She rubbed her eyes and looked around in a daze.
Only when she spotted Ji Yan’an did she come to her senses a little. She stood up, intending to help steady him, but her legs had gone numb from sitting too long. With a loud thump, she tumbled straight to the floor face-first once again.
The pain brought tears welling up in her eyes, and she lay there for quite a while before managing to push herself up.
Ji Yan’an stared at her, speechless.
“Clumsy fool.”
Jiang Yun Sui clambered back to her feet, covering her face as tears began to stream down her cheeks. Sniffle… my nose hurts so much…
“I’m not clumsy,” she protested through her sobs.
After all, she was the only little mushroom spirit who had cultivated her way to sentience on that entire great mountain. She wasn’t foolish at all she was very clever! Just… not quite as clever as humans, that was all.
Seeing her crying and insisting she wasn’t stupid made her look utterly pitiful.
Just then, Granny Zhou walked in. Seeing the scene before her, she hesitated, unsure what to say.
Ji Yan’an frowned slightly. “Granny Zhou, what is that look for? I assure you, I have not bullied her.”
Granny Zhou said gently, “Young Lord, Doctor Shen instructed that you should take the medicinal bath as soon as you wake.”
So you don’t believe me at all, do you? Ji Yan’an thought, glaring sharply at Jiang Yun Sui.
Jiang Yun Sui blinked back, confused. What did I do now?
“It is getting late. You may return to your quarters for now.”
Her eyes lit up instantly. “Can I really go?”
When he nodded in confirmation, her voice turned bright and cheerful as she called out, “Then I’ll come back tomorrow! Goodbye!”
With that, she hopped and skipped happily out of the room.
Ji Yan’an watched her overly delighted back, feeling inexplicably annoyed.
What? Is waiting on me really such a burden?
And was this little thing even fit to be a maid? While he was busy handling official matters, she would be sound asleep. She ate more than he did, and when told to pour tea, she would help herself to it first.
Thinking it over, he realized this girl had done nothing but frustrate him all day long.
With a flick of his sleeve, he turned to go to the bathhouse. Granny Zhou followed behind, puzzled. Why is the Young Lord annoyed again?
At heart, he was still young, she thought we older folks could never quite understand his moods.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yun Sui was already bouncing along toward the kitchens. While she had been asking her way around the residence earlier, she had already learned exactly where Cook Chen worked.
The kitchen where there was always good food to eat.
Just thinking about it made her steps lighter and faster.
When she reached the doorway, she peeked in cautiously, observing like the little mushroom spirit she was.
It sounded as though two people were arguing inside.
“Cook Chen, I’d advise you to know your place. You have no connections in this household. My nephew serves in the front courtyard, and he has influence. If you step down willingly now, you can still stay on as a helper here. But if you refuse, don’t blame me when you are thrown out on the street.”
Cook Chen retorted sharply, “Oh? So now you send Green Bamboo to threaten me, and then you drag your nephew’s name into it? Even if I am to leave, it will be only by the order of our masters above. Who do you think you are, demanding I give up my position just because you say so?”
“Very well, Cook Chen! We shall see how long you get to stay here!”
With that, the woman spat on the ground and stormed toward the door.
Furious, Jiang Yun Sui stuck out her small foot just as the woman stepped out.
“Ouch!”
The plump woman stumbled and fell heavily to the ground, crying out in pain.
Jiang Yun Sui quickly covered her mouth and crouched down, eyes already brimming with fresh tears.
My foot hurts so much she stepped right on it!
She dared not make a sound. If she was discovered, she would surely be beaten. This woman was so big and so fierce; a strike from her would hurt terribly.
Aunt Zhou scrambled awkwardly back to her feet. Not noticing Jiang Yun Sui at all, she assumed she had tripped over the threshold. She kicked the wooden strip angrily and continued on her way, grumbling all the while.
Only once she was far enough away did Jiang Yun Sui wrap her arms around her foot and let out small, quiet gasps of pain.
“Yun Sui? What are you doing hiding here?”
Cook Chen had stayed inside while they argued, not wanting to prolong the fight. Now she stepped out and heard the soft whimpers. When she looked closer, she found Jiang Yun Sui sitting there, her large eyes red and glistening with tears.
“Auntie… my foot hurts…”
Cook Chen bent down, lifted her gently into her arms, and carried her into the warmth of the kitchen.
“How did you do this? There’s such a big bruise here.”
