The spring rain never seemed to end. Outdoors, it was raining cats and dogs.
However, the house was warm inside. The fire was crackling excitedly. Steam rose up from the medicinal herbs which were being boiled with a âglup, glupâ sound.
A young girl was seated in front of a copper mirror. The mirror reflected a thin and slightly pale face. The owner of the face looked sick and languid. Her lips were pressed together like a water chestnut and revealed a delicate but alienated look. The pair of black, watery eyes shaped like apricots looked just like a mountain stream shrouded with mist, which would reveal a magnificent gem when the mist dispersed. Her skin was as white as snow and her facial features were fair and elegant. She was an attractive young lady of sixteen.
Needless to say, she was aware of her own beauty. Different varieties of rouge, gouache, perfumes, and hair balms covered her little dressing table. The whole room reeked of the smell of cheap cosmetics. He Yan wrinkled her nose and couldnât help but sneeze.
The copper mirror was enveloped with the film of hoarfrost she had exhaled, making the reflection in the mirror a little vague. He Yan was absentminded for a moment as she reminisced the past. She recalled the time she had first removed her male disguise. She had sat in front of the mirror, just as she did now, gazing at her own reflection and feeling like she was looking at a complete stranger.
She knew that she had been drowned in the Xu Familyâs pond by the men He Wan Ru had brought, but when she opened her eyes later, she had become He Yan. Not He Yan, the real General Fei Hong and He Ru Feiâs little sister or He Yan, the wife of Xu Zhi Heng. This was He Yan, the daughter of the owner of a dilapidated hut. He Sui, the father of this bodyâs original owner, was a ninth-grade town gate officer without any duty.
Both had the same nameâHe Yan, but their statuses were totally different.
âYan Yan, why didnât you call me when you woke up?â A hoarse voice was heard as the portiere was lifted. A man walked in, bringing the cold wind in with him.
He Sui was a bearded, middle-aged man. He had dark skin and was square-jawed. He was large, like a bear, clumsy yet strong. His face revealed a fawning smile. When he was reassured that there was no one else in the room, he yelled: âWhere the hell is Qing Mei?â
âQing Mei went to pick herbs.â He Yan answered softly.
The burly man scratched his head and said: âOkay, then let daddy help you pour.â
The white porcelain medicine bowl was smaller than the manâs palm. The man obviously knew that, so he poured the decoction extra carefully. The room was suddenly filled with the medicineâs bitter scent. He Yan looked at the plum blossom pattern at the edge of the bowl, then set her gaze at the manâs face. This was He Yanâs father, the town gate officer, He Sui.
âDaddyâ. To He Yan, this was an unfamiliar word.
Her biological father was He Yuan Liang, the second lord of the He Family, but she called him âuncleâ because she had already replaced He Ru Fei at that time. In reality, her adoptive father was He Yuan Sheng, her real uncle.
He Yan was never close with her adoptive father in the first place. It became worseâit wasnât wrong to say that it even dropped to freezing point the moment she had said that she wanted to learn martial arts. Her adoptive father only started favoring her when she gained name and fame and got praised by the emperor himself. Her adoptive father never knew what she was thinking of and wasnât even interested in providing her with basic necessities like food and water. He Yan always thought that this was because he wasnât her actual father, but her real father wasnât really close to her, either. He Yan came to the conclusion that it was because âa daughter whoâs already been married off is like spilt waterâ. As time passed, the little affection that remained between them faded away, and he didnât bother to even take a look at her.
Her father figure was only a vague memory to her, compared to He Yanâs friends in the army.
He Sui had finished pouring the decoction into the bowl and carefully scooped away the residue floating on top. He blew it gently and brought it towards He Yanâs mouth to feed her.
He Yan took hold of the bowl and said: âIâll do it myself.â
The man withdrew his hand and said, clearly awkward: âAlright.â
As smoke curled up from the decoction, He Yan stared at it with hesitation. It reminded her of He Wan Ruâs words before she had died.
