Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I hadn’t even finished speaking.

Suddenly, I realized the surroundings had fallen deathly silent.

The people around me were looking at me as if I were a dead woman walking.

Mujin’s long eyelashes trembled as he lowered his eyes.

Alarm bells rang in my head. Just as I was about to say something to salvage the situation, someone pulled me into an embrace.

It was Mujin.

The fur trim of his cloak brushed softly against my cheek. He smelled of bitter medicinal herbs mixed with a faint scent of orchids.

My mind went blank. Then, I felt a scalding tear drop onto my neck.

He whispered my nickname: “Suisui.”

So, he really was my brother.

The danmaku was buzzing with excitement too.

[The little sister is so smart! The siblings have finally recognized each other!]

[Am I the only one curious if Mujin actually ate the snot?]

[It’s a pity he’s so disheartened now that he’s seeking death. I wonder if his sister can save him…]

While they were talking, Mujin had already led me into the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

We traversed the winding corridors of the lotus pond, following a twisting path into the inner chambers.

The light suddenly dimmed.

I heard him ask me, “How have you been all these years?”

That question stumped me.

The life I had lived wasn’t something that could be summarized in a word or two.

When I was five, my brother went up the mountain to gather herbs. While I was playing in the courtyard, a human trafficker passing through the village snatched me away.

He forced me to beg on the streets and act as a little swindler.

Finally, he sold me for two taels of silver to a family in Qingzhou, hundreds of miles away, to be a child bride for a fool.

When I turned fifteen, a flood hit the village.

Aside from me, not a single member of that family survived.

As I spoke, Mujin kept his eyes fixed deeply on me.

When I mentioned the flood in Qingzhou, his gaze trembled violently.

The danmaku chimed in with a timely supplement:

[The villain must be dying of regret. Seven years ago, he went to Jiangnan for disaster relief. He was only a stone’s throw away from Qingzhou, yet he missed his sister.]

So that’s how it was?

I scratched my head. “Don’t worry, Brother. After they died, I lived in their old, dilapidated house. I raised chickens and farmed the land. I managed to scrape by and lived a fairly stable life until now.”

In fact, I had planned to expand my business this year.

I had specifically bought several pigs.

If I hadn’t suddenly seen the danmaku and heard news of my brother, I would have been slaughtering pigs, eating meat, and making blood sausages for the New Year.

“Who is this Wang Ergou you mentioned?”

Hearing that name, a look of fear crossed my face.

“He’s a local thug from our village. He drinks and gambles every day. He set his sights on the twenty-two taels of silver I worked so hard to save. He pressured the village head, claiming the house I’m living in isn’t mine. He said I had to marry him, or he’d kick me out of the village.”

Mujin’s expression tightened visibly.

“Fortunately, I’ve escaped now.”

Before I could finish, Mujin pulled me into another hug.

“Suisui, you’ve suffered.”

His voice was choked with emotion as he said, “It’s Brother’s fault. I failed to find you for so many years.”

“Rest assured, from now on, no one will ever bully you again.”