Chapter 3 A Strange Family.
Whenever Miaolian went out, Master Zhen would always send a servant to follow her closely.
It was less about protection and more about surveillance. Miaolian's every word and action would be vividly relayed to Master Zhen by the servants.
But Miaolian didn't go out often. Most of the time, he stayed in his room, playing with the birds and reading books.
Poetry, vernacular stories, travelogues, precious scrolls... he is not picky and can read any type.
It's no wonder Jiang Huaisu has such a wide range of knowledge, given how diverse and unusual it is.
Master Zhen was an official, and Madam Qiao was a businesswoman. They didn't interfere with each other and each performed their duties, leaving little time to maintain family warmth. The family of three only met around mealtimes, like clocking in.
However, the parents were well aware that Miaolian was different from ordinary people, and they had to have someone look after him. Their parenting style was half free-range and half restrictive.
However, Qiao Yin takes care of her son more, so she is naturally closer to him.
Occasionally, one might observe the family of three having lunch together. The wife and Miaolian would politely put food into each other's bowls, their faces bearing smiles that were hard to discern as genuine – a kind of maternal love and filial piety.
Master Zhen didn't receive this treatment. Miao Lian was too lazy to even put on an act and gave her father a cold shoulder whenever she saw him.
Half a month passed like this, and Jiang Huaisu spent her days watching the drama unfold, gaining another two ounces of weight around her waist. She was worried; how could she possibly escape to a distant place like this?
“Your wound is healing very quickly.” Miaolian removed the thin strips of cloth from her wound. “I don’t think it needs to be bandaged anymore.”
"But the feathers haven't grown in yet, alas. I was planning to sew them onto my dress as decoration, but these few aren't enough." He looked very regretful.
Hearing his wicked words, Jiang Huaisu felt a chill run down her spine. Feathers weren't decorations for her; if she plucked them, they'd grow back, and she'd never be able to fly again.
"I've also hunted some large birds, but their feathers are too coarse and stiff, not as good as yours."
...Thank you, but she didn't want that kind of praise.
"Zhenmiaolian."
"Um?"
"You said before that you kept me in the cage to prevent my wound from getting hurt," she said, trying to reason with him. "Now that my wound is almost healed, can I leave the birdcage?"
"So you don't like this cage? I think it's quite nice."
She said in a gentle tone, "Your home is also very beautiful, but it's not necessarily true that you'd want to stay here forever."
“That’s true.” Miaolian waved her hand. “Then I’ll leave the birdcage door open from now on so you can come and go as you please.”
I thought it would take a long time to persuade him, but I didn't expect my request to be met so easily, which was really unexpected.
However, before Jiang Huaisu could even feel happy, Miaolian added, "By the way, when you're outside the cage, don't leave my sight."
"......"
Well, there's plenty of time. As long as we take the first step, we'll find a chance to escape sooner or later.
On the dining table of Zhenfu, there are often several dishes of wild game that add color, most of which are hunted by Miaolian from the suburbs.
Jiang Huaisu couldn't help but feel fortunate that Miaolian only cared about her feathers and wasn't interested in the magpie meat; otherwise, she might have ended up on the table too.
During mealtime, the three members of the Zhen family sat in separate areas, not uttering a word, simply eating and picking at their food.
Master Zhen's face was not very good. He tried to hold back, but finally couldn't help it. He squeezed out a short, sharp sound from his nose, as if he were sneer.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he snorted again.
Miaolian looked at him with a complicated expression: "Father, you can't spit your snot into the food."
"...Nonsense!" Master Zhen tactfully ignored Miaolian's words, pointed at the magpie on his shoulder, and said angrily, "You brought this bird to eat again, hoping it would serve you food?"
"Why not?" Miaolian said gently. "Susu, I want to eat a chicken leg. Get it for me."
Jiang Huaisu resorted to her old trick of playing dead, burying her head under her wings to block out all external noise.
Master Zhen slammed his chopsticks down: "Absurd!"
Qiao Yin rubbed her forehead: "Master, I get a headache whenever you raise your voice."
