The morning classes were all about instructing women on how to be wives, mothers, and daughters. Teachings like “obey your father at home, obey your husband when married” made Ming Shu drowsy. After barely enduring the etiquette lessons, it was time for needlework, another skill Ming Shu wasn’t adept at.
With the embroidery hoop set and the needle threaded, she took her first stitch.
“Ouch!”
Two simultaneous gasps were heard.
Yin Shujun turned her head to see Ming Shu sucking her finger, just like herself.
They were in sync.
Ming Shu smiled at her, but Yin Shujun, still harboring resentment, responded with a cold snort and turned away.
The morning passed with conventional teachings. At lunchtime, the young ladies in the school were escorted back by their maids, as if granted a great reprieve. Ming Shu noticed that throughout the day, no one except Yin Liangjun had spoken a word to Yin Shujun.
“Elder Sister, Sister Ming Shu, let’s go pay our respects to Mother together. I heard she has prepared pickled goose feet today, which are delicious,” Yin Liangjun said excitedly, after instructing her maid to pack up her things.
Ming Shu frowned slightly. The “Mother” Liangjun referred to must be her stepmother, Shujun’s birth mother, Madam Li.
Seeing Liangjun’s affectionate manner, one might mistake her for the legitimate daughter of the household, Madam Li’s child.
“If you want to play the filial child, go ahead. I’m not interested,” Yin Shujun said bluntly, getting up to leave.
With Shujun not going to see Madam Li, Ming Shu naturally didn’t go either. Liangjun looked a bit disappointed, her pitiful expression making her seem like the wronged party. However, she quickly brightened up, waving goodbye to Ming Shu before leaving the school with the other young ladies.
From a distance, Ming Shu observed Liangjun surrounded by several girls. They huddled together, whispering about something, occasionally stealing glances at Shujun.
Those glances were far from friendly, more like thorns.
————
Yin Shujun was in a foul mood, her pretty face tightly drawn. She didn’t have the energy to bother Ming Shu and led her maids to her garden. However, instead of entering, she stood at the gate for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, before turning towards Huaixiu Pavilion.
Ming Shu could only follow.
As they hurriedly approached Huaixiu Pavilion, they learned that Yin Licheng had returned for lunch. The maids were busy setting the table inside, and laughter could be heard from within. The maid holding the curtain at the door was smiling towards the interior, unaware of the newcomers outside.
Ming Shu followed Shujun to the entrance. Just as Shujun was about to enter, Madam Li’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Good child, you’re so thoughtful. If only Shujun were half as sensible as you, I’d be at ease.”
“We’re trying to have a nice meal. Why bring up that unfilial child?” Yin Licheng’s voice followed.
Madam Li fell silent. Yin Liangjun quickly changed the subject, livening up the atmosphere again. Even Madam Li laughed, the scene inside resembling a perfect family of three. Meanwhile, Shujun, who had heard everything from behind the curtain, wore an extremely ugly expression. Just as the maid at the door noticed her and was about to announce her presence, Shujun turned and left.
Ming Shu smiled at the maid and hurriedly followed Shujun.
————
After leaving Huaixiu Pavilion, Yin Shujun’s face grew even darker, as if shrouded in a gloomy fog. Wherever she went, servants hastily made way, none daring to approach her for fear of incurring her wrath.
Ming Shu observed coldly, noting how Yin Shujun’s relationships were the complete opposite of Yin Liangjun’s.
After walking for a while, Yin Shujun stopped in front of a secluded latrine. Without a word to Ming Shu, she went inside and closed the door.
As the saying goes, nature calls. Ming Shu had been holding it in all morning, unable to find an opportunity to relieve herself while following Shujun. Now that Shujun had gone to the latrine, she thought she could quickly take care of business too. After informing Shujun’s young maid, she hurriedly entered the latrine.
Closing the door, she had just finished when she found she couldn’t push the door open. It had been locked from the outside.
She pushed harder, but the door wouldn’t budge. Yin Shujun’s malicious voice came from outside: “If you want to follow me, let’s see if you’re qualified. Think you can be my mother’s lackey and spy on me? If a spider didn’t scare you to death, how about some snakes to keep you company?”
A few sobs seemed to come from inside. Yin Shujun’s mood seemed to improve at Ming Shu’s apparent submission, and she said with a dark smile, “Want to come out? Then beg me!”
Ming Shu whimpered, “Miss Shujun, please spare me.”
Yin Shujun grew more pleased: “Spare you? Dream on! You…”
Before she could finish, Ming Shu suddenly screamed, “Ah— Snake!”
Yin Shujun’s face changed. As she was about to speak, the voice inside weakened: “I… I’ve been bitten. Poison… This snake is venomous…”
Ming Shu’s voice gradually faded. Yin Shujun panicked a bit: “Hey! Stop trying to fool me. How could there be snakes here?!”
