A heavy snow fell over Shengdu on New Year’s Eve.
Drifting snowflakes landed on the red lanterns hanging from the eaves. In the alley, children dressed in new clothes laughed and played with red lanterns, the wind from their wake lifting the spring couplets pasted on the doorframes.
“Sister, it’s snowing outside. Aren’t you going home for the reunion dinner?”
Changle leaned against a long bench under the eaves of a medical clinic. Her pale, slender fingers caught two falling snowflakes. Beside her sat a bowl of medicine that had already gone cold.
She had caught a cold two days ago, but it hadn’t improved. Today, she had developed a high fever. Unable to endure it any longer, she had come to the clinic. Her head was still groggy, and she didn’t react to the little girl’s words.
“Sister, did you come to the clinic alone? Where is your family?” the little boy asked, tilting his head with innocent eyes.
Changle watched a snowflake melt instantly against her burning fingertip before withdrawing her hand to answer the boy.
“They’re all dead.”
The boy froze. His mother hurried forward to pick him up, apologizing repeatedly to Changle.
Changle smiled and didn’t take it to heart. She brushed her skirt and stood up, treading through the light snow on the stone steps to leave the clinic and board the carriage waiting at the entrance.
Lin Dong came out carrying a bag of medicine. Seeing the untouched bowl on the bench, she cried out and hurried after her.
“Miss, you’re so sick and have a high fever. Why haven’t you taken your medicine?” Lin Dong climbed into the carriage, telling the driver to go home before starting her nagging. “Don’t blame me for being talkative, but this is your own body. If you don’t care about it, you’re the one who suffers.”
Changle lifted the curtain to look at the street. On this bustling New Year’s Eve, everyone’s face was lit with joy, but none of it seemed to have anything to do with her.
Lin Dong continued nagging, from telling Changle to cherish her health to hoping she would relax. She rattled on more than an old woman. Changle dropped the curtain and closed her eyes to rest.
The carriage reached the house. The driver set the footstool and announced their arrival.
Lin Dong stepped out first and immediately saw another carriage parked at the entrance—a luxurious one adorned with gems, hanging lanterns from the Changan Marquisate.
Lin Dong looked up at Changle’s face with worry, her lips twitching as if wanting to speak but hesitating. Changle saw the luxurious carriage too but ignored it. She stepped down with Lin Dong’s help and walked straight toward the house without a sideways glance.
“Second Miss, the Madam has been waiting for you for a long time.”
Her path blocked, Changle finally looked up, her eyebrows arched mockingly. “If she likes waiting, that’s her business. What does it have to do with me? Did I ask her to wait?”
As the servant blocking the way stood there awkwardly, an impatient voice came from the luxury carriage. “Tomorrow is your sister’s Hairpin Ceremony. Don’t forget.”
“I’m not going.”
“Hua Chang Le!” The voice from the carriage grew angry.
“I’m not dead yet! If you want to summon my soul, wait for the seven days of mourning!”
Changle’s head was swimming and her body felt heavy; she was already simmering with suppressed anger. Since Qi Feirou had come to provoke her now, she would make sure no one had a good time.
Fearing the two would argue further, Lin Dong hurried to explain, “Madam, the Miss is ill.”
“Ill? Ill again?”
“Hua Chang Le, it’s the same trick every time. Can’t you come up with something new?”
“Every time your sister has something going on, you have all sorts of ailments. Is it fun making a scene?”
“Do you have to compete and fight with your sister for everything?”
“Look at yourself, then look at your sister. Why do you think I’m here waiting for you today? It’s only because your sister said she didn’t want you to be lonely. She wanted a family reunion and didn’t want the family to become a laughingstock.”
“Your sister is so sensible and considerate, but what about you?”
“Narrow-minded, habitually jealous, arrogant, and willful. You’ve been completely spoiled by your grandfather and grandmother. You’re nothing like your sister’s sweet and thoughtful nature…”
Rattle, rattle. It was always the same useless trash-talk intended to belittle her. Changle used to care when she heard it, but now she only found it annoying.
Changle had a splitting headache and didn’t want to hear another word of Qi Feirou’s nonsense. She grabbed the medicine bag from Lin Dong and hurled it at the carriage. “Get out!”
Qi Feirou frowned at the medicine bag on the ground. Was the girl really sick?
Impossible.
This girl had always been as strong as an ox, never getting sick once all year. Falling ill right at this moment—it had to be an act.
“Hua Chang Le, I’m warning you! You’re going back tomorrow whether you want to or not!”
“You are the Second Miss of the Marquisate. You must be present for your sister’s Hairpin Ceremony. You cannot let people gossip and disgrace the Marquisate!”
“Also, the Third Prince will be there tomorrow.”
“Your sister already told me about the little spat between you and the Third Prince.”
“It’s just some low-born wench; she’s no threat to your status.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll find a way for you to be alone with the Third Prince. Apologize and soften your stance. Since you grew up as childhood sweethearts, he will surely forgive you.”
“And you should have changed that foul temper long ago, or you’ll regret it. Do you think everyone will indulge you like your grandfather and grandmother did?”
“They spoiled you so much that they fostered this lawless and disrespectful personality.”
“Now it’s just great—they’re dead and don’t have to worry about a thing, leaving me to clean up this mess.”
Receiving no response from Changle, Qi Feirou raised her voice. “Hua Chang Le, did you hear what I said?”
Changle had heard it, of course.
She didn’t live at the Marquisate; she lived alone. All of Shengdu mocked her and gossiped about her, yet Qi Feirou, her own biological mother, never spared a thought for her dignity.
On New Year’s Eve, she hadn’t returned to the Marquisate, and the Marquisate hadn’t sent a single person to invite her back.
Yet for Hua Zhiyu’s Hairpin Ceremony, Qi Feirou feared Changle wouldn’t listen to a servant, so she braved the wind and snow to deliver the command personally.
And Qi Feirou seemed to have forgotten that she and Hua Zhiyu shared a birthday; tomorrow should also be Changle’s Hairpin Ceremony.
Truly worthy of being her mother.
Changle suddenly laughed. Since they wanted her back so badly, she would go.
Didn’t they want to provoke her into going mad so even more people would loathe her?
Then she would show them exactly how mad she could be!
Lin Dong picked up the medicine bag, supported Changle, and watched the carriage drive away. She looked at Changle’s face, feeling both heartache and indignation.
“The Miss is clearly the Madam’s biological daughter, while the Eldest Miss is just adopted. Yet now it’s as if the Miss is the one adopted and the Eldest Miss is the biological child.”
“Besides, the Eldest Miss was already several years old when she was brought in. They say she’s the same age as the Miss and coincidentally has the same birthday—who knows if that’s true?”
“If you ask me, the Eldest Miss has been fighting to steal favor since the day she entered the Marquisate. Now, the Madam doesn’t even remember the Miss’s birthday. She only remembers the Eldest Miss’s ceremony tomorrow and forgot that the Miss’s Hairpin Ceremony is tomorrow as well.”
“The favoritism is just too much.”
“Miss, don’t go tomorrow. Avoid the unhappiness.”
“I’m going! Why wouldn’t I go?”
Changle sneered. “Hua Zhiyu just wants to provoke me into going mad, doesn’t she? Then I’ll show them crazy.”