Having stumbled upon a family feud, Jiang Huaisu remained silent, quietly clinging to Miaolian's shoulder like a pendant.
Apart from Miaolian, everyone else thought she was just an ordinary magpie who had won the Third Young Master's favor because of her unusual plumage. Master Zhen didn't intend to make trouble for a little bird; he just disliked his son and found fault with everything he did.
Qiao Yin's headache didn't seem to be faked. Whenever the father and son argued, she would sigh and hold her forehead, her brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.
Jiang Huaisu didn't care; as long as the fists didn't land on her, she was happy to watch the show.
Anyway, none of this family members are normal; each has their own ailments.
Master Zhen suffers from bipolar disorder and throws things at the slightest provocation.
Madam Qiao suffers from delusions, claiming to have three sons and one daughter, when in fact she only gave birth to Miaolian. A doctor diagnosed that her occasional dazed state was due to a traumatic brain injury from a miscarriage in her early years. However, she only becomes confused about this matter; otherwise, her mind is perfectly clear.
Following the master's instructions, everyone in the household addressed Miaolian as the Third Young Master, just as the mistress wished. As for the eldest young master, the second young master, and the young lady, no one knew where they were going.
Miaolian's condition is even more complex, somewhat resembling a split personality. Her emotions and behavior are completely unlike those of a normal seven-year-old; she is incredibly perceptive and precocious, yet her emotions are more unpredictable than the April weather. She's neither a child nor an adult.
Jiang Huaisu was exhausted from dealing with them and just wanted to say goodbye to this group of people as soon as possible.
A gentle mother, a stern father, and a bright son. How could such a precious family combination play such a terrible hand?
"Susu, you're ignoring me again." Miaolian stroked her fur against the grain. "If you don't want chicken legs, you can have something else. I'll eat whatever you put on my plate."
"...Are you crazy?!" Jiang Huaisu almost exploded, pushing his fingers away with her beak.
Master Zhen suppressed his anger: "Never mind... just eat your food."
"I'd like to."
Master Zhen picked up his chopsticks again, glared at his son, and said, "Heh, if you keep pretending to be crazy, the servants will laugh at you."
The meal ended unhappily, with Qiao Yin feeling unwell and leaving first, followed closely by Master Zhen.
Miaolian was still putting food into her bowl, her cheeks bulging, chewing as she went, looking like she hadn't eaten enough.
Jiang Huaisu hopped from his left shoulder to his right. Her feathers weren't fully grown, so she couldn't fly high and could only bounce around like this.
"Maybe you shouldn't take me with you next time you eat out?"
Miaolian picked up a piece of green vegetable with the other end of her chopsticks and fed it to her mouth, saying, "This is delicious."
Jiang Huaisu glanced at him sideways, then picked up the piece of green vegetable and swallowed it. Crisp, refreshing, and sweet—it was indeed her preferred flavor.
Miaolian then slowly said, "If I don't bring you along, you'll be all alone in the room, which is so pitiful."
"I couldn't ask for more!" Miao Lian gave a dry laugh. "But, Master Ruozhen might take his anger out on me..."
"Don't worry. He only dislikes me, he won't take it out on others."
They do have a good sense of self-awareness.
Jiang Huaisu was speechless, looking melancholy as she strolled on Miaolian's shoulder.
Suddenly she felt a soft touch under her feet. She looked down and realized that she had accidentally stepped on someone's head!
She said sheepishly, "I didn't mean to..."
"It's alright." Miaolian didn't mind at all, and even slowed down the pace of her eating, stopping her head from shaking so that she could stand more steadily.
Tsk, I don't understand him. Sometimes he's autocratic, and other times he's incredibly tolerant and generous.
But Jiang Huaisu dared not linger on the Buddha's head, so she jumped back onto his shoulder and stood still obediently.
In Zhenfu, no matter how many things are unpleasant or unwilling there may be, there is only one thing that cannot be said against one's conscience: no.
That's the food.
Even the pickiest magpies in the world can be fed well and become plump and healthy here.
