Chapter 2: Cute and kind little sister is not bad even if she is a half-sister.
The sunlight entered the room through the holes from the rooftop. The light shone directly into the room making the girl sitting by the bed looked angelic. Slender, willow like eyebrows, gentle and moving. A pair of phoenix eyes as clear and brilliant as colored glass. Her lips were the color of cinnabar, complementing her smooth, white skin, making people sigh deeply reminded of a peerless talent and unmatched beauty.
The only thing that lack to complement her beauty is her small frame and thin skin resulting from malnutrition and severe cold.
After taking another look, Han Xia Yu took off the jade by her neck and gave it to Luo Qing Qing the Luo’s Fourth Miss. The girl has small frame and small face makes her look younger by three years than her real age.
The white jade has mild scent of mandarin orange and can exert warm qi to expel the winter cold. It was the jade that Luo Xia Yu got from the emperor when she entertained the royal family with her sword dance skill. Luo Qing Qing never saw the jade before but she knew that it was something precious so she didn’t dare to take it away from Han Xia Yu.
Luo Qing Qing knew that Second Miss is different from the other misses the moment this older sister looked straight into her eyes. She has an ugly birthmark by her neck and other sisters kept abusing her for this reason yet Han Xia Yu had a pair of gentle eyes when she was looking at her.
Han Xia Yu scolded her and the girl went stiff.
Pan Ai was too shocked that her expression as if seeing ghost when she saw that Second Miss is wearing the jade personally to the Fourth Miss neck. It was even shocker when she heard everything that her miss said afterward.
As Han Xia Yu held Luo Qing Qing’s hand, she said in remorseful tone, “Qing Qing ah, this sister is not as good as you thought. I stole your things and even your mother’s diary. However, you really should be thankful that it was me who steal it because I was only jealous that you have better item than me. Everything is fine now, I never sell any of those items and I am not the Luo Second Miss anymore so I will return everything to you when you get better in health.
Therefore, you really should get better and take them from me. I have never take a careful look at you before and found you really cute today. Other sisters are not as cute as you.”
Luo Qing Qing doesn’t know how to react. When she heard that the gentle sister actually stole her items, she felt sad and even sadder when she realized that the diary she has been searching for also got taken from this sister. Yet, when she heard that the gentle sister explained why she stole them and those items are still with her, also told her to take it back when she got better in health… She felt warm in her heart.
Tears even formed out of her eyes when she heard the word she never thought she would have heard. Someone of her family actually said that she is cute even saying that other beautiful sisters are not as cute as her.
She held back from crying until Han Xia Yu left her courtyard. Her hand gripped the jade that hanging by her neck as she wept in Cai Suyi’s bosom and told her everything that she has been holding back in the past years.
Her father said that her mother ran into the dark forest because she was caught stealing the first madam precious Qinggu Pill and died from being eaten by the beast. That’s why her father thrown her of the main courtyard to the desolated Leaf Courtyard. She was only four at that time when her father throw her out and there are only Old Lu Luo, her mother’s old mama and her granddaughter, Cai Siyu to take care of her.
Cai Siyu is only older by eight years than her so she also has no real ability to protect her miss.
After being thrown, every misses of Luo family and even her cousin would bully her until she couldn’t get out of her bed. Every servant from the main courtyard took the opportunity to steal her money and cut of her meal, making her suffer from malnutrition.
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She could only depend on Old Lu Luo to find money for her meal and live expense but the old mama could only sell herb from foraging the mountain behind their house early in the morning until late evening before she sell it to the medicine shop.
The money was not enough to feed the three mouths even more to buy thick clothes for winter.
When Old Lu Luo returned from foraging, she found out from Cai Siyu that the Second Miss came to visit and retell everything to her. She has long known that the miss stole the Fourth Miss items and decided to write a letter to the Fourth Miss before her age invite the death however, it seemed that it is no longer needed. She just have to focus on getting the Fourth Miss healthier and the Second Miss will return them if it was as she said she would.
