In the afternoon, Mrs. He stepped out of the door slowly. The autumn wind was rolling with water vapor, which made the wind bell under the corridor tinkle.
Zhu Shi and Zhu Lan were sitting opposite each other on the couch in the corridor. There was a willow basket by their skirts, covered with lotus leaves. There was something in the basket, which made the surroundings wet.
The two little maids were leaning on the railing to play with the rain outside the corridor. Seeing Mrs. He coming out, they hurriedly got up to salute her. One was going to take over the food box that Mrs. He was carrying. The other asked in a low voice, “Granny, is the First Miss willing to eat?”
“Let the small kitchen change a few more dishes.” Mrs. He frowned and sighed.
“From yesterday to now, all the things sent in are the favorite of the First Miss.” Zhu Lan felt that the food box was as heavy as when it was taken in.” She said somehow worriedly, “What dishes should we prepare now?”
Mrs. He was in a bad mood. If Zhu Xuan or Zhu Xian said so, she would scold her directly. But Zhu Lan’s father was one of the managers under Madam Song. He was also very respectful to Mrs. He. To do him a favor, she just said slightly, “you just need to send messages to the small kitchen. It’s the kitchen’s job to prepare the dishes. I didn’t ask you to do it! Do you want to work in the kitchen and worry about them first?”
Zhu Lan was embarrassed. Zhu Shi was her best friend. Seeing that Mrs. He scolded her, she said, “We just went to the garden to pick wild water chestnuts. The taste of it is light. Maybe the First Miss will eat some.”
Mrs. He looked back at the willow basket behind them and frowned, “Is that in the basket? How can you bring it here? It makes the corridor so dirty.”
“It was in the court. But it rained just now.” Zhu Shi whispered, “So we brought it here. Granny, shall we peel some and send it in?”
“Try it.” Mrs. He sighed and said listlessly. Wei Changying had been healthy since childhood and had never been sick. And she had been practising martial arts for a long time, consuming energy a lot, so she had a good appetite. Usually, she was persuaded not to eat too much. How could she have no appetite? Now she was sick, but in fact it was her anxiety. As long as she took a matter to heart, she couldn’t eat any delicacies. Otherwise, no matter what Wei Changying wanted to eat, the Wei Family would give it to her.
In the past two days, Mrs. He had tried her best to persuade her. However, with whatever she said, Wei Changying just faced the couch and kept silent. Sometimes Mrs. He put his head to look at her quietly, and saw that there were glistening teardrops between her long lashes. Mrs. He couldn’t help crying.
Yesterday, Wei Changying didn’t have any food or water all day. In the evening, Mrs. He told Qin’ge and Yan’ge to look after her. She went to see Old Madam Song. But when Old Madam Song knew that her granddaughter would not eat all day, her face muscles twitched for a long time. However, in Mrs. He’s expectant eyes, she said faintly, “She is not a child anymore. She doesn’t need you to teach her everything. When young people frustrated for the first time, they always struggle for a long time. Don’t try to persuade her all the time. Let her calm down and think out by herself!”
Mrs. He wiped her tears in front of Old Madam Song, “I know your good intentions. But if the First Miss is willing to eat, it’s OK for her to lie down for a few days. Now the young lady doesn’t eat or drink. How can her body stand it?”
Old Madam Song got angry without any sign, “Ordinary people will be fine if they don’t eat or drink for a day or two. Changying has been practising martial arts since she was young and has a strong body?! I’ve already said that she must walk over this ridge by herself! You came the day before yesterday. Didn’t you hear me clearly? Today, you come to talk about it again. Are you afraid that you won’t hurt her?”
“I wish I could give up my life for the First Miss’s joy of life. How could I hurt her?” Mrs. He hurriedly knelt down to argue, but Old Madam Song didn’t want to hear at all, so she asked the servants to drive her out, “How can you teach me how to teach my granddaughter? I told you that this time she has to suffer by herself. If you are still so interfering, you should simply leave Xianshuang Court! Your help caused more trouble all day long. My good granddaughter was spoiled by you!”
Fearing that Old Madam Song would do what she said and really drove her away from Wei Changying, today when Wei Changying continued not to eat, Mrs. He moistened her dry lips with a wet handkerchief while she was sleeping. She didn’t dare to send someone to report Wei Changying’s situation to Madam Song. There was nothing she could do.
Now she agreed Zhu Shi and Zhu Lan to peel a bowl of wild water chestnuts, which was her last hope.
She personally went to the kitchen to urge the cook to make the dishes as fragrant and appetizing as possible, and then took them back to Xianshuang Court. Before entering, she saw that Shuang Li led the two little maids of Old Madam Song, each of which was holding something, and came up the path not far away.
Seeing Mrs. He, Shuang Li hurriedly walked a few steps and said, “Granny He!”
“Shuangli?” Mrs. He stood still and looked at the things in their hands, but there were some plain clothes, hairpins, rings, and food. She was surprised and asked, “This?”
