“Wencui,” Mei Jiu, unsure how to make amends, asked as suggested, “Does cousin have no family left?”
Wencui observed the fragile young lady before her, feeling strange. In large families, it was normal for people to present different faces in public and private. Mei Jiu’s openness with her should be a sign of complete trust, but Wencui found Mei Jiu’s two sides too extreme—violent and unrestrained one moment, shy and cautious the next. Could such contrasting personalities coexist in one person?
While contemplating this, Wencui maintained her gentle demeanor. “I’m not certain. Lady Dan died in childbirth with young master Mo. The son-in-law came from a family of physicians and was an imperial doctor at the Imperial Medical Academy. Later, he committed some offense and was dismissed. It’s said that feeling too ashamed to return home, he left the capital and took his own life at a roadside pavilion in the outskirts.”
Having taken on external assignments when her organization had no missions, An Jiu’s instincts told her that Mo Sigui’s father’s death was not suicide.
Mei Jiu didn’t think that deeply, only sighing, “How could he abandon his young son for the sake of face?”
“Indeed!” Wencui lamented. “The son-in-law’s family had only single sons for two generations, leaving just this one heir. How could he bear to do it? Lady Dan gave her life to continue their family line.”
Mei Jiu asked curiously, “Aren’t our family’s daughters supposed to not marry outside? How could aunt marry out?”
“It’s not always the case,” Wencui said after some consideration. “Lady Dan was the Second Madam’s biological daughter, said to be a great beauty. A hundred years ago, the Mei family was cursed—their descendants wouldn’t live past thirty. So they left instructions that all Mei children should practice martial arts to strengthen their bodies. Those unsuitable for martial arts had to be married off, becoming part of other families and thus escaping the curse.”
Mei Jiu felt a chill from her feet up.
“Full of holes!” An Jiu scoffed. “Only an idiot like Mei Jiu would fall for this.”
Mei Jiu stiffened, thinking, “Some things are better left unsaid. Why do you have to voice everything?”
“My mouth, my choice to speak or not. Your ears, your choice to listen or not,” An Jiu retorted.
Mei Jiu grew annoyed, “Do you ever consider others’ feelings?”
“Do you know me? Don’t accuse without understanding!” An Jiu’s voice cooled.
Thinking she had hurt An Jiu, Mei Jiu apologized guiltily, “I’m sorry.”
Satisfied with Mei Jiu’s apology, An Jiu said, “Once, I spent a long time calculating the speed, angle, distance, and body part to shoot to minimize pain. Can you say I don’t consider others’ feelings?”
“You’re too cruel!” Mei Jiu paled. She couldn’t understand An Jiu’s words but grasped their meaning.
Wencui, unable to hear the internal dialogue, saw only Mei Jiu’s increasingly pale face. Thinking the “curse” had frightened her, Wencui quickly comforted, “It’s all my fault for gossiping! My lady, these are just rumors. Nothing will happen.”
Mei Jiu snapped back to reality, forcing a smile. Her mind was in chaos, unsure what to say to cover up. “I’m fine, it’s just… I feel for cousin…”
Pity and guilt filled her.
Having been frightened often, Mei Jiu was gradually becoming braver, especially since she could sense no malice from An Jiu through their soul connection.
“This is all fate, not your fault, my lady,” Wencui consoled.
“I’d like to be alone,” Mei Jiu said, sitting up and burying her face in her knees.
As Wencui rose to leave, she reminded, “Alright, don’t blame yourself, my lady. As per custom, you’ll spend these three nights at Tingsong Court. Tomorrow morning is the discipleship ceremony, and the day after, we’ll open the ancestral hall for worship. I’ll come to call you for the evening meal.”
“Mm,” Mei Jiu responded.
Once Wencui left, Mei Jiu asked softly, “Is there no way to make amends?”
An Jiu replied, “I’ve said it’s not any one person’s fault. What’s to amend? With his frivolous nature, he was bound to stumble over women sooner or later. It’s good to give him an early warning. Besides, do you think entering the Mei family genealogy is a good thing? I doubt it.”
Mei Jiu’s expression changed dramatically. “You said ‘full of holes’ earlier. Didn’t you mean Wencui was lying? Then the curse…”
“If the Mei family curse is real, to preserve their lineage, they only need to have the sons practice martial arts. After all, daughters eventually become part of other families. As long as they marry out, their lives are safe. Yet the Mei family keeps all their talented daughters! Why?” An Jiu questioned.
Mei Jiu pondered, then sighed, “Indeed, it’s very strange! I can’t figure it out.”
“I can only think of one answer for now,” An Jiu said, based on the information she’d gathered these past few days. “The Mei family’s requirement for children to practice martial arts can only reduce the rate of early deaths, not completely prevent them. With so many child deaths, if they didn’t keep the daughters too, the family might dwindle!”
This explained why such a large family had only about sixty masters, not counting sons-in-law who married in! This was why Mei Yanran had tried to escape with Mei Jiu! This was why Mei Yanran’s behavior about returning home had been so unusual!
As for why those black-clad figures had chased Mei Jiu that night, An Jiu still couldn’t figure it out.
Mei Jiu’s mouth hung open, her heart full of fear. Everything in Meihua Village seemed normal, not as terrifying as An Jiu described, but she couldn’t find reasons to refute and subconsciously believed An Jiu’s words.
“If you don’t believe me, go find your mother now,” An Jiu suggested.
“Why?” Mei Jiu asked.
“If I’m not mistaken, your mother must be against you entering the family genealogy and is likely under house arrest. Otherwise, how could she not appear for such a major event?”
“I’ve been eating with her these past two days…” Mei Jiu had experienced so much lately that she hadn’t had the energy to think about other matters. Besides, Mei Yanran had always been a mother of action rather than words. Their mother-daughter relationship was good, but communication wasn’t close.
An Jiu said indifferently, “Then try it?”
After a pause, Mei Jiu got out of bed, tidied herself a bit, and called Wencui in.
“Accompany me to see my mother,” Mei Jiu said, looking at her.
Wencui’s expression remained unchanged, her smile as warm and gentle as ever. “Lady Yan is with the Old Madam, talking. She’ll likely stay there for the evening meal.”
“I want to see her,” Mei Jiu insisted.
“It’s still early. We should have time to go to Bixiang Residence,” Wencui didn’t refuse. “I’ll send someone to check if there are boats available at the dock and inform the Old Madam, to avoid disturbing her.”
“Alright,” Mei Jiu agreed.
“What do you think? I warn you, my tolerance for idiots has limits. Don’t keep pushing the boundaries!” An Jiu warned.
Mei Jiu shook her head silently, “At grandmother’s place, with all the maids and servants around, I fear I won’t be able to speak privately with Mother.”
“That’s more like it,” An Jiu was somewhat satisfied with her answer. “Hmm, you’ve progressed from idiot to fool. Though it might not seem different, I appreciate your tireless efforts despite your physical strengths and mental weaknesses.”
Mei Jiu replied, “Don’t say that’s a compliment.”
An Jiu said, “It’s obvious. Can’t you tell?”
“If you say so,” Mei Jiu wasn’t in the mood to argue. She had thought returning home would solve everything, but now the Mei mansion seemed strange at every turn, with a terrifying curse! Mei Jiu genuinely wanted to see her mother, not just to verify An Jiu’s words.
“Don’t you have a mother? Why were you sold to a brothel?” An Jiu finally found an opportunity to ask.
Mei Jiu seemed to be deliberately avoiding this memory, so An Jiu couldn’t uncover it no matter how hard she searched. Previously, Mei Jiu had been too fearful and guarded around An Jiu—a single word could terrify the young girl, let alone ask questions.