Сhарtеr 12: The Seсоnd Young Miss Fаlls into the Wаtеr (Rеvisеd)
Ning Неng turned аrоund аnd saw Хue Wаn, suppоrtеd by hеr maid, lооking рalе аnd as frаgilе аs еvеr.
“Whаt is it?” Ning Нeng аsked.
Хuе Wan took a fеw steрs clоsеr аnd sаid softly, “Wаn’er cаmе sреcifiсallу to find Sister, tо ароlоgize.”
“Оh?” Ning Heng askеd with intеrеst. “Lеt’s hеar it.”
“Todау, whеn Seсond Вrother sаid hе didn’t rесognize Sistеr, thаt was just a mоment of аngеr, dеfinitеly nоt his truе intention… Second Brothеr was оnlу distrеssеd thаt I was ill, sо he spokе without thinking.”
Нer vоicе was weak and delicate, as if she had suffered a great injustice but was still trying to think of others. “I hope Sister won’t let this cause a rift between you and Second Brother, damaging the harmony between siblings.”
Ning Heng looked at her and asked a question very seriously. “Aren’t you tired?”
Xue Wan was taken aback. “…What?”
“Speaking with this mask on every day, aren’t you tired?” Ning Heng was genuinely curious.
Acting one way in front of others and another behind their backs—wouldn’t that lead to a split personality over time?
“Eighteen years of flesh-and-blood affection, you’re more important in the eyes of the Marquis and his wife than I am. You don’t need to constantly pretend to be magnanimous and self-sacrificing. Are you afraid I’ll compete with you for something?”
She sighed lightly, her tone indifferent. “Don’t worry, I won’t compete with you for anything—neither the wealth of the Marquis’s household nor the affection of our parents.”
Those things were insignificant to her.
Her family wasn’t here, and she disdained affection tainted by calculation.
Xue Wan sneered inwardly. Not competing with her?
But why would she need to compete!
The moment Ning Heng returned, the balance in their grandmother’s heart had already tilted, and Eldest Brother had even made Second Brother stand in punishment for her sake!
Now, with a casual “I won’t compete,” as if bestowing a favor, Ning Heng had deeply wounded Xue Wan’s sensitive heart.
Everything she had once openly possessed now had to be maintained through calculation, performance, and even the pity of others. How pitiful.
Xue Wan’s fingertips dug deeply into her palms.
Having seen enough of the scenery, Ning Heng didn’t care how much Xue Wan had taken in and stood up to leave.
“Feed the fish slowly. I’m leaving.”
Watching Ning Heng’s retreating back, which showed no regard for her at all, Xue Wan’s lips slowly curled into a cold, eerie smile.
The next moment.
“Splash—” The sound of something heavy falling into the water suddenly rang out.
“Help! Something terrible has happened! The Second Young Miss has fallen into the water! Someone, come quickly!” Xue Wan’s maid, Chun Xuan, immediately screamed in panic, rushing off to call for help.
Ning Heng paused in her steps and turned back, only to see the maid’s flustered retreating figure and Xue Wan, thrashing violently in the lotus pond, gulping down water.
Couldn’t she feed the fish from the shore? Did she have to get this close?
Ning Heng frowned slightly.
What should she do… The water was so cold, and she didn’t want to go in either.
By the time that little maid returned, her mistress might already be stiff—but what did that have to do with her? Not taking advantage of her misfortune was already a sign of her good temper.
A doctor’s heart may be compassionate, but not everyone was worth saving.
Ning Heng adjusted her sleeves and walked toward the Li Tang Courtyard without looking back.
…
Meanwhile, Xue Xing’an had been standing with weights for an hour and a half, his legs so numb he couldn’t feel them, but he still wasn’t entirely convinced.
Mostly, he was angry that Eldest Brother’s stance wasn’t firm and that he was siding with an outsider!
Wan’er had been their sister for eighteen years. Wasn’t that genuine sibling affection stronger than that for a widow sister who had suddenly appeared?
