When the groggy Yu Xiang finally regained consciousness, it was already noon the next day. It was quiet inside the room and no one was around keeping watch. From beyond the door, the chatting voices of maidservants and several pozi could be heard, engaged in lively discussion punctuated by snorts of laughter.
Yu Xiang knitted her brows and yelled, "Somebody come. Pour me some water."
The laughter outside the door stopped instantly but quickly picked up again, with no indication that her order had even been perceived.
Gloomily, Yu Xiang unleashed her fury and once again shouted loudly, "Somebody come. Pour me some water."
"Coming, coming, I am here!" A maidservant came in, annoyed.
As the teapot had been left inside the room the whole night, the tea had long turned completely cold. Yu Xiang admonished herself repeatedly, telling herself that this was the Marquis Yongle manor, not the home of her elder brother and hers. That knowledge was enough to make her suppress her anger and gulp down mouthfuls of the bitter tea.
"Wipe my face," she coldly ordered as she placed the teacup down.
The maidservant inwardly rolled her eyes. She went out and ordered the two new little maidservants to attend Yu Xiang. Neither the Madam and Old Madam were fond of Yu Xiang, and even her only elder brother treated her nonchalantly. Though she did not have to worry about her basic necessities, the respect deserved for a daughter of her stature was nevertheless non-existent. Even Yu Si Yu's livelihood could be considered more comfortable compared to hers as her maidservants and pozi were left behind by her yiniang*; hence, she could easily order them around.
Compared to her the manor's young miss, Yu Xiang's two main maidservants had always been more unruly and discourteous. This wasn't even taking into account the late wet nurse who had known and regarded her as a bastard all along.
The two new little maidservants, on the other hand, were utterly deferent. They carried out their tasks with nimbleness and dexterity. They wiped Yu Xiang's exposed skin thoroughly and went out to replace the pot with hot tea before serving it to their master.
Yu Xiang released a deep breath and her gloomy expression lightened slightly. If her elder brother was still around, no one would dare slight her like this. But she must not think about it; it would only bring tears to her eyes should she continue pondering over it.
In her previous life, she had been spoiled and doted on under her elder brother's care. She had never come across any suppression. Her temperament was delicate; easily prone to flights of weeping and capricious bouts of temper. Now that she was here, her life had been downtrodden. Everything must be carefully thought out and restraint exercised, with a practiced austerity that could turn her into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!
Her nose felt sourish which prompted her to raise her chin up, fighting to stop the tears from streaming out. Even if she cried, who would empathise her? It would be better to conserve her energy and use it for more deserving matters.
As she sat there blankly for a while, the main maidservant led the two little maidservants in. One was carrying a bowl of medicine while the other held a bowl of bubbling hot porridge. She then gestured for both to set the bowls down on the table. The maidservant disdainfully said, "Young Miss, first drink the medicine, and then the porridge."
"I don't want to drink it. You stay behind. Let the two little maidservants leave." Yu Xiang leaned back against the soft pillow and shut her eyes.
The main maidservant beckoned the two little maidservants out. She then stepped forward and repeated, "Young Miss, drink the medicine. It won't be as effective once it gets cold."
Yu Xiang opened her eyes. Those deep and serene pupils filled with coldness, and word by word she mouthed, "When I said I do not want to drink means I do not want to drink. Why are you so annoying!" Her fingers then flipped the tray, completely knocking over the bowl of medicine and the hot porridge.
The heat of the boiling water, fresh out of the stove, would definitely scald off at least a layer of flesh at contact. The maidservant immediately ducked and cried out in fear, which attracted the maidservants and pozi outside to run in and access the situation.
The somber expression Yu Xiang had borne for the entire morning gradually eased. Sluggishly wiping her hand with a handkerchief, she said, "Go to the front courtyard and ask my older brother to come over. Just explain that I refuse to drink the medicine. Let him find a solution."
The main maidservant snapped out of her frightened stupor and exclaimed, "At this moment, the Marquis will surely be in the study room. Disturbing him will surely result in planking punishment. Please don't make things difficult for us, Young Miss."
Almost all the servants nodded their heads in agreement. However, the new little maidservant offered to undertake the task, raising her hand, "Young Miss, please wait a moment. Nubi will go and invite the Marquis over!" She then sped away after voicing those words.
