Chapter 10: Chapter 10

The two held each other and talked for a while longer. Then, belatedly, Ming Rou’s nose twitched, and her pretty little face scrunched up. “Jiujiu, you stink…”

Only then did Ye Qiuniang remember the state she was in. She’d been reeking for so long she’d grown used to it, forgetting it might bother the little girl. She forced a tired smile and tapped Ming Rou’s nose. “And yet you’re still willing to be so close to me?”

Ming Rou considered this, then pinched her nose shut. “If smelling like this means no one else dares try anything against you, then just stay stinky. At worst, I’ll plug my nostrils with cotton and just deal with it.”

Though Ming Rou said so, the smell was truly overpowering. Ye Qiuniang finally pulled away, needing a bath. The memory of Du Xian’s vile hands on her was a sensation far more nauseating than the pond mud, a feeling that clung to her clothes and skin, making her retch just thinking of it.

Ming Rou reached out and gently touched the wound on her forehead, her voice full of pain. “Does it still hurt?”

“It’s nothing, Eldest Miss,” Ye Qiuniang said, her eyes reflecting the anxious concern in Ming Rou’s gaze. “Just a minor injury.”

The little girl gave a soft, disbelieving hum. Her small fingers hovered near the injury, touching it with feather-light care before quickly pulling back, afraid of causing pain. She noticed the dirt and grime on Ye Qiuniang’s knees and sleeves, the blood still staining her collar and shoulder. Immediately, she ordered the servants to bring a tub of hot water and set it up behind the screen.

Usually, Ye Qiuniang bathed in her own little room. But tonight, because of what had happened, Ming Rou refused to let her leave her sight for even a moment and insisted she bathe right here. Seeing the stubborn, unyielding look in the little girl’s eyes, Ye Qiuniang sighed inwardly and gave in.

As she began to undress, however, she saw Ming Rou pull up a stool and sit down right in front of the bathtub, her eyes fixed intently on her. Ye Qiuniang’s face flushed crimson instantly. Even though the girl was just a child, Ye Qiuniang was no longer one herself. Since her Monthly Cycle had started, she’d felt too self-conscious to bare herself before Ming Rou.

“Eldest Miss, I’ll be bathing right here, you’ll hear the water. Why don’t you wait for me outside?”

“No. I’m staying here. When I bathed before, didn’t Jiujiu stay and scrub my back?” Ming Rou pouted, clearly displeased.

Ye Qiuniang, whose heart had been weighed down with such grim thoughts from the afternoon’s terrible events, felt a flicker of lightness at this stubborn, childish display. She blinked. “You are a child. I’m a grown-up.”

“So what? We’re both people.”

Seeing her so stubborn, Ye Qiuniang couldn’t find a good argument. She could only compromise. “Fine. If you must stay, then turn around.” Ming Rou didn’t understand, but seeing the crimson flush on Ye Qiuniang’s cheeks and her flustered expression, she couldn’t bring herself to be willful. Plus, Jiujiu had suffered so much today; she shouldn’t make things harder. So, reluctantly, Ming Rou conceded and obediently turned her back.

As the rustle of fabric and then the soft sound of water came from behind her, she asked impatiently, “Are you done yet?”

Ye Qiuniang, submerged up to her neck in the water, replied, “Yes.”

Only then did Ming Rou turn back around, muttering a single word under her breath: “Troublesome.”

Ye Qiuniang, catching this, felt a helpless laugh bubble up. “If you find it so troublesome, you don’t need to watch over me. I’m right here in your room; no one can steal me away.”

“Don’t care,” Ming Rou humphed. “I want to.”

Despite her look of exasperation, the little girl got up, fetched a book, and settled back onto her stool, reading quietly while Ye Qiuniang bathed. At first, Ye Qiuniang was self-conscious under Ming Rou’s presence. But after a while, she realized she was overthinking it and gradually relaxed, beginning to wash more freely.

Halfway through scrubbing, a sudden, soft, coquettish voice sounded beside her, making her jump. “Do you… want me to scrub your back?”

Startled, Ye Qiuniang’s movements froze. She shook her head hastily. “N-no… no need. I can manage.”

But Ming Rou, seeing her flustered reaction, merely waved a dismissive hand. “I was only asking out of courtesy, since you always scrub my back. Don’t go thinking this Young Miss would actually deign to scrub yours.”

Ye Qiuniang, now composed again, leaned back against the tub’s edge. She gazed at the little girl seated not far away and couldn’t stop the gentle smile that curved her eyes and brows. She replied, her tone slightly teasing, “Yes, yes, I know the Eldest Miss is far too noble to scrub the back of a humble, lowly maid like me.”

Ming Rou’s expression immediately soured at these words. She snapped her book shut with a sharp clap. “Why must you always bring up ‘humble’ and ‘lowly’? Long ago, when we started eating together, you yourself said you were my wife. You eat the food I leave. We are one entity. If you are lowly, then what am I?”

Ye Qiuniang was taken aback. She hadn’t expected the girl’s memory to be so sharp, recalling something said years ago with such clarity. She herself had been sold to the Ming family for the Auspicious Marriage. If Ming Rou were a boy, perhaps when she grew up, she could at least be a concubine. But Ming Rou was a girl. Ye Qiuniang was only an auspicious charm, destined to be dismissed after a few more years of service. No wonder Du Xian had felt so bold, daring to try to force himself on her. Thinking of this, a shadow dimmed her eyes.

Ming Rou, noticing the change in her expression, assumed Ye Qiuniang was displeased with her words. She hesitated, then gave a soft, defiant little humph and muttered quietly, her tone softening, “Anyway, we’re bound together. You can’t say things like that.”

