Chapter 3: Molten Wax

Chapter 3: Molten Wax

Kneeling again, Chen Fu wept for two more sessions, only rising with the help of his attendant when his knees were swollen and sore. Weakly, he instructed Xianjin, "You should stay up all night to watch over your mother tonight. Tomorrow is the third day, and she will be laid to rest. I must go and oversee it."

Xianjin glanced at the fading light of the sky, gently reminding him, "Remember to pay your respects to the Great Lord in the front courtyard by burning an incense stick."

Chen Fu pursed his lips, looking somewhat scornful.

Neither confirming nor denying her suggestion, he merely waved his hand dismissively at Xianjin, leaning heavily on his attendant as he limped away.

Just as Xianjin turned around and passed through the shrubbery, she was startled by a sudden black shadow that darted out!

"Little Sister Xiaojin!"

It was a man's voice!

Xianjin felt a twinge of fear.

In this Great Wei, if compared to the Ming Dynasty under Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, meeting a man privately could get her beaten to death!

Instinctively, Xianjin took a step back.

The shadow, however, eagerly pursued her, its face now exposed to the light.

It was a man she hadn't seen in these past few days.

Around seventeen or eighteen years old.

Tall and lanky, with stubble growing on his face in patches.

He looked like a high school student going through a growth spurt.

Xianjin let out a sigh of relief, feeling less afraid.

But she didn't know who he was, so she dared not engage in casual conversation. Bowing her head, she took another half-step back, uttering a soft "Mm," before attempting to move inside.

"Little Sister Xiaojin!"

Seeing that Xianjin was about to leave, the man spoke urgently, "Don't be afraid; I mean you no harm. I just wanted to apologize for my rashness by the lake. Were you alright after you fell into the water?"

Xianjin paused mid-step.

Was it you, this pestilential injury, that caused the original owner to fall into the water?

Seeing that Xianjin had stopped her evasive steps, the high school student knew his apology was appropriate. He exhaled deeply, taking a quick step forward.

The white lanterns hung low, their pale light filtering through the slightly yellowed silk paper onto the girl's face.

Her dark brown pupils, paired with her narrow, slightly fanned eyes, her small, straight nose, and her mouth like a petal...

It was as if she was inviting him.

The man's heart skipped a beat, followed by a subtle movement in his throat.

She was too beautiful.

He Xiaoniang was already beautiful enough, but He Xianjin was even more beautiful.

He Xiaoniang's beauty was a trophy easily obtained from the mortal world.

But He Xianjin's beauty was a trial from the eighteenth level of hell below.

Luring one to possess her, crush her, humiliate her.

The high school student deliberately lowered his voice.

His classmates had told him that men should speak in a low, resonant tone, placing hooks in their words. No woman could resist such an approach.

"Little Sister Xiaojin, listen to me. What I said by the lake last time was true. This year, I'm taking the provincial examination. My mother promised that if I pass, she'll grant me one wish!"

The high school student's voice was already unpleasant during the end of his voice change, and speaking in a lower register...

Made him sound like a fool with a throat full of blisters!

He Xianjin was already annoyed!

"If you have nothing else, I need to go and burn more incense for my mother."

He Xianjin bowed her head and continued walking inside.

The high school student was momentarily stunned.

What was different about her?

He couldn't put his finger on it.

He didn't have time to ponder it further. Stepping aside to block He Xianjin's path, he continued, "Once I pass the provincial examination, I'll ask my mother to give you to me! Father likes He Xiaoniang, but he also cares for you. If you remain in the Chen household, he can continue to look after you..."

He Xianjin's brows furrowed together in disbelief as she looked up at the high school student.

"Are you the son of the Third Lady? Chen Silang?"

This was what Xianjin had found out.

Mr. Chen and Lady Sun had three sons and one daughter, and their youngest son was around this age.

As soon as she said this, He Xianjin realized it was inappropriate and quickly changed her tone, "With your status...what do you mean by giving me to you?"

The young girl spoke openly and naturally.

Chen Silang was provoked by the four words that came out of the girl's mouth, his gaze darkening. "...be someone in my room."

Room, what kind of room.

He Xianjin wanted to endure it, after all, her current situation was unclear, and Mr. Chen didn't seem reliable at all.

Logically, enduring it would be wiser than venting.

But...

To hell with wisdom.

She had lain on a sickbed for over ten years, not daring to get angry or be happy, almost extinguishing all her emotions.

The only difference between her and a eunuch was that a eunuch used physical means to suppress their desires, while she used biological ones.

And now this body was as healthy as an ox!

He Xianjin raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean by 'someone in your room'? Live in your courtyard without a name or status?"

"I'll give you a title! Once I pass the provincial exams, I'll make you my concubine