“This servant doesn’t mean that.”

After Ling Yun spoke, she reached out to take the Golden Silk Tiger, but Lin Jiayue turned to the side and refused to give it to her.

“I’ll take it to my room to play for a bit and return it to her later.”

The Golden Silk Tiger was heavy. Held in her arms, it was both well-behaved and docile. The cat’s affectionate behavior gave Lin Jiayue an impulse to cry.

Returning to her room, she had someone cook chicken breast. She placed the Golden Silk Tiger in a bamboo basket and tore up the meat piece by piece to feed it.

“That cold woman has taken very good care of you. It seems she’s not as unapproachable as she appears.”

The Golden Silk Tiger gave a meow and swished its tail as if answering Lin Jiayue.

“It’s just that you’re really quite dirty. I wonder where you’ve been playing.”

Lin Jiayue washed a warm cloth and wiped the little creature clean. Then smelling a fishy odor from its mouth, she couldn’t help but say in surprise: “You didn’t go catch fish in the pond, did you? Eating raw fish will give you parasites.”

She paused her hand, suddenly not daring to touch the Golden Silk Tiger anymore.

Two little girls about eight or nine years old walked along the outer corridor. They were both wearing indigo-blue dresses and maid’s buns. Lin Jiayue knew these were low-ranking maids of the marquis manor and asked: “Where did Ling Yun go?”

“We just saw Sister Ling Yun heading toward the main courtyard. Is Miss Lin looking for her?”

Hearing that Ling Yun had run off to tattle, Lin Jiayue’s face turned iron-blue with anger. She pointed at the young maid: “Does the manor have a veterinarian?”

“Yes.”

There were stables beside both the east and west gates. The horses of the marquis manor were all fine steeds selected from thousands. Even bundling up a hundred servants couldn’t match their value, so naturally there were dedicated veterinarians to care for them.

The little maid didn’t know what Lin Jiayue wanted to do, so she obediently said: “The veterinarians are all in the outer courtyard where only young male servants can go. If Miss wishes to see one, you must ask the young master first. This servant has no authority to let anyone into the inner courtyard.”

“Never mind seeing them. You can at least help me get something, can’t you?”

Lin Jiayue rolled her eyes. Only after seeing the little maid nod did she say: “Go help me find some deworming medicine—it must be safe for external use. Just bring it back to me.”

“This servant understands.”

The little maid scurried off to find the woman guarding the hanging flower gate. Before long, she brought the item back to Lin Jiayue.

“Good. You may go.”

The little maid bit her lip. Seeing that Lin Jiayue had no intention of rewarding her or saying any intimate words, she walked out feeling rather aggrieved.

“Since your master is pitiful enough, I’ll help you get rid of these parasites. After all, the rules of this era are so strict—women can’t remarry, right? Perhaps in the future she’ll have to depend on you for life, spending her days alone and miserable.”

Lin Jiayue opened the paper package and looked at the white powder inside, feeling somewhat troubled. She knew that pets needed deworming, but she didn’t quite understand the specific operation.

The Golden Silk Tiger smelled the medicinal powder and gradually became restless. It wanted to leave but was held directly by Lin Jiayue: “Don’t think I’m being too harsh. I don’t want to be either, but I can’t sacrifice my own love just because I pity her, can I?”

“When I met Jiang Xingjian, he was a clean, single man. How could I know your master would inexplicably marry a dead person?”

Lin Jiayue muttered while reaching out to grab some powder and directly applying it to the Golden Silk Tiger’s body.

“This should work, right?”

Cats have an extremely keen sense of smell. With the pungent powder stuck on its body, it vigorously twisted to lick itself. Seeing this, Lin Jiayue suddenly panicked: “Don’t lick it! If you eat it all, you might be poisoned to death.”

Watching the Golden Silk Tiger lick more and more vigorously, Lin Jiayue frantically picked it up and placed it in a copper basin.

She wanted to wash the Golden Silk Tiger clean, but as she washed, she noticed the little creature in her hands beginning to gasp for breath, its body gradually stiffening. She grew more and more panicked, continuously rinsing the Golden Silk Tiger’s body. Only when the cat began foaming at the mouth did she cry out with a wail.

“Someone, come quickly!”

Jiang Xingjian had just returned from outside the manor when he saw Lin Jiayue rush out from the room holding the soaking wet Golden Silk Tiger.

“Jiang Yi, save it, save it!”

Jiang Xingjian frowned: “What happened to it? What did it eat?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know! I just saw it had parasites and wanted to help deworm it, but I didn’t think it would eat the medicine. I specifically told the veterinarian it had to be safe with low toxicity. I really don’t know how it became like this.”

Lin Jiayue was very flustered, her hands holding the Golden Silk Tiger trembling continuously.

Jiang Xingjian spoke a few words of comfort and had the servants in the courtyard fetch the manor physician. Lin Jiayue was still in a panic when she saw Heng Wu in the distance carrying a little bell, shaking it back and forth while calling for the Golden Silk Tiger.

“Go invite Heng Wu over.”

Heng Wu was brought over by a young maid. Seeing the Golden Silk Tiger soaking wet and continuously foaming at the mouth, she turned deathly pale and burst into tears.

“Elder Sister, Elder Sister, quickly come see the Golden Silk Tiger!”

Heng Wu held the Golden Silk Tiger in her arms and ran toward the main courtyard like a mad person.

These past years, Miss hadn’t been driven insane by her widowed days largely because the Golden Silk Tiger was by her side. The little creature was extremely intelligent and always knew how to cheer people up. Without it, everyone trapped in Longxiang Study would have been unable to bear it long ago.

Though Miss had never said so, she treated the Golden Silk Tiger like her own child. If it died, who knew how heartbroken Miss would be.

Heng Wu cried while calling for Song Wan all the way. When Song Wan took the Golden Silk Tiger from her hands, the little creature had already begun convulsing.

“What happened?”

“Young Master said it ate some kind of medicine. He’s already sent for the manor’s physician.”

Song Wan held the Golden Silk Tiger, which was still continuously foaming at the mouth, and began trembling all over in terror. When Jiang Xingjian entered the room, he couldn’t help but reach out to steady her.

That tottering appearance was truly heartbreaking.

“I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to…”

“Show the guest out.”

Song Wan rebuked sharply, and Lin Jiayue was pushed out by Heng Zhi.

Seeing this, Jiang Xingjian frowned slightly, but upon seeing Song Wan’s blood-red eyes, he swallowed his words.

The usually plump and imposing Golden Silk Tiger now lay in Song Wan’s arms, soaking wet and utterly wretched. The little creature’s legs were already stiff. Only its large, round orange cat eyes still blinked. It opened its mouth to exhale, but inhaling was becoming increasingly difficult.

Song Wan couldn’t help but hold it tighter, tears falling in streams onto its body.

“Meow…”

The weak cry made Song Wan’s heart ache. She quickly pressed her cheek against the Golden Silk Tiger’s small face, softly comforting: “Little Tiger, don’t be afraid. Mother is here.”

The little cat struggled to extend its small paw, trying to touch Song Wan’s face. But before it could lift it up, it began convulsing continuously.

Tears also began falling from the cat’s eyes. Its watery big eyes gazed at Song Wan, as if it had something to say but no time left.

“Miss, the manor physician has arrived. Let the physician take a look.”

Xiang Cao dragged the physician to wait outside the courtyard. At this moment, disregarding the separation between men and women, she called out to the gatekeeper to announce them. But before she could reach her own miss, Heng Zhi came out instead.

“Please ask the old gentleman to return. The Golden Silk Tiger, it…”

Heng Zhi’s voice caught slightly, but she didn’t dare shed tears.