cold clothes

As autumn deepens, a chilly wind blows through the capital, swirling yellow leaves in the breeze.

While handling accounts in Jingya Pavilion, Madam Hu suddenly remembered something and looked up to ask Granny Qin beside her, "Are Ningbi's bedding and clothes prepared properly?"

Granny Qin replied respectfully, "Everything is ready. We're just waiting for Ningbi's confinement to end tomorrow."

"So good."

"But..." Granny Qin hesitated, but after receiving a sharp look from Mama Hu, she finally said, "Miss Xia Hua is very unhappy."

"I'll talk to her about this another day," Mrs. Hu said calmly.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than, as if on cue, a clear and bright "Mama!" came from the doorway. Looking in the direction of the sound, a delicate little girl hurriedly walked in.

The girl had skin as white as snow, a rosy blush on her cheeks, almond-shaped eyes brimming with autumn water, and lips that were naturally red without any makeup. Her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, her face showing a hint of anger.

This little girl is Xia Hua. Xia Hua bowed to Mama Hu and then said, "Mama, why are you so insistent on letting Ning Bi enter Zhuo Yu Ge? Do you want to cultivate five top courtesans?"

"..." Mrs. Hu closed her eyes and said, "No, it's just that the color of the jade is rare and the material is excellent."

Xia Hua stepped forward and said, "Just because her eyes are special, does that mean she can compare to our three years of hard training?"

“Summer flowers,” Mrs. Hu said helplessly.

Xia Hua asked defiantly, "Whose position do you intend to replace Leng Yi with? I don't think she's any better than any of us."

Mrs. Hu stood up, walked to Xia Hua, and said earnestly, "Xia Hua, you must know that my greatest wish in this life is to protect you and ensure your safety for the rest of your life."

"But Mom, I want to help you. I will do my best." She wanted her mother to know that she had always been the hardest working and most outstanding one, the most capable and helpful to her mother.

“But I don’t want you to be in danger. I had no choice before, but now that a suitable person has appeared, I…”

"What?" Xia Hua exclaimed in disbelief. "Do you want her to replace me?"

Mrs. Hu wanted to persuade her again, but Xia Hua wouldn't listen at all. She only felt wronged. How was Ningbi better than me? Why did my mother abandon me for her?

"Just because her eyes are blue? Just because that makes her more beautiful than me?" Xia Hua asked unwillingly.

Mrs. Hu sighed softly, "Xia Hua, you will understand my good intentions in the future."

Xia Hua never expected that Hu's mother was so determined. She took a step back in disbelief, tears welling up in her eyes, but she gritted her teeth and ran out before the tears fell.

—How is she better than me?

"what!"

As soon as she reached the door, she bumped into someone who was about to come in. Just as she was about to fall, the person grabbed her hand and pulled her into their arms. The person took a step back to steady themselves.

"Are you alright?" Xia Hua immediately got out of the other person's arms and asked worriedly when she saw that the person she had bumped into was a thin boy who was not even as tall as her.

However, the boy had immense wrist strength, and his veined hand gripped her wrist tightly.

"It's alright." The boy released her, his dark, ink-black eyes looking directly at her.

"Did you bump into anything?" Mrs. Hu stepped forward and asked the boy. Xia Hua lowered her eyes guiltily, but couldn't bring herself to apologize, so she bit her lip and ran away.

Mrs. Hu sighed as she watched Xia Hua leave.

"Is she Xia Hua's sister?" the boy asked tentatively.

"That's right, it's been five years since we last met. I'm so glad you recognized me."

The young man smiled slightly. "It seems that Madam and Sister Xia Hua have had a disagreement."

“Sigh, she’s too strong-willed, but I…” Mrs. Hu turned around and sighed, “I just want her to be safe and sound.” Mrs. Hu looked at the boy, her eyes filled with hope, “If possible, I want her not to get involved in our dangers.”

The boy understood what Mrs. Hu was thinking, and his bright eyes deepened. He solemnly said, "Xie Yin will do everything in his power to protect her."

Mrs. Hu smiled with relief and nodded quickly, saying, "That would be perfect."

The young man smiled, cupped his hands, and said, "I came here specifically to bid farewell to Madam. I have troubled you for half a month, and now I must leave."

“You really shouldn’t stay at Fengxiang Pavilion any longer. Go now, I’ll send someone to escort you.”

"Thank you, Madam. Farewell." The young man turned and left. He exited through a secret passage behind the Jade Pavilion, followed by several plainclothes guards. The passage led directly to the Yunlai Tea House, two streets away, where they disguised themselves as farmers selling vegetables to leave the city.

The boy, dressed in gray clothes and wearing a straw hat, with his fair skin painted black, sat on an oxcart undergoing inspection by the city's guards.

Once outside the city, the oxcart slowly made its way along the official road, flanked by open fields and villages. The autumn air was crisp and clear, the sky as blue as a mirror, but his eyes held only heavy shadows.

He lived a precarious life, constantly on the run, and the idea of ​​him protecting someone? It made him laugh.

The next day, Leng Yi's confinement ended, and Granny Qin took her to Zhuoyu Pavilion. As soon as the door opened, she saw the girl's dark blue eyes. She was sitting at the table, expressionless.

Granny Qin was startled by the icy gaze, thinking that those strange blue eyes truly possessed a bewitching power. She composed herself and said to the girl, "Come out, your confinement is over."

"Heh." Leng Yi sneered disdainfully, "It's more like being confined from here to another place."

Unexpectedly, Leng Yi had become so sharp-tongued after not seeing her for half a month. Granny Qin's face darkened, and just as she was about to scold Leng Yi, she said, "Am I going to see Mama Hu now?" As she spoke, she walked up to Granny Qin.

Looking at Leng Yi's cold expression, Granny Qin suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, as if she were facing a wolf ready to pounce at any moment. She had seen many people who had been punished with confinement emerge timid and depressed; how could Ning Bi have become so terrifying? Was this what the Madam wanted?

"Madam is very busy. You can't just see her whenever you want. Enough talk, come with me to Zhuoyu Pavilion." Granny Qin's tone became a bit more impolite.

"Then lead the way." Leng Yi was even more impolite than her.

Granny Qin was immediately enraged. Leng Yi had offended her, but she was too lazy to care too much now. She would have plenty of time and methods to deal with her later.

Leng Yi was very familiar with the way to Zhuoyu Pavilion. She had known for a long time that she would enter Zhuoyu Pavilion, but she never expected to encounter such a cruel farewell.

Is Yunmei's death truly terrifying? No, it's Liang Daren's inhuman cruelty and Hu Mama's heartlessness, and this quagmire-like world that keeps trying to swallow her up.

"Do you think Yunmei's death was justified?"

"Hate me if you want, anyway—you can't do anything right now."

"If you're not good, you should pretend to be good like you were at the beginning, and don't show your fangs and bite people."

The words of Hu's mother in the dungeon that day have been repeating in Leng Yi's mind for the past two weeks, like a curse, like purgatory, as if freezing all of Leng Yi's tears and hatred into ice.

The Jade Pavilion was now in sight. Leng Yi looked up at the exquisite three-story building and clenched her fists even tighter.

Do you hate me? Then I'll show you how much I hate you.