Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 193 Sister

Xue Yunting brought in the food and set it on the table. He then sat down by the bed and said, "Get up and eat."

Duan Mingzhu remained lying inside, motionless.

Xue Yunting bent down to pull her up. Duan Mingzhu swung her hand back, slapping Xue Yunting across the face with a crisp sound.

Duan Mingzhu turned around and saw the clear finger marks on Xue Yunting's face. Xue Yunting touched his face, slowly straightened up, and stared straight at her, his expression one of restraint and indifference.

Duan Mingzhu reached out to pull Xue Yunting back, anxiously explaining, "I didn't mean to, I didn't know you... I really didn't mean to, you have to believe me..."

She hadn't expected Xue Yunting to lean down; all she wanted to do was brush his hand away.

Xue Yunting stood up, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally avoiding Duan Mingzhu, his voice somewhat subdued: "Get up and eat. I made a three-delicacy soup, and I tasted it; it's not bad."

Duan Mingzhu immediately got out of bed: "Okay."

Duan Mingzhu sat obediently at the table, where the four dishes and soup were all vegetarian. She couldn't eat meat or smell fish, and Xue Yunting was always considerate of her.

However, this thoughtfulness wasn't reserved for her alone. It was simply because he was Xue Yunting's eldest brother, and his innate sense of responsibility had instilled in him a deep-seated thoughtfulness and patience.

For example, right now, Xue Yunting is clearly very angry, yet he remains calm and hasn't lost control. On the contrary, she, who prides herself on being composed and calm, is actually panicking.

What's the panic? So what if we hit Xue Yunting? Are we afraid he'll do anything to us? How dare he? But why wouldn't he dare? Su Wuming came from Kunzhou, which means that the situation in Kunzhou is stable and completely under the control of Nan Yue.

The child was something she wanted, not something Xue Yunting wanted. He could choose not to have it; given her health condition, it was questionable whether the child could even be born healthy.

A crystal-clear thought popped into Duan Mingzhu's mind: she was no longer of any value to Xue Yunting.

Duan Mingzhu's hand trembled, and the chopsticks fell, hitting the edge of the table and landing on the ground.

Xue Yunting stood by the window looking out, not turning around even when he heard the sound: "What's wrong?"

Duan Mingzhu clutched her chest without speaking. Xue Yunting waited a while, then turned to look at Duan Mingzhu's empty hands, then at the ground, before turning and leaving.

Duan Mingzhu took deep breaths, her eyes slightly closed, constantly reminding herself: "Duan Mingzhu, don't overthink it. You're doing this for the child. The child is the most important thing, and so is yourself. Men are all unworthy... Duan Mingzhu, don't overthink it..."

Duan Mingzhu slowly opened her eyes and was about to bend down to pick up the chopsticks when she saw Xue Yunting come in from the doorway.

Xue Yunting handed the clean chopsticks to Duan Mingzhu: "Here you go."

So he went to get her chopsticks. Why didn't he say anything? Duan Mingzhu slowly took the chopsticks, her eyes calm and undisturbed.

Duan Mingzhu picked up a few grains of rice and put them in her mouth: "Yunting, will you eat with me?"

Xue Yunting said, "I've already eaten."

Duan Mingzhu said, "But it's no fun eating alone."

Xue Yunting turned and went out again. A moment later, he came back with a bowl and chopsticks, filled half a bowl with rice, and sat down opposite her.

Xue Yunting, whether full or lacking appetite, held his chopsticks without touching them, creating a truly oppressive atmosphere in the room.

Duan Mingzhu smiled and said, "Have you never been hit by anyone since you were a child? Not even by mistake?"

Xue Yunting remained silent.

Duan Mingzhu said, "Me too. I'll hit back if anyone hits me. You should be the same kind of person, so you can hit back."

Xue Yunting's lips moved but he didn't make a sound.

Duan Mingzhu said, "My sister said you told me about your ancestors for eighteen generations, and that's what I thought too. But today I realized I was overthinking it."

