Chapter 5

Chapter 5 I'll Help You Wipe It Off Xie Yao laboriously moved his eyes and saw the little ball of flesh sitting as steady as a mountain on top of him. The room was silent for a long while. A moment later, everyone flipped little Huayu off the bed and gathered around Xie Yao. “Eldest Brother, you’re awake? You nearly scared Third Sister to death.” “My Yao’er, you’re really awake. My precious darling…” Huayu grimaced as she rubbed her little bottom, then crawled up from the floor like a ball of meat. How heartless of them, turning on her the moment they got what they wanted. Why had they tossed her onto the floor? As soon as Xie Yao woke, the Imperial Physician immediately stepped forward to take his pulse. “An outright miracle, Prince. The Young Heir’s pulse is steady. It appears… he has actually improved.” The Imperial Physician’s words made everyone present beam with delight. After the great shock and joy, they had finally received some good news. Wen Xiuzhu was weeping so hard she could barely speak. Xie Yao had been unable to wake for half a year. Even when he had been conscious before, he had not possessed the strength to speak. Now, hearing him call out “Mother,” felt almost like a dream. She carefully supported him, intending to help him sit up, when a sharp little cry came from behind her. “Don’t let the longevity lock fall off! Let him wear it!” Huayu planted her hands on her chubby waist, looking fierce despite her tiny size. It had taken her so much effort to use the longevity lock to absorb the green aura from her bargain Eldest Brother. If it fell off, all that effort would be wasted. Curses were different from the miasma of misfortune. They could not be resolved simply by absorbing them all. Only by finding the person who had cast the curse and breaking it at its source could Xie Yao be completely safe. Otherwise, the green aura would continue to grow each day. Using the longevity lock to suppress it was merely a temporary measure. Xie Min, whose eyes had still been brimming with tears, turned around and glared at Huayu with obvious disgust. “This is the Prince’s Residence. It’s not your place, you little beggar, to give orders.” “Eldest Brother has hundreds, even thousands, of longevity locks. Who would want your broken little thing?” Xie Min had disliked the little girl her Royal Father brought back from the very first moment she saw her. Before this, she had been the only girl in the entire Prince’s Residence. The Imperial Preceptor had examined her horoscope and declared her the house-protecting divine beast of the residence, a bringer of heavenly fortune. Her Royal Father, Mother, and brothers had all doted on her like a precious treasure, while everyone in the residence treated her with the utmost respect. Now, where had this filthy little beggar come from, daring to throw her weight around in front of her? As she spoke, Xie Min reached out to remove the longevity lock and throw it back to Huayu. But Xie Changheng stopped her once again. “Xiuzhu, just do as Huayu says. Let Yao’er wear it.” Wen Xiuzhu froze for a moment, but she still put the longevity lock around Xie Yao’s neck. She did not actually believe that Xie Yao’s awakening had anything to do with the longevity lock. But the little girl meant well, and the Prince had given his order, so naturally she obeyed. Xie Yao was still weak after just waking up. Once he had taken the medicine prescribed by the Imperial Physician, everyone left and allowed him to rest alone. By then, Xie Qing had also returned to his own courtyard. His legs had been afflicted since birth, and to this day he could not stand or walk. Every day at this time, he had to return to his courtyard for exercise. “Xiuzhu, this is Huayu. During my travels, I ran into danger, and it was all thanks to her that I was saved.” “This time, I brought her back to the Prince’s Residence because I intend to take Huayu as my adopted daughter.” This was the result of careful consideration on Xie Changheng’s part. Originally, he had intended to give Huayu some money and part ways with her in that small town. But Huayu had insisted on following him. His miasma of misfortune had improved, and Yao’er had even awakened. He had no choice but to credit everything to Huayu. By taking her as his adopted daughter, Xie Changheng also held some expectations. Wen Xiuzhu looked at Huayu and examined the round little bundle of flesh again, discovering that the child really was quite adorable. Soon, she smiled and nodded. The girl had saved the Prince’s life, and the two of them were fated