The fact that An Jiu could still mock her probably meant she had truly come to terms with her past.
Mei Jiu began to understand An Jiu better. Anyone who had experienced such things would find it hard to let go, which explained her caustic words. She also admired An Jiu; if she had gone through such experiences, she probably wouldn’t have survived.
The door opened.
Mei Jiu forced herself up, parting the curtains to look outside. She saw Mei Yanran entering with a food box.
“Mother!”
Mei Yanran put the box on the table and went to help Mei Jiu up.
Mei Jiu hugged her, her voice thick with emotion. “Mother, I missed you.”
After witnessing An Jiu’s misfortune, Mei Jiu felt deeply that being reunited with her mother was a great blessing from heaven, making her cherish their relationship even more.
Mei Yanran was briefly startled, then smiled. “Child, why are you suddenly so affectionate?”
An Jiu felt the warm fragrance emanating from Mei Yanran, experiencing the happiness overflowing in Mei Jiu’s heart. Her soul trembled.
“Is An Jiu feeling better today?” Mei Yanran asked.
“Much better.” Mei Jiu insisted on getting out of bed despite her heavy body.
Mei Yanran led her to sit in front of the dressing mirror and began combing her hair.
“Mother, how can I let you do this?” Mei Jiu held her hand.
Mei Yanran shook her head. “What’s wrong with helping my daughter comb her hair? Didn’t I always braid your hair when you were little? I have something to tell you.”
Mei Jiu obediently sat still.
“An Jiu, from today on, you’ll be attending the clan school. You must study the four arts – zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting – as well as poetry. As for horseback riding and martial arts, practice them for health, but don’t delve too deeply into them.”
Mei Jiu looked at Mei Yanran’s jaw reflected in the mirror, unsure of her expression. “Why?”
“Don’t ask.” Mei Yanran tied Mei Jiu’s hair into a simple, neat bun with a blue ribbon. “The more you know about certain things, the deeper you’ll be mired in them. I won’t harm you, but I need to wait for the right time to tell you the reasons.”
Mei Jiu agreed immediately. “All right, I’ll do as you say, Mother.”
Mei Yanran leaned down to examine the bun in the mirror. “Get closer to Elder Qi. If you can win his favor, you’ll have a way out in the future.”
As Mei Jiu was about to ask why, Mei Yanran hushed her. “Shh—”
A moment later, footsteps sounded outside.
“Sister?” Mei Ruyan knocked on the door.
Mei Yanran paused, then moved to sit at the table. “Come in.”
Hearing this, Mei Ruyan entered properly and bowed to Mei Yanran. “Greetings, Mother.”
Her smooth address of “Mother” didn’t change Mei Yanran’s expression. She examined Mei Ruyan carefully. “No need for formalities.”
The Old Madam knew Mei Ruyan wasn’t of Mei’s blood but didn’t expose this, instead giving her a name to protect her. This made Mei Yanran quite wary. Whatever her intentions, they couldn’t be good.
“The Old Madam is not easy to deal with. Besides paying respects, you needn’t treat her as a grandmother,” Mei Yanran said bluntly, lowering her eyebrows. “Ruyan, I know you’re a perceptive child. I’m giving you a choice now. If you want to rely on the Old Madam as your support, I won’t stop you or expose you, but from now on, you can’t approach An Jiu. If you’re willing to rely on me like An Jiu does, I’ll ensure your safety and prosperity.”
Mei Ruyan looked at Mei Yanran’s neutral expression, feeling an inexplicable fear.
Given the current situation, it was clear that the stepmother and stepdaughter were at odds. The Old Madam currently held more power than Mei Yanran, but Mei Ruyan knew nothing about her. Mei Yanran, on the other hand, was placing her on equal footing with Mei Jiu, who was very naive. After some hesitation, Mei Ruyan decided to take a gamble. “I was born and raised in lowly circumstances. In a place like a brothel, if you don’t know how to scheme, you’ll end up as someone else’s money tree. I may be petty, but I know how to repay kindness. Since you’re willing to acknowledge me as your daughter, I’ll treat you as my birth mother.”
Mei Yanran smiled faintly. “Good, I’ll remember that. You two should head to the clan school soon.”
With that, she stood and left.
Mei Jiu had never seen her mother so cold and was momentarily stunned. After Mei Yanran left, she suddenly came to her senses. “Sister, Mother is just being cautious. Don’t take it to heart.”
Mei Ruyan smiled. “Not at all. I’m happy that Mother was so frank with me.”
“Young Mistress, this servant is here to help you wash up and change,” someone said at the door.
Hearing an unfamiliar voice, Mei Jiu looked at Mei Ruyan questioningly. Seeing her equally confused, she said, “Come in.”
Two maidservants in light apricot-colored dresses led others in, bowing to Mei Ruyan and Mei Jiu:
“This servant is Yaoyue, greetings to both young mistresses.”
“This servant is Danyue, greetings to both young mistresses.”
Mei Ruyan reacted first. “Where are Wenbi and Wencui?”
Yaoyue replied, “In response to Fifteenth Miss, Miss Yan has sent the two sisters back to Bixiang Residence. Miss Yan assigned us to serve the two young mistresses.”
Mei Ruyan was delighted but also a bit scared. Mei Jiu’s mother seemed so frail and quiet, but who would have thought she’d dare and be capable of standing up to the Old Madam, acting so fiercely and decisively?
An Jiu, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally spoke slowly. “Your mother is extraordinary. Her heart rate is fifty beats per minute, and her breathing is barely audible. She must have trained, and her martial arts skills are not low.”
When Mei Jiu had hugged Mei Yanran earlier, An Jiu had sensed it. Mei Yanran’s “stillness” wasn’t just a temperament, but the manifestation of a martial artist’s body in every detail.
“My mother knows martial arts, but only superficially,” Mei Jiu thought.
“When you were ambushed on the boat, your mother swam ashore with you. Why did she hide you? It must be because the pursuers were either highly skilled or numerous. Your mother felt she couldn’t escape with you, so she hid you in a safe place and led them away alone! She had time to hide you while being pursued urgently and still managed to escape unscathed. Do you think that’s possible with just basic skills? Moreover, I bet if she hadn’t learned you were captured and brought back, she probably wouldn’t have appeared here,” An Jiu said through gritted teeth. “Your intelligence makes me angry!”
Danyue reminded them, “Young mistresses, Miss Yan has just returned to the manor and doesn’t have many people at her disposal. We two servants will each attend to one of you.”
“Sister, you choose first,” Mei Ruyan said.
Mei Jiu was about to demur when An Jiu interjected, “Choose Yaoyue.”
Remembering An Jiu’s experiences, Mei Jiu followed her advice without hesitation. “I’ll choose Yaoyue then.”
After saying this, she was curious why An Jiu had so decisively chosen Yaoyue. “Why her? Did you see that her martial arts skills are high?”
An Jiu replied, “I find her pleasing to the eye.”
Mei Jiu carefully looked at Yaoyue. The girl was about sixteen or seventeen, with a round face and thick eyebrows that gave her a spirited look. Other than that, she seemed ordinary at first glance, with no special features. Mei Jiu sincerely said, “It’s rare for you to find someone pleasing to the eye.”
An Jiu snorted, “Creatures with the lowest intelligence, don’t assume all humans are as dim-witted as you!”
“You!” Mei Jiu roughly understood her meaning and fumed, “You make it impossible for anyone to be nice to you!”