“Is the First Miss awake now?” Shuangli asked back first and said, “Just then people of the mansion of Duke Jingping heard that the First Miss is sick and sent some things here.”
Because Wei Changying fell sick just after she went to the mansion of Duke Jingping to mourn and heard the comments, now Mrs. He was tired of the people of the mansion of Duke Jingping, so she lengthened her face, pulled Shuangli aside and whispered, “The First Miss hasn’t eaten for two days and refuses to say anything. That’s all because of hearing the rumors and slanders of those rotten tongues in the mansion of Duke Jingping. Now if she hears that they sent something here, will you want to upset the First Miss!”
Shuangli looked at the cloth in her hands and said with a wry smile, “Granny, you don’t know. This is what the old lady ordered me to show to the First Miss at once.”
Hearing that it was the old lady’s order. Mrs. He choked and thought, “Maybe Old Madam Song said that she wanted to let the First Miss suffer alone, but she actually cared about the First Miss. She was finding a reason to send Shuangli to visit the First Miss!”
Thinking of this, Mrs. He took a sigh of relief and said, “I just came back from the kitchen. I don’t know whether the First Miss asleep or awake now. Please wait outside. I’ll go in and have a look.”
“Thank you, granny.” Although Shuang Li was the chief maid of Old Madam Song, she was polite to the wet nurse of the most beloved First Miss. She chuckled and nodded.
Mrs. He gave the food box to Zhu Shi, her niece, who was waiting by the door. She swung her arms and immediately closed the door after coming in. Inside the door, Han’ge and Jiaoge were serving. Seeing Mrs. He coming in, they nodded slightly.
“Is the First Miss asleep?” Mrs. He lowered her voice, asked and walked to the bedside to have a look. She saw that Wei Changying faced the wall and closed her eyes, but her eyelashes were slightly trembling. Apparently she was not sleeping. She sighed and said softly, “First Miss, Shuangli is waiting outside. She said… People of the mansion of Duke Jingping heard that the First Miss was sick these two days and could not go to mourn, so they sent some things here.”
Wei Changying didn’t say anything. Mrs. He asked again. Seeing that she didn’t speak, she had to say, “Shall I ask them to leave the things here?”
After a long pause, Wei Changying still didn’t answer. Mrs. He couldn’t do anything, so she stood up and said, “I’ll go out and tell them.”
Outside the door, after hearing that, Shuangli was also somehow disappointed. She said, “Granny, then I’ll give these things to you.”
Mrs. He was about to nod when Shuangli suddenly said in a low voice, “Why don’t you take them in and show them to First Miss? Although First Miss must be unwilling to listen to you, maybe she would start to talk.”
“Well…” Mrs. He pondered and said, “Won’t the First Miss feel worse when hearing it?”
“When I came, Granny Chen told me in private that eldest lady would easily fall ill because she didn’t talk all the time and she was suffocating in her heart. She would be better if she simply speaks out her grievances.” Shuangli whispered to Mrs. He.
Mrs. He always doted on Wei Changying. She hesitated for a moment and then said, “Well… Don’t take too much. I’ll just take this cloth in your hand. I’ll show it to the First Miss and try to talk to her.”
Because the people in the mansion of Duke Jingping were in mourning period, the cloth was all plain. Mrs. He took it into the inner room and put it beside Wei Changying. After thinking about it, she said softly, “First Miss, turn over and look at the cloth. It was all sent by people of the mansion of Duke Jingping. It’s said that they sent it because they heard that you are ill. Maybe they want to make up for the rudeness of the tenth young master….”
Hearing the tenth young master, Wei Changying trembled a little. Mrs. He stopped and looked at her. She waited for a long time, but Wei Changying remained silent. Mrs. He sighed and continued, “Normally, there is a big matter in the mansion of Duke Jingping now, so they don’t have the time to manage these little things. In the final analysis, they can neglect other people, but they don’t dare to neglect you, First Miss!”
“Now it’s not convenient for them to send gorgeous cloth. The color of the cloth is very plain, but the texture is good. In the future, they can also be made into the middle coat of you. First Miss, please look at the Cloud Silk. It’s light and soft. It’s only rewarded by the emperor in the royal palace. It can be seen how fearful the people of the mansion of Duke Jingping are. They even bring you such rare things.”
Mrs. He rubbed the silk on the top for a moment. But Wei Changying still paid no attention to her. She picked up the one under it. “This green cloud and crane patterned Shu Brocade can be made into a skirt… And this…”
She boasted about the value of these fabrics, trying to make Wei Changying talk or look back. However, Wei Changying never paid attention to her. The more Mrs. He said, the more disappointed she got. She arranged the cloth at a venture. She felt that the idea that Chen Ruping told Shuangli was not so reliable. She thought it was proper to put things away first.