The young maid beside her was terrified and anxious, crying, “Miss, there are snakes here. Please let Miss Ming Shu out quickly. What if something terrible happens?”
This latrine was built for emergencies, surrounded by trees and flowers. As it was spring, with nature in full bloom, the presence of snakes and insects wasn’t unusual.
“Don’t you dare let her out!” Yin Shujun insisted, though she quietly approached the door to investigate.
She couldn’t believe such a coincidence—a snake appearing just when mentioned.
“Miss Shujun, I’ve never wronged you. Why are you doing this to me? I… I…” Ming Shu’s voice was barely a whisper, then suddenly rose: “If I die, my ghost will never let you be!”
Just as Yin Shujun leaned against the door to listen, Ming Shu’s shrill voice startled her. The door suddenly shook, as if someone had collapsed against it, giving Yin Shujun quite a fright.
The young maid was nearly in tears. Yin Shujun still wouldn’t open the door, but called out, “Hey! Stop trying to scare me! It’s not that easy to die! Hey, Lu Ming Shu!”
After calling several times with no response, Yin Shujun began to panic. She had only meant to teach Ming Shu a lesson, not endanger her life.
“Hey! Wake up!” She called out while fumbling to unlock the door.
As soon as the lock was removed, the door cracked open. Yin Shujun peered through the gap and unexpectedly met a single eye staring back at her. The eye gazed at her intently, and in the darkness of the latrine, it seemed to float in midair. Yin Shujun’s scalp tingled. The next moment, the door burst open from the inside, accompanied by Ming Shu’s loud “Wah!” Yin Shujun stumbled back two steps and fell on her backside.
She… nearly wet herself.
The young maid stood dumbfounded, tears still in her eyes, forgetting even to help her mistress up.
“You… you…” Yin Shujun’s heart raced, her legs too weak to stand. She pointed at Ming Shu, unable to speak.
Ming Shu calmly adjusted her clothes and strolled out, saying nonchalantly, “Oh my, why is Miss Shujun sitting on the ground? It’s still chilly in early spring. Be careful not to catch a cold. Quickly, help her up.” The last part was directed at the young maid.
As she spoke, she bent down and helped Yin Shujun up. The young maid finally snapped out of her daze and hurried to assist.
Ming Shu continued to smile: “Miss Shujun, let me support you. After all this commotion, I’m hungry. Shall we go back for lunch?”
And so, all the servants in the Yin household witnessed an astonishing sight:
The new companion, Lu Ming Shu, was openly supporting Yin Shujun, who offered no resistance.
The next day, Ming Shu’s name spread throughout the entire Yin household.
After two encounters that ended in Yin Shujun’s defeat, the troublesome young lady finally settled down a bit. She stopped harassing Ming Shu, though it was unclear whether she was intimidated or secretly plotting something new.
With Shujun leaving her alone, Ming Shu became like an invisible presence beside her. They went in and out together and ate together, but Shujun never showed her a kind face, treating her coldly. Ming Shu paid no attention to this, eating and drinking as usual, and punctually submitting daily reports about Shujun to Madam Li.
Madam Li was very pleased with Ming Shu, exceptionally rewarding her with a month’s salary in advance and encouraging her to keep up the good work.
With those five taels of silver in her pocket, Ming Shu’s gaze towards Yin Shujun became particularly benevolent.
Besides the reports she gave to Madam Li, Ming Shu kept a separate notebook to record the words and actions of others in the Yin household. From her observer’s perspective, Shujun didn’t seem to match the rumors about her personality. If Shujun were truly as malicious as people said, unconcerned with others’ lives, she wouldn’t have panicked so much when Ming Shu pretended to be bitten by a snake. If Ming Shu had died or been injured, Shujun should have been happy.
Ming Shu always felt there was something inexplicably strange about Shujun’s dramatic personality change, especially after interacting with her directly. This feeling grew stronger.
Her brother had reminded her not to believe everything she heard, and she kept this advice close to her heart.
Thinking of Lu Chang, she became a bit distracted. When she came to, she realized she had absentmindedly sketched a person on paper. Looking at the sketch, she grumbled, “Won’t let me go to the academy? Fine, I don’t care about seeing you anyway. Hmph! You’d better not come back either!”
Despite her words, she… still missed her brother a bit!
————
Achoo!
Whether it was a sudden cool breeze in the mountains or something else, Lu Chang sneezed.
Perhaps Ming Shu was cursing him?
The day he sent her down the mountain, her eyes were full of resentment. She probably held a grudge against him now.
Thinking of Ming Shu, Lu Chang put down his book. There was only a single lamp in the corridor, illuminating the thousands of bamboo stalks outside the window, making the mountain wilderness seem even more quiet and dull. Ming Shu’s smile flashed before his eyes, somehow bringing an unconscious smile to his lips.
