The cold wind swept through the courtyard with remnants of snow, and the dry branches of the pomegranate tree cast mottled shadows in the chilly moonlight. Hearing footsteps, Han Shuyu turned around abruptly.
Wearing a somewhat thin padded cotton jacket, her cheeks and the tip of her nose were flushed red with cold. Her eyes carried a hint of apprehension as she stared fixedly at Han Shengyu, who was wrapped tightly in a fox-fur cloak.
The two stood a few paces apart, gazing at each other.
The cold wind howled, creating an awkward silence.
In the end, unable to withstand Han Shengyu’s gaze, Han Shuyu swallowed hard and spoke first to greet her, “Third Sister.”
Han Shengyu gave a slight nod, her tone calm and unruffled: “You are dressed so thinly. If you catch a cold and fall ill, are you planning to frame me again?”
Han Shuyu’s face flushed crimson instantly. Whatever composure, self-restraint, or willingness to yield she had kept in mind were all tossed to the back of her head. “I didn’t!” she snapped furiously.
“Your voice is full of vigor, so it seems you won’t fall ill anytime soon. Your little scheme won’t be… working out…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Suqin came running up breathlessly, carrying a cloak to drape over Han Shuyu, bundling her up securely from head to toe.
“Even if Young Lady was in a hurry to see Third Young Lady, you should have dressed more warmly. What if you caught a chill and fell ill?” Suqin panted, then turned to face Han Shengyu and curtsied. “Please do not take offense at my lack of manners, Third Young Lady. Our young lady only just found out that Eldest Young Lady and Third Young Lady are leaving for Jindu, so she rushed over in her anxiety without even bothering to put on her cloak.”
Han Shengyu stared at Han Shuyu. She and Han Huiyu were truly unlike daughters born from the same mother, possessing polar opposite personalities.
“If you want to mock me, go ahead and laugh,” Han Shuyu snapped angrily at Han Shengyu. With Suqin speaking out like that, where was she supposed to hide her face?
Did she not care about her dignity?
Yet, for the sake of Eldest Sister, dignity could be cast aside.
Feeling as though a heavy pot had been dumped onto her head out of nowhere, Han Shengyu said testily, “If I want to laugh, I will laugh. Do I need you to tell me? Right now, I just happen to not feel like laughing.”
Han Shuyu: …
“Father never sees this rogue side of yours.”
Han Shengyu was the most scheming of all—acting obedient and sweet in front of elders, her words dripping with honey, while behind their backs, her actions were blacker than the bottom of a pot.
“I am departing tomorrow and have a lot to attend to. If you keep uttering nonsense, I am heading back inside,” Han Shengyu made a move as if to leave.
In a moment of desperation, Han Shuyu grabbed her. “Don’t go! I have something to tell you.”
Seeing this, Suqin pulled Jixiang to step aside; it wouldn’t do for the maidservants to witness their young lady acting so humble before Third Young Lady.
Han Shengyu looked at her quietly, her face under the hood half-hidden in the shadows, making her expression impossible to discern.
Han Shuyu clenched her hands inside her sleeves, her fingernails nearly digging into her palm. She straightened her back, as if doing so could lend her a bit more presence: “I… I came for Eldest Sister’s sake.”
She paused, as if gathering courage, and looked at Han Shengyu with burning eyes: “Han Shengyu, I know I wasn’t good to you in the past. Pushing you down the mountain was my fault. I… I was young and foolish back then. All I knew was that Mother suffered grievances because of your auntie, and I couldn’t swallow my anger…”
Her voice quieted down, tinged with regret and embarrassment, but she quickly raised her head again, her tone growing urgent, almost carrying a desperate edge: “My mother said this trip to Jincheng is extremely dangerous. Consort Little Yang and the Second Prince… they even dared to treat Sister Tang like that… I beg you, for the sake of us all being daughters of the Han family, if… if at all possible, please help Eldest Sister a bit and let her return safely!”
By the time she reached the end, her voice was choked with tears, and the rims of her eyes turned red rapidly, yet she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.
