After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Yun Sui finally stood up and walked toward the sound.
When she reached the woman, she reached out and tugged lightly at her sleeve.
Cook Chen looked down, and there she was the little girl she had been searching for quite a while.
“You nearly scared the life out of me! Where on earth did you run off to?”
Jiang Yun Sui pressed her small lips tightly, her whole expression clearly showing her refusal.
“Black… smells bad… don’t want it.”
Cook Chen couldn’t help feeling both amused and helpless. So this was why she had run away just to avoid taking her medicine, and in such a funny, scrambling way at that.
The little one had hidden herself well, too; it had taken ages to find her.
“That’s medicine. It tastes bitter, yes, but drinking it is what will make you well again.”
Even after hearing this, Jiang Yun Sui still looked utterly resistant, her small face scrunched up in a firm refusal.
No matter what, she would not drink it.
“Very well then. But if later you feel unwell or in pain, you must take it, alright?”
Jiang Yun Sui tilted her head, not quite understanding what “feeling unwell” meant, but she didn’t ask.
She reached up and touched her neck. Earlier, this spot had throbbed so badly and made her feel so terrible.
Was that what being sick felt like?
But now it seemed to have healed completely.
Cook Chen led her back inside. “You know, you were rescued by our Young Master. I expect you have nowhere else to go, so unless he says otherwise, you can stay here from now on. I’ll take care of you.”
She stared at Jiang Yun Sui’s face, her expression softening with a touch of sadness. “Besides… I’ve no children of my own anymore.”
Jiang Yun Sui sensed a faint, bitter‑tinged feeling coming from the woman, a kind of heaviness she didn’t quite understand.
“All right then, time to sleep.”
Night had already fallen.
Sleep?
Jiang Yun Sui nodded earnestly, then turned and walked straight out of the room.
“Hey where are you going?”
Cook Chen hurried after her, only to find the little girl in the yard, bent over with her bottom stuck out, busily digging at the dirt with both hands.
“What on earth are you doing?”
Jiang Yun Sui looked up, her expression serious. “Sleeping.”
She glanced down at her hands human hands, so weak and fragile!
Even digging such a tiny hole was difficult and hurt her palms.
Frowning slightly, she went back to work.
“Why dig a hole to sleep in?”
Cook Chen was completely baffled. She watched in silence as the child dug a shallow hollow, then squatted down inside it, wrapped her arms around her knees, tilted her head back a little, and closed her eyes.
In a soft, sweet voice, she repeated: “Sleeping.”
Cook Chen: ……………
Who in the world sleeps like this?
“Goodness, you haven’t been so frightened that you’ve lost your wits, have you?”
It was obvious she wanted to dig a hole and bury herself.
Her heart went out to Jiang Yun Sui even more. Such a sweet‑looking, lovely little girl what rotten luck, to have gone through something so terrible at such a young age.
She lifted her up gently, wiped the dirt from her hands, and settled her onto the bed.
“This is how we sleep, you see. We don’t dig holes outside and bury ourselves that would be very bad luck, indeed.”
“Be a good girl now, and close your eyes.”
Jiang Yun Sui stared wide‑eyed at her for a few seconds, then lay back and obediently shut her eyes.
Cook Chen lay down beside her. “By the way, I still don’t know your name. What do they call you, little one?”
Inside the little spirit mushroom’s mind, a gentle voice echoed: “Our precious child is called Jiang Yun Sui Yun Sui, meaning ‘may you be safe and sound through every year.’”
In a soft, childish lilt, she said, “My name… is Jiang Yun Sui. The ‘sui’ means peace and safety all year round.”
She had never had a name before only existed as a little spirit mushroom that had gained awareness. Now, for the first time, she had a proper human name.
“Very good. Rest now, Yun Sui.”
Jiang Yun Sui thought: So this is how humans sleep.
The night passed quietly. Before dawn broke the next morning, most people in the estate were already up and about.
Cook Chen rose, dressed herself, and found that Jiang Yun Sui was awake as well.
“You don’t have to get up this early, Yun Sui. But since you are awake, let me tell you a few things.”
