“Shut up, don’t talk nonsense.”
Yun Hong’s expression changed drastically, and he instinctively looked at the man beside him. “You…”
“He agreed!”
The man stopped Yun Hong and looked at Yun Xuesheng. “In that case, you can now treat General Yun with peace of mind.”
Yun Xuesheng felt that the two of them were acting a bit strangely, but she didn’t dwell on it. She nodded. “I still need to prepare some things. Once everything is ready tomorrow, I can begin the treatment.”
“If that’s the case, then I’ll await the young lady’s good news.”
The man’s expression was noticeably better now. Yun Xuesheng could sense the joy radiating from within him.
She found it somewhat puzzling—he was about to die himself, yet he was this happy because someone else’s legs could be cured.
What a strange person.
As if reading her thoughts, the man smiled. “My illness has been with me since birth. The physicians declared I wouldn’t live past fifteen. Every day I’ve lived since then has been a bonus.”
“But General Yun is different. He is the God of War of Great Wei. With him around, the borders of Great Wei will remain secure for thirty years.”
“Naturally, I am pleased.”
With that, the man looked at Yun Hong. “Those merits—General, you must not decline them again. Tomorrow I will…”
“There’s no rush for rewards. It won’t be too late after my legs have healed.”
The man glanced at Yun Xuesheng and gave a faint smile. “Very well.”
Yun Xuesheng didn’t notice the silent exchange between the two. She stared at the man’s face for a while, but the dim light made it hard to see clearly, so she stepped forward a couple of paces to get a better look.
Just then, the man turned his head, and his handsome features came into view. Yun Xuesheng froze for a moment, then blurted out, “You’re about to die, but I can…”
“Yun Xuesheng, show some respect!”
Yun Hong, who rarely changed his expression, unusually darkened his face. “Apologize at once.”
Yun Xuesheng also realized that she had indeed been a bit rude. She awkwardly bowed and said, “I spoke without thinking and offended Your Grace. I hope you will be magnanimous and forgive me.”
“The young lady merely spoke the truth.”
The man wasn’t angry. He cupped his hands toward Yun Hong. “It’s late. I won’t disturb the General’s rest any longer.”
“Farewell!”
The man’s figure disappeared into the night.
“Yun Xuesheng, you need to know your own place. Don’t take everything onto yourself.”
“If you lose your life because of it, don’t blame me for not warning you.”
Yun Hong looked at Yun Xuesheng with a stern expression.
Yun Xuesheng understood now—Yun Hong hadn’t been upset because she was rude, but because he was afraid she’d bring trouble upon herself. It seemed that man’s status was nothing short of noble and wealthy.
This thought circled in Yun Xuesheng’s mind once before she let it go.
After all, that man had nothing to do with her. Her top priority was to heal Yun Hong’s legs. Only when Yun Hong’s legs were better could he protect her.
“Understood, Father!”
“I’m not your father!”
Yun Hong tossed out the words irritably, then turned his wheelchair and headed toward the main room.
Yun Xuesheng watched Yun Hong, who now clearly had some life in him, and a hint of a smile rippled in her eyes.
She turned and entered the eastern side room, rolling up her sleeves to tidy the place.
The Yun family had only given Yun Hong this small courtyard. Now that she was Yun Hong’s daughter, naturally she would be wherever her father was.
Before long, Banxia and Wu Zi returned.
“Miss, this room hasn’t been lived in for a long time. Do we really have to stay here?”
Banxia looked at the dusty surroundings with heartache. “Why on earth did you insist on becoming Second Master’s daughter?”
“Even though Second Madam married the Master, you are still the legitimate daughter of the eldest branch of the Yun family. No one can surpass you. Even if the Master is angry, you could just say some soft words and coax him, and everything would be fine.”
“Why put yourself through this suffering!”
“Banxia, from now on, I am Second Uncle’s daughter. Don’t bring up such things again.”
She had tried that in her previous life—just as Banxia suggested, she had apologized to her father, tried to please him and her brothers.
But all she got in return was even more exploitation and disdain. In their eyes, her existence was a mistake—a mistake that brought them shame.
Since that was the case, why should she go out of her way to please them?
In the second branch, at least Yun Hong wouldn’t treat her like they did—like she wasn’t even human.
Chengen Bo Fu had squeezed Yun Hong dry for all these years, yet Yun Hong had never done anything to wrong the Bo Fu. In the end, he was crippled and cast aside like a worn-out shoe. And when she was about to be married off to ward off illness, he was the one who stepped forward to speak up for her.
A man like that—she believed he wouldn’t be someone who forgot kindness.
Right now, she only wanted to heal Yun Hong’s legs, then persuade him to establish his own household and live apart, far away from that family.
Outside the room, Yun Hong and his servant heard Yun Xuesheng’s resolute words from inside.
Wu Zi remarked with a sigh, “Second Master, you’ve really picked up a daughter for free.”
“Stop the nonsense. Go in and help them tidy up.”
Yun Hong turned his wheelchair and left. His elder brother was always good at sweet-talking people—who knew whether this girl had said those words just for him to hear?
Even his own daughter had cast him aside like a worn-out shoe. Would he believe someone else’s daughter?
If she healed his legs, he wouldn’t mind letting her report back to her father. As for anything else…
Forget it!
The next day, after waking up, Yun Xuesheng brought Banxia and returned to her original courtyard.
“Pull out all these weeds for me, and throw away all this pile of junk.”
Yun Xuesheng and her maid had just reached the courtyard gate when they heard a commotion inside, mixed with Yun Man’s scolding voice.
Yun Xuesheng’s expression changed. She shoved the courtyard door open, and when she saw the chaos before her, her heart tightened. “Everyone, stop!”
Inside the courtyard, her carefully cultivated medicinal herbs had been uprooted, some trampled beyond recognition, piled up in a heap to the side.
Yun Xuesheng ignored everything else, rushed over, and shoved aside the maid who was pulling weeds, carefully righting the flower seedlings that had been crushed under the maid.
“Banxia, separate those herbs one by one. Be careful not to break the roots.”
Yun Ting and her brothers all looked down on her for treating patients, saying it was disgraceful, and that fiddling with herbs was beneath them, so they never allowed her to go out and search for medicinal materials. If she wanted fresh herbs, she could only grow them herself in the courtyard.
These herbs had taken tremendous effort to keep alive, and some were rare varieties.
And now, Yun Man had destroyed them just like that!
Yun Xuesheng gritted her teeth, holding back her anger as she moved the herb in her hand by the roots. Just as she was about to set it aside, a foot stepped on the herb’s leaves.
“Yun Xuesheng, this is the main branch’s courtyard. Who allowed you to touch my things?”
Yun Xuesheng crouched on the ground, looking up, and saw Yun Man’s face wearing a smug smile.
Yun Man looked down at Yun Xuesheng from above, seeing the pain in the other’s expression, and felt immense satisfaction. She pressed down with her foot, grinding the herb into a mangled mess.
Then she shot Yun Xuesheng a provocative smile. “Father has already given this courtyard to me. Yun Xuesheng, I’m telling you now—get out!”
Watching the medicinal herb in her hand turn into a pile of mush, Yun Xuesheng’s eyes reddened.
Yun Man, Yun Man!
“Ah!”