What surprised her even more is to find that the Tangerine White Jade is on the Fourth Miss’s neck. When did the Second Miss become so generous? Even the first madam was scolded by the Second Miss for accidentally touching the jade. She told the Fourth Miss to hide the jade when she go out of the courtyard to avoid losing it and give it to the other misses. The Fourth Miss complied and treasured the jade more than her own life.
Old Lu Luo is a widow with only Cai Siyu as her only grandchild. Her son and daughter died from weird disease and left the two behind. She thinks of her mistress’s child as her own family, therefore she took care of her grandchild and Luo Qing Qing together with her limited time to spend. She was actually the reason why her mistress took the first madam pill because her son and daughter can only be saved by that pill.
In the whole kingdom, there are only two persons who have the pill, the empress and the first madam. She felt guilty for being the reason for the Fourth Miss to lose her mother at young age so she wanted to repay the guilt by taking care of the miss until her bone rots away.
In the Second Miss house, Pan Ai was lowering her head as she stood beside Han Xia Yu. Han Xia Yu was combing hair before she walked to the bed to rest.
Pan Ai thought that her miss might have been possessed by some weird spirit. If not, why would her miss suddenly be kind to the Fourth Miss? It doesn’t even make any sense.
If the miss was kind to the other misses, it was more understandable as they have talent and support from their maternal family. Fourth Miss has nothing!
“Pan Ai.”
Second Miss called her name out of a sudden that she jolted in surprise.
Han Xia Yu has been observing her from the moment they got out of the Leaf Courtyard. She knew that the little maid doubts her master. She doesn’t mind it and decided to tell the girl.
“I know that you know that I am not the real Luo Xia Yu~ I killed her so that I could enter her body. I am Han Xia Yu. You could say that I am akin to a demon but don’t compare me with those lowly being.”
Pan Ai was shocked and terrified. She quickly kneeled down to ask for mercy.
“Mercy? I’m not a saint. I am truly attracted to beauty only and Luo Qing Qing has good heart. She deserved my mercy however you…”Han Xia Yu chuckled.
The little maid shivered in fear and felt like she is meeting the real demon lord. Han Xia Yu’s laugh doesn’t make her feel better. It made her feel worse.
“From now on, do not question me. Do not tell anyone about me either or you might not know how you died and got replaced by my minion.” Han Xia Yu eyes met with Pan Ai and scared the girl until she turned ghastly paled.
The eyes are as dark as the night and felt bottomless. Pan Ai doesn’t dare to look anymore and was convinced that there is no human that could make her feel like Han Xia Yu did. She was convinced that the girl is superior being of demon.
Han Xia Yu ordered the maid to find a physician for the Fourth Miss and work discreetly so that no one find out that it was her who ordered the physician for the Fourth Miss. Afterward, she also sent people to buy winter clothes with three different sizes and style before she told Pan Ai to send those to the Leaf Courtyard.
She also secretly put a pouch of silver and gold coins between the clothes with a letter saying that the money is for the food and medicine.
Luo Qing Qing was very thankful to her and cried every time she got something from the gentle sister. When Pan Ai got words from Luo Qing Qing saying that her master is kind and gentle, beauty and such, the little maid shivered in fear and almost complains toward the Fourth Miss saying that her master is even scarier than the emperor.
The little maid returned to the Second Miss house and retells everything that the Fourth Miss said. Han Xia Yu laughed happily but to the maid ears, she only hears demoness laughter.
Since Han Xia Yu can’t show her relationship with the fourth miss, she always have to turn a blind eyes whenever the other misses bully the little girl but if it turned for the worst like the misses want to take something that Han Xia Yu gave to the lass, Han Xia Yu will always meddle in between and got scolded by the patriarch afterward.
From then and on, Han Xia Yu continued to take care of the leaf courtyard food and clothes matter also frequently visit the Leaf Courtyard until a year later, she suddenly got an order from the Luo Head Patriarch, Luo Zheng.