Chapter 13 - ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 13
Li Zhizhi was lying on Li Xingzhi’s back. She said her feet were hurting, but it was clearly just an act to make him feel guilty. However, she hadn’t expected that Li Xingzhi would actually suggest carrying her on his back. It seemed her deliberate delay had not been in vain.
After walking a while, they could already see the gate of the Li residence. Several servants were carrying lanterns and heading out. Upon seeing them, the servants hurriedly approached and exclaimed, “Young Master is back with Young Miss!”
“Young Master!”
Li Xingzhi nodded in response and asked them, “Where’s Father?”
“Master is in the flower hall.”
Carrying Li Zhizhi on his back, Li Xingzhi walked towards the direction of the flower hall. Before they even entered, they could hear Li Suwan’s weeping voice, “We waited for Sister Zhizhi for a long time, but she never came to the carriage… Brother said to take me first and come back to fetch her later… I think Brother forgot, please don’t blame him, Father.”
This statement seemed to defend Li Xingzhi, but in reality, it shifted the blame away from Li Suwan. It suggested that Li Xingzhi was the one who left first and forgot to go back for someone.
Li Xingzhi suddenly halted his steps, uncertain of how to react. Li Suwan had always been delicate, shedding tears over even the smallest matters, crying incessantly. She loved to act spoiled and address him as “big brother” every chance she got. Whenever he heard her cry, he felt distressed and wanted to cheer her up, making her happy. Over the years, this had become a deeply ingrained habit.
The young man stood in silence, almost forgetting that he still had someone on his back. Li Zhizhi smiled silently, reaching out to lightly embrace his neck and asked, “Young Master, are you tired from carrying me for so long?”
She didn’t deliberately lower her voice, and the people in the flower hall naturally heard. Li Suwan’s crying suddenly stopped, and then footsteps approached. Li Cen was the first to appear at the doorway, looking surprised as he asked, “What happened to Zhizhi?”
Madam Li also came over, accompanied by Li Suwan. Her eyes were watery, and her voice carried a hint of pitiful sobbing, “Brother…”
Li Xingzhi lowered his head, quickly entered the flower hall, carefully placing Li Zhizhi down on a chair. He then said, “Zhizhi… Zhizhi walked all the way from Ming Garden back to Vermilion Phoenix Street. It’s quite a distance.”
“Walked back?” Li Cen was surprised, turning to Li Zhizhi and asking, “Why didn’t you wait at Ming Garden to be picked up? You had to pass through East Market on your way here. It’s a chaotic place. What if you encountered danger?”
Li Zhizhi inwardly sneered. In her past life, she had waited at the entrance of Ming Garden for half a day, and no one came to pick her up. But of course, she didn’t say these words out loud. She just whispered softly, “It was getting dark, and I got a bit scared, so I decided to come back on my own.”
Hearing this, Li Xingzhi felt even more guilty. He proactively said, “It was my negligence today. If it weren’t for—”
“Alright,” Madam Li interrupted him and said, “Isn’t everyone back safe and sound now? Nothing significant happened, and it’s not early anymore. Master, let’s have our meal first, shall we?”
With that, the matter was lightly brushed over. Li Suwan let out a subtle sigh of relief without showing any signs of agitation. She stole a glance at Li Xingzhi, only to see him frowning and not appearing relieved. A slight unease crept into her heart.
Li Suwan had an inexplicable sense of foreboding. Perhaps she had taken a wrong step today.
After finishing their evening meal, everyone dispersed. As usual, Li Xingzhi prepared to return to his study, and Li Suwan hurriedly caught up, calling out, “Brother!”
Li Xingzhi paused, waiting for her to speak. Li Suwan tugged at her sleeve, cautiously asking, “Brother, will you still go to Ming Garden to pick me up tomorrow?”
Li Xingzhi remained silent for a moment and then said, “Not necessarily. Master mentioned that he has to work on an article tomorrow, so he might not have the time.”
Li Suwan bit her lip, and her eyes quickly welled up with tears. She said, “Brother, are you blaming me? If it weren’t for my discomfort today, I wouldn’t have left Sister Zhi behind.”
“No, it’s not your fault. You weren’t feeling well, so you can’t be blamed,” Li Xingzhi paused before continuing, “But why did you lie to Father?”
Li Suwan widened her eyes, looking surprised. Li Xingzhi explained, “We didn’t wait at the entrance of Ming Garden for long. As soon as you got on the carriage and said you weren’t feeling well, I brought you back home. We didn’t even spend the time it takes to brew a cup of tea there.”
Li Suwan hurriedly explained, “I… I was afraid Father would blame you, so I…”
Li Xingzhi shook his head, “But by saying that, Father might misunderstand and think it’s Zhizhi’s fault, that she was too slow and couldn’t catch up with the carriage.”
Hearing him utter the name “Zhizhi,” Li Suwan’s heart felt extremely uncomfortable, as if it had been hit by a stone and was in turmoil. Her older brother, who had always loved her dearly, was now reproaching her because of that upstart. The mere thought of it was hard for Li Suwan to bear.
Unable to hold back her emotions, she blurted out, “So you’re still blaming me, Brother!”
Li Xingzhi furrowed his brows, “Suwan, that’s not what I meant…”
Li Suwan started crying again, sobbing, “Actually, it’s true. She’s your real sister, and I’m just an outsider. It’s only right for you to like her. It’s all my fault, wuwuwu…”
Li Xingzhi had heard this kind of talk countless times before. In the past, he would patiently console her and assure her that their bond, formed from growing up together, would always come first even if they had a new sister. Li Xingzhi had been doing just that, especially during the time when Li Suwan was unwell. He knew she was afraid and had insecurities, so he put aside his studies to comfort and support her.
