Arc 2: Part 5
Such a cruel sibling exists in the world!
Xiao Qingwan!
On the ground, there is a puddle of water, with sunlight sneaking in through the cracks in the walls. The water reflects like transparent crystal, quiet and rippleless.
Tong Su lowered her eyes to look into it. It reflected a pretty young girl, whose brows, however, were colored with an indelible shade of timidity.
She closed her eyes and reopened them. The timidity was gone, replaced by a clear and steadfast confidence.
"Xiao Qingwan... I will take back everything you stripped from Xiao Bai Zhu. You will return them all to her!"
As the day dawned and a hint of white fish belly appeared in the eastern sky, Tong Su woke up from the coarse blue-stone ground where she sat. The door of the firewood room was suddenly yanked open.
The women's scolding broke the silence: "Get up! Go fetch water. You won't get your meal until you fill up the water tank!"
Tong Su stood up expressionlessly.
Her clothes were still stained with blood and dirt from yesterday's beating, but she calmly walked out of the firewood room as though nothing had happened.
The old woman watched Tong Su somehow strangely.
She felt that something about Tong Su had changed, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly.
Baffled for a while, she could only let go of her confusion and issued a stern warning: "This isn't the manor. You don't have your elder sister to shield you anymore! Besides her, nobody cares about you. You should behave yourself!"
Xiao Qingwan's care?
A trace of mockery flashed through Tong Su's eyes. She nodded, unrushed and calm, picking up the wooden bucket and heading towards the riverbank.
The old women in the village are all servants. She is after all a young lady. They dared to abuse her because of Xiao Qingwan's so-called "care"!
The ground was covered in a thin layer of white frost. The air was redolent with the unique aroma of the soil, and the distant sounds of chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep could faintly be heard.
Tong Su had spent the majority of the day strenuously working. By the time she returned to the house, it was already late noon. Upon seeing her, the women at the door frowned immediately, yet they refrained from pushing or scolding her.
Looking aggressive, they said, "You're in luck, girl. The Eldest Miss has personally come to pick you up. Show some gratitude and thank her!"
Tong Su glanced at the old women briefly.
The Eldest Miss?
Has Xiao Qingwan arrived?
The old woman was taken aback. The young girl had just heard that the Eldest Miss had come to take her back, yet she remained so calm. Why was that so?
And that look she gave her was chilling enough to make her shiver!
Before she could let her doubts creep in, Tong Su's face had already shown a smile full of fear yet couldn't conceal her joy.
"Has my sister come to pick me up?"
The old woman breathed a sigh of relief. This was still the same timid girl, and any cold gaze must have been a trick of her own eyes.
Tong Su carried the water bucket into the house. The bucket was heavy on her back, but her steps grew steadier.
Sure enough, Xiao Qingwan couldn't stand it anymore and had come in person to pick her up.
How perfect an opportunity to use her as a tool to deal with these old women!
"Bai Zhu, you have finally returned."
Before she could enter, a girl dressed in luxurious attire rushed out from inside the house, not even waiting for Tong Su to speak a word she began to bombard her with complaints.
"Your sister knew you had done something wrong and was almost dying of worry. Look at you, girl. As soon as you don't listen to your sister, don't you get into trouble? Will you dare to disobey your sister in the future?"
The old women standing aside echoed, "Yeah, second young lady, the Eldest Miss is the one who cares about you most in the world. Anyone other than her is out to harm you! From now on, you must be obedient. Whatever the Eldest Miss tells you to do, you just do it. Don't have any ideas of your own!"
No comments:
Post a Comment