NOVEL WEB Chapter 5: “Yinyin, come here”
Liu Jiyu felt like crying but she had no tears, “Sister… I don’t want to…”
Liu Jiluan rubbed her little sister’s head and gave her a stern look, “Be quiet. Don’t make a fuss when you go to the ancestral school tomorrow. If I find out, you’ll be punished.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Jiyu realized there was no room for negotiation, so she pouted, hung her head down, and muttered in agreement.
Yunrumei couldn’t help but feel a bit amused, “You deserve it hahaha. Weren’t you the one who wanted to go to the ancestral school yourself? Why are you so dejected now?”
Seeing her like this, Liu Jiyu became furious, baring her teeth, she went to tickle Yunrumei’s sensitive spot, “I’ll make you laugh! I’ll make you laugh!”
“Hahaha…I won’t laugh anymore…hahaha…”
The two young girls caused a ruckus in the room, filling it with laughter.
The Mei family’s cautious and prudent brothers shared a knowing look, exchanging glances. Then, at the same time, they turned their attention to the half-brother they usually overlooked.
***
The next day, while Liu Jiyu was still deep in sleep, she was pulled out of bed by Huixiang.
“Why so early… what in the world…?” the girl mumbled, her words slurred as she spoke with her eyes closed.
Huixiang, who was helping her get dressed, couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Miss, did you forget? You said yesterday that you were going to start attending the ancestral school today. Now, the entire residence knows about it.”
Liu Jiyu was still in daze and not fully awake, simply letting Huixiang fuss over her with her eyes closed.
“Miss, please wake up. The Third Young Master Mei has been waiting outside for a while now.”
Upon hearing this, the groggy girl suddenly snapped awake. “Quick, quick, just get me ready fast, then have someone to get me breakfast.”
“Would the young miss like to ask Third Young Master Mei if he’s had breakfast?”
“What would I ask him for? No, no, no, just go ask him. If he hasn’t had breakfast, we’ll have everything prepared together.”
“……Yes.”
***
Looking at the table full of dishes meant for breakfast and then glancing at the fair-faced youth sitting across from her, Liu Jiyu suddenly felt her head ache.
Who said anything about having breakfast with him?
With this thought in mind, she glared at Huixiang as if there was flame that could burn her alive.
Huixiang, who clearly saw that glare, just shrugged her shoulders innocently.
Sighing inwardly, Liu Jiyu felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.
Seeing that neither of them were eating, Huixiang came forward and broke the unbearable silence, “Miss, Third Young Master, it’s time for breakfast. Otherwise, we’ll be late for school later.”
Liu Jiyu thought about it and realized that they had to eat breakfast anyway. So, she smiled at the young man. However, to her surprise, the young man didn’t even look at her and started eating his breakfast without even glancing in her direction. Liu Jiyu felt frustrated with the cold shoulder given by Mei Shuyu. Why was he so indifferent? He was not easy to get along with at all.
However, considering that she needed to treat him well, Liu Jiyu saw this as an opportunity to make a good impression. Thus, she sneakily picked up a piece of meat and placed it in the young man’s bowl.
With that, the young man froze in his actions.
Liu Jiyu looked at him with anticipation, expecting him to be touched. Under the hopeful gaze of the girl, Mei Shuyu took the meat from his bowl and placed it back on the table, making the smile on Liu Jiyu’s face frozen, and she looked at him in disbelief.
“Seventh miss, you should have your breakfast properly,” the young man said in a calm tone, then continued to eat his breakfast.
Liu Jiyu just poked at her bowl with her chopsticks, took a few bites casually, and then stopped eating, sitting there with a sullen expression. Huixiang, who was watching from the side, was dumbfounded. What was going on?
Soon, the two of them left the courtyard one after the other with Liu Jiyu walking in front and Mei Shuyu following behind.
Huixiang walked beside her mistress. She glanced back at the young man, then turned to Liu Jiyu and said, “Miss, you didn’t eat much breakfast. Are you hungry?”
Liu Jiyu shrugged, “Not hungry at all.” With that, she walked ahead with a gloomy expression.
The young man followed behind, lifting his gaze to glance at the girl walking in front. Today, Liu Jiyu was dressed in a goose-yellow embroidered jacket with a matching skirt. Her hair was styled into flower bud buns, with yellow and white pearl flowers adorned on either side. A few strands of hair were left to frame her forehead, giving her a very cute and lively appearance.
The young man’s hands, hidden in his sleeves, clenched as if trying to grasp something.
As they approached the western gate of the Liu residence, beyond the gate which was the only path to the ancestral school, they saw a stray dog lingering there. The servants of the Liu residence had tried to shoo it away, but it kept coming back.
Liu Jiyu grabbed Huixiang’s hand, looking nervous. When Huixiang turned to her, Liu Jiyu looked at the young man approaching slowly and said with a pained expression, “Third brother…”
Mei Shuyu glanced at her. Standing at the threshold of the western gate, he could hear the distant barking of the dogs on the street.
“Just keep walking forward.”
Liu Jiyu swallowed nervously as she looked at him, feeling somewhat uneasy. What if he harbored resentment in his heart? What should she do if he just stood by idly?
“Third brother…” The girl tugged at his sleeve, her almond-shaped eyes were wet as she looked at him, with a red mole just below her eyes.
Suddenly, the young man remembered how, when they were younger, she used to be very afraid of dogs and would look at him with such eyes. At that time, his heart had softened, and he had wanted to protect her for a lifetime. Now it seemed, perhaps he wasn’t just talking nonsense back then.
Mei Shuyu glanced at her, gently removing her hand from his sleeve, and stepped out of the western gate. “Walk behind me.” His voice was light, as if it might dissipate into the air.
Liu Jiyu watched as her hand was brushed away by him, feeling somewhat unsettled.
Seeing that she didn’t follow his step, Mei Shuyu frowned at the girl. “Why are you just standing over there? Come on!”
“Oh, I’m coming.”
The two of them exited the western gate one after the other, stepping onto the back alley. As soon as they left the western gate, Liu Jiyu’s nerves were on edge, constantly aware of her surroundings. However, she noticed that the young man’s steps were too large, and the distance between them was growing. Seeing the dogs around them eyeing her warily, Liu Jiyu was on the verge of tears. “Third brother…”
The girl’s tearful words struck the young man’s heart. Mei Shuyu’s figure stiffened, and as he turned to look back, he saw the girl standing frozen in her place. Her delicate hand clenched a handkerchief tightly, and her face filled with confusion as she looked at him.
With a calm expression, Mei Shuyu said, “Come here.”
The dogs around them were actually quite wild, but they wouldn’t intentionally bite people. Generally, there shouldn’t be any problem, but Liu Jiyu was too scared. “I… I… I can’t…” The young girl’s eyes were already reddening as the dogs circled around her feet, preventing her from taking a step.
Liu Jiyu had been bitten by a dog when she was younger and had been scared by it many times since then, which is why she was so afraid of dogs. When she was about six or seven years old, Liu Jiyu had been bitten by a dog and had hidden away. The first person to find her was Mei Shuyu. Therefore, Mei Shuyu still remembered the girl’s tear-streaked face, filled with fear. Of course, he also couldn’t forget the bloody wound on her foot.
But not all dogs were so scary. Just like now.
Mei Shuyu calmly scanned the dogs in the back alley and noticed that they were all wagging their tails affectionately, showing no signs of aggression towards people. He wanted Liu Jiyu to be a little braver.
“Yinyin, come here.”
Liu Jiyu was taken aback. This was the first time he had called her by her given name since he was hurt by her hurtful words. Usually, he would address her as “Seventh Miss,” which was rather formal.