrewdness and calculating nature immediately becoming apparent. She was in her own courtyard, and there were no outsiders around. Since Xiao Yuxuan had taken the initiative to speak, she was too lazy to pretend and wanted the other party to understand the situation clearly.
"If you're not going to apologize to me, fine. Instead of criticizing me, you should go and explain things to our parents and brothers and see if they believe you or me."
Xiao Yuxuan lowered her eyes, gently stirred the medicine with a small spoon, and remained silent.
She is waiting.
Xiao Yuyao is currently just a fourteen-year-old girl, not yet the ruthless Empress Xiao who will stop at nothing in the future. Although she is ruthless to herself and has some scheming, she ultimately cannot hold back. Seeing that Xiao Yuxuan is just fiddling with her medicine bowl without saying a word, she said impatiently:
"I'm talking to you, why aren't you saying anything?"
The pendulum of the Western clock beside me swayed gently; it was almost time.
Without hesitation, Xiao Yuxuan flipped her wrist, spilling all the medicine in the bowl onto her front. Several large drops even splashed onto her pointed chin. The dark brown medicine dripped down, quickly soaking her spring dress completely.
Xiao Yuyao was shocked, her almond-shaped eyes widening in disbelief: "Are you crazy?!"
The girl sitting on the embroidery stool suddenly changed her expression, her face filled with panic and her voice trembling with tears:
"Fourth sister! Why are you treating me like this?"
"Xiao Yuxuan, what are you saying?!"
The other person's words were sharp. Xiao Yuyao, lying on the bed, gripped the blankets tightly, feeling as if something was slowly being lost. She questioned Xiao Yuxuan loudly, but all she got in return was the other person's feigned crying.
"Fourth sister, I have already confessed my sins to eldest brother when you pushed me into the water that day... You can hit me or scold me as you please, just please don't abuse your body by not taking your medicine. If Father and Mother find out, they will definitely be heartbroken."
Xiao Yuxuan imitated Xiao Yuyao from her previous life with great emotion, listening carefully to the footsteps outside, and then pretended to kneel down to Xiao Yuyao.
"If you don't want me to stay in the Xiao family mansion, I will move out immediately and will never cause my parents and brothers any sadness or distress..."
Xiao Yuyao pointed a trembling finger at Xiao Yuxuan: "You!"
"What are you doing?!"
The beaded curtain was violently pulled open, the crisp clanging sound echoing like thunderclaps in the room.
A young man dressed in red strode in, saw Xiao Yuxuan who was about to kneel down, and without thinking, rushed over and pulled her up.
"Third Brother, Xiao Yuxuan, no, Fifth Sister, she poured the medicine on herself. I didn't ask her to kneel, and I don't know what she was saying..."
She was anxious to explain, but her voice weakened as she spoke. She held her head and leaned weakly against the headboard, looking like she had a splitting headache, with tears welling up in her eyes.
If she was still puzzled by Xiao Yuxuan's purpose in saying those words, then seeing Xiao Jin enter without being announced, she understood everything. This must be a scheme by Xiao Yuxuan! It was all to sow discord between her and the Xiao family!
"Third brother, you know me. I already feel guilty towards fifth sister. I've been trying my best to make it up to her for the past month, but she actually said these things against her will. I really, really don't know what to do."
"Why don't you send me away? I'll go to the manor or become a nun in a temple, praying for my parents and brothers day and night, to atone for my sins of the past fourteen years."
Xiao Jin felt a pang of pity and heartache as he looked at Xiao Yuyao's haggard appearance. But when he looked down again, he saw that Xiao Yuxuan, who looked even more miserable in his arms, had a stubborn look in her eyes, as if she understood something.
Xiao Yuxuan broke free from his embrace, gave a curtsy, and said as if nothing had happened:
"Third Brother, I was just joking with Fourth Sister. Please don't take it seriously. I was being silly and pushed Fourth Sister into the water that day. I will change my ways from now on and always respect and be courteous to Fourth Sister. Please don't be angry."
Her front was still covered in the strong, bitter smell of medicine, and tears and medicine dripped from her chin. Her expression was full of bitterness, and it didn't look like something she had done in jest.
These two younger sisters, one trying to cover up her grievances with a forced explanation, the other strong, sensible, and mindful of the bigger picture, clearly show who is better.
Xiao Jin wasn't stupid. Although she preferred Xiao Yuyao, with whom she had spent fourteen years, her gaze towards her now held a hint of disapproval. Like a little adult, she said:
“Yuyao, it’s one thing for you to throw a little tantrum at us, but Yuxuan is our little sister now. She can’t bully you, and you can’t bully her either.”
After saying that, he turned to look at Xiao Yuxuan: "Mother has already said that she will not pursue the matter of falling into the water that day. You should not keep bringing it up. Regardless of who pushed whom, you both ended up getting sick."
Xiao Yuyao's hand was still pressed against her forehead, but her eyes were filled with resentment as she looked at Xiao Yuxuan.
If Xiao Yuxuan hadn't put on this act, how could she have been lectured by Xiao Jin? Even if both sides were equally blamed, she knew that after this incident, Xiao Jin would definitely feel less pity for her when she fell into the water...
Xiao Yuxuan noticed her gaze and sneered inwardly. Of course, she didn't expect that a bowl of medicine and a few words could change a person's likes and dislikes. As long as a seed of doubt was planted in his heart, even just a fleeting thought would be enough.
In her past life, she was brought by Xiao Jue to apologize to Xiao Yuyao yesterday, and what she received in return was Xiao Yuyao's words just now, that she should become a nun to pray for blessings.
At that time, her parents and three older brothers were all there, holding and coaxing their precious daughter on the bed. In order to avenge Xiao Yuyao, her third brother, Xiao Jin, kicked her hard in the back of the knee and pressed her head down, forcing her to apologize sincerely again.
Xiao Jin called the maid in and ordered her to brew another bowl of medicine. He turned around and saw the medicine on Xiao Yuxuan's body. He felt a little awkward. Xiao Yuxuan was clearly his own sister, but he felt guilty that Xiao Yuyao had caused trouble and spilled medicine on someone else.
"You should go change your clothes too, just change into some clean clothes that belong to Yuyao, don't go out in these." If someone sees you like this, they'll inevitably start to suspect and doubt you.
These two girls have already been caught in a storm of rumors for the past month; let's not add to the trouble.
Xiao Yuxuan walked out, and Mu Jin and Bi Sui were startled when they saw her.
"Young lady, what's wrong? Is this... medicine?"
Mu Jin glanced inside, then looked at Xiao Yuxuan, whose face remained calm, and subtly led the person to a separate room to find clean clothes to change into.
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