“It’s the dried fruit on the table,” An Jiu said to Mei Jiu with displeasure. “You’re lowering my alertness!”
When An Jiu wasn’t controlling the body, she could only passively experience Mei Jiu’s sensations. She could see but not what she wanted to see, hear but not what she wanted to hear. If not for her special training, she couldn’t have endured this torment. An Jiu was fairly satisfied with this body, except for its weak constitution. Its eyesight, hearing, and limb flexibility were all good, but Mei Jiu was too dull to utilize them well.
“Are you sick?” Mo Sigui stared at Mei Jiu without blinking.
Was this an insult? Mei Jiu frowned, “What do you mean, cousin?”
Mo Sigui lightly landed on the chair beside Mei Jiu from the roof beam, crouched down, and grabbed her wrist.
“Ruffian!” Mei Jiu struggled, but Mo Sigui’s fingers were like iron pliers, impossible to break free from.
Mo Sigui carefully examined Mei Jiu’s complexion.
“Wen Cui, why aren’t you pulling him away?” Mei Ruyan said sternly.
Instead of following orders, Wen Cui seriously asked Mo Sigui, “Is there something wrong with my young lady’s health?”
Mo Sigui released his hand and shook his head, “Her emotions are unstable, and her personality is strange. I initially suspected she had lost her mind, but from her pulse, aside from some internal heat, there was nothing unusual. You attend to the fourteenth young lady closely, have you noticed anything strange?”
“You’re the one who’s lost your mind! You’re too frivolous to enter the clan registry, yet you still don’t repent!” Mei Jiu said sharply.
Mo Sigui examined her closely. The girl before him appeared outwardly fierce but inwardly timid, completely different from the confident arrogance that shone in her eyes that day.
Could she be possessed?
Mo Sigui crouched on the chair, arms folded, staring at her.
“Wen Cui!” Mei Ruyan said angrily, “Hurry and pull him away. Are you deliberately neglecting us sisters because we’re new here?”
“Fifteenth young lady, you’re too harsh,” Wen Cui bowed slightly but didn’t move to pull Mo Sigui away. “Young master, this is improper.”
Mo Sigui didn’t look back, “Because of her, I can’t even attend the clan school. Not throwing her in the water shows my class and grace. What’s wrong with glaring a bit? Will it kill her?”
Mei Ruyan was furious, “If it weren’t for your lack of virtue, how could you not enter the clan school? You harass others, and they’re supposed to just let you? You deserve it!”
Mei Jiu’s hands tightly gripped her clothes. This incident was partly her fault, but Mei Ruyan had a point.
An Jiu yawned, “This kid’s just itching for trouble. Since we’ve already offended him, might as well kick him into the water. Eating crab is the main thing.”
“I don’t want to eat anymore,” Mei Jiu stood up.
An Jiu immediately exploded, “Do you want me to kill your whole family?”
Mei Jiu’s lips pressed into a line, and she sat down again, feeling wronged.
Mo Sigui asked with interest, “Oh? Changed your mind so quickly?”
The crabs weren’t ready yet, but some river delicacies were already on the table. Mei Jiu said chokingly, “Sister, let’s eat.”
“Alright,” Mei Ruyan was startled by her demeanor. If she didn’t want to eat, why force herself like this?
Mo Sigui wasn’t interested in food, he just wanted to uncover the secret behind Mei Jiu’s personality changes. “Have you been frightened recently? Or extremely heartbroken?”
Mei Jiu ignored him, mechanically putting food in her mouth.
“Do you ever have lapses in consciousness?”
“Hey, don’t rush to eat… Do you often lose control of your emotions?”
“How’s your sleep usually?”
“When you were little, did your mother often beat you? When she did, did you want to fight back?”
…
Mei Jiu lowered her eyes, tears dripping down, mixing with the food in her mouth, creating a salty, bitter taste from the root of her tongue.
An Jiu was slightly stunned.
“Hey, don’t cry. If you have any sorrows, confide in Big Brother!” Mo Sigui leaned closer.
An Jiu suddenly took control of Mei Jiu’s body, stood up, and with a spinning kick, sent Mo Sigui flying into the lake! Then she automatically relinquished control.
Mei Jiu’s body went limp, falling backward.
Wen Cui quickly supported her. Mei Jiu, still immersed in sorrow, buried her face in Wen Cui’s embrace and began sobbing. Although she hadn’t lived the sheltered life of a noble lady since childhood, under her mother’s care, she had never suffered such grievances. Now she was constantly in a state of shock, unable to do this or that. She couldn’t even decide whether to eat or not…
The more Mei Jiu thought, the more heartbroken she became. “I miss my mother, wuwu…”
Wen Cui was stunned by the scene for a while before coming to her senses, “Young lady, young lady, let’s go back now. I’ll send someone to fetch Miss Yan.”
Mei Jiu was already crying to the point of dizziness and nodded vaguely.
An Jiu felt the numbness that comes from crying so hard but didn’t become irritated or speak. It seemed like centuries since she had cried so freely, yet when this feeling suddenly came, it was so familiar. Those old scars that couldn’t be touched were suddenly torn open, first feeling numb, then increasingly painful.
Wen Cui carried Mei Jiu on her back, with Mei Ruyan following. From the corner of her eye, Mei Ruyan saw Mo Sigui grabbing the railing to climb up. Taking advantage of the moment when no one was looking, she turned and gave him a hard push.
“Ah!” Mo Sigui’s cry was muffled by the sound of water.
Mei Ruyan grabbed a handful of preserved fruits from the table, threw them down, and then quickly followed.
Wen Bi whispered, “Young lady, that wasn’t very kind of you.”
Mei Ruyan said, “If you don’t betray me, no one will know. It’s all his fault for questioning her endlessly and making my sister cry.”
Wen Bi said no more.
By the time they returned to Yu Wei Residence, Mei Jiu had fallen asleep.
Wen Cui checked her pulse, knew there was no serious problem, and asked everyone to leave.
Once outside, Mei Ruyan politely asked, “Sister Wen Cui, why didn’t you stop him earlier?”
“Does the fifteenth young lady mean the young master?” Wen Cui smiled faintly, “The fifteenth young lady doesn’t know, but the young master’s medical skills are unparalleled in Bianjing. The family head values this talent, which is why he made an exception to let him study under Elder Qi. Elder Qi’s medical skills can ‘revive the dead and regrow flesh on bare bones.’ He only leaves Meihua Li when royal family members are in critical condition. The young master may be casual in demeanor, but he never lies when it comes to treating patients.”
Mei Ruyan’s heart skipped a beat, secretly regretting her impulsiveness in offending a divine doctor. Who doesn’t fall ill in their lifetime? Moreover, with the Mei family’s curse, who knows when she might need his help? Although she didn’t fear dying a few years early, who wouldn’t want to live longer if possible?
“I see. I was too hasty and misunderstood you, Sister Wen Cui,” Mei Ruyan said apologetically.
Wen Cui’s face always wore a modest smile, but her attitude in handling matters was neither servile nor overbearing, “The fifteenth young lady is too kind.”
“If that’s the case, why was he not allowed to enter the clan registry over such a small matter?” Mei Ruyan couldn’t believe the Mei family would give up a divine doctor over a minor incident.