Aunt Gui left with a cold expression. She saw Little Li hanging the bed sheets in the courtyard and walked over with her hands on her hips. She pinched Little Liâs ear.
âAhh...â
Little Li screamed in pain.
âWhat are you shouting for?â Aunt Gui slapped her and Little Li didnât dare to make any sound. Her eyes were filled with tears.
âYou little bitch, did you complain to Young Miss about me?â Aunt Gui pinched Little Liâs ear forcefully. âHow dare you complain to her. What did I tell you?â
âI didnât.â Little Li shook her head. She sobbed as she explained, âI didnât tell her anything...â
âIf you didnât tell her, how do you explain her attitude today?â Young Miss suddenly asked for so many dishes today and even treated her differently.
Her attitude toward her made Aunt Gui nervous.
âAunt Gui, it is your fault that you steal the food from Young Miss... her parents gave it to her to strengthen her body.â
Aunt Gui pinched Little Li a few more times when she heard what she said. âAre you still going to deny it? She is just a little girl. How much can she eat? If she doesnât eat the food, it will all go bad.
âLet me tell you this. If you still want to continue working here, shut your mouth. I do the talking here. Do you understand me?â
Little Li didnât say anything. The salary here was much higher than everywhere else.
It was hard to live in this world. She didnât want to lose her job.
Aunt Gui was sent by the Jian family. She could just kick her out whenever she wanted to. Hence, Little Li pretended that she never saw anything.
Aunt Gui scolded Little Li and ordered her to make food for Ming Shu. She threatened that if she dared to tell Ming Shu anything else, she would be removed.
The ingredients were only sent yesterday so Aunt Gui hadnât eaten much of it yet.
Little Li prepared the dishes and sent them over to Ming Shu.
âWhere is Aunt Gui?â
âAunt Gui... is tidying up the kitchen.â Little Li appeared awkward. Her ears turned red.
Ming Shu took her chopsticks and didnât probe further.
Aunt Gui didnât abuse the Host. She just didnât care much about her. She also liked to steal the food that was supposed to be given to the Host.
The Host had a bad appetite previously. She didnât eat much so she was not aware of this issue.
Since the Host didnât know anything, Aunt Gui would not make a lot of food for her. She would eat all the food herself.
The Jian family was far away in the city and the Host was a quiet person. Aunt Gui was leading a better life than the young miss of this house.
âYoung Miss, your appetite seems... good today.â Little Li was surprised. Her appetite was not only good, it was amazing.
Ming Shu patted her stomach. âRemember to make some supper for me too. I am still growing.â
Little Li acknowledged her. She took out some medicine. âYoung Miss, time to take medicine.â
Ming Shu: â...â
...
Knock knock...
Aunt Gui heard the knocking on the door and murmured, âWho is knocking on the door at this time of night?â
Little Li was on duty tonight. She slept in the room beside Ming Shu so she couldnât hear the knocking.
Aunt Gui had no choice but to put on her clothes and open the door.
The moment she opened the door, she was stunned. âYoung... Young Master... why are you here?â
It was already so late.
A person in a light blue shirt with a suit jacket hanging on one arm was standing outside the door. He wore an expensive watch on his wrist. From his attire, he seemed to have just left a banquet.
He looked at Aunt Gui indifferently. âWhere is Xixi?â
Aunt Gui swallowed. Young Master was the person she was most frightened of in the family. âYoung Miss... is asleep.â
Jian Shu walked in. âThere are things in the car. Go and get them.â
The car was parked outside the village since it couldnât be driven in. The house was some distance away from the entrance of the village, but Aunt Gui didnât dare to complain. She took a flashlight and went to get the things in the car.
Jian Shu walked to his younger sisterâs room. She was indeed asleep.
He rubbed his eyebrows. The family received a call from her this afternoon, but no one was able to come and visit her. He had to rush over after his banquet.
Early in the morning of the next day...
Jian Shu knocked on her door before Ming Shu got up.
Jian Xi and Jian Shu looked alike. You could tell that they were siblings.
âBrother.â
Ming Shu shouted.
Jian Shuâs stern face relaxed a little. He walked to the side of the bed and touched her forehead. âAre you still feeling uncomfortable?â
Ming Shu shook her head. She felt better after sleeping.
Jian Shu had heard from Little Li that she fell sick because she went out at night to see the stars.
He wanted to scold her, but when he remembered her body condition, he swallowed his words. She couldnât go out like normal people and had to stay in the house all the time. He couldnât bear to scold her. âI will bring you to the city to get a checkup later.â
Ming Shu remembered the medicine she took yesterday. âIâm fine.â
Jian Shu flicked her forehead. âYour words are not important. The doctor has to confirm that youâre fine. If the doctor says that you have recovered, I will take you to the flower market in the city. What do you think?â
This place abounded with fresh flowers. The country had gotten out of poverty now so people started setting up the flower market.
It was a huge and lively event.
The people from the villages nearby, the towns, and even the city would come and visit the market.
Jian Shu saw Ming Shu smiling, but she didnât seem excited.
âAre you feeling uncomfortable?â Jian Shu got nervous. âTell me if you feel uncomfortable.â
âNope. Iâm hungry.â Ming Shu smiled and flung off her blanket.
Jian Shu stopped her. âWhy are you getting out of bed? If you are hungry, I can bring the food up for you. Lie down.â
Ming Shu pulled her elbow out of Jian Shuâs hand. âIf I continue lying down, I will turn into a cripple.â
Jian Shu rubbed her head. âWhat bullshit is this? Put on your clothes then. I will go down and see if your breakfast is ready.â
âOkay.â
Ming Shu tidied her messy hair as she watched Jian Shu leaving. She wondered why the Host pushed away these people that loved her so much and gave them to the fake female protagonist.
Ming Shu opened the wardrobe. It was filled with the most fashionable dresses in the city. Most of them were in pastel colors. Ming Shu chose a light yellow dress. She put on her socks and shoes and went down.
Aunt Gui had already prepared breakfast and was waiting beside the dining table.
She seemed nervous.
Jian Shu walked in with a box. When he saw his younger sister dressed beautifully and looking better than before, he smiled. He placed the box on the table. âI brought some pastries for you. Taste it and see whether you like it.â
Ming Shu opened the box. There were some exquisitely made pastries inside. She took one and put it in her mouth.
âNot bad.â
Jian Shu scooped a bowl of porridge for her. âIf you like it, I will ask Mother to bring more over.
Ming Shu smiled brightly. âThank you, Brother.â
This is a good person!
You will be blessed!
Ming Shu finished breakfast and wiped her hands. She said, âBrother, I donât want Aunt Gui to take care of me anymore.â
She had called her family to inform them about this. After all, they were the ones who paid her salary and she had been with the Jian family for a long time.
Aunt Guiâs legs started shaking when she heard this. âYoung Miss, I... what did I do wrong?â
Ming Shu placed the handkerchief down. âAre you not sure about it?â
âYoung Miss, I am really not sure...â
Aunt Gui continued to act innocent.
âFine, I am in a good mood today so I will tell you what your mistakes are.â Ming Shu counted with her fingers. âYou gave me porridge that was cold, you passed your duties to Little Li, you ate most of the food that my parents sent me, you always disappeared when I wanted to find you...â
Aunt Gui turned pale as Ming Shu continued speaking.
The smile on Jian Shuâs face vanished. He stared coldly at Aunt Gui.