However, when she was putting away the cloth, Mrs. He suddenly stared at something. She cried out involuntarily, “This… What is this?!”
Jiaoge and Han’ge had been standing beside and waiting to serve. They heard that there was something wrong with Mrs. He’s tone. Then they saw that in the pile of plain materials, she accidentally dragged out a White Damask. Although the white silk was plain, it could also be used to cut the middle clothes. However, Mrs. He dragged too much out and drew a side of it out directly. The white silk, let alone the length, was just one foot wide!
For a commoner, a foot wide silk shouldn’t be wasted. But the famous families even use a whole bolt of cloth to make clothes, let alone the First Miss? Although the royal heir of Duke Jingping just died, the family Duke Jingping never declined to the situation where they couldn’t give a whole bolt of cloth as a gift.
Jiaoge and Han’ge both thought of something possible. Their faces changed. They raised their sleeves to cover their mouths, and said, “Is it…?”
Mrs. He was scared. She dared not look at it carefully. She shoved the white silk into the cloth in a hurry and says, “It’s nothing. I mistook it.” She glanced sternly at the two chief maids. Jiaoge and Han’ge nodded subconsciously to her quietly.
Unexpectedly, Mrs. He was about to leave quickly holding the cloth. Wei Changying suddenly turned over with difficulty and pressed the pile of cloth. She hissed, “What is it?”
Mrs. He dare not look at her and said in a low voice, “First Miss, your voice is so hoarse. Would you like some water?”
“What was it just now? Show it to me.” Wei Changying ignored her shifting topic and insisted.
People of Duke Jingping’s mansion sent such a narrow white sick. Considering Wei Gao’an’s hatred and abuse toward Wei Changying the day before yesterday, the intention of them was so obvious. They wanted Wei Changying to commit suicide as soon as possible!
Wei Changying was in a bad condition now. Mrs. He dare not let her see it. She immediately reached out to drag the cloth and said in a hurry, “A piece of the cloth laddered. It doesn’t worth looking.”
However, since Wei Changying was suspicious, she would never be dismissed so easily. She was pressing on the cloth, and Mrs. He couldn’t pull it out for a while. Wei Changying bent down and looked at them one by one. There wasn’t a lot of cloth and the white cloth was just dragged out by Mrs. He. Wei Changying turned it over a few times and found it was abnormally narrow. She immediately pulled it out.
Mrs. He’s lips shuddered and she could not say what she wanted to say. But Wei Changying stared at the white silk and said, “All the people… of Duke Jingping’s mansion… think that I should die?” She didn’t eat or drink for nearly two days. Now her voice was so hoarse that she could hardly make a sound. She was just hissing and said intermittently. Her tears dropped down on the silk, which made Mrs. He’s heart broken.
“They have been coveting the position of the Family Head for a long time. Of course, they are not kind to you, First Miss.” Mrs. He choked with sob and hugged her. She said repeatedly, “You can’t do as their wishes!”
Wei Changying didn’t say a word. She pulled out the white silk with strength little by little The white silk was more than one foot wide and three feet long. It was for her to hang herself from a beam.
Staring at the white silk, which indicated that she should die to rectify her family style, for a long time, Wei Changying closed her eyes and leaned weakly into Mrs. He’s arms. Holding the girl she brought up, feeling how skinny she got in these two days, and looking at the damn white silk in front of her, Mrs. He felt as if a knife had twisted in her heart. She thought very hard to say something to comfort her, but Wei Changying acted as if she hadn’t heard it. A moment later she sat up straight, shaking, and said in a low voice, “Jiaoge, go outside and bring the scissors!”
“First Miss!” Mrs. He screamed, but when Wei Changying looked at Jiaoge, she dared not ignore her order. She took back the scissors, and Han’ge also came over. The three people watched Wei Changying nervously, lest she should be really overwhelmed by this white silk. Unexpectedly, after Wei Changying got the scissors, she squinted, and grabbed the white silk. No one knew where she got the strength. Suddenly, the scissors were almost flying in her hands. After a few seconds, she cut up the white silk!
Mrs. He was stunned, and then overjoyed, “First Miss, well done!”
“They want me to die?!” Wei Changying’s hair was dishevelled and her face was as white as paper. Because she didn’t drink or eat for two days and she was worried and indignant in her heart, she was quickly emaciated and weakened. Now, she looked almost skinny, but her eyes burst out with a dazzling fierce and cold light. She said, stressing each word, “I didn’t do anything wrong. Just with the discussions and the white silk, they want to push me to commit suicide? Dream on!”
She smashed the scissors off her bed and clenched her fist. Her fingernails were pinched into her palm, and the red blood flowed down the edge of the palm and fell on her tea white middle coat. Mrs. He urged Jiaoge and Han’ge to take the ointment, but Wei Changying didn’t realize it. She stared at the white silk that was scattered on the ground and said with hatred, “Even if I commit suicide, I will kill those who want me to die!”