The air was thick with the bitter scent of medicinal herbs and an unshakable damp chill.
Floating Cloud carried a chipped coarse porcelain bowl filled with dark brown medicine. Wisps of steam rose faintly from its surface.
She carefully placed it on the battered wooden table in front of Qin Shu, unable to hide the worry in her eyes.
Wrapped in a faded gray-blue padded jacket stained with old grease at the cuffs, Qin Shu curled up in her chair. Her fingertips unconsciously traced the rough pages of Supplement to Materia Medica while her gaze rested on a dead pomegranate tree outside the window.
Every word Nanny Zhang had tearfully spoken the previous day had become icy wedges driven deep into her mind, completely nailing the last remnants of her hope for family affection to a pillar of humiliation.
Clang!
The rusted iron lock on the courtyard gate was violently thrown open, slamming against the cold stone wall.
Unlike Nanny Zhang’s slow, heavy footsteps, these footsteps were brisk and flamboyant, deliberately noisy as they shattered the deathly silence of the Side Courtyard.
“Oh? Elder Sister’s courtyard is truly… peaceful. No wonder the Governor said you preferred quiet and disliked excitement!”
A sweet, cloying female voice, drawn out with affected charm, drifted in first, accompanied by an overpowering cloud of perfume.
Qin Yan.
She wore a brand-new crimson brocade qipao embroidered with gold thread. Snow-white fox fur trimmed the collar and sleeves, making her carefully painted face appear even more dazzling.
Her hair was arranged in an elaborate bun, adorned with a red-gold phoenix hairpin decorated with kingfisher feathers. A pair of flawless jade earrings swayed gently with every exaggerated movement of her waist.
The freshly painted scarlet polish on her fingernails stood out glaringly against the gloomy courtyard.
Behind her followed two maids. One carried a brass hand warmer, while the other held an extravagant Purple Sable Cloak. The second maid was none other than Cui Xi, who had previously delivered the so-called congratulatory gift.
Qin Shu slowly withdrew her gaze from the dead branches and looked up.
Her face remained expressionless, like a jade statue covered in dust. Only within her deep brown eyes did a faint, hidden flame silently flicker.
She neither stood nor spoke.
Twisting her slender waist, Qin Yan gracefully entered the shabby room. She waved a handkerchief before her nose with obvious disgust, as though trying to drive away something filthy.
Her critical gaze swept across the peeling walls, the creaking broken furniture, the pile of firewood in the corner, and finally landed on Qin Shu’s worn padded jacket.
Her lips curled into unconcealed mockery.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” She shook her head. Her voice was syrupy sweet, but her eyes were icy. “Elder Sister, what you’re wearing… Sigh, I suppose it can’t be helped. This place is damp and freezing. Even fine clothing would be ruined here.”
She extended her hand, adorned with a large jade ring, pretending to touch Qin Shu’s sleeve.
“It pains me just to see it. Why haven’t you touched the things I sent yesterday? Were they not to your taste? Last night, the Governor even asked about you specially. He said your health was poor and that you should nourish yourself properly…”
Her fingertips, scented heavily with rose balm, were just about to brush Qin Shu’s sleeve.
Almost imperceptibly, Qin Shu shifted aside, avoiding the touch.
The movement was slight, yet it carried a coldness that kept others at arm’s length.
Qin Yan’s hand froze in midair, and the false smile on her face immediately cooled.
She withdrew her hand and casually smoothed her sleek hair before lifting her chin.
“Well, you did grow up on a country estate. You’re probably not used to such delicate food. Unlike me—the Governor always says I’m picky. Yesterday, those Crystal Shrimp Dumplings… he only ate one before pushing the rest toward me, saying, ‘Yan’er likes them, so they’re all yours.'”
She deliberately drew out every word, each one like a honey-coated poisoned needle.
“And that Purple Sable Cloak—have you seen it? The Governor had just acquired the fur from Fengtian and immediately had it tailored for me! He said this color suited me… Ah, it’s so cold in here! Cui Xi!”
Cui Xi promptly unfolded the luxurious Purple Sable Cloak and respectfully draped it over Qin Yan’s shoulders.
The glossy black-purple fur made Qin Yan appear even more beautiful while making the shabby room seem all the more pitiful.
Wrapping the cloak tightly around herself, Qin Yan let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, pretending she had truly been freezing. Yet her eyes remained fixed provocatively on Qin Shu.
Floating Cloud’s hands trembled slightly as she held the medicine bowl, causing the liquid inside to ripple.
She bit her lower lip so hard that she nearly drew blood, barely restraining herself from throwing the scalding medicine into Qin Yan’s smug face.
Qin Yan’s gaze fell upon the medicine bowl in Floating Cloud’s hands, as though she had discovered something amusing. Swaying her hips, she stepped closer and leaned over for a look.
