The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

She's had her period, no wonder she felt a dull, cramping pain in her abdomen all day, a pain that felt very familiar.

Wanyue was still young, and the only thing she remembered about menstruation was her mother. Every month, she would be especially weak during her period, and the nannies would strictly forbid her mother from eating any cold food or touching cold water.

She imitated how the nannies took care of her mother, preparing hot water for Shen Cao to wash her feet and reheating a cup of the brown sugar ginger tea she had previously made.

Shen Cao soaked her feet and drank a sip of warm brown sugar ginger tea, which made her stomach feel much better.

"Wanyue, how did you come to do these things?" She was very curious as to why Wanyue, a princess, would do such things.

Wanyue sat on the stool opposite Shen Cao. “Every time my mother… when she has her period, I go to her room to keep her company and talk to her.” She took the cup that Shen Cao had finished drinking from. “I’ve seen all the nannies do this. My mother’s feet are always very cold when she has her period.”

"I heard from the nannies that it seems my mother caught a cold when she was young." After saying that, she lowered her head, her mood clearly dropping.

Shen Cao waved to her.

Wanyue walked up to Shencao, and Shencao took her hand and held it tightly.

"What's wrong?" Shen Cao asked softly and carefully. She could sense that something was on her mind, otherwise she wouldn't be so sad.

Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, she felt as if the back of her hand had been wet.

She looked down and saw that it was Wanyue's tears.

She felt a pang of sympathy and reached out to wipe it away. "What's wrong? Can you tell Sister Cao'er?"

Wanyue stared into Shen Cao's eyes for a while, feeling the sincerity and encouragement in her gaze, before speaking softly, "Sister Cao'er, do you know, I actually have an older sister!"

Shen Cao's eyes widened in shock. What?! She had learned some royal secret?!

"What about your sister?"

“I actually overheard my mother and the nanny talking about it, and I also heard my grandmother mention it to my mother. I guess my sister is probably... is no longer alive.”

Shen Cao was surprised by this. She pulled Wan Yue into her arms and hugged her, wanting to comfort her, but she couldn't find the words to say.

I could only pat her gently, offering her silent comfort.

After a while, Wanyue continued, "My mother caught a cold when she gave birth to my older sister."

She had secretly inquired about what happened back then, and it was said that the entire Great Xia Kingdom was plunged into dire straits that year.

The land was shattered; that year was a source of sorrow for all the people of the Great Xia Kingdom.

That same year, her older sister was born, and she doesn't know what happened after that.

All I know is that her older sister must have passed away that year.

"But they don't know that I've known all along. My mother's health has always been poor, not because of a disease she developed when she was young, but because of the birth of my sister," she murmured to herself.

Shen Cao was surprised by this. She raised her hand and wiped away the tears that had fallen without her noticing.

Why was she so heartbroken after hearing this?

Perhaps she was thinking of the ordinary yet extraordinary mother that Wanyue had mentioned, who would grieve alone at midnight every year and whose hands and feet would be cold during her period.

“I believe your sister in heaven would be happy to see how sensible you are now.”

"Sister Grass, then I wasn't born in your place, was I?"

Upon hearing her words, Shen Cao suddenly couldn't hold back anymore. She finally understood why Wan Yue was so sensible at such a young age, and why, despite being the most noble princess and having the most right to be willful, she was so understanding.

She hugged Wanyue tightly and said with great certainty, "No, you were not born in place of anyone else."

"You are you, unique in the world."

"You were born because your mother loved you."

"Waaah...waaah..." At this moment, Wanyue seemed to release all the emotions that had been accumulating for many years.

After venting her anger, Wanyue felt a little embarrassed and kept her head down.

"Oh dear, my foot bath water has gotten cold, what should I do?"

Wanyue handed over the prepared foot-washing cloth.

After Shen Cao cleaned her up, she pulled her to the bedside and sat on the bed. "Wan Yue, I don't know your sister, and I don't know your mother either."

"But I still like you a lot, do you know why?"

Wanyue shook her head.

“Because I love you, the one and only Wanyue in this world,” Shen Cao gently stroked her nose with her hand. “I love you because you are Wanyue, not because of anyone else.”

Wanyue's puzzled face immediately broke into a smile.

She grinned happily, "Really!"

Shen Cao nodded emphatically.

"You're so kind, Sister Cao'er." She threw herself into Shen Cao's arms. "From the first moment I met you, I felt that you were very kind to me, like my own sister."

“You’re great too, Wanyue,” Shen Cao replied confidently. “Then from now on, you can treat me like your own sister.”

The two sisters whispered many secrets to each other all night until they fell asleep, their hands still clasped together.

That evening, Shen Cao soaked her feet and drank ginger tea, which warmed her up and relieved her stomach pain.

The next morning, Ji Lingfeng arrived at Shen's restaurant as usual.

However, even after he had breakfast, Shen Cao still did not appear.

"Aunt Shen, is Miss Cao'er still not awake?"

Mrs. Shen put down the pancake spatula in her hand. "Look at me, I completely forgot to tell you." She patted her head before she remembered.

"Cao'er, she hasn't been feeling well since she came back yesterday."

"I think she probably won't be able to practice kung fu with you today."

Shen Cao is sick? Ji Lingfeng's face immediately showed a hint of anxiety. "Is she alright?"

Mrs. Shen nodded, "It's nothing serious, just don't overexert yourself for the next few days."

They shouldn't overexert themselves; they're still doing fine.

It must have been yesterday that I tired her out. I made her run around and practice her moves, making her sweat profusely. Plus, she was exposed to a bit of wind and sat on the cold ground, so she must have caught a chill.

He didn't even wait for Shen's mother to finish speaking before turning around and leaving.

"Cao'er is fine, it's just that every month, a girl has..." Before Shen's mother could finish speaking, Ji Lingfeng's figure had already disappeared from the spot.

She waved her hand, "This child, he won't even let people finish speaking."

A short while later, Ji Lingfeng brought in a doctor who was over fifty years old.

Mr. and Mrs. Shen were busy attending to their business and did not notice.

He led his men straight to Shen Cao's room and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" a female voice came from inside.

You said you were fine, but your voice is so weak, it's changed, it must be very serious.

“Grass Girl, it’s me, Monsoon.”

"Brother Ji, what brings you here?"

"I heard from Aunt Shen that you are sick, so I brought a doctor with me. Please open the door so the doctor can take a look at you." That way, I can put my mind at ease.

The two people in the room looked at each other, puzzled.

"Sister Cao'er, who is Brother Ji?"