"That's my good maidservant." Yu Xiang then shifted her soft pillow and stared at the discontented main maidservant, babbling and humming a tune, "Su San left Hongtong county, letting oneself on the street, miserable inside unable to speak, listen to me, gentlemen..."(Verse from a Peking opera )
Although Yu Xiang was a disabled in her previous life, she had lived in a dignified manner compared to anyone else under her older brother's protection; laughing merrily or cursing angrily to her own inclinations. When had she ever needed to care about other dispositions? Regardless of how the original plotline developed, and since she had taken the place of 'Yu Xiang' she would be the one having the final say of the way she would live.
The main maidservant observed her abrupt changes in moods, from raging up violently and then laughing playfully. It was obvious she was deliberately tormenting others. She cursed inwardly: both legs were paralyzed and the temper became more perverse. Just keep up the act, the Marquis will soon be disgusted with you!
As 'Yu Xiang' wet nurse had known all along that 'Yu Xiang' was not the Marquis lineage, she had merely appeared affectionate while actually treating her irreverently. Under her apprenticeship the two main maidservants imitated her approach, resulting in their disrespectful and insolent attitude. To make matters worse, 'Yu Xiang' had been slow-witted since youth, thus unable to suppress and control this group of bond servants. She was obviously the master, but her life was even more depressing compared to that of the maidservants.
Right at this moment, the other main maidservant, Cui Xi, who had gone out earlier returned. She caught sight of the broken shards of porcelain and splatters of medicine and porridge across the floor. As she was about to find someone to clean up the mess, she was stopped by her good sister who whispered, "We provoked Young Miss into losing her temper. Now we have to kneel down to admit our wrongdoings and beg for pardon." The maidservant then walked out of the room and knelt outside the doorway.
Both Cui Xi and the other main maidservant shared a tacit understanding and knelt down right away, putting on an incessantly trembling appearance.
Yu Xiang ignored both of the main maidservants and continued humming the tune without restraint. Both main maidservants were bestowed to her by the Old Madam. All this while, their demeanour had been more unruly than the master. If 'Yu Xiang' true identity was to be known, those bowls would certainly have been smashed by them instead.
Yu Pin Yan was indeed capable, able to control and suppress the spreading of the rumor within the manor at such a young age. She had no idea how the female lead of the book could manage to establish her foothold in the nobility circle and attain the status of Empress after Yu Si Yu had stirred up the matter and was known by all. No doubt the female lead must have gone through a great deal of arduous work and strove for success.
After much deliberation, Yu Xiang recklessly laughed and shook her head. As long as she could live comfortably, why should she vex herself? She was not ambitious nor would she counterattack. She would only win over the favor of Yu Pin Yan and accumulate enough money. Once the female lead returned, she would give up her position and purchase a hamlet, living her life leisurely with no worries, watching the sun set over the chimney and the flowery shadows lengthen under the moonlight. As for getting married, she never had any expectations even under her elder brother's protection in her previous life. It would be practically impossible in this lifetime. The menfolk of antiquity would not be willing to marry and provide for a disabled person. Even if she were to use the connection of the prominent Marquis Yongle manor to her advantage, once 'Yu Xiang' true identity was exposed, she would definitely fall into more tragic circumstances. Better to just forget about it.
As Yu Xiang carefully considered her options, she caught a glimpse of the two main maidservants tearful and almost pitiable huddling outside the doorway. The corner of her mouth tilted in disdain. Instead of cleaning up the room, they rebelled by kneeling outside the door and pretending to be pitiful. This pretence was obviously for the sole sake of exposing her wilfulness in front of Yu Pin Yan. Marquis, look at how unruly the Young Miss is, smashing things and punishing the servants as she pleases!
However, they seemed to have overlooked one fact: that is, 'Yu Xiang' had given up both her legs for Yu Pin Yan that practically ruined the rest of her life. She did have a right to be wilful now. If Yu Xiang remembered correctly, though Yu Pin Yan was ruthless and vicious, he was someone who could clearly distinguish kindness and hatred. As long as she did not go against the female lead, he would protect her for life - not mentioning wealth and glory, but a peaceful life was practically guaranteed. Being the maiden family of the female lead, no matter what happened, it would definitely be possible for the Marquis Yongle manor to thrive even further and flourish for another hundred years?
