“Elder Qi insists on not accepting it,” Wencui said with a smile. “This servant will go to Bixiang Residence to invite Miss Yan. I won’t bother Fifteenth Miss. Please make yourself comfortable.”
Mei Ruyan forced a smile on her face. “Alright, go ahead. Don’t worry about me.”
Wencui gave a slight bow and left.
Mei Ruyan felt frustrated but couldn’t express it with Wenbi still by her side. Wencui carried herself with an air of superiority, while Wenbi was a woman of few words. It seemed they were monitoring her rather than serving her, clearly not holding Mei Jiu or herself in high regard. Unfortunately, both were the Old Madam’s maids, and Mei Ruyan couldn’t afford to offend them.
Suppressing her discontent, Mei Ruyan decided to seize an opportunity to gather information. “Wenbi, could you go back and fetch my embroidery frame? I’d like to stay here overnight to personally look after my sister.”
As Wenbi was about to instruct someone else to do it, Mei Ruyan interrupted, “Please get it yourself. I’m worried others might not be careful enough.”
Seeing Wenbi’s hesitation, Mei Ruyan added, “I know I’m new here and don’t have the right to order around the Old Madam’s people, but I trust only you.”
Wenbi glanced at her and bowed slightly. “Very well.”
…
The evening sun cast an orange-red glow on the rippling lake water.
Lanterns were already lit in Bixiang Residence, with moths desperately fluttering towards them. As the lake breeze blew, many moths were knocked down by the swaying lanterns.
Mei Yanran sat motionless on the porch, her eyes fixed on the struggling moths on the ground, resembling a painting of a noble lady.
“How foolish,” the Old Madam’s voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
Mei Yanran turned to see the Old Madam in a dark blue jacket, her face as fair as frost and snow, looking no older than herself.
Mei Yanran stood up and softly called out, “Mother.”
The Old Madam sat on the railing, following Mei Yanran’s earlier gaze. “You’re just like these moths, always fixated on things that don’t belong to you.” She sneered, looking at the fading sunset. “Not everything can be reborn through fire. Don’t delude yourself.”
“I never taught An Jiu martial arts, nor did I teach her what it means to be strong. She’s just an ordinary, timid girl…”
The Old Madam chuckled softly, slowly standing up to look down at her. “Is that so? I heard she killed a second-rank and a third-rank martial artist with an ordinary bamboo bow.”
Martial arts ranks ranged from one to nine, weakest to strongest. Though second and third ranks were considered low, being able to kill two such fighters in an instant with such a crude weapon was no small feat.
“Impossible!” This was the first time Mei Yanran had heard this news. “An Jiu wouldn’t even dare kill a fish, let alone a person!”
The Old Madam smiled faintly. “Whether you believe it or not doesn’t matter. Even if she’s filled with cowardice to her very bones, I’ll break those bones and reshape her.”
Mei Yanran felt dizzy. She leaned against a pillar, gritting her teeth. “I’ve always regarded you as my mother. Why do you keep pushing us? If you harbor hatred, take it out on me. Why torment my daughter?”
The Old Madam was the second wife, Mei Yanran’s stepmother. The relationship between stepmothers and stepdaughters was often strained, but the Old Madam had treated Mei Yanran decently in the past. While not overly affectionate, she had fulfilled her motherly duties. Unfortunately, this relationship only lasted until Mei Yanran turned sixteen.
“Don’t struggle in vain. It will only hurt more,” the Old Madam advised, seemingly kindly.
A deathly silence fell over the courtyard.
As the Old Madam was about to leave, a maid came to report, “Old Madam, Wencui has arrived.”
She halted her steps. “Send her in.”
“Yes.”
…
Shortly after, Wencui hurried in and bowed to the Old Madam. “Greetings, Old Madam.”
“What is it?” the Old Madam asked.
Wencui replied, “The two young misses were entered into the family register early this morning. In the evening, while steaming crabs at the lakeside pavilion, the young miss became emotionally unstable and fainted. Before losing consciousness, she expressed a desire to see Miss Yan.”