Duan Mingzhu put down her chopsticks, looked at Xue Yunting, and smiled, "I'm full."

Xue Yunting looked at the food in front of her, and after a while put down his chopsticks: "She was born posthumously. Her father died in the war, and her mother died in childbirth. My parents raised her, and I have always treated her like my own sister."

Duan Mingzhu said, "You've told me so much, but you've never mentioned this younger sister, or anything about her that I should avoid or avoid?"

Duan Mingzhu hated her confrontational nature, but she couldn't control herself; those words just slipped out naturally.

She took a liking to Xue Yunting because she thought he was better than all her brothers-in-law and wanted to find an excellent father for her child to prove everyone wrong. But now, she seems to have forgotten her original intention.

Xue Yunting patiently explained, "She entered the palace as a musician at the age of fourteen and rarely comes back. I hardly ever see her either. This time, she was ordered by the Empress to go to Suzhou to investigate the Lotus Chamber Dance, and that's when she happened to meet Wuming."

Since they've said they're so innocent, why won't they even say a word? What are they afraid of?

After a moment of silence, Xue Yunting added, "Qi Yang likes her quite a bit."

Duan Mingzhu nodded: "I understand. I'm sorry I accidentally hit you."

Xue Yunting's face was still half red; he was quite strong when he was angry.

Xue Yunting began clearing away the dishes: "It's alright, with your strength, it won't hurt. I told the waiter to cook some porridge. There's a bell by your bed; just ring it if you get hungry. There's a waiter on duty at the small house at the entrance to the courtyard."

Xue Yunting walked to the door, then turned back: "My sister and the others went to watch the performance, shall we go too?"

Duan Mingzhu showed little interest: "I'm sleepy and need to rest. You go ahead."

Xue Yunting was carrying something in his hand, and he used his foot to close the door as he went out.

A slow smile crept onto Duan Mingzhu's lips: "I'd rather betray the world than let the world betray me. I'm going to die anyway; if I'm afraid of the road to the underworld, then I'll take someone with me. Xue Yunting, this is your own doing."

In the evening, a large wheeled boat, specially designed for performances, is moored in the middle of Lianxiang Lake, with a raised stage in the center. It is surrounded by elegant seating areas and numerous painted boats. If you are not staying at Qingchuan Inn, a private seat costs five taels of silver, and a painted boat can be rented for five taels of silver per day.

Nianyao clicked her tongue in amazement: "No merchant is without cunning, Ninth Brother is truly brilliant. I don't want to be a gang leader anymore, I'll just follow Ninth Brother from now on."

Su Wuming said, "If it weren't for the fear of attracting too much attention, Ninth Brother could open Qingchuan Inn all over the world."

Nianyao asked, "What wind are you attracting?"

Su Wuming said, "Old Master Jing is getting old and is choosing an heir. If Old Master Jing knew that Ninth Brother was capable, he would naturally be tempted. I'm afraid the First Madam would spare no expense to send people to hunt down Ninth Brother."

Nianyao objected, "If Ninth Brother inherits Jingzhao Manor, wouldn't he have to change his surname to Jing?"

Su Wuming scoffed: "Why not just change Jingzhao Manor to Qingchuan Manor? Why bother with all that trouble?"

Qin Jiu turned to Nian Yao and said, "The gang leader is right. If the young master is willing to change his surname to Xu, he will be the crown prince of Nan Yue. If he is not willing to change his surname, we can simply change Nan Yue to Dong Yang without any trouble."

The atmosphere instantly turned cold. Nianyao stared at Qin Jiu, wondering where he was going.

Su Wuming seemed not to hear him and pointed to the stage: "Today's performance is the Lotus Chamber Dance. These dancers were personally selected by Le Xi, so it's bound to be spectacular."

Nianyao looked around: "Where are Yunting and the others?"

Su Wuming pointed to the small courtyard: "It's over there."

Nianyao looked around but didn't see anyone. Su Wuming said, "On the roof."