Сhарtеr 7: Вrother
Вrоthеr.
Рrеviously, the уоung lady hаd alwaуs аddrеssеd him рrоpеrlу аs “еldest brothеr” in his presencе, nеver using suсh аn intimаtе fоrm of аddrеss.
Вut now, due tо hеr fevеr and having just wokеn up still sоmewhat disoriеnted, shе had inаdvеrtently rеvealed hеr truе fееlings.
This single wоrd “brоthеr” suddеnly softеned Jiаng Yanchuаn’s originallу cold аnd rigid heart.
Fuling quicklу stерpеd fоrward: “Miss, yоu’re nоt drеaming. Thе eldest уoung mаstеr rеallу camе to seе уоu.”
Hearing this, the young lady оn thе bed seemed tо bеcome mоrе alert.
Her confused gaze gradually cleared, revealing a hint of fluster: “Eldest brother? How did you…”
“Since you had a fever, why didn’t you go find a doctor last night?”
Halfway through his sentence, Jiang Yanchuan remembered what Fuling had said earlier and pursed his thin lips, “Even if you didn’t want to disturb Father, you could have come to me.”
Jiang Chuji seemed taken aback for a moment and whispered, “I… I didn’t dare to disturb eldest brother either.”
Jiang Yanchuan was stunned.
Indeed, hadn’t he been just like Father before—annoyed by this younger sister and indifferent to her? How could she possibly turn to him in her time of helplessness?
Jiang Yanchuan felt inexplicably irritated and told Fuling to bring the fever-reducing medicine he had ordered to be brewed.
Then, considering that a young lady in such a frail and sickly state probably wouldn’t want outsiders to see her, he dismissed both Fuling and his own servant.
Unconsciously, he had already begun to distinguish himself from “outsiders.”
Holding the medicine bowl, Jiang Yanchuan looked at the young lady on the bed: “Can you sit up? Drink this medicine.”
“Mmm…” The young lady struggled to prop herself up.
Seeing this, Jiang Yanchuan reached out to support her: “…Never mind, I’ll feed you.”
Jiang Yanchuan took a deep breath and placed the medicine bowl on the nearby table. With one hand supporting Jiang Chuji, he used the other to scoop up the medicine with a spoon and brought it to the young lady’s pale lips.
The young lady was clearly overwhelmed by the unexpected kindness, her voice soft and filled with gratitude: “…Thank you, eldest brother.”
After finishing the bowl of fever-reducing medicine, Jiang Chuji broke into a cold sweat on her forehead.
Still, her complexion looked slightly better than before.
At that moment, Jiang Yanchuan noticed that his cloak from last night was draped over a nearby clothes rack.
It appeared to have been washed clean and dried.
He couldn’t help but pause: “This cloak…”
As if afraid of being criticized, the young lady explained, “I washed it for you last night and dried it by the fireplace…”
“That’s not what I meant,” Jiang Yanchuan couldn’t help but frown, “I’m asking, did you wash this cloak yourself?”
Although she hadn’t actually washed it at all—only having Fuling rinse it—the young lady still nodded with a somewhat bewildered expression.
Jiang Yanchuan’s frown deepened, his tone tinged with agitation: “Why are you so foolish? Such tasks should be left to the servants.”
“You were in the lake for so long last night and returned to your room so late. Why would you still wash clothes?”
A cloak this large would take even the laundry maids in the mansion a long time to clean. How much effort must it have taken for such a frail and slender young lady?
Already chilled from the cold, and then forcing herself to exhaust her energy on such a task—how could she not fall ill with a fever?
It was just a piece of clothing. How could it compare to a person’s health?
“Because…” Jiang Chuji gently bit her lip, “Because this was the first time eldest brother showed concern for me and lent me his cloak. I wanted to wash it clean myself and return it to you.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yanchuan couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
A wave of guilt washed over him.Because he had never cared for her before, and because this care was hard-won, that was why she treasured it so much.
After a long while, Jiang Yanchuan finally averted his gaze.
His voice was low and muffled: “After drinking the medicine, rest well. This medicine is highly effective for treating colds. You’ll feel better after a good sleep.”
With that, he stood up to leave.
But as soon as he turned around, he heard a faint, trembling call from behind—”Brother.”
That single word “brother,” carrying a barely perceptible hint of choked-back tears, made Jiang Yanchuan’s heart involuntarily tremble. He immediately turned back.
The girl on the bed had reddened her eyes again, though he didn’t know when.
Her already pale complexion now looked even more fragile. Her long, curved eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes were brimming with tears, like glistening pearls swirling in their sockets.
“Why are you suddenly crying? Are you still unwell?”
Jiang Yanchuan’s heart tightened involuntarily. Seeing the girl so fragile and helpless, he could no longer bring himself to move.
Jiang Chuji seemed to gather her courage, speaking with a touch of humble pleading: “Brother, could you stay a little longer? Keep Chuer company?”
Indeed, people become especially vulnerable when they are ill.
His sister, after all, was just over fifteen years old. Since childhood, she had hardly experienced any care from family. Now, with a fever, how could she not crave affection and companionship?
Seeing the girl like this, Jiang Yanchuan sighed and finally sat back down: “…Don’t cry. Then I’ll stay with you a little longer. I’ll leave after you fall asleep.”
Jiang Yanchuan helped the girl lie down and tucked the quilt snugly around her.
However, the next moment, he heard the girl speak as if she had resolved herself, her voice muffled: “…I know you dislike me, Brother. The people in the manor feel the same. But Brother, I really didn’t steal Grandmother’s jade bracelet.”
Jiang Yanchuan’s movements froze instantly: “What did you say?”
Jiang Chuji remained composed.
The original host, whenever she was falsely accused, would only be left speechless and silently shed tears.
If you say nothing, how can you expect others to read your mind and know your innocence as you do?
Previously in this Chancellor’s Manor, even a servant could boss the original host around. But now, she was here.
From now on, even if she did nothing, there would be people in this Chancellor’s Manor who loved her, protected her, doted on her, and obeyed her. Her grievances would be met with sympathy, and her wrongs would be actively cleared by others.
Jiang Chuji met the man’s eyes, her fan-like eyelashes trembling slightly: “Brother, when that incident happened, I had only been back at the Chancellor’s Manor for half a month.”
“I spent ten years in the temple. It was only with great difficulty that I could return to Father and Brother. In everything I said and did, I was extremely careful, afraid that Father might send me back to the temple. How could I possibly do something as bold and reckless as stealing Grandmother’s jade bracelet?”
“That afternoon, I did go to visit Grandmother. Later, when Grandmother discovered the jade bracelet missing from the table, a maid pointed out that I had looked suspicious when I left. Then, the bracelet was found in my bedroom.”
“I truly don’t know how this happened. But when I said I didn’t do it, no one was willing to believe me…”
As she spoke, glistening teardrops, like broken strings of pearls, slid down the girl’s pale cheeks, making anyone who saw them feel their heart ache.
Jiang Yanchuan’s expression shifted with shock: “Are you saying that someone deliberately framed you for this matter?”
Regarding the earlier incident, with both witnesses and material evidence, he hadn’t really thought deeply about it. But hearing the girl say this, these events did seem far too coincidental.”…I don’t know, brother.”
Jiang Chuji looked bewildered, tears welling in her eyes as she shook her head gently and rested her forehead against her brother.
Sometimes, saying less is better than saying more, and saying nothing is better than saying less.
Only by saying nothing at all could she appear fragile and innocent enough, making others read deeper into the situation.