Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Why are you still wearing his clothes?
Wang Huilan lay on the Arhat couch, her head leaning on the pillow, her eyes closed to rest, but her heart was not at peace at all.
Wang Huilan considered herself not a good person, but she never expected that the retribution for her past deeds would fall upon her own daughter.
She had been looking forward to it so long, but the child she had been waiting for was transferred to be a farmer's daughter and suffered for sixteen years. The fake daughter who was treated as a baby, with a similar face, reminded her of her unbearable past all the time.
Sending Shuyun away puts an end to it all. Out of sight, out of mind.
Nanny Wu came in hurriedly, stood beside the couch with her head bowed, and stammered back, "Madam, it's almost time for the sedan chair to be sent out."
Wang Huilan frowned, her face turned pale, and she secretly exerted force on the hand that was supporting her forehead, with a surge of anger accumulating in her heart.
The atmosphere in the room was solemn. After a while, Wang Huilan slowly opened her eyes and Nanny Wu helped her up and sat her down beside the couch.
Wang Huilan asked with a stern expression, "Where is Shuyun?"
Nanny Wu blushed, "The eldest master ordered the sedan chair to change its route and go to Yanfu Residence."
She hurried as fast as she could, but was still a step too late. If she had received the news that the eldest son had returned home a quarter of an hour earlier, the sedan chair carrying Shuyun would have been carried out from the west door.
The brother and sister have always been good friends. Here, Shuyun was not sent away, but went to the eldest master's residence instead. I'm afraid it will be difficult to send her away in the future.
Marquis Anlu married two sisters from the Wang family successively, and had a pair of children with his first wife, the eldest son Xiao Ye, and the fourth daughter Xiao Shuyi.
The year when the first wife Wang passed away, Xiao Ye was only seven years old and Xiao Shuyi was three months old. The brother and sister were still young and needed careful guidance, so they were both raised by the old lady.
Xiao Ye has both the bloodiness of a military general like Marquis Anlu and the elegance taught by the old lady. He can pacify the world with his pen and decide the fate of the world on horseback. Later, he joined the army at a young age and became famous. Now he is the General of the Yulin Guards, leading the Yulin Lang and being in charge of the palace guards.
Xiao Ye was favored by the emperor at a young age, no less favored than Marquis Anlu.
Two months ago, the emperor was on a border tour, and Xiao Ye accompanied him. Today, he returned to the capital with the emperor.
…
Shuyun's head became increasingly dizzy. She sat in the small sedan chair, carried by the sedan bearers to Yanfu Residence. The journey was steady and extremely slow.
Her hands fell helplessly on her knees, clutching the rough hem of her clothes. She had never felt that her brother's residence was so long.
She had returned her residence to the real daughter, so it was impossible for her to go back now.
Occasionally, a cool breeze blew by, opening the curtains, and Shuyun's hot cheeks felt a little cool, which was very comfortable. She caught a glimpse of the back of the brother in front of her. He had a stern figure, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, with the appearance of a dragon and a phoenix, like the bright stars and the moon, so high and unattainable.
A lot of things happened in the two months since her brother left Beijing. When he came back, she was no longer a member of the Xiao family. Her loving mother hated and despised her.
Would my brother be the same, hating her for taking away the rich life of the real daughter? Shuyun was uneasy, lowering her head and wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
The sedan suddenly stopped, and a white hand lifted the curtain. Biluo, the head maid of Yanfuju, stood outside with a respectful attitude and said softly, "Third Miss, we're here."
Biluo still called her by the previous name, but everyone in the mansion changed their words and said that the third lady of the Marquis's Mansion was the real daughter.
Xiao Ye turned around and looked at the girl who was crying in the sedan chair.
Xiao Ye walked over, bent down slightly, looked at the haggard little face with traces of tears, and said slowly, "Brother has been gone for two months, how could your sister be so embarrassed? It's really pitiful."
Shuyun's body swayed slightly, an embarrassed look appeared on her face, and she nervously clutched the hem of her clothes above her knees.
Xiao Ye extended a hand towards her. Shu Yun was stunned for a moment, then carefully took his hand and he shook it back. The man's palm was broad and warm, with thin calluses.
A force pulled her up, but because she stood up so suddenly, Shuyun felt dizzy for a moment and her legs were weak. She wanted to hold on to the people around her, but she couldn't control her weak body. Her eyes went dark and she fell forward.
Almost at the same time, Xiao Ye caught the fainted girl, put his arm around her waist, and a strand of black hair that was hooked slipped from his fingertips.
Her waist is slender and thin, not even enough to be held in one hand, and her thin body looks light and airy.