Had Eldest Brother also been bewitched by her appearance?Before she could even rub her sore legs to ease the numbness, a servant rushed in with a panicked report—Xue Wan had fallen into the water!
Xue Xing’an’s heart skipped a beat. Ignoring the numbness in his legs, he stumbled hurriedly toward the lotus pond.
A chaotic crowd of maids and older women had already gathered by the pond.
“Are you alright, Miss? Wuwuwu… you scared me to death…” Chun Xuan, Xue Wan’s personal maid, tearfully wrapped her in a thick blanket.
Though spring had arrived, the pond water remained bitingly cold.
Xue Wan, bundled in heavy clothing, shivered uncontrollably, her hair dripping wet and her lips purple from the cold. She looked utterly pitiful.
“What happened? How did she fall into the pond?!” Xue Xing’an pushed through the crowd and rushed to Xue Wan’s side.
Chun Xuan replied between sobs, “Second Young Master, Miss came earlier to apologize to the Eldest Miss. They talked for a while… and somehow, the Second Miss fell into the lotus pond…”
The maid wasn’t entirely lying—Xue Wan had indeed come to apologize, and she had truly fallen in.
—Though by the time she fell, Ning Heng had already left.
Yet in this tense situation, her vague explanation easily led the already anxious and biased Xue Xing’an to jump to conclusions.
For instance, did Ning Heng push her in?
Xue Xing’an had always been a bit slow-witted, taking things at face value, especially when it involved his beloved sister.
“How outrageous! Where is Ning Heng?!”
The maid timidly replied, “The Eldest Miss has already returned…”
To push someone and then run away—truly his “good sister”!
Furious, Xue Xing’an stormed straight toward Ning Heng’s courtyard, determined to seek justice for Xue Wan.
Supported by her maid, Xue Wan curled her pale lips into a faint smile.
…
Ning Heng had just returned to Li Tang Courtyard when A Chan stopped her at the entrance.
“Elder Sister, you can hide for a while, but not forever.”
Holding a bowl of dark, murky medicine, A Chan smiled brightly. “Hurry up and drink this miscarriage-prevention medicine. Don’t make me force it down your throat…”
Though she wasn’t sure whose child it was, since it was growing in her elder sister’s belly, it was now part of their family.
A Chan had long since chased away the maids sent by the Marquis’s household, taking full responsibility for Ning Heng’s care.
The first order of business was taking the medicine.
For as long as she could remember, getting her to drink medicine required the whole family’s effort—coercion, persuasion, and bribery—a task as difficult as climbing the treacherous roads of Shu.
Ning Heng looked at the bowl of strangely scented medicine and sighed softly. “This child is tough. Next time, just brew half a bowl.”
Drinking such a large bowl would ruin her appetite for dinner.
Though she complained, she still reached out and took the still-warm bowl, downing it in one go.
Her sudden compliance surprised A Chan. In the past, taking medicine would drag on for half a day, only for it to go cold and end up poured into an innocent potted plant.
Today was unusual.
Just as A Chan was about to ask more questions, noisy commotion erupted at the entrance. Looking up, she saw Xue Xing’an arriving with Xue Hongyuan, Liu Shi, and a crowd of servants in tow.
Ning Heng raised an eyebrow—the show was about to begin.
Xue Xing’an charged up to Ning Heng, his expression dark. “Was it you who pushed Wan’er into the water?! You knew she hadn’t fully recovered from her cold and was still weak. The pond water is so cold—were you trying to kill her?!”
A Chan stepped protectively in front of Ning Heng, her gaze icy. “Are you looking for death?”
Meeting A Chan’s eyes, Xue Xing’an shuddered in fear. How could a mere maid have such a murderous aura?But he soon stiffened his neck and retorted, “A mere maid, how dare you speak so boldly! Just you try!”
Xue Hongyuan also wore a stern expression as he questioned, “Ning Heng, why did you push your sister into the water? Why did you stand by and watch without saving her?”
Ning Heng remained calm and composed. “If I had pushed her, why would I save her?”
“And if I didn’t push her, and she jumped in herself, why should I stop her?”
These words left everyone stunned.