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墨書 Inktalez
Accompanied by the greetings of the maids, the door curtain swayed as three young boys entered the room in succession.
The first, about thirteen years old, was slender and tall, dressed in a blue long robe. Upon entering, he respectfully bowed to his parents; he was the eldest son, Liu Anzhi. The middle boy had gentle features resembling his mother, He Family, and was the second son, Liu An Ting. After briefly glancing at the girl, he also bowed. The last boy, looking no more than seven or eight years old, stared intently at her since he first saw her.
Seeing his younger brother's behavior, Liu Anzhi quickly covered his mouth and coughed lightly to remind him not to be so rude. However, Liu Anfeng remained oblivious and continued to stare.
"May I ask who this young lady is?" Liu An Ting glanced at the girl and after inquiring about her from He Family, turned back to her with a smile, "My younger brother is being impolite; I hope you can forgive him."
This time, Liu Anfeng did hear him and turned his head away with a huff. "She's just a girl; why should Second Brother treat her with such courtesy!"
Seeing his son's attitude, Liu Fangyi was quite annoyed. He raised his hand and gave Liu Anfeng a light but firm tap on the forehead. "You brat, what do you mean 'just a girl'? This is your sister!"
Though it didn't hurt much, Liu Anfeng could tell that his father was genuinely upset. As he saw Liu Fangyi's hand raise again, he quickly covered his head with both hands and looked at He Family with a pitiful expression as if begging for mercy.
He Family shook her head with a smile and gently said to Liu Fangyi, "Dear, do you still need to return to the office today?"
Hearing his wife's voice softened Liu Fangyi's expression. He replied, "Of course I need to go; the General only allowed me one hour to return home to handle this matter."
"Then you should hurry out. The snow is getting heavier; it might be difficult to travel. Otherwise, you might be late."
Although he knew his wife was trying to protect their youngest son, Liu Fangyi understood that He Family was indeed right. After acknowledging her words, he strode out the door. At the entrance, he turned back and glared at Liu Anfeng. "You brat, don't act recklessly! Your sister is weak. If you dare bully her, I'll break your legs!"
Seeing his son shrink back in fear made Liu Fangyi feel satisfied. He quickly said goodbye to his wife with a "I'm leaving" and hurried away.
Even though he was gone, his earlier shocking words still echoed in the minds of the three boys in the room.
Liu Anfeng exaggeratedly rubbed his head and bared his teeth at the girl. Liu Anzhi frowned as he looked at her.
After a moment of silence in the room, Liu An Ting smiled slightly and asked He Family, "Father just referred to her as 'sister'... may I ask what this is all about?"
He Family explained the matters discussed between her and Liu Fangyi to the three sons and reminded them: "From now on, you must protect her and not let anyone bully her."
Upon hearing that this unfamiliar girl would indeed become part of the Liu Family, both Liu An Ting and Liu Anfeng's expressions changed slightly.
Seeing this reaction, Liu Anzhi quickly stepped forward to shield his two younger brothers and bowed respectfully. "Understood."
He Family nodded with relief, just about to speak when Liu Anfeng's raised voice suddenly rang out: "I disagree! Even though my sister didn't survive back then, she was my only sister! I don't want anyone else!" The sturdy boy's eyes turned red. Tears welled up, and he quickly wiped his face with his sleeve. He shot a resentful glare at the girl and hurriedly ran outside.
He Family did not expect Liu Anfeng to react so strongly and jumped up to call after him, but was suddenly hit by a wave of dizziness and nearly fell over. The girl in her arms swayed, and just as it seemed she would slip from her grasp, Liu An Ting reached out to steady her, successfully catching the girl and holding her close.
She was petite and did not weigh much in her arms. Liu An Ting affectionately tapped her pert little nose before placing her back into He Family's embrace.
"Your sister is truly adorable. I really like her," Liu An Ting said gently, smiling at the girl.
The girl did not respond but simply looked at him with her clear eyes.
Liu An Ting paused slightly, just about to speak again when Liu Anzhi raised his hand to stop him. After seeing his brother's expression, Liu An Ting pursed his lips and turned his gaze toward the window.
Liu Anzhi took half a step closer to He Family, saying seriously, "Mother, don't worry. I will take good care of my sister from now on."
The eldest son was always prudent in his actions, while the second son was generally gentle; He Family felt reassured. It was only that impulsive youngest son...
He Family sighed inwardly and said, "You all keep an eye on Feng Ge'er."
"In a few days, Third Brother will come around," she added.
By the time they finished speaking, hot water had already been prepared. He Family planned to give the girl a proper wash, so Liu Anzhi and Liu An Ting bid farewell to their mother and stepped outside.
A thin layer of snow had already accumulated outside.
The two put on the wooden clogs brought by the maidservant, and a maid had already brought an oiled paper umbrella. They opened the umbrella and walked side by side in silence until they were about to part ways to return to their respective rooms. At that moment, Liu Anzhi called out to Liu An Ting, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "Sister is very well-behaved; treat her kindly from now on."