Xiao Ye frowned, and there was pity hidden in his cold eyes.
Shuyun's whole body was burning, her palm-sized nose was flushed, and her forehead was very hot.
"Call the doctor."
Xiao Ye picked up the girl who had fainted due to fever and strode into the house.
*
"A few days ago, everything was fine. Although the lady treated the girl coldly, she still kept her. Later, when the daughter really fell into the water, she slandered the girl and locked her in the room and forced her to write a letter of severance. Now that the eldest son has returned home, the lady is anxious and sent her away in a hurry this time."
Biluo looked at the unconscious and weak girl lying on the eldest son's bed. "During that time, the girl was locked in the room, and her food and clothing were much less than before. It happened to be rainy and the weather has been chilly these past few days. Minor illnesses have accumulated and now they have all come together."
Xiao Ye's face darkened, as if a storm was about to come.
He sat on the edge of the bed, wrung out a hot towel, and wiped the girl's hot forehead gently.
Not long after, Nanny Wu came to Yanfu Residence and took Shuyun away on Wang Huilan's orders.
"Drive away."
Xiao Ye said in a deep voice, his face calm and expressionless.
His facial features were regular and deep, and he never liked to smile. The calmer and more indifferent he looked, the more frightening he seemed.
In the past two years, Marquis Anlu was far away in the northern border, and most of the important matters in the mansion were decided by Xiao Ye.
After sending Nanny Wu away, Biluo returned to her room, gently closed the door, and whispered, "According to the eldest master's instructions, a message has been sent to the old lady ten days in advance."
She counted on her knuckles and said, "Based on the speed of the post station, I estimate that the old lady will be back to the capital soon."
Shortly after the Lantern Festival, Mrs. Cui took the fourth daughter back to her hometown in Qinghe to visit relatives. Xiao Ye then accompanied the emperor on a border patrol. It was during this period that the marquis's mansion found the real daughter who had been replaced.
Xiao Ye's gaze slowly shifted away from Shu Yun, he nodded lightly, and waved his hand to signal the maid to leave.
Later in the evening, the weather changed and the sky seemed to be leaking. It rained heavily, the wind blew against the windows, and cool raindrops fell on the windowsill.
Shuyun showed no signs of waking up, and her high fever persisted, even worse than during the day.
The lights were dim. Xiao Ye helped her lean on his shoulder and slowly fed the medicine in the spoon into her mouth. But she didn't swallow it. The medicine flowed out from the corners of her lips and flowed down her snow-white neck, not only staining her clothes, but also wetting the clothes on Xiao Ye's chest.
Shuyun usually hated bitter medicine, and now that she was unconscious, she was even more unwilling to drink it. She resisted the spoon between her lips, and her clove tongue pushed away the jade spoon. Her pale face was wrinkled, and she whimpered in complaint.
Xiao Ye lowered his head and whispered in her ear. The girl seemed to hear it, and she hummed softly in confusion, her tightly closed lips slightly opening.
When Xiao Ye fed her medicine again, her resistance was no longer strong, and she reluctantly drank half of the spoonful of medicine.
After a few spoonfuls of medicine, the clothes on their chests were wet. It was a bit cold in the wind on the rainy night.
Shuyun's haggard little face was flushed red, her brows were tightly furrowed, and she was so thin and weak from illness that she could barely wear clothes.
During the day, her fever wouldn't go away. The doctor gave her acupuncture and used medicine, but there was no effect. At night, her fever became even worse.
She had a weak constitution and was often ill. It took her a long time to recover each time. The doctor said that it was because she caught a cold when she was young, which damaged her foundation. Now she thought that it was probably because she caught a cold when she was transferred in the mountains on a rainy night that damaged her body.
"Mother, mother."
The weak voice was as thin as a mosquito's, and she was calling out to the person she wanted to see in a daze, while her slender hands grasped his sleeve in her palm.
She sobbed so hard, so pitiful.
The person who called her no longer wanted her.
Xiao Ye lowered his eyes, his gaze as deep as the sea, and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
His fingertips were wet, and he tasted it in his mouth, knowing the salty and sweet taste.
"Mother, it's cold. I'll be obedient and take the medicine."
The girl sobbed softly and buried her head in Xiao Ye's arms, pressing her wet thin shirt tightly against him. Her chest muscles became harder, and the body in his arms became hot and soft like spring water.
She tugged at her clothes and muttered, "Very...very well-behaved."
Xiao Ye was half hidden in the candlelight, wiping the tears from her snow-white cheeks, and gently stroking the top of her head with his long fingers, again and again, coaxing her gently.