Some words and things, when said and done too much, can become tiring. Li Xingzhi wasn’t in a good mood today. Li Suwan, however, wasn’t concerned about his mood and continued to express her grievances and self-pity. Even though Li Xingzhi had always spoiled her, he was becoming annoyed at this moment. He said, “She is indeed my younger sister, and today’s incident was my fault. Why are you coming to me crying out of the blue? What do you mean by that?”
Li Suwan paused for a moment, but Li Xingzhi continued with restrained anger, “I was taking care of your health and left her alone in Ming Garden. She’s just a young girl, even younger than you, unfamiliar with life, yet she managed to find her way back in the dark. When I found her, she hadn’t shed a single tear or complained. So why are you clinging to me and crying incessantly now? What do you want me to do? Pretend today’s incident didn’t happen, distance myself from her, and kick her out of the Li family? Hmm?”
His tone rose, and his usually gentle eyes turned sharp, his voice stern, “No one blames you. I just want you to stop lying and shirking responsibility. Why don’t you understand?”
Li Suwan was left dumbfounded by his words, tears welled up in her eyes, and she was about to cry again. Li Xingzhi said firmly, “No crying! Li Suwan, you’ve truly been spoiled.”
With that, he turned and left in a huff, leaving Li Suwan standing there. She watched her older brother’s retreating figure without looking back, feeling a deep sense of injustice. Unable to hold back any longer, she started crying again.
Just as she was sobbing in her sorrow, an untimely chuckle sounded nearby. Li Suwan hastily wiped her tears and exclaimed, “Who’s there?!”
As she turned her head, she met a pair of eyes that held a teasing glint. Li Zhizhi clicked her tongue a few times and remarked with a malicious delight, “Oh dear, sister is crying so sadly.”
Having witnessed the entire scene, she felt it was her duty to pour salt on the wound for Li Suwan. Li Zhizhi grinned mischievously, “Did sister have a fight with brother?”
“What’s it to you?!” Li Suwan felt an immediate aversion upon hearing her refer to her brother, and she scolded her with red eyes, “You scheming little snake! You must have instigated this with my brother!”
“Instigate?” Li Zhizhi raised an eyebrow playfully and scoffed, “Is there even a need to instigate? Didn’t brother just say it? I’m his real sister, born from the same womb. If I mention my feet hurting, he’ll carry me back on his own. But you…”
She tilted her head slightly and circled around Li Suwan, looking her up and down with an arrogant gaze, as if inspecting an inferior imitation. She spoke with a light, ethereal tone, “You’re just a counterfeit, with no blood ties to him. Hmm… let me guess. Every time you cry, doesn’t brother always say, ‘Suwan is my best sister, no one can take her place. I only have Suwan as my sister’?”
With each sentence, Li Suwan’s face grew paler. Li Zhizhi stood beside her, leaning in slightly, her delicate chin almost touching Li Suwan’s shoulder. The young girl let out a sigh, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “Do you know? Even if it’s just a dog, after keeping it by your side for over a decade, you still wouldn’t want to kick it.”
The words were full of undisguised malice. Li Suwan’s eyes widened slightly, and she instinctively recoiled, pushing Li Zhizhi hard and screaming, “Shut up!”
Li Zhizhi didn’t dodge; instead, she silently smiled and fell backward. A cry of alarm came from behind, “Miss! Be careful!”
The woman rushed over to help Li Zhizhi up. Fortunately, there was a clump of hibiscus bushes behind her, so she didn’t get hurt from the fall, but there was a cut on the back of her hand. The woman exclaimed, “Oh dear, Miss, you’re injured. Let this old servant fetch some medicine for you.”
“It’s fine,” Li Zhizhi held onto her and shook her head, saying, “It’s just a minor injury. It will be fine in a few days.”
“Be careful not to leave a scar,” the woman continued to fuss, then looked towards the instigator, her face turning stern, “Miss Wan’er, how could you bully Miss Zhizhi like this?”
Li Suwan didn’t expect to be caught in the act so coincidentally, but she didn’t really care about an old servant. She glared at Li Zhizhi and angrily said, “We’re just enjoying a donkey-ride and watching a play. Let’s wait and see who has the last laugh. One day, I will make my brother know your true face!”
With that said, she turned around and left. The woman spat angrily on the ground, “The sparrow with a raised tail will eventually suffer retribution!”
Li Zhizhi smiled and comforted her, “Don’t be angry, Granny. Let’s not bother with her.”
“Miss Zhizhi is just too kind-hearted,” the woman sighed, looking at her with a tolerant expression, “With your gentle nature, you’ll be taken advantage of in the future.”
Isn’t that the truth? Li Zhizhi had been bullied enough in her past life. She said seriously, “Granny, from now on, I will be the one bullying others, and no one will be able to bully me.”
The woman thought she was joking and agreed, “Yes, yes, only you will have the privilege of bullying others.”
She continued, “I had the kitchen prepare some sweet soup with tremella and lotus seeds for you. It’s still warm. You should go back and drink it.”
The mistress and servant returned to the courtyard, and indeed, there was a bowl of sweet soup on the table. Li Zhizhi didn’t particularly like tremella, but she didn’t want the old woman’s efforts to go to waste, so she drank about half a bowl. As she looked at the remaining sweet soup, she thought of something and said, “I should send a portion to my brother too.”
The siblings had just had a disagreement, and this was a perfect opportunity to make amends. She felt that if she didn’t take advantage of this opening, it would be unfair to Li Suwan.