Chapter 2 My Cousin: Is she the younger sister from the Zhu family?
The coachman couldn't stand it anymore.
"Mother Fu, we're about to board the ship. Watch your manners." This was the first thing the driver had said in three days, and his deep voice drew Zhu Xuanning's curious gaze.
Her face betrayed her surprise, like a little bird drawn to something new.
Seeing that Zhu Xuanning's face bore a resemblance to her master's when he was young, the coachman's gaze softened. He became increasingly dissatisfied with Mama Fu. If he didn't have to obey orders, he would have even wanted to execute the old woman on the spot.
"You're so talkative, do you even need to remind me?" Madam Fu glared at her, feeling her status was being questioned, and her tone wasn't very pleasant. But since the coachman was sent from the outer courtyard, she didn't dare to say anything harsh.
The driver lowered his eyebrows and fell silent.
Zhu Xuanning had never been on a boat before. When she first stepped onto the boat, her steps were unsteady, a feeling that she found quite novel.
But this sense of novelty didn't last long. Zhu Xuanning felt dizzy and her stomach began to churn.
Damn it, what's going on? Is Zhu Yuli deliberately tormenting her, trying to make her die on the way?
The more distressed Zhu Xuanning felt, the more she hated her father who had been out of contact for over ten years.
"Miss, smell some medicine to calm your nerves." Zhu Xuanning's discomfort and weakness were evident on her face, and the coachman took out a medicine bottle and handed it to her.
Zhu Xuanning was too uncomfortable to speak, so she put the medicine bottle under her nose, and the faint smell relieved her discomfort.
"The journey by water will take five days. I'll have to trouble you to be patient for the next five days, Miss," the driver apologized, his attitude noticeably more humble than that of Madam Fu.
Zhu Yuli!
When Zhu Xuanning learned that she would have to endure five more days of torture, the hatred in her eyes intensified.
She was too weak to speak. After her mother-in-law made the bed, she curled up on the bed without saying a word.
Sweat from the pain soaked her hair, and Zhu Xuanning's already frail face became even paler and thinner.
In just one day, she vomited so badly that she couldn't even drink a sip of water.
Seeing that the dishes that had been brought in were untouched, Madam Fu took them out and then shouted in a sarcastic tone at the door: "Miss, you've probably never eaten Kyoto cuisine before and can't get used to it. It's a pity that these five taels of silver worth of food can only be poured into this rolling river so that the fish at the bottom of the river can have a taste."
After displaying her verbal prowess, Madam Fu, seeing no sound coming from the room, gave a disdainful laugh and turned to leave.
The driver, who was standing in the shadows, overheard this and stared at Madam Fu with a gloomy look.
After a while, the coachman emerged from the heavy shadows. He spent some money to buy a pot of warmed wine and placed it where Mama Fu could see it.
Zhu Xuanning was in a daze, as if she were in a dream. She vaguely heard the sound of splashing into the water, then the lights on the boat flickered, and voices gradually rose and fell, then faded away and there was no more sound.
The cries for help woke up the boat's owner.
"What's going on? Are there bandits coming?" The male voice that came out was listless and lacked energy, clearly suffering from seasickness as well.
"Young master, rest assured, we didn't encounter any river bandits. It was just that something happened to the Zhu family who were traveling with us. Their old woman got drunk and fell into the river," the servant guarding the corner of the gate replied respectfully as he got up.
"Well, if there's anything we can help with, then let's do it. We shouldn't let the Zhu family think we've been impolite." The man's voice softened.
The next day, there was still no movement from Zhu Xuanning's room.
The coachman hesitated for a moment, then had no choice but to ask to see the owner of the merchant ship.
Mei Jiashan drank the medicinal soup and received acupuncture treatment, which restored his energy and spirit to eat.
But he still looked listless, with a gold-embroidered satin cushion behind his back, and he leaned to one side.
The maidservant beside him knelt down, her brows furrowed and eyes lowered. She held up a round fan made of soft gauze and gently fanned the medicine porridge to cool it down. Then, she knelt down and moved to Mei Jiashan's front, respectfully offering it to his lips.
Mei Jiashan had only taken a few sips when a servant came to report that the Zhu family girl traveling with them had lost her nanny and had not gotten up even though the sun was high in the sky. The coachman, due to his status, could not enter the Zhu family girl's room, so he asked the servant to lend him a maid to take care of her, considering that the two families were relatives.
Mei Jiashan loosened his grip and agreed. After casually pointing to a maid, his listless expression became more puzzled: "If I remember correctly, my cousin Zhu's husband is a fourth-rank scholar, right? Although my cousin is registered under my maternal great-aunt's name, she still sat in my maternal great-uncle's study for four years. How could she do such an impolite thing?"
Even if this Miss Zhu is a distant relative beyond the fifth degree of kinship, how could they send only an elderly nanny and a coachman to welcome her into the mansion?
My mother used to say that my aunt loved my uncle very much, and that the family had done many absurd things for her sake. If she loved my uncle, why did she treat his only distant relative like this?
"I've never heard of Master Zhu having any distant relatives. As you said yourself, Master Zhu and Madam Zhu love each other so deeply. Perhaps they've mistakenly thought this was a child Master Zhu raised outside the mansion," the maid said softly.
After finishing his porridge, Mei Jiashan couldn't help but think about the conversation, and this mental exertion completely drained the energy he had just mustered. He had no choice but to suppress his curiosity and desire to investigate the parties involved and calm down.