The clothes were wet with medicine and felt cold. She had always been delicate and had never worn such rough materials. Xiao Ye put her back on the bed, got up and left. When he returned to the bed, he had a newly cut undershirt in his hand.
*
The next afternoon, Shuyun woke up and found her surroundings both familiar and unfamiliar.
It seems to be my brother’s bedroom.
"The girl is awake." Biluo heard and went into the inner room. She reached out to feel the temperature of Shuyun's forehead and said with a smile, "Thank God, the fever has finally subsided."
"What's wrong with me?" Shu Yun asked in a hoarse voice, looking listless and sickly.
"You caught a cold. Last night you had a recurring high fever, and your body was terribly hot." Biluo poured warm water and helped Shuyun drink it. "Fortunately, the eldest son called a doctor in time yesterday. After taking a few bowls of medicine, the illness was suppressed."
Shuyun's last memory before she fainted was her brother holding her hand and pulling her out of the sedan chair, as if rescuing her from a quagmire.
She was in a daze and couldn't help but think of the man with a high nose, deep eyes, and a cold and taciturn look. A smile appeared on her sickly face.
"Where is my brother?" Shuyun asked.
"It's still early, the eldest master hasn't finished his duty yet."
Shuyun wanted to get up and sit on the couch waiting for her brother to come back.
She even slept in her brother's bed, which was very offensive.
Shuyun moved and found that the plain white shirt on her body was loose and baggy, with sleeves that were too wide and needed to be rolled up several times to stretch out her hands. It looked like a men's style.
Biluo explained, "When I was feeding the girl medicine, her clothes got wet. The eldest master hasn't married yet, so there are naturally no clothes for her in the house. The girl is so precious, how could she wear the clothes of a servant? So, she temporarily wore the eldest master's new clothes."
Shuyun's cheeks were slightly hot, and she scratched her shirt with her slender fingers and asked softly, "You helped me change it, didn't you?"
Biluo was slightly stunned and nodded.
Although it was a new piece of clothing, it was a men's style after all. Shuyun was embarrassed and asked Biluo to bring her original clothes over.
Biluo was embarrassed. "I've already thrown away that dress. Where can I find it? The eldest master has instructed that you should just make do with it for now and recuperate here."
In the past, it was a headache for Shuyun to take medicine, but this time she was seriously ill and surprisingly did not reject it. With Biluo's help, she ate some porridge and drank the medicine in the bowl obediently.
Shuyun was feeling very tired due to her illness, so she took some medicine, but then she became sleepy and fell asleep again.
In the evening, Xiao Ye finished his shift and returned to Yanfu Residence.
The candlelight flickered. A broad-shouldered man sat upright on the edge of the bed. He had a high nose, deep eyes, and sword-like eyebrows. The soft candlelight illuminated his protruding Adam's apple. His muscular figure loomed over the head of the bed, and he lowered his eyes to look at the frail girl on the bed.
Shu Yun pursed her lips, leaned against the head of the bed in her ill-fitting clothes, and grabbed the corner of the quilt awkwardly.
After a long silence, the man spoke in a deep voice, "I know everything."
Two months ago, Xiao Ye left Beijing and Shu Yun saw him out. They agreed that when he came back, they would go to Babaozhai in the West Market to eat yogurt cherries, cherry biluo and jade dew balls.
But she had never expected this to be the outcome. Shuyun's eyes became moist, and a bitter feeling welled up in her heart. She lowered her head and stammered, "I'm sorry, brother."
I'm also sorry for the real third daughter of the Xiao family.
Tears fell one by one, Shu Yun hurriedly lowered her head, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. Her wet hair stuck to her cheeks. She tucked her tears behind her ears and choked out, "I don't want to be sent back."
"Brother, I want to stay in the Marquis' Mansion."
Shuyun's eyes turned red and she wiped away her tears in embarrassment.
Shu Yun looked up at Xiao Ye, her almond-shaped eyes misty with tears. Her fingertips, wet with tears, carefully grasped the man's sleeve and begged, "Please help me, brother."
The man didn't say anything, but looked down at her. His deep, unfathomable gaze contained no extra emotions, revealing a sense of indifference and alienation.
There was no response for a long time. Shu Yun felt helpless and frustrated. She slowly lowered her eyelids and slowly loosened the fingers that were grabbing his sleeve.
Shuyun was embarrassed and curled her fingertips awkwardly.
The hand that was slowly dropping down was suddenly held by Xiao Ye.
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Note: A man of letters can pacify the world with his pen, and a man of arms can rule the world on horseback – from Romance of the Three Kingdoms
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