“This is the residence of our Young Master. I work here as the cook. If you stay on, you will most likely become a young maid in the household. We are all servants here, so we must always be careful and mindful of how we behave.”
“Yun Sui, remember this: apart from this small courtyard, try not to go anywhere else if you can help it. We don’t want you to accidentally offend or upset anyone. If you cross those high‑ranking people, our lives could be taken away just like that.”
Jiang Yun Sui sat on the bed hugging her knees, looking as if she were listening with great attention and behaving perfectly. But in truth… she hadn’t understood a single word.
All of Cook Chen’s words went in one ear and out the other, leaving nothing behind in her mind.
Her eyes remained as clear, innocent, and utterly clueless as ever.
Cook Chen didn’t have time to explain further she had to get to her duties.
“I’ll tell you more when I come back. Just remember: never do anything to offend anyone.”
Jiang Yun Sui didn’t understand, but that didn’t stop her from nodding seriously.
“What a good little girl. Stay here inside the room, and when I finish my work, I’ll bring you something tasty to eat.”
After Cook Chen left, Jiang Yun Sui stayed obediently inside, not even getting out of bed at first just sitting there hugging her knees, lost in thought.
But it wasn’t long before she felt thirsty.
So she slipped out of bed wearing only her thin undergarments, her hair loose and barefoot, and went in search of something to drink.
To a human mind, looking for water meant finding something like a teapot or jug.
But hers was still mostly the mind of a little spirit mushroom.
So instead, she went outside to look for dew.
She squatted down skillfully among some bushes, plucking leaves and sipping the dew from their surfaces.
She smacked her lips in satisfaction. Just then, a group of men in armor, radiating a fierce and imposing aura, marched past along the nearby path.
None of them noticed Jiang Yun Sui hiding there.
As they patrolled, they spoke in low voices, their expressions heavy and worried.
“Young Master Ji’s illness is getting worse. Those people are truly despicable!”
“Have none of the doctors we’ve called been able to help?”
“None. The poison in his system is far beyond what ordinary physicians can treat.”
“They just want him dead so they can seize control of the Ji family army openly and without opposition. Well, I for one will never stand for it!”
“We must find someone who can cure the poison as quickly as possible. Right now our Young Master’s body is failing, but his mind remains sharp and capable. As long as he is still here, those treacherous villains won’t dare lay a finger on his troops!”
Sharp and capable.
Jiang Yun Sui’s ears pricked up.
Could such a clever person help her resolve her karmic debt?
This Young Master Ji wasn’t he the one Cook Chen had said had saved her life?
Jiang Yun Sui scratched her head and decided she would ask Aunt Chen later if this Young Master was the most powerful human around.
Since she couldn’t figure out how to settle her own karmic debt, she would just ask the strongest person she knew to help her.
When Cook Chen finished her duties and returned carrying a bowl of rice, she was nearly to the small courtyard when Jiang Yun Sui called out from right behind her.
She jumped in fright, nearly dropping the bowl in her hands.
“Y‑you when did you get behind me?!”
“Goodness, why are you not properly dressed and have no shoes on?!”
“And your hair is all a mess too! Didn’t I tell you to stay inside the room? How did you end up running out here?”
Jiang Yun Sui replied, her voice sounding a little wronged, “I was thirsty.”
“But there is a water jug inside the room!”
“Water… jug?”
Seeing her blank, confused expression, Cook Chen slapped her forehead gently.
“Right, I forgot you’ve been so shaken up your mind’s all muddled.”
She sighed, then took Jiang Yun Sui’s hand and led her back inside.
“Where did you go to get water, then?”
Jiang Yun Sui pointed toward the door. “From the leaves.”
Cook Chen: ……………
This poor child so confused and yet so pitiful.
After cleaning up her little “mushroom” and getting her settled, Cook Chen taught her how to pour water properly.
“See this? This is a water jug. It holds clean water ready to drink. Next time you’re thirsty, just pour some from the jug into a cup like this.”
Jiang Yun Sui nodded, then curiously poked a finger into the stream of water being poured out.