Well, in a couple of days, he’d have some time off. He might as well go home for a visit.
————
After a few peaceful days, Ming Shu and Yin Shujun’s relationship hadn’t improved—they still disliked each other. However, Ming Shu’s relationships with others in the Yin household were rapidly improving.
When it came to popularity, Ming Shu had always been the type people adored. Firstly, she was good-looking and always smiling. Secondly, she was considerate, polite, and unpretentious in her speech. This not only pleased the elders but also endeared her to her peers. Her popularity was somewhat different from Yin Liangjun’s.
In just a few days at the Yin household, Ming Shu had become a hero in the eyes of the younger generation. Not only did the girls admire her, but even the young masters of the Yin family would wait in the long corridor of the Runwen Hall after classes to catch a glimpse of her.
“That’s her, the tough one who catches spiders with her bare hands.”
“I heard she taught our eldest miss a lesson in the latrine. Impressive!”
“Indeed, now even the eldest miss doesn’t dare to cross her.”
“And she’s so pretty too…”
Ming Shu walked through the various gazes and comments, almost as if she wanted to bow and thank her audience.
Her popularity brought her many benefits. She naturally integrated into the lower ranks of the Yin household. When she didn’t need to follow Yin Shujun, she’d grab some melon seeds and peanuts, wrap them in a handkerchief, and either hide in the garden or sneak to the kitchen. There, she’d chat and gossip with the maids and older women, seemingly intent on uncovering eighteen generations of Yin family history. She even learned about private matters like which daughter-in-law gave birth before seven months of pregnancy.
Of course, while she listened and observed a lot, she spoke little. She always maintained a curious gaze and an impressed tone when addressing her gossip partners, giving them plenty of face. The more the speakers enjoyed themselves, the more enthusiastic they became, gradually opening up completely.
Meanwhile, seeing Ming Shu behave this way, Yin Shujun categorizes her with those gossipy women, her hatred for Ming Shu growing in her heart.
On this clear day, Ming Shu followed Yin Shujun back from Runwen Hall as usual, with no one speaking along the way.
As they reached a small stone bridge, a snow-white cat suddenly darted in front of them, causing Yin Shujun to stop. The cat was beautiful, with sapphire-blue eyes like jewels. It perched on a bridge pillar, raising a paw to groom itself, unafraid of people.
Yin Shujun stared for a moment, then suddenly approached the cat.
Ming Shu noticed that Shuangyan, Yin Shujun’s maid, tensed up.
Shuangyan was only about twelve years old, too young to typically be a personal maid. She had originally been a second-tier maid in Yin Shujun’s household, responsible for menial tasks like boiling water and sweeping. However, after Shujun’s head maid left due to abuse, and several subsequent maids suffered harsh treatment, no one in the entire household dared to work in her quarters. Thus, the young and inexperienced Shuangyan was promoted to temporarily serve Yin Shujun.
Ming Shu observed Shuangyan clutching her clothes, watching Yin Shujun nervously.
However, Yin Shujun merely approached the cat and gently stroked the fur behind its ears. The cat enjoyed this, meowing at her and half-closing its eyes. Yin Shujun smiled, but Shuangyan trembled anxiously, whispering to Ming Shu, “Miss Ming Shu, please… stop the young miss.”
Ming Shu was initially confused but quickly understood.
Yin Shujun had a notorious reputation for abusing animals.
In the past few days, Ming Shu had learned that Yin Shujun used to keep a cat and a rabbit in her quarters for years, seemingly fond of them. But two years ago, a servant had witnessed the cat and rabbit disemboweled under the flowers in Yin Shujun’s garden, with Shujun crouching beside their bodies, holding bloody scissors.
Rumors of Yin Shujun’s animal cruelty began spreading from that day.
Subsequently, any animal Yin Shujun approached reportedly met a tragic fate, cementing her reputation. As a result, no animals were now seen near her.
“She… she’s not going to throw the cat into the river, is she?” Shuangyan trembled, too afraid to intervene.
Yin Shujun had already skillfully reached for the cat’s scruff, intending to lift it. The tree shadows falling on her face, combined with the rumors, gave her smile an eerie quality that inexplicably unnerved onlookers.
Just as Ming Shu was about to step forward, an angry shout came from the end of the bridge.
“Yin Shujun, let go of my cat!”
Yin Shujun’s hand jerked back. The startled cat let out a sharp “meow” and darted away. The person from the bridge rushed towards Yin Shujun in a few quick strides.
Ming Shu turned to see several people on the bridge. The one in front was a handsome young man of about fifteen or sixteen.
It was Yin Haoyu, Yin Shujun’s younger brother from the same mother.