The Old Madam smiled. “Miss Yan, go check on her. Perhaps she’s too excited about suddenly becoming a young lady of a noble family?”
Ignoring the sarcasm in her words, Mei Yanran left without looking back. She knew the Old Madam too well – a formidable woman who never knew the meaning of mercy. Now that they were openly at odds, no amount of flattery would help.
She took a boat alone, hurrying back to Yuwei Residence.
Mei Jiu had just woken up and was sitting by the window, lost in thought. Seeing Mei Yanran from afar, tears welled up in her eyes. She lifted her skirt and ran out, throwing herself into Mei Yanran’s arms. “Mother!”
“Don’t cry, my child. Tell me, which elder accepted you as a disciple?” Mei Yanran asked urgently.
Mei Jiu, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, paused for a moment before answering, “Elder Zhi.”
Mei Yanran’s face paled. She murmured, “How is this possible…” Suddenly remembering the Old Madam’s words, she asked, “Did you kill those martial artists with a bow and arrow?”
“I…” Mei Jiu hesitated. By now, almost everyone in the Mei manor knew about this incident, and there were eyewitnesses. She couldn’t deny it, but she also couldn’t reveal An Jiu’s existence.
“Tell me!” Mei Yanran urged.
Mei Jiu panicked inwardly. “An Jiu, I’ll confess. If there’s an archery test in the future, will you take it for me?”
An Jiu didn’t respond.
Faced with Mei Yanran’s stern gaze, Mei Jiu had no choice but to admit, “Yes, I did.”
“You… ah!” Mei Yanran sighed, tilting her head back to hold back tears.
Thinking she had upset her mother, Mei Jiu quickly explained, “Mother, I didn’t mean to kill anyone. Those people were trying to kill us, I…”
“It’s alright,” Mei Yanran said.
Mei Jiu was surprised by her mother’s reaction. “But the Song Dynasty law clearly states that taking a life must be repaid with a life.”
Mei Yanran didn’t comment on this, only saying, “Let’s go inside.”
Mei Jiu followed her into the main room, uneasy, and poured her a cup of water.
Mei Yanran took the cup and placed it on the table in front of her. “Tell me, besides being accepted as a disciple and entered into the family register, has anything else happened these past few days?”
Mei Jiu trusted her mother more than anyone else in the world. She recounted everything, including how she had angered the Second Old Madam and how Mo Sigui had prevented her from entering the family register.
After listening, Mei Yanran studied her carefully before saying, “You have changed somewhat from before.”
Mei Jiu lowered her eyes, feeling guilty.
Mei Yanran gently stroked her hair. “Don’t overthink it. Take care of your health. I need to think about some things. I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”
“Mother, why haven’t you told me about Father? Why don’t you tell me about the Mei family?” Mei Jiu couldn’t help but ask.
“Your father… he was a kind-hearted man.” Mei Yanran stood up. “I’ve forgotten many things. I’ll tell you once I’ve sorted them out in my mind.”
Mei Jiu followed her to the door, wanting to ask more, but seeing tears glistening in Mei Yanran’s eyes, she swallowed her questions.
Left alone in the room, Mei Jiu noticed An Jiu’s silence. “Are you there?”
No one answered.
“An Jiu,” Mei Jiu called out softly again.
Still no response.
Mei Jiu felt uneasy. Over the past few days, she had grown accustomed to An Jiu’s presence. Although he mostly made sarcastic comments, he was impressive – like a protective shell, standing up for her when she was scared or bullied.
“An Jiu…”
“Are you a masochist? Go to bed and sleep. Don’t bother me!”
Hearing An Jiu’s irritated words, Mei Jiu finally felt relieved. She called for someone to help her prepare for bed and obediently went to sleep.
As the lights went out, the room fell into darkness.
The silence made her anxious, and she began to hear strange noises. “An Jiu, can we talk? Are you in a bad mood?”
“Go away!” An Jiu responded, simply and harshly.