Chapter Thirty-Six: Protecting in One's Own Way
Song Yiqiu did not leave immediately. She glanced casually at a large, leafy tree in the courtyard and said softly:
"Come out. How long have you been hiding and watching?"
Bai Mei and Qing Zhu were startled and looked at the tree warily.
After a few seconds of rustling leaves, a figure wearing a bright red dress emerged from behind the tree, almost scrambling on her hands and feet. It was Song Ruoling.
She still had a guilty look on her face, as if she had done something wrong.
Bai Mei's expression changed, and she lowered her voice urgently:
"Miss! It's terrible! Did she...did she see and hear everything? Should I..."
He made a throat-slitting gesture, a fierce glint in his eyes.
Song Yiqiu raised her hand and tapped her forehead to stop her.
He looked calmly at Song Ruoling:
What are you doing here?
Song Ruoling twisted her fingers nervously, then timidly pulled out the cleaned hibiscus-patterned purse from her bosom, offering it to her with both hands in a voice barely audible:
"I...I came to give this...to Miss. Thank you so much for helping me out today...I...I meant no harm..."
Her eyes were clear, and she waved her hands haphazardly.
Song Yiqiu looked at the purse in her hand, but didn't immediately take it. Instead, she took a step forward, her tone unreadable:
"You saw everything that just happened?"
Song Ruoling trembled slightly and nodded obediently:
"Hmm... I see... I see a little bit..."
Song Yiqiu suddenly felt playful and wanted to scare her, so she deliberately moved closer and became serious:
"Then...aren't you afraid? I can kill people."
Unexpectedly, Song Ruoling did not scream and run away as expected. Instead, she shook her head vigorously and looked up at Song Yiqiu.
A look of worship shone through his bewildered eyes:
"I'm not afraid, Miss is a kind and good person!"
"That Granny Qian... she's the bad guy! She used to bully the maids all the time, cut our monthly allowances, and... she even made Sister Sanchun cry many times! She deserved to die! Miss is doing justice for heaven!"
These innocent yet ruthless words stunned the three of them.
Looking at her somewhat naive sense of right and wrong, Song Yiqiu suddenly found it both amusing and inexplicably touching.
She accepted the thoughtfully given purse, her tone softening considerably:
"Thank you for your purse. From now on... just call me Yiqiu, Sister Ruoling."
"Yiqiu... my younger sister?"
Song Ruoling repeated it to herself, looking at Song Yiqiu with even brighter eyes, but suddenly felt ashamed of herself:
"Sister Yiqiu, you are really amazing..."
"You can protect the people you want to protect. You have such amazing martial arts skills, you're not afraid of anything..."
"And me... I seem to be a useless person, I can't do anything right, I only cause trouble for Sister Sanchun... Sister Sanchun said that this is the fate of us concubine's daughters..."
Upon hearing this, Song Yiqiu's expression faltered slightly.
She looked at Song Ruoling's disappointed face, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly reached out and took her hand.
"Sister Ruoling,"
"Everyone is born different. Just like fish can't climb trees and birds can't go into the water. There are many things you can do that I may not be able to do. Protecting the people you want to protect is never just about martial arts."
Song Ruoling blinked blankly, seemingly understanding but not quite:
"Really? I... I can protect Sister Sanchun and my mother too?"
Song Yiqiu nodded firmly, looking at her with unwavering eyes:
"Of course. I used to feel disappointed that I couldn't protect others, but now... so, if you want to and are willing to do it, you can. In your own way."
Just then, Song Sanchun's anxious shouts came from afar:
"Ruoling! Ruoling! Where did you go?"
Song Ruoling was startled and quickly said:
"Sister Sanchun is calling me, I...I have to go!"
She hurriedly bowed to Song Yiqiu, then turned and ran out in a panic.
Bai Mei watched her retreating figure, her heart filled with worry:
"Young Miss, she just left like that... Is it really alright? What if she tells everyone... Should I go..."
She made another gesture.
Song Yiqiu raised her hand, but Bai Mei, this time smarter, dodged it, feeling indignant:
"Why do you always give me 'chestnuts'? I'm just worried that she's just like her sister, heartless and ungrateful."
Song Yiqiu looked at her seriously:
"Bai Mei, we cannot hurt innocent people."
Especially someone like her, who has never hurt anyone in either of her two lifetimes.
She gripped the purse in her hand tightly.
“If revenge is based on implicating the innocent, then what difference is there between such revenge and the perpetrators we hate?”
Bai Mei was stunned, and nodded blankly.
Qingzhu rubbed the bump on her forehead:
"Oh no! Sister Bai Mei is going to start thinking!"
...
Song Ruoling ran back to Song Sanchun's side, panting.
Upon seeing her, Song Sanchun immediately grabbed her angrily and raised her voice to reprimand her:
"Where did you run off to? Do you know how long I've been looking for you! Didn't I tell you not to wander off?"
Song Ruoling stammered, not daring to tell the truth:
"I...I just felt bored, so I went for a walk over there..."
Seeing the flicker in her eyes, Song Sanchun sighed and softened her tone as she warned:
"Stay away from those legitimate daughters of noble families. We're not on the same level as them; getting close to them will only bring us humiliation, understand?"
Song Ruoling lowered her head, fiddling with the hem of her clothes, and suddenly asked in a low voice:
"Sister...why are we born inferior to others? Why do we always receive ridicule and trampling in return for our sincerity?"
Song Sanchun was taken aback by the question, a pang of sorrow rising in her heart. She touched her younger sister's head, her voice bitter:
"This is our fate. Where we are born and what kind of identity we have is predetermined from the beginning. Just bear with it, stay out of the way, try not to cause trouble, and live a peaceful life."
Song Ruoling was silent for a while, then suddenly raised her head, her eyes sparkling, and retorted to herself:
"But... Sister Yiqiu... seems to not believe in fate..."
Upon hearing this, Song Sanchun was jolted awake, staring at her sister in disbelief. This was the first time she had ever heard such unorthodox words from her.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she closed it.
...
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