Han Shengyu remained silent, the moonlight falling upon her translucent white face, her expression inscrutable.
Seeing her remain quiet and motionless, Han Shuyu steeled her heart, letting the words that had hovered in her mind countless times—words that filled even herself with shame and fear—burst forth: “If you are unwilling to do your best because of old grudges, or… or if you want something to happen to Eldest Sister in Jincheng… let me tell you, Han Shengyu, don’t forget you still have a younger brother living in this manor!”
She blurted out these words rapidly and sharply, filled with obvious bravado hiding her inner fear. She stared intently at Han Shengyu, trying to find a trace of fear or compromise on her face.
However, Han Shengyu merely raised an eyebrow and tsked softly, “These threatening words of yours don’t seem very convincing.”
She stepped forward twice, closing the distance between them. The eyes under her hood were bright and clear, as if capable of peering straight into a person’s heart.
Han Shuyu felt a surge of panic under her gaze, her forced, unyielding posture wavering slightly: “I… I am serious!”
“I know you are serious,” Han Shengyu nodded slightly. “Seriously worried about Eldest Sister, and seriously attempting to threaten me with the harshest words you could think of, hoping I might hold back out of caution and exert a bit more effort to protect her.”
Han Shuyu was stunned, then immediately covered her face. They were both born from the same father, so why was Han Shengyu blessed with a good brain!
“Rest assured, I have already promised Father that I will protect Eldest Sister. However, the prerequisite is that she must listen to me. If she doesn’t listen and an accident occurs, that will have nothing to do with me.”
Although Han Huiyu was calm and composed, whenever it involved Han Shuyu’s affairs, she became jumpy and overly defensive, erecting a firewall the moment she saw Han Shengyu and treating her like a virus to be eliminated.
Hearing this, Han Shuyu relaxed visibly to the naked eye. Han Shengyu had actually promised Father; had she known earlier, she shouldn’t have come.
It was truly embarrassing.
Han Shuyu’s expression changed repeatedly, her thoughts written plainly on her young face.
Han Shengyu found it utterly unamusing and turned around to walk back.
No matter what, the young girl named Han Shengyu from years ago was truly gone. Back then, Han Shuyu had fallen gravely ill, and because of that, Han Huiyu had harbored resentment toward her.
The three sisters were destined never to be without rift.
If she were to forgive lightly, how could she account to the deceased Han Shengyu? She had no right to grant forgiveness on her behalf.
However, there was no need to become mortal enemies either. After all, Auntie Qiao and Han Yanran still had to live in this manor, so maintaining a harmonious facade as sisters was just fine.
When Han Shengyu returned, Auntie Qiao was still waiting for her. Seeing her enter, she murmured, “Nothing good ever comes from Second Young Lady looking for you. Why did you meet her only to upset yourself?”
“It’s nothing. She came regarding Eldest Sister’s matter. I have already promised Father, so it’s merely doing him a favor. It’s no trouble.”
Han Shengyu comforted Auntie Qiao offhandedly. Sure enough, Auntie Qiao’s brow smoothed over. Pulling Han Shengyu down to sit, she quietly pulled out a stack of banknotes and stuffed them into her hand.
“Take these. In case what your father gave isn’t enough, these can still cover it.” Auntie Qiao’s eyes turned red as she spoke, “You are my precious darling. You must return safely.”
Han Shengyu didn’t stand on ceremony, casually slipping the banknotes into her sleeve pocket. Looking at Auntie Qiao, she said solemnly, “After I leave, do not let down your guard regarding my younger brother’s studies. Since he is studying at the academy, do not go looking for him without reason. My affairs can wait to be discussed after he returns home.”
Auntie Qiao nodded, “I know. You have always kept a tight watch over your younger brother. If he knew why you were going to Jindu, he probably wouldn’t even be able to focus on his studies.”
“There is one more thing Auntie must help me with,” Han Shengyu whispered a word in Auntie Qiao’s ear.
Upon hearing it, Auntie Qiao’s face instantly changed color.