The spring rain seems to have no end and keeps falling.
The room was warm, the fire was burning brightly, the lids of the medicine jars were lifted up by the steam, and the sound of "gurgling" could be clearly heard.
The girl sat in front of the mirror. The bronze mirror showed a slightly pale face, with long frowns and thin green and red. Her lips were like small water chestnuts, pursed, delicate and distant. Her almond eyes were black and watery, like a mountain stream that would gather mist in the next moment, and the mist would dissipate lightly, revealing a gorgeous gem. She had snow-white skin and a beautiful face. She was 28 years old and pretty. She was a pretty girl, but she was just pretty.
She was very aware of her own beauty, so she had already placed rouge, powder, and perfumed hair cream on her small dressing table. The scent of rouge and powder lingered around her, and He Yan snorted and couldn't help sneezing.
The copper mirror was immediately covered with a layer of white frost by the hot air, and the face became unclear. He Yan was in a trance for a moment, as if he had returned to the moment when he first took off his men's clothes. He was sitting in front of the mirror, looking at himself in the mirror who looked like a woman. It was as if he was in another world.
She was drowned in the Xu family pond by He's men, but when she woke up, she became He Yan. Not He Yan, the sister of the current Feihong general He Rufei and the wife of Xu Zhiheng. But He Yan, the eldest daughter of He Sui, the ninth-rank military official and the city gate captain, the owner of this run-down cottage.
They are all He Yan, but their identities and status are worlds apart.
"Yan Yan, why didn't you tell me you woke up?" Along with the sound outside, the door curtain was lifted and a figure rolled in with the cold wind.
He was a middle-aged man with a beard, a square face, dark skin, and a tall stature, like a clumsy and strong bear. His smile was a little cautious and flattering. When he saw that no one was in the room, he shouted loudly, "Qingmei, where is Qingmei?"
"Qingmei went to pick herbs." He Yan said softly.
The man scratched his head and said, "Oh, then Daddy will pour it for you."
The white porcelain medicine bowl was not even as big as the man's palm. He knew this, so he poured the medicine very carefully. The whole room was immediately filled with the bitter aroma of herbs. He Yan looked at the plum blossoms beside the medicine bowl, and his eyes moved to the man's face. This was He Yan's father, the city gate captain He Sui.
The word "father" was unfamiliar to He Yan.
Her biological father should be He Yuanliang, the second elder of the He family, but because of He Rufei's status, she can only call him He Yuanliang's second uncle. Her adoptive father, He Yuansheng, is actually her eldest uncle.
The relationship between her adoptive father and her was not very close, and when she first proposed to learn martial arts, it even dropped to freezing point. Only after she made merit and received the emperor's award did he become enthusiastic. In the past years, although the eldest wife did not deprive her of food and drink, she did not really understand what was in her heart. When He Yan was young, she thought it was because she was not her biological father, but her biological father He Yuanliang also treated her indifferently. It was probably like a daughter who was given away was like water spilled out. Since she was not raised by his side, the affection for her was also weak.
Therefore, in He Yan's mind, her father's appearance was not as clear as that of her brothers and subordinates.
He Sui in front of him had already poured the medicine into the bowl, carefully picked up the residue floating on the water, blew on it gently, and brought it to He Yan, ready to feed her.
He Yan took the medicine bowl and said, "I'll do it myself."
The man took his hand back and said awkwardly, "Okay."
The medicine soup gave off wisps of hot steam. He Yan looked at the medicine bowl in front of her hesitantly. She thought of what He said before she died.
"That bowl of medicinal herbs that poisoned you was personally delivered to you by an elder from your clan!"
The elder of the clan, was it He Yuansheng? Or He Yuanliang? Or someone else? Xu Zhiheng knew about it, but what about the others?
She thought again of the cup of hot tea that Xiaodie handed to her on the day she drowned. Who knows if something someone else gave her was meant for ill intentions?
Seeing that she was reluctant to drink the medicine, He Sui thought that she thought it was bitter, so he smiled and coaxed her, "Don't be afraid, Yanyan, it's not bitter. You will be fine after you drink the medicine."
He Yan no longer hesitated. Without waiting for He Sui to continue speaking, he put his lips to the edge of the bowl, tilted his head back and drank the bowl of medicine.
"Wait..." He Sui didn't have time to say anything. He Yan had already placed the empty bowl on the table. He uttered the remaining words: "Boil..."
"Not hot." He Yan replied.
He Sui didn't know what to say for a moment. He stammered a few times and whispered, "Then you should rest well in the house and don't run around. Daddy is going to the martial arts field first." He took the empty bowl away.
He Yan was the only one left in the room again. She breathed a sigh of relief. After all, she was not used to such intimate communication with others, especially as a girl, and a girl who was pampered and raised in the palm of her hand.
The maid Qingmei has not come back yet, and He Sui's monthly salary is not much. The current city gate captain is just a military officer with no real power, and the salary is pitifully little. The people in this house are supported by He Sui's salary, and he can only afford one maid. The rest of the money probably became the rouge and powder piled on Miss He's table.
He Yan stood up and walked to the door.
This body was soft, as white as jade, fragrant and tender. It was completely unfamiliar to her. Without strength, it could not protect itself. If there was anything particularly good, it was a pair of clear and bright eyes that allowed her to see the light of the world that she had not seen for a long time.
With a "bang", there was a sound of something heavy falling to the ground behind her. He Yan turned around and saw the young man standing in front of her taking off the firewood tied on his shoulders.
The boy was not very old, about the same age as He Yan now. He wore a blue cloth waisted jacket, pants of the same color, and a white cloth strip tied around his leg to facilitate work. His skin was slightly dark, and his eyebrows and eyes were similar to He Yan's, delicate and distinct, but his chin was slightly narrower, which made him look resolute, stubborn and arrogant.
This is Miss He’s younger brother, He Sui’s youngest son, He Yunsheng.
He Yan was lying in bed for a few days. He Yunsheng came a few times, but he only came to bring water and the stove, and never said a word to He Yan. The relationship between the two siblings didn't seem to be very good, but... He Yan looked at He Yunsheng's ill-fitting cloth clothes, and then looked at her own satin-colored skirt. She understood a little, but was also surprised.
In the He family, women pave the way for men, and men are the heaven and the earth, as if they are the center of the world. However, in this family, it is different. It seems that this biological son is picked up. All the good food and clothes in the He family are closely related to Miss He. Why is this?
He Yan stood in front of He Yunsheng without moving an inch. He Yunsheng piled the firewood under the eaves and began to chop it.
This family was really poor. The only servant they had was a maid, and their own son was doing the work of a servant.
There was a pile of firewood in front of He Yan. He Yunsheng chopped it twice and frowned slightly, "Please make way. You're blocking me."
Don’t even call me “sister”.
He Yan didn't move, neither did he move aside nor did he make sarcastic remarks like usual. He Yunsheng couldn't help but raise his head and meet He Yan's serious gaze.
He Yan said, "You can't chop wood like this."