“Oh? Elder Sister is taking medicine? What kind? It smells terribly bitter.”
She extended a finger tipped with scarlet nail polish, pretending to touch the rim of the bowl.
“Let your younger sister take a look. What if those quack doctors prescribed the wrong medicine and delayed your recovery…”
“There’s no need.”
Qin Shu finally spoke.
Her voice was dry and hoarse, utterly devoid of emotion.
Qin Yan’s hand froze once more.
Qin Shu’s indifferent, impenetrable attitude only caused the malicious fire inside Qin Yan to burn even hotter.
All the boasting she had painstakingly prepared felt like punching a pile of cotton.
Why could this wretch still maintain such an aloof posture?
The venom in her eyes nearly overflowed.
Yet the smile on Qin Yan’s face only became sweeter.
“Why be so polite with your younger sister? We’re family…”
Before she finished speaking, the elbow resting casually against the edge of the table gave an almost careless shove.
“Ah!”
Floating Cloud let out a short cry.
The coarse porcelain bowl filled with boiling medicine was struck violently by Qin Yan’s elbow and instantly overturned from Floating Cloud’s hands.
Most of the dark brown medicine splashed directly onto the back of Qin Shu’s right hand resting on the table.
Sizzle—
The boiling liquid met her skin, instantly sending up a faint cloud of scorching white steam.
Qin Shu’s body shuddered violently.
Agonizing pain shot through the back of her hand as the skin reddened before the naked eye.
She jerked her hand back, clutching her burned wrist tightly. Her knuckles turned white from the force, her lips pressed into a pale, straight line, and beads of cold sweat immediately appeared on her forehead.
Yet she did not utter a single cry of pain.
She merely raised her eyes.
For the first time, those deep, lake-like eyes stabbed directly toward Qin Yan.
“Madam!”
Terrified, Floating Cloud rushed forward to examine Qin Shu’s hand.
“You little bitch! Are you blind?”
Qin Yan beat her to it.
Her brows shot upward as she fiercely berated Floating Cloud.
“You clumsy fool! You can’t even carry a bowl properly! What if you had seriously burned your mistress?”
She scolded her with complete confidence, as though that deliberate shove had never happened.
At that moment, every ounce of Floating Cloud’s anger and grievance exploded.
She suddenly lifted her head, her reddened eyes glaring fiercely at Qin Yan like a cornered wild animal.
“It was you! You knocked it over on purpose! You—”
Smack!
A loud slap landed viciously across Floating Cloud’s face.
The force sent her head snapping to one side.
Five vivid finger marks immediately appeared on her cheek, while a thin line of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.
Her ears rang violently, and stars burst before her eyes.
Qin Yan withdrew her hand and flicked her wrist as though she had touched something filthy. Her face was filled with unconcealed disgust and satisfaction.
“How dare you! You’re nothing but a lowly maid, yet you dare talk back to your mistress? I think you’re tired of living!”
She turned toward Qin Shu, instantly putting on another fake smile, though her voice was colder than ice.
“Elder Sister, don’t blame me for saying this, but this maid of yours has absolutely no manners. She’s wild by nature. Keeping her by your side will only bring trouble. Why don’t I discipline her properly for you?”
Cui Xi immediately stepped forward, rolling up her sleeves with a vicious look as she stared at Floating Cloud.
Qin Shu’s fingers tightened around her burned wrist until her knuckles cracked.
The searing pain on the back of her hand burned through her nerves.
The finger marks on Floating Cloud’s face and the blood at the corner of her mouth were like red-hot branding irons pressed against Qin Shu’s heart.
She stared at Qin Yan’s smug, malicious face.
She stared at Cui Xi’s eager hands.
The hatred surging inside her chest nearly burst through her throat.
Slowly, she released her injured wrist.
The back of her hand, now bright red and already covered with tiny blisters, was exposed to the freezing air.
Qin Shu lifted her eyes.
Her gaze passed over Qin Yan and settled on the broken courtyard gate.
At some point, the old steward, Uncle Li, had quietly appeared there.
He stood with his back hunched and his eyes lowered, silent as a weathered stone statue.
He had clearly witnessed everything that had just happened.
Qin Shu’s gaze rested briefly on Uncle Li’s rigid face before withdrawing.
She looked neither at Qin Yan nor at Floating Cloud.
Instead, she slowly bent down and reached out with her uninjured left hand.
With pale fingers, she began picking up the shattered pieces of the coarse porcelain bowl one fragment at a time.
The sharp edges easily sliced through her fingertips, drawing tiny beads of blood that mixed with the dark brown stains of the spilled medicine.
It was as though she felt no pain at all.
She simply continued gathering the broken pieces.