Ye Qiuniang, naturally, couldn’t take her words to heart. Ming Rou was a child; she herself was not. “Alright, I’m done. Could the Eldest Miss please fetch my clothes?”

Ming Rou stood up, lifting her chin so high it nearly pointed at the ceiling. Her look seemed to say: “Just moments ago you said not to trouble me, and now here you are, having to beg this Young Miss to get your clothes.” Ye Qiuniang, seeing this haughty little pose, couldn’t suppress a laugh. It was so perfectly, adorably arrogant. She watched the small figure pad over and return with an armful of clothes, her own eyes softening with warm, tender affection.

Ming Rou, caught in that gentle, fond gaze, felt an inexplicable flutter of shyness. But it ultimately transformed into another proud little humph as she turned and stalked out from behind the screen.

When it was time for bed, Ming Rou waited until Ye Qiuniang was settled before crawling into the blankets herself. She didn’t say more, but as she drifted off, she wrapped her arms tightly around Ye Qiuniang’s arm, hugging it close. Only then did she fall into a deep sleep.

After the incident with Du Xian, it felt as though Ye Qiuniang had grown up overnight. She was already mature for her age. Especially in those early days after being sold to the Ming family, she had secretly started calculating her future. But as time passed, and the future arrived, she found her previous calculations had been woefully inadequate.

Her right arm was wrapped in the warm, soft grip of two small hands. Ye Qiuniang dared not move, fearing she might wake the girl beside her. Ming Rou had always had a weak constitution. These past few years, she had finally begun to recover. Ye Qiuniang would not cause her any further shock. She recalled that evening, returning to find the girl on the bed, screaming and crying in terror. Even now, the memory made Ye Qiuniang’s heart clench painfully.

A child’s attachment was this fierce, this unconditional. Now, in this entire world, only she would be so utterly, recklessly devoted to her. Ye Qiuniang shifted slightly onto her side, gently stroking Ming Rou’s soft hair. If not for this little creature, her life would never have been this good. A worthless girl sold off by her own parents, a commodity to be trampled by anyone. Only in Ming Rou’s eyes was she one-of-a-kind—her unique Jiujiu.

The events of the day replayed in her mind, a chaotic and terrifying slideshow that left her feeling cold and fearful. Only the warm presence beside her brought a measure of peace. She didn’t know when she finally drifted off to sleep. Bizarre, disjointed dreams swirled through her mind. Suddenly, the sound of tiny, hitching sobs jolted her awake. It was Ming Rou, crying in her sleep. Her small body was curled up in her arms, her eyes tightly shut. But when Ye Qiuniang touched her face, both cheeks were wet with tears.

Ye Qiuniang’s heart seized with alarm. Since those first few days upon her arrival at the Ming household, Ming Rou hadn’t had such nightmares in years. And now, here she was, crying in a half-sleep. The events of the day must have truly terrified her.

Realizing this, Ye Qiuniang’s heart ached with a mix of pain and profound gratitude. What had she done to deserve such deep concern? “Eldest Miss… Eldest Miss…”

She gathered Ming Rou into her arms, calling her softly, trying to discern if this was a nightmare, if she should wake her. But as if stirred by the familiar scent and the soothing voice in her ear, Ming Rou didn’t open her eyes. Her hitching sobs gradually quieted, then stopped altogether. The tiny girl slipped back into a deeper sleep.

But Ye Qiuniang’s drowsiness was gone. She carefully laid Ming Rou back down flat, then slowly settled beside her, pressing close, listening to the soft, steady rhythm of her breathing. And in that simple sound, she found an inexplicable, grounding peace.

Elsewhere in the sprawling Ming residence, several others were also lying awake, unable to sleep. Ming Yulan was still seething with anger, the image of what she’d walked in on seared into her mind.

“My dear wife, I’ve told you a hundred times. That little slut was trying to seduce me. I was angry, that’s why I said those things just to be spiteful. Please, my love, it’s almost dawn, let’s just sleep,” Du Xian pleaded, desperately suppressing his irritation, trying to make his voice as gentle as possible.

“Save those lies for someone else. Do you think I don’t know what thoughts run through that lecherous mind of yours?” she shot back.

“Yulan, my heart for you is the same as it was in the beginning. It has never changed. Every word I say is the truth. If it’s not, may lightning strike me dead where I stand!” Du Xian swore, sounding utterly sincere.

Despite knowing her husband’s nature, Ming Yulan’s resolve always weakened whenever he softened his tone. And now, with her father in poor health, the last thing they needed was a rift between them. The Ming family’s wealth and business were vast, and many coveted this foundation. She herself lacked the ability to defend it. She would have to rely on her husband. Faced with these “minor transgressions,” she could only swallow her anger and endure.

And in the eastern courtyard, where the Old Patriarch rested, his Old Servant was meticulously reporting the day’s events. After listening to every detail, Old Patriarch Ming let out a series of long, weary sighs.

“I’m not dead yet, and already the fox shows its tail.” The Old Servant looked at him with deep worry. “What should we do, Old Master? We old bones will have to go one day. What will become of the Young Miss and the Little Miss then?”

The Old Patriarch’s face was grim. He asked again, “Did the girl Ye Qiuniang really do as you said?” “Yes, Old Master,” the Servant confirmed with utmost respect.

Old Patriarch Ming fell silent for a moment, his expression dark and thoughtful. Then he spoke. “Come. We will go see her now.”

“Old Master! But… it’s already the Yin hour! The two children have been asleep for a long time!”

He gave a short, humorless laugh. “And you think daytime would be more appropriate?”