Chapter 5

Chapter 5

With something weighing on my mind, I was distracted the entire time I served the Young Master.

When I broke a second teacup in a row, the Young Master finally could not help but ask, “You’re usually not this careless. Did something happen?”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Young Master. I haven’t been feeling well these past two days, so I didn’t rest properly at night.”

He said gently, “If you’re unwell, go and rest. Just don’t forget to bring me my medicine tonight.”

Medicine?

For a moment, my mind went blank.

“Xiacao? What is it?” he asked when he saw me standing there in a daze.

“Nothing… I’m all right, Young Master.”

“Have you run into some trouble? There’s no need to be so distant with me. Do you need my help?”

“There’s no trouble. Thank you, Young Master.” I shook my head.

The Young Master could not even protect himself. How could he possibly help me?

Just as that thought crossed my mind, I heard the Young Master ask again, “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”

“No… nothing.”

The Young Master could not save me. The Old Madam could not save me either. In this household, there was no one who could convict Madam of a crime.

I wanted to live, but no matter whom I asked for help, I would be the one sacrificed.

I dragged the matter out until the fourth day of the month.

Perhaps because his granduncle was coming to the capital, the Young Master seemed much more spirited than before.

Carrying a bowl of medicine, I walked unsteadily up to the Young Master. Today was the final deadline Madam had given me.

When the Young Master saw me arrive, he reached out as usual. “The medicine is ready? Give it here.”

I stood beside him and did not move for a long while.

“What’s wrong?” the Young Master asked in confusion.

I forced down the panic in my heart and shook my head.

He reached for the bowl in my hands, but I gripped the rim tightly and would not let go.

“What on earth is wrong, Xiacao?”

I looked at him through my tears. “Young Master… I…”

Before I could finish, I lifted the bowl and drank the medicine in one gulp. My tears fell with it.

The Young Master said anxiously, “Hey, Xiacao, you can’t just drink medicine like that…”

My hand went slack, and the bowl fell to the floor, shattering into pieces. The Young Master was not a fool. He realized something was wrong too.

“Xiacao, what happened? What’s wrong with the medicine?”

Through my tears, I said, “I’m sorry, Young Master… Madam gave me a packet of medicine. She threatened me with my indenture and told me… told me to…”

Before I could finish, a terrible pain tore through my abdomen, and I collapsed to the floor. But now that I had said this much, the Young Master clearly understood what had happened.

In my haze, I heard the Young Master shout toward the door, “Call a physician!”

Lying on the floor, I vaguely felt blood rising up from my throat.

I was fifteen this year. Both my parents were dead. Though I had once gone through a great upheaval, life these past few years had not been especially difficult.

I had no grand ambitions. I only wanted to live in peace and do my own duties properly. My only wish was to redeem my indenture and become an ordinary commoner.