to meet. There was no harm in taking her as an adopted daughter. The Emperor had always been kind toward the Prince’s Residence. All they needed to do was report it to him. But before Wen Xiuzhu could say anything, little Huayu below them objected. She put her hands on her waist and puffed up angrily, then rammed her forehead hard into Xie Changheng’s backside. “What does ‘adopted daughter’ mean? So I’m not your real daughter?” “I’m so good to you, and you still want to rank me separately?” “No way! You have to treat me just like your real daughter!” Huayu’s little baby voice was full of indignation. She felt that Xie Changheng was utterly ungrateful. She had removed the black aura from Xie Changheng and the green aura from Xie Yao, working herself to the bone every day. And what had she gotten in return? Being made an adopted daughter? What if, in this family, only the real daughter got enough food to eat, while an adopted daughter went hungry? Xie Min gritted her teeth and smiled once, her eyes full of displeasure as she looked at Huayu. “Father taking you as his adopted daughter is an enormous honor. You’ll be a member of the imperial family. How dare you complain?” “If you’re unhappy, then leave! As it happens, I don’t want a sister here to compete with me for everyone’s favor!” Xie Min was only four years old, so naturally she wanted to monopolize her parents’ affection. Neither Xie Changheng nor Wen Xiuzhu took Xie Min’s jealousy to heart. Wen Xiuzhu merely soothed her gently. Huayu was about to argue further when she saw, not far away, a little emerald-green snake winking at her with its eyes. Ah, had Xiaohong found out the news? Only then did Huayu put on an affected expression and clear her throat. “An adopted daughter is fine, then. Find me a room first. I’m tired. I want to sleep!” Huayu had been making a fuss for quite some time, and Xie Changheng had been racking his brains over how to explain to her that even an adopted daughter could be cherished like a real one. The moment he heard that Huayu was sleepy, Xie Changheng felt as though he had been pardoned. He hurriedly summoned the old steward of the residence. “Quickly prepare a room for Fourth Miss, and arrange four… two maids to attend to her personally.” Xie Changheng calculated every expense miserly, unwilling to provide too many maids. The residence was short on money, and each additional maid meant another expense. After living with Huayu for nearly half a month, Xie Changheng had a good understanding of her. Apart from eating, the child slept all day. She was remarkably easy to care for, and two maids would be enough. “Yes, Prince.” The steward accepted the order and led Huayu toward the rear courtyard of the Prince’s Residence. The steward’s surname was Li. He had been an old man who had watched Xie Changheng grow up, and he was already sixty years old that year. His face was kind and benevolent. To put it somewhat disrespectfully, he regarded Xie Changheng as his own flesh and blood and doted on him accordingly. As for Xie Changheng’s three children—even Huayu, his adopted daughter—he treated them all equally, as members of his own younger generation. “Where did Fourth Miss come from? Does she have any family left?” Li Gui smiled warmly. Compared to the other three children, he was unusually kind and affectionate toward Huayu. “I have a father and a mother. Aren’t they right here in this residence?” Huayu shook her head from side to side. She had come down the mountain in search of a wealthy family. Now that she had found one, she was the real daughter of this family. The problem was that this wealthy family had quite a few problems. A very big problem. Huayu walked along, her mind turning as she nibbled on her little finger. She had just opened her mouth to take a breath when— A powerful stench slammed into her face. The odor nearly choked Huayu into stumbling. She stood there with her little face turned black, taking a long while to recover. Good heavens, had someone buried a corpse in this residence? Why did it stink so badly? “What’s wrong, Fourth Miss?” Li Gui hurriedly moved to support Huayu, but the closer he got, the more pungent the smell became. Huayu held her breath, stars swimming before her eyes as she looked at the kind-faced old Grandpa opposite her. Hmm. Black. Li Gui’s hair and beard were completely white, yet his entire body was shrouded in a layer of black aura. Whenever he spoke, black, swamp-like, sticky mud-colored mist continued to pour from his mouth and nose. “Grandpa, you’re sweating. Let me wipe it off for you.”