Suddenly, she remembered the woman from the Zhou household who had just tripped, as well as this little one’s strange ability to go unnoticed when she wanted to.
“That incident just now with Aunt Zhou… it wasn’t you, was it?”
Jiang Yun Sui nodded softly. “She was being mean to you.”
Cook Chen felt a warm surge of affection rise in her chest.
“You little rascal…”
She knelt down and began gently massaging the child’s foot.
“You’re so tiny, and she’s such a big woman what if she’d stepped right down on you?”
Thankfully it had only been a stumble, but it still hurt badly enough. Especially now, as Cook Chen pressed and rubbed the sore spot, Jiang Yun Sui couldn’t help but let out soft, sniffly whimpers.
“Bear with it a little longer. We have to work the bruise out, otherwise it won’t heal properly.”
Jiang Yun Sui nodded obediently.
Once her foot was done, Cook Chen went to fetch something for her to eat.
“Would you like a roasted sweet potato?”
Jiang Yun Sui nodded so fast her head bobbed, and called out loudly, “Yes, please!”
Her eagerness made it seem as though she feared the food would vanish if she hesitated even a second.
Cook Chen smiled and pulled two charred-looking sweet potatoes from the glowing embers of the stove. She brushed off the ash, peeled back the thick skin, and revealed soft, steaming, golden flesh inside.
“Mmm… so good!”
“Right? This crop was first brought here by merchants from the Western Regions. When Lord Ji found it, he ordered that the people of our region in the far north try growing it. Turns out it thrives really well it grows even in dry, poor soil where other crops struggle, and it produces a plentiful harvest too.”
“Though you have to be careful not to eat too much at once. Overdoing it gives you a stomach ache, heartburn, and makes you pass gas constantly!”
“But the best part is, it keeps people from going hungry. That’s why we plant it every year here in the north, especially on land that isn’t good enough for wheat.”
Jiang Yun Sui listened quietly and attentively.
Of course she already knew all about this food. In her past life, there had been a military camp on the mountain where she lived. Back then, the little mushroom spirit would sneak out to watch the humans, and she had seen them growing all kinds of edible plants.
Sometimes, under the cover of night, she would creep over and take a little bit of whatever she liked. But she never took without leaving something in return she would always leave behind a handful of delicious wild mushrooms.
When they finished eating, Cook Chen wiped the crumbs from her mouth and crouched down again.
“Come on, Auntie will carry you back.”
Jiang Yun Sui murmured a soft “Mmm-hmm,” and climbed onto Cook Chen’s back, her small frame fitting neatly even though the woman’s shoulders were not particularly broad.
Along the way, Cook Chen asked her how she was getting on serving the Young Lord, and whether anyone was treating her badly.
“I do my work very well,” she replied without a trace of guilt.
“And no one bullies me.”
Though in truth, there were times when Ji Yan’an liked to tease or pick on her a little. But the little mushroom spirit could endure it.
By the time they returned to their quarters, night had fallen. Cook Chen borrowed some ointment for scrapes and bruises and rubbed it gently onto Jiang Yun Sui’s foot. The stinging sensation made her eyes well up again with tears.
The moment Cook Chen said she was done, Jiang Yun Sui hopped and skipped straight outside to bask in the moonlight.
The moon was particularly beautiful that night large, round, and shining brightly.
Jiang Yun Sui settled herself neatly on the stone steps, sat up straight, and tilted her small face upward toward the sky.
She was absorbing the essence of the moonlight.
Cook Chen could not see the silvery energy flowing into Jiang Yun Sui’s body, but she had grown used to the little girl slipping outside to “daydream” whenever the moon was out.
Now, she sat beside a lit oil lamp, stitching a new pair of shoes for the child.
“Time to come in and sleep, Yun Sui.”
“Coming!”
Jiang Yun Sui opened her eyes, and a faint flicker of green light vanished instantly.
The next morning, Jiang Yun Sui sat on a small wooden stool, gnawing on a cold steamed bun while letting Cook Chen brush and tie up her hair.
“All done. Stand up and let me have a look.”
Jiang Yun Sui rose and twirled around once for her.
“Perfect! Our Yun Sui looks so lovely.”
Pleased by the praise, Jiang Yun Sui’s eyes crinkled into bright, curved little crescents.
“Just wait a little longer until you’ve gained some more flesh on your cheeks then you’ll look even prettier.”
After all, what was more adorable than a plump, rosy-cheeked little child?