Zhu Xuanning felt much better after drinking the medicinal soup brewed by the maid of the Mei family.
"The sea is calm now. Going out for some fresh air will help alleviate your symptoms, rather than staying cooped up in your room." The maid opened the window, not wanting to directly point out that Zhu Xuanning's seasickness was largely due to the poor-quality charcoal, but only offering a gentle reminder.
Madam Zhu's concubine was also a well-known wealthy merchant in the Jiangnan region. Five days' worth of silver thread charcoal was just a small amount that she could squeeze through her fingers, but she was unwilling to even do that.
The maid glanced at Zhu Xuanning's pale face, her gaze momentarily lost in thought, before a look of pity crossed her eyes.
Such a beautiful young lady should have been treated to a life of luxury, but unfortunately, she has no choice but to live like this.
"Thank you for your trouble." Zhu Xuanning's voice was weak. She pulled her fur coat tighter, held onto the edge of the trunk, and slowly stood up before walking out of the room.
The Mei family is extremely wealthy in Jiangnan, and I've heard that even that young master gets seasick.
Zhu Xuanning stood by the ship's railing, her pointed chin buried in the collar of her fox fur coat, her beautiful, jade-like eyes misty with a watery hue.
The charcoal in the room was burning hot, and Mei Jiashan felt a bit stuffy, so he pointed to the maid and asked her to open the window of the room wider.
The maid respectfully pushed the window open, and in the brief moment, Mei Jiashan caught a glimpse of something, causing his heart to pound like a drum.
Zhu Xuanning stretched out her slender white fingers, gathered her black hair that was being blown by the breeze, and stroked her bright earlobe. She frowned, as if sensing something, and looked up.
For a fleeting moment, the eyes of the person outside and the person inside met. The girl opened her mouth slightly in surprise, her pale face flushed with a mixture of shyness and annoyance.
Mei Jiashan suddenly stood up, and the usually refined young man slammed the window shut, blocking their gazes from meeting.
"Young Master!" the maid exclaimed urgently, catching the boy who was sliding down.
Mei Jiashan breathed heavily, one hand pressed against her chest, her eyes filled with a slight blankness, lost in thought for a long time: "I think I understand what love at first sight means."
It's so beautiful.
Even a fleeting glimpse in the gap was like a falling star, striking his heart and causing his emotions to tremble violently.
"Is she the younger sister from the Zhu family?" Mei Jiashan asked, raising his eyes.
"Yes," the maid replied.
Mei Jiashan frowned slightly, her listless expression vanishing, replaced by anger towards the Zhu family: "How could they treat her like this? She should be enjoying a life of luxury!"
When Mei Jiashan got angry, all the servants in the room knelt down, and no one dared to answer.
“I would say that my gaze today was somewhat offensive to Miss Zhu and I apologize,” Mei Jiashan emphasized, word by word.
Not long after, Ruyu carried several boxes of items to see Zhu Xuanning.
Upon hearing the news, he fell into a speechless silence.
Zhu Xuanning was taken aback, then shook her head and refused: "It's too precious. If you insist on making amends, this is enough."
Zhu Xuanning took the top pair of bright white, round earrings, her eyes showing a hint of fondness.
Zhu Xuanning's rejection put Ruyu in a difficult position.
“Young master lent me the ink to relieve my seasickness. If you have to apologize like this just because you accidentally saw me, how can I repay you? I’m afraid even offering myself to you wouldn’t be enough,” Zhu Xuanning said softly, clutching her earring.
Ruyu came with large boxes of things and left with large boxes of things. She relayed Zhu Xuanning's words verbatim.
"Did she really say that?" Mei Jiashan clutched her chest, her eyelashes trembling slightly.
Ruyu nodded.
"I'll repay you with my body." Mei Jiashan only heard the second half of the sentence, murmuring these four words, her emotions floating like clouds.
After a long while, he finally exhaled, suppressing this absurd thought that he shouldn't have, and waved to Ruyu: "Go down, if she doesn't want it, then she doesn't want it. After you get off the boat, go and give her the indenture of the ink splash."
My aunt is narrow-minded; she treats everyone she meets with such an attitude. How could she possibly survive alone in the inner quarters?
How could such a timid and gentle girl be a match for the matriarch? She would probably be so easily manipulated that she wouldn't even dare to cry.
As Mei Jiashan thought this, his brows furrowed.
Po Mo helped Zhu Xuanning put the Cangzhou pearl on her head. Zhu Xuanning gently stroked the pearl on her ear and smiled innocently, "Your young master is such a good person."
Looking at the innocent and carefree Zhu Xuanning, Po Mo's heart sank, and he cursed his master in his heart for once: "Miss."
"Hmm? I'm listening," Zhu Xuanning replied obediently.
"You can't judge a person so hastily; that's one-sided," Splash Ink said sternly, still offering a gentle reminder.
The young master is a heartless man. He will look at every girl who flies into the fire for him with the most polite smile, coldly and equally, until those poor beautiful butterflies tremble pitifully in the fire, only then will the young master lose interest in admiring the beauties.
Zhu Xuanning tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Po Mo straightened her fox fur collar, lowered his eyes, and could say nothing more.
After the ink splash left, Zhu Xuanning touched the small pearl on her earlobe and showed a genuine smile to the blurry bronze mirror.
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