Ye Chutang gently nodded, a hint of nostalgia appearing in her eyes. “Dad and mom, as well as my elder brother, didn’t leave us much behind; so I keep this with me as a reminder of them.”
Ye Yunfeng’s expression was touched, as if he too was drawn back to that winter from years ago.
Back then, he truly thought he was going to die, but unexpectedly, his sister managed to lead them to safety amidst the chaos.
That night, they almost froze to death in the snow.
It wasn’t until the next morning, when the heavy snow finally stopped and the sky cleared for the first time in days, that he suddenly realized they were still alive.
It was their third brother who first noticed that his sister was carrying a bundle on her back. That bundle was actually just a piece of fabric she had torn off from her skirt and tied up haphazardly. However, her knot was very secure, and the bundle didn’t come undone even after a whole night of running.
He asked his sister what was inside, and she said it contained the belongings of their parents and brother. Among them was this small wooden box. It was said that their father had specifically left it for her, instructing her to take good care of it.
Although Ye Yunfeng was not very perceptive, he understood that the situation was critical at the time; his sister didn’t even have time to take more warm clothes or essential items with her, yet she firmly guarded these belongings, which must have been of great importance.
Neither he nor his third brother asked any further questions, and over the years, his sister never took those items out again.
For some reason, today...
Ye Chutang suddenly said, “By the way, I heard that Master Feng Zhang hasn’t been to the Imperial Academy these past few days, has he?”
Ye Yunfeng was taken aback and nodded.
“Yes! Why does you ask about that suddenly?”
Ye Chutang rested her chin in her hand, her lips curving slightly: “It’s just strange. Master Feng Zhang has always been diligent in his duties at the Imperial Academy; sometimes he doesn’t even return to his own residence and sleeps there if he’s too busy. It’s really unusual for him to not be seen for several days in a row.”
Ye Yunfeng didn’t think much of it.
“Ah, after all, the director of the academy has free access to it, and he does focus most of his time there. But it’s normal for him to be busy with other matters occasionally!”
Actually, he suspected that he might have annoyed Master Feng Zhang before, and perhaps the master avoided him to avoid encountering him. But upon further thought, he found that unlikely. After all, if Master Feng Zhang was annoyed, he would choose to resolve the issue directly.
If things couldn’t be discussed reasonably, and since Master Feng Zhang knew some martial arts, it was impossible for him to hold his anger for so long.
Ye Chutang didn’t continue the conversation and just nodded.
Indeed. It was time to settle some old accounts from years ago… which would certainly take some effort.
Ye Chutang poured herself a cup of tea. The refreshing aroma wafted out, adding a touch of warmth to the already cool autumn air.
A rustling sound came from behind her; it was Xiao Wu, who had put away her abacus and was running over with her short legs. She gazed eagerly at the teacup… beside it.
Trống rỗng không còn gì cả.
Khuôn mặt tròn trịa, đầy mong đợi của Tiểu Ngũ bỗng chốc mất hết nụ cười.
Cô dừng bước lại, nhìn lên Ye Chutang với vẻ không thể tin nổi và đầy đau buồn.
“Chị gái hiếm khi tự mình pha trà, nhưng nếu có hứng thú, chị sẽ chuẩn bị sẵn một đĩa bánh ngọt.”
Chị ấy nói rằng cách ăn này… thật là giải tỏa căng thẳng!
Mặc dù Tiểu Ngũ chưa bao giờ cảm thấy có loại bánh nào làm cô ngán, nhưng được ăn những món ngon cùng chị, cô rất vui vẻ.
Vì vậy, khi thấy chị ấy pha trà, cô liền chạy đến ngay, nhưng kết quả là… không có gì cả?
Ye Chutang nhìn cô một cách buồn cười.
Những suy nghĩ của cô hiện rõ trên khuôn mặt, cô luôn chỉ nghĩ đến những món ngon thôi. Cô chạm nhẹ vào bụng tròn trịa của Tiểu Ngũ.
“Sáng nay chẳng phải cô vừa ăn xong một bát bánh tangyuan hoa nguyệt quế sao? Chỉ mới một lúc thôi mà đã thèm ăn lại rồi à?”
Tiểu Ngũ đỏ mặt, nắm lấy tay chị, e thẹn ôm chặt lấy chị và dùng đầu nhỏ của mình cọ vào ngực chị.
Cô tỏ ra rất nũng nịu.
Cô cảm nhận được hôm nay chị ấy có vẻ rất vui vẻ.
Mặc dù không biết tại sao, nhưng… biết đâu nếu cô nũng nịu một chút, chị ấy sẽ cho cô ăn thêm một chút?
Quả nhiên, Ye Chutang xoa nhẹ mái tóc mềm mại của cô và như thể biến phép vậy, lấy ra một đĩa bánh đậu phộng và hạt dẻ.
Vừa đặt lên bàn, đã có một cái đầu tròn trịa nhô ra từ vòng tay cô.
Tiểu Ngũ ngửi thử, đôi mắt đen tròn sáng lên – vẫn còn rất tươi mới!
Chị ấy thật tốt bụng!
Ye Yunfeng nhìn từ bên cạnh với vẻ ghen tị.
Tiểu Ngũ có thể ăn bất cứ lúc nào cô muốn, còn anh ấy thì sao? Muốn đổi một cuốn sách quân sự cũng phải tranh luận với sư phụ trước đã!
Ôi, thật là khác biệt giữa anh chị em!
Đúng lúc Ye Yunfeng định giành lấy đĩa bánh, một cô hầu gái bất ngờ chạy vào.
“Cô gái thứ hai!”
Ye Chutang ngẩng đầu: “Có chuyện gì vậy?”
Những cô hầu gái mới được tuyển dụng này, sau một thời gian huấn luyện, đã tiến bộ hơn nhiều so với trước, nhưng phản ứng của họ lúc này…
Cô hầu gái vội vàng tiến lên chào, trên khuôn mặt vẫn còn vẻ ngạc nhiên chưa tan.
“Cô gái thứ hai, Ye Shiqian đã qua đời!”
Ye Yunfeng bỗng giật mình: “Cô ấy là Ye Shiqian ư!? Cô ấy không phải đang ở trong tù sao? Làm sao có thể chết được?”
Tiểu Ngũ cắn vỡ một hạt đậu phộng, không biết nên ăn nửa miếng bánh dẻ hay không.
Ye Yunfeng came back to her senses: “I never imagined she would end up like this…”
Originally, tomorrow was supposed to be the day of her execution. With her crime of murdering the Gao family, there was no other possibility but death.
Who would have thought that she wouldn’t even make it through that last day and died in prison.
Ye Chutang’s expression remained calm, as if she wasn’t surprised by this at all.
The conditions in prison were beyond what an ordinary person could endure. For Ye Shiqian, it was a double torment both to her body and spirit.
But even so, she wouldn’t have gone so far as to refuse food and water.
Presumably… her days in prison were too unbearable.
To murder one’s own mother is something even the most vicious criminals in prison would despise.
Although Ye Shiqian was somewhat cunning, she had never had any dealings with such people; how could she have dealt with them?
Now that she’s dead, in a way, she’s spared a lot of pain.
For Ye Shiqian, this might not necessarily be a liberation.
“Ah Feng, prepare some silver.”
Ye Yunfeng frowned: “Does sister still plan to handle her funeral arrangements?”