As for both her legs, she would not place any hope for a miracle in this ancient period with such backward medical conditions, since she was used to this condition in her previous life.
Yu Xiang stoically stroked the thick bind of bandages on her knees.
Outside the doorway, the two kneeling main maidservants listened to the Young Miss humming her tune, completely at ease, without so much as offering a conciliatory word. The budding enmity that they felt immediately increased tenfold. Stealthily they suppressed a deep breath and, with reddened eyes, awaited the Marquis' arrival.
As she hummed the tune, a familiar yearning tugged her heartstrings once more. Yu Xiang pursed her lips, the carefree feelings ebbing, her eyebrows knitted tightly as she blinked her eyes. Those dark pupils were shrouded in tears, making her appear as though she had endured a heavenly large grievance.
The two main maidservants were subdued by her skill in swiftly changing expressions. They were dumbfounded for a moment but quickly snapped out of it. Turning, they saw the Young Marquis striding over swiftly.
Both of the main maidservants hurriedly crawled forward and kowtowed, hoping to get a word of complaint in. However, the Young Marquis was not distracted and immediately entered the room. The two main maidservants became troubled as they knelt at the same place.
As a ten-year-old girl, she was not an adult, nor a child either. However, her outlook appeared almost emaciated, with dry, withering hair that evidently did not receive any special care expected of the venerated Di Young Miss. Her facial features were extremely insipid, except for that pair of large round eyes and pupils as black as ink. They gradually filled with a clear pool of tears, that seemed bottomless.
It was not an appearance one would consider beautiful, but this did not stop one's feeling of tender love and affection.
Yu Pin Yan quickened his steps. Knitting his brows, he demanded, "Xiang'er, what happened?" As he walked closer, he noticed the ground was littered with porridge and porcelain shards.
"Elder brother, my legs are aching!" Yu Xiang extended both her hands towards the youth. The pool of tears that had lined her eyes spilled out. This man was obviously not her elder brother, so what was there feeling of familiarity and strong telepathic connection? Though she was perplexed, it did gave her a sense of comfort.
Yu Pin Yan did not bother with the mess in the room. Instead, he quickly walked over and enfolded the pitiable little girl into his bosom. Both Yu Xiang's legs were maimed because of him, so what was breaking several bowls? Even if she completely demolished the whole room, he would have indulged her. After suffering such misfortune, who could still have the ability to be mirthful and unperturbed? Losing her temper and being wilful was imperative. For the time being, he would accompany her and coax her, overcoming this painful and difficult phase of her life.
With this in mind, Yu Pin Yan tightened his embrace.
"It will not be painful after several days. Xiang'er, please bear with it." Yu Pin Yan had never been intimate with his sibling. His speech was somewhat awkward. He wiped her tears and stroked her back gently.
Compared to last time, his embrace was much warmer and steeped with a faint refined scent which was pleasing. Yu Xiang's apprehensive mind gradually calmed, but her tears kept spilling relentlessly. Both her hands clasped tightly over his neck as she whimpered and mumbled vaguely. Why were our hearts connected when you are not my elder brother? Am I indeed unable to go back?
Yu Pin Yan lowered his head to try and pick up his younger sister's muffled whimpers, but the only word he could distinguish was her repeated cries of 'elder brother'. A distinct nostalgic sentiment twinged his heart. In this big manor, he seemed to be the only one she could rely on.
The two main maidservants were still kneeling outside the doorway, their indignation gradually giving way to confusion and then panic.
"Still gawking over there. Go and get the doctor this instance." Yu Pin Yan turned to look at the main maidservants while coaxing his younger sister's sobs away.
As both the maidservants stood up to leave at his command, they heard the Young Marquis indifferent words, "Such a dirty and messy room, yet nobody has tended to it. What is the use of having this bunch of servants? Should have just sold them off."
Both were incessantly frightened and knelt down right away, asserting that they would not dare repeating the offence again. Not only were they unable to tell-tale on Yu Xiang, they had provoked Yu Pin Yan's indignance and got oppressed. It was a relief they were let off and allowed to leave.
Yu Xiang would naturally not use Yu Pin Yan as a tool. She would wait for an adequate level of good impression. By then some affairs need not be spoken, Yu Pin Yan would have settled for her . She should not be too eager at this moment. Moreover, if Old Madam knew it, wouldn't it cause the Old Madam to somewhat loathe her more.