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墨書 Inktalez
After safely returning from the Red Lattice Flowers with Brother Three, I felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. Lying on my bed, I recalled everything that had happened in the afternoon, and I couldn't help but feel a wave of embarrassment wash over me.
I wasn't sure who said it first, but someone remarked, "Wen, is this the legendary Fourth Miss Xie who turned you away and left you utterly captivated?"
In that moment, I felt my ears burn and my face flush. Yet, I forced myself to suppress all those unusual feelings and maintained a calm expression.
Huan Wen remained unfazed and coolly replied, "Xun Nan, your Dan Yi Girl is still waiting for you to win her over; it's not your place to meddle in my affairs."
Upon hearing this, I was taken aback. Dan Yi! He was referring to Sister Beauty! Could it be that this Xun Nan was also one of Sister Beauty's admirers? How unfortunate for him; after two years of interaction, I had witnessed Sister Beauty's coldness firsthand. Countless people had taken their own lives for her, lost their fortunes for her, even divorced their wives and abandoned their daughters for her… all in vain, as they could not elicit even a hint of a smile from her.
A person with such a heart of stone would only sink deeper into an endless abyss of love… with no way back…
Thinking of this made me look at him with a tinge of pity.
Su Xun Nan, seeing that his attempts to provoke me had backfired, became furious and coldly huffed. He redirected his ire towards me and said icily, "Since you're so confident, why don't we play a word riddle game? Let's see if you can guess these four characters." He looked at me disdainfully and continued:
"One point divided into one point,
One point combined into one point,
One point left as one point,
One point reduced by one point."
Brother Three noticed my expression darkening and quickly intervened, saying, "Xun Nan, stop messing around."
I furrowed my brow as I looked at the handsome young man before me, surprised by his narrow-mindedness. There was a shadow of gloom between his brows that was quite unsettling. Glancing at Huan Wen, who usually had a carefree demeanor, I noticed his expression had changed as well. Truly, I do not provoke others, yet they often come to provoke me.
I walked over to the desk nearby and casually picked up a brush, dipping it into the ink. I appeared calm, but inside I felt anxious; it had been a long time since I last held a brush, and I wondered if I could still write.
Alright. I set down the brush. Although my writing was crooked, it was still legible. I smiled innocently at them and said, “I would like to ask Brother Nan for four lines as well.” With that, I recited:
One horizontal stroke, another horizontal stroke,
One vertical stroke, another vertical stroke,
One slanting stroke, another slanting stroke,
One dot, another dot.
I smiled gently at everyone, realizing that I had to leave this place of disputes. Had I known Brother Three would bring me here, I would have refused to come no matter what.
Seeing him frown for a long time without answering, I smiled lightly and leaned down to say, “I’m sorry to disturb you all. Firefly has to go home now.” With that, I playfully made a face and turned to leave.
On the desk lay an open sheet of white paper with the words: Fen. Qia. Liu. Sha.
Brother Three called out from behind, “Firefly—”
Seeing me leave calmly, Wang Dao revealed a strange smile on his face. “An, your Sister Four is quite something; you should bring her around more often. The Red Lattice Flowers have become much more interesting.”
Xie An didn’t care about any of this and had already followed after me. Huan Wen leisurely waved his folding fan and glanced at Xun Nan’s pale face. He gently patted Xun Nan’s trembling shoulders and remarked knowingly, “You won’t gain anything from her,” then added with a cheerful smile, “but that’s just who she is.”
"Let's go to Spring Garden and meet your Dan Yi Girl," she said before floating away.
Just as I was thinking about it, the noise outside drew my attention. I had just sent Brother Three away, and now someone else was causing a ruckus. I had barely settled into my soft chair when I was interrupted again.
"Miss, Miss—" Yun Ying rushed in, panic written all over her face. "Something terrible has happened."
"What is it?" I lazily turned over; the affairs of Xie Manor were usually none of my concern.
"Second Sister and that Pauper Doctor's affair has been discovered by the Master. He's furious and says he will resort to family punishment."
"What?!" I jumped up, and before Yun Ying could catch her breath, I pulled her along as we hurried to the hall. That Pauper Doctor—wasn't he Chen Ningyuan? Family punishment could mean dire consequences for both of them. I hoped it wasn't too late to intervene.
As soon as we stepped into the hall, I saw the Head of the Family raising a bamboo rod high, ready to strike the two kneeling on the ground. Chen Ningyuan stood tall and unafraid, while Second Sister trembled like a withered flower in autumn.
A chill ran down my spine, and my body instinctively moved forward with a "lightly" gesture.
That day when I left, I had told him, "What I owe you today, I will repay double in the future."
I never expected that repayment would come so soon.
Seeing the Head of the Family's face turn ashen, his hawk-like eyes locked onto me as if I were prey fallen from the sky. The sudden pressure made it hard for me to breathe, and my body stiffened to the point where I could hardly move.
The people around us gasped in shock, all staring at me. More precisely, they were looking at me as I seized the bamboo rod aimed at the two of them. My hand was already pierced by it, blood trickling down in a steady stream.
I couldn't care less about Brother Three's pained expression or my eldest brother's complex gaze, nor about Madam and Fifth Lady's astonishment...
I pulled at my stiff, cracked lips and forced a smile. "Father, who has made you so angry?" I glanced at my terrified Second Sister kneeling on the ground and exclaimed, "It can't possibly be Second Sister! Father, have you misunderstood something?"
Since I had already stepped on the tiger's tail, I was no longer afraid of being bitten back. I maintained a calm demeanor as I looked at the Head of the Family and said, "Father, why not tell Firefly? Who knows, Firefly might be able to help you."
The Head of the Family showed no sign of panic; he simply gazed at me for a moment before chuckling lightly. His expression softened as he spoke gently, "Does Firefly really want to know?" He then set down the thorny whip in his hand and tenderly took mine, using a silk handkerchief to wipe away the blood. "Firefly, your Second Sister's greatest mistake is not cherishing this body that belongs to the Xie Family." I thought disdainfully to myself that it was because she had lost her value for exploitation.
I looked up at him. Although his lips curled into a smile, there was no warmth in his dark eyes.
I continued to smile innocently, but a chill spread through me. What he mentioned was about sending Second Sister into the palace a year from now. I recalled her blushing cheeks as she read love letters and Chen Ningyuan's slight smile while treating patients. I truly couldn't bear to see their budding feelings severed. Yet, I felt powerless—
At that moment, the Head of the Family gently asked again, "Does Firefly really want to help Father?" He then took the medicine box handed to him by the steward to tend to my injured palm.
I nodded like a puppet but was acutely aware of the approaching danger. Like a trapped beast with no room to struggle, I could only listen to the footsteps of death drawing near.
I felt just like the caged bird described by Eileen Chang: she is a bird embroidered on a screen... dying right there on the screen.
The Head of the Family paused for a moment and said, almost casually, "Then, can Firefly take your Second Sister's place and enter the palace for her—"
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