Chapter 40: The Handkerchief Delivery
Bone Painting Coroner
The night was bitterly cold, and despite the fact that the snow had stopped falling, the frigid wind still whistled in the air. The biting cold seeped into the body like a worm, making the body burn in pain.
Wei Yi was covered in a thick, light blue outer garment. His neck was wrapped with a gray scarf. He was in a daze, seriously pondering something as he walked in a circle, leaving traces of his pacing in the snow. Sometimes, he would stay still while letting out white puffs of breath, lost in thought. All in all, it was an extremely cute sight! And at other times, he would sneak frequent side glances at the Ji Mansionâs entrance.
He must have waited for at least two hours. His fair skin had turned red from the biting cold.
From a distance, Ji Yunshu saw him hiding behind the stone lion near the entrance. His head kept peeking out from his hiding place.
âWhat is that cute little fool doing here?â Could it be that he was itching to find Ji Yunshu for another scare session?
Since she was curious about the reason he came, Ji Yunshu approached him.
âWei Yi, why are you here?â
Wei Yi got scared when a voice suddenly popped up behind him. It scared him to the point that he almost jumped up!
He turned around and saw an unfamiliar âmanâ.
âYou scared me.â He muttered in a small voice. His innocent face kept changing expressions, and his hands were on his chest.
His appearance made Ji Yunshu want to laugh. âWho scared you? If you didnât feel as guilty as a thief, how can you be scared?â
But Wei Yi shook his head in panic and hastily denied it. âIâm not. Iâm not. I am not a thief. I really am not a thief. My teacher said that I canât steal things from other people. Itâs no good. Mama also said that we must act with honesty and sincerity. Othersâ things are their things. My things are my things. A-and⦠My dad also saidâ¦â
âStop!â Ji Yunshu raised her hand to interrupt him.
If she let him continue, perhaps he wonât even finish before the sun rose.
âLet me ask you. Why are you not at home on such a cold day and instead here?â Ji Yunshu wore a stern expression.
Wei Yi withdrew his gaze, pursed his lips, and twisted his hands as his head ducked.
If Ji Yunshu didnât guess incorrectly⦠this little fool was acting shy! This only further fanned the flames of her curiosity. She came close to him and inquired in a teasing tone, âWei Yi, tell me the truth. Youâre not here for no reason, right? And youâre acting so sneaky.â
âIâ¦â
âTell me. I promise I will not tell anyone.â
After a long while, Wei Yi finally spilled the beans. âIâm waiting for Big Sister.â
âBig Sister? Young man, youâre the only son in your family. You donât have a big sister. At best, you can have your mom give you a little sister or a little brother. Wait! Can it beâ¦â
âWei Yi, your father has another wife? So, are you waiting for your half-sister?â
âHe doesnât.â Wei Yi raised his head and looked at Ji Yunshu. Suddenly, he frowned and exclaimed, âBig Brother, you really look like Big Sister!â
âAh!â Immediately, Ji Yunshu understood everything.
âFoolish guy, you were waiting for me?â
Not waiting for Ji Yunshu to come back to her senses, Wei Yi took out a small box from his sleeve and looked at her with eyes full of hope. âBig Brother, do you know Big Sister? I came to give back the handkerchief she put in my hand last time. Look! it was dirty, but I washed it.â When he was done talking, he opened the little box, revealing a white handkerchief neatly folded with several flower petals sprinkled on it.
âHow lovely! Hey, smelly guy, where did you learn this kind of flirting technique?!â
The corner of Ji Yunshuâs mouth stretched unnaturally. Her hand rigidly stretched toward the box and slowly closed it. Her hand stayed on the cover.
âWei Yi, this handkerchief⦠your big sister doesnât want it. She also doesnât like the flowers. Sheâs allergic to pollen.â Ji Yunshu wrinkled her nose as she lied confidently.
âBut itâs Big Sisterâs handkerchief. I have to give it back to her. Ami said that girls like flowers.â Wei Yi appeared aggrieved.
âWho is Ami?â
âItâs the small dog I raised,â replied Wei Yi innocently.
Pfft!
Ji Yunshu held her stomach and spat out imaginary blood.
âIâm dyingâ¦â She couldnât understand this foolâs thought process. No matter how much brain capacity she had, it might not be enough to understand him.
âForget it. Stay here then.â
She waved at him, turned around, and walked away.
She barely took a step or two before she stopped and looked back. Her eyes met with Wei Yiâs apparently dejected expression. He still held onto some hope, touching peopleâs soft spot.
At this moment, snow started to fall again. These snowflakes were denser compared to earlier. As they swirled down from the sky and fell onto his body, the world turned into a silent haze. Unexpectedly, this was a sore sight for oneâs heartstrings, evoking a little pity for him.
Like the snowflakes on his shoulders, her heart melted along with it.
Through the curtain of falling snow, Ji Yunshu shouted at Wei Yi, âCome with me. Iâll go find Big Sister for you.â
When he heard it, Wei Yiâs face slowly blossomed like a flower. He hurriedly followed behind Ji Yunshu.
She lead him into a warm room inside West Side courtyard.
It was the first time sheâd brought a man into her house. Fortunately, Wei Yi was different from other people!
Wei Yi stood in the middle of the reception hall. Then, he turned around several times, observing the decorations inside the room, feeling like everything was quite novel.
âBig Brother! Your house is really nice, and it smells good!â
âHurry and sit down. Acting like this when going to other peopleâs houses is very impolite.â
âOh!.â He shut his mouth and obediently sat down. His eyes no longer looked around in excitement.
Right at that moment, Luanâer came in with a bucket of coal. When she saw a man sitting in the reception hall, she was extremely scared, but then she saw her young miss beside him, so she didnât scream.
In small strides, she scampered next to her miss and whispered, âMiss, who is he?â
âWei Yi.â
âThe Wei familyâs idiot?â Luanâer gaped.
Ji Yunshu flicked Luanâerâs forehead. âDonât be rude. Look after him properly. Iâm going to go change my clothes.â
Luanâer rubbed her painful forehead while nodding obediently.
Ji Yunshu put her sandalwood box on the table and left to change her clothes. It only took her a moment. Sheâd gotten quite used to switching between clothes of the other gender.
When she came out, Wei Yi downed a hot cup of tea like he was drinking water.
âWonât his mouth burn? Maybe he was freezing from standing outside.â
Just then, Wei Yi noticed Ji Yunshuâs arrival. He put down the cup of tea, and stood up in one motion, an extremely radiant smile on his face.
âBig Sister, you came?!â He exclaimed.
âHmmm⦠I came.â
âIn fact, I was always here!â
Wei Yi looked behind her and scratched his head. âWhereâs Big Brother?â
Ji Yunshu sat down next to him and poured herself a cup of tea while carelessly replying to him. âYour big brother left.â
âOh!â Wei Yi obediently sat down. Then, he openly stared at Ji Yunshu while his body coiled back. He took the initiative to speak. âBig Sister, do you know why I came here?â
âI know. You came to deliver the handkerchief.â
After she spoke, Wei Yi was amazed. He still hadnât said anything, so how did big sister know?
âFoolish child, your big brother told her!â