âThe decoction you had drunk that made you blind, was instructed to be sent to you by the elders of your family!â
The elders of the He family. Was it He Yuan Sheng? Or He Yuan Liang? Or someone else? Xu Zhi Heng definitely knew about it, and what about the others?
She recalled the day she was drowned and that cup of tea Xiao Die had given her. Who knew if this was done by someone who harbored evil intentions towards her?
Seeing He Yan holding the bowl without moving, He Sui thought that she wasnât drinking the medicine as it was too bitter. He coaxed her with a gentle smile: âDonât be afraid, Yan Yan. Itâs not bitter, after drinking it, you will recover at a faster rate.â
He Yan didnât wait for He Sui to finish his sentence, instead, she moved the bowl close to her mouth, and drank it all in one shot.
âWaitâŠâ He Yan placed the empty bowl on the table before He Sui finished his sentence.
âItâs hotâŠâ He could only continue his sentence after He Yan finished drinking.
âItâs not hot,â He Yan answered tartly.
He Sui didnât know what to say at that moment. He only moved his mouth and finally exhorted softly:
âRest well here, donât be naughty and refrain yourself from running around. Daddy will be heading off to the drill fields now.â Saying this, he took the empty bowl and left.
Only when He Yan was left alone in the room, did she feel relieved. At present, she was a female and more importantly, she was acting like one. She wasnât a spoiled young lady who had grown under the loving and protective wings of her family. Thus, this little chat had made her feel very uncomfortable.
The maid, Qing Mei, had not yet returned. He Sui didnât earn much every month. He was just a town gate officer and had no duties assigned to him. He didnât really have any power either and was barely able to make both ends meet with the salary he earned. The whole household was only supported by He Suiâs salary. A part of it became a maidâs earnings and the rest⊠it probably was in the form of He Yanâs table of cosmetics.
He Yan stood up, then walked to the door.
Her current body was soft and weak, like corneal ulcer and white jade. To her, this was something she was totally unfamiliar with. She couldnât protect herself with it. If there was anything useful in this body, it was this pair of clear and bright eyes which helped her to see daylight again.
Thud! He Yan heard something heavy fall. She turned her head and saw a young boy unloading a pile of firewood from his shoulder.
The young boy looked as if he was around the same age as He Yan. He wore azure blue waist clothing and a pair of pants of the same color. He tied his legs with white cloth as it was more convenient for him while working. His skin was slightly dark, and his facial features were a little like He Yanâs, obviously delicate. His chin was slightly narrow, giving him a look filled with patience and determination. He seemed stubborn and arrogant.
This was He Yanâs little brother and He Suiâs youngest child, He Yun Sheng.
He Yun Sheng had visited He Yan a few times when she was bedridden. He came to give her water and move the stove, but he never uttered a word to He Yan. The relationship between these two siblings did not seem to be good, but⊠He Yan looked at the crudely manufactured and unfitting piece of clothing He Yun Sheng was wearing, then looked at her own clothingâa pink based blue satin skirt⊠she vaguely understood the situation, but it awed her at the same time.
In her original He Family, women sacrificed themselves for men and these men meant the whole world to them. However, in her present He Family, things took a different turn. They treated their own son as if he was adopted and gave every valuable item to the girl child. What in the world was wrong with this family?
He Yan stood in front of He Yun Sheng and did not move an inch. He Yun Sheng carried the pile of firewood to the eaves, then started chopping.
This family was incredibly poor, thought He Yan. There was only a maid to look after the whole family, and the only son of the family was doing a manservantâs job.
The pile of wood was right in front of He Yan. He Yun Sheng chopped it for a while, then stopped and frowned: âPlease give way, you are blocking me.â
He didnât even want to call her âsisterâ.
He Yan stayed still, neither moving away nor ridiculing him harshly like the original owner of the body always did. He Yun Sheng couldnât help raising his head, meeting He Yanâs gaze.