Liu An Ting smiled gently and raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Do I look like someone who would treat her poorly?" After saying this, he gave a slight nod to Liu Anzhi and turned to head back inside first.
Watching his brother's retreating figure, Liu Anzhi sighed deeply with worry before closing the umbrella and entering the house.
He Family personally bathed the girl, changed her into clean clothes, and had several clean towels prepared to dry her damp hair repeatedly. Once she was no longer dripping wet, He Family had lunch brought in.
She initially intended to use a spoon to feed the girl herself. However, to her surprise, the girl picked up chopsticks on her own and began eating calmly and gracefully, displaying quite the demeanor of a young lady from a noble family.
He Family suddenly remembered the thought that had crossed her mind when she saw the girl's clothing earlier. She paused for a moment and secretly thought that this child indeed grew up in a wealthy family and must have been pampered.
Her heart ached even more for this girl who had lost all her past happiness in just one night. He Family smiled and gently ruffled the soft hair on top of her head, " Daughter , can you eat by yourself now? That's great. Take your time, don't rush. Do you want to take a break later?"
Qing Wu looked up at He Family, noticing the bloodshot eyes and a hint of fatigue on her face, and hesitantly nodded.
He Family finished her meal quickly and instructed the maids to prepare the bedding. She then gently played with the girl's slightly damp hair to help it dry faster.
Qing Wu noticed her actions and paused slightly. However, she was indeed very hungry and couldn't care about anything else, quickly smiling at He Family to express her gratitude while finishing every last bit of rice in her bowl.
Seeing her like this, He Family was very pleased and hurriedly added half a bowl of rice for her. Once she finished eating, He Family hugged her into bed to rest.
The girl was very well-behaved; she lay down beside He Family, closed her eyes, and remained still. He Family softly comforted her, and soon she also gradually fell asleep. When He Family began to breathe steadily, the girl slowly opened her eyes. Staring blankly at "mother" for a moment, she cautiously turned onto her side, facing the wall.
Qing Wu opened her mouth, trying to make some soft sounds. After much effort, nothing came out.
In her previous life, she couldn't hear or speak.
In this life, she was clearly able to hear sounds. Moreover, according to her vague "memories," she should also be able to speak. Yet for some reason, whenever words reached her lips, they always fell just short of being spoken.
Lying on the quilt that had a faint fragrance, listening to He Family's gentle breathing beside her, Qing Wu quietly lay there and slowly closed her eyes.
The heavy snow continued for four days without stopping.
At Liu Residence, the Household Servant wore a bamboo hat and raincoat every day to sweep and shovel snow twice. Even though they had cleared the ground in front of the house before going to bed at night, by the time they woke up on the second day, everything outside was once again covered in a blanket of white.
The heavy snow blocked everyone's footsteps. The once-bustling roads now rarely saw carriages or pedestrians. He Family and the children also stayed indoors, rarely venturing outside.
The girl was very well-behaved; she quietly stayed inside without making a sound.
One day, when older brother Liu Anzhi visited He Family, he happened to have several books in his hands and casually placed them on a nearby table. After finishing their conversation, Liu Anzhi noticed that the girl was staring intently at the books with an expression full of longing and anticipation.
Remembering what his mother had said about how his sister must have been raised in luxury, he thought she might recognize a few characters. He went back into the room and rummaged through things for a long time before finally bringing out three illustrated books for her to look at.
When the He Family was busy, Qing Wu would stay inside reading for a long time. Once the He Family had some free time, they would have meals together. In the evening, she would go to the bedroom that the He Family had specially prepared for her to rest.
One evening, just as the He Family was setting out their writing materials and preparing to practice calligraphy, a maid came in to report that the master had returned. As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Fangyi strode into the room, bringing with him a chill; he hadn't even taken off his hat.
The He Family went over to help him loosen his belt and handed his hat to the maid to take outside and put away. She pointed to the water stains on the floor and said, "Why were you in such a hurry? You could have taken it off outside to avoid dripping water inside."
Normally, when she joked like this, Liu Fangyi would respond with a smile. However, today he was unusually serious; he frowned and slowly sat down on a nearby chair.
The He Family was secretly surprised and sent everyone else out. She then sat beside him, waiting quietly for him to speak.
"I need to discuss something with you," Liu Fangyi began but suddenly paused and changed his words. "Can you really not tell where Daughter came from based on her clothing?"
"Of course not," the He Family replied helplessly. "Although it's clear from her expensive clothes that she's from a wealthy family, how can I know anything else based solely on that?"
"Well, if that's the case, then there's nothing we can do," Liu Fangyi nodded and carefully chose his words. "General Qin once sent someone to investigate in the forest, but unfortunately, the items left in the carriage couldn't prove their origin. The dead bodies and horses had been torn apart by wolves; it was too horrific to identify them. Now that it has been snowing for days, many traces are impossible to find. Perhaps..."
He paused for a moment and said softly, "Perhaps Daughter will have to stay at home for a long time. Why don't we give her a name? It wouldn't be right to keep calling her just like that."
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