Miaolian treated her harshly emotionally, but not materially. A month later, her wounds had completely healed, and her feathers were almost back to normal.
Jiang Huaisu was secretly delighted, but she didn't show it on her face. She pretended that her injury hadn't fully healed and refused to reveal her flying posture in front of Miaolian, lest he catch her as soon as she flew away.
Now, she is forced to spend all her free time outside the cage with Miaolian. He doesn't go to school, has no playmates, and is immersed in his own little world every day, and he has to bring her along with him.
That evening, Jiang Huaisu returned to her birdcage to rest, and Miaolian casually locked the cage door. She scoffed inwardly, thinking, "So much for free entry and exit!"
Miaolian turned off the light, and soon she too began to doze off on the perch, her mind still racing with her escape plan. How could she distract Miaolian and create an opportunity to act alone outside the cage...?
Before she could figure it out, sleepiness pulled her into a dream, and her breathing gradually became even.
The next day, as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the window, her beautiful dream came to an end.
She opened her eyes, shook her feathers, and immediately sensed something was wrong. Looking down, she saw a thin gold chain on her ankle, the ring-shaped clasp fitting almost perfectly against her skin, its presence so strong it couldn't be ignored.
"I moved very quietly so as not to wake you. But you're sleeping really soundly."
Outside the wide-open cage door was Miaolian's bright smile. "Now you don't have to stay in the cage anymore. I know your feathers and wounds have healed, and you can fly high from now on."
That damned Zhenmiaolian!!
Jiang Huaisu was so angry she almost vomited blood. The flame of hope that had just been ignited was extinguished. She pecked the chain twice, but not only did it not vent her anger, it also made her beak hurt.
At the other end of the chain was a thick, heavy gold bracelet, made of an unknown material. When thrown to the ground, it remained perfectly still, effectively immobilizing her.
Furthermore, Miaolian can wear this bracelet on her wrist to control Jiang Huaisu's actions.
Seeing that his slender wrists were able to wield the heavy chain without breaking bones, Jiang Huaisu felt a deep sense of regret.
Damn it, does he really have to wait until Zhen Miaolian dies of old age before he can regain his freedom?
No, no. Jiang Huaisu comforted herself, it wasn't that tragic.
Perhaps if I cultivate diligently for fifty years, and wait until Miaolian becomes an old man, I can defeat him?
Or perhaps Miaolian was suddenly hit and killed by a carriage while going out, resulting in her early death in childhood...
Thoughts gradually veered in a strange direction, and the white magpie was about to turn into a black magpie.
Miaolian scratched the hair on the top of her head: "Why are you looking so dejected?"
"I......"
He suddenly said, "You want to leave."
Jiang Huaisu's survival instincts were still at play, so she refrained from criticizing him or answering him, taking it as tacit agreement. She had thought Miaolian would play dumb to the end, but now that she'd asked, could she really lie and say she didn't want to?
She really wanted it!
“If you have the ability to escape, I won’t chase you.” Miao Lian rested her chin on the table, looked her straight in the eye, and smiled. “But if you don’t have the ability… then play with me a little longer. You’re so weak, you’ll get eaten if you go out.”
He didn't say how long this "short period" would last.
"I'm so bored being alone. Everyone's busy and doesn't talk to me. But I don't want to talk to them either. I feel much more comfortable playing with you."
"The rules of hunting... whoever hits the target gets to keep it. I hit you, so I have the right to deal with you, don't I?"
"Stupid bird, silly bird, you've buried your head in your wings and are ignoring me again."
"Susu." He poked her. "Jiang Huaisu."
She was incredibly annoyed when a loud bird call suddenly rang out: "What!"
"...Why did you suddenly shout so loudly? You startled me."
Miaolian was not happy and shook the chain in her hand. "Alright, what I wanted to say is that there is another possibility."
"If I get tired of playing with you, I'll let you go."
What a villainous statement! Her vision went black, and she decided it was more realistic to secretly slit his throat under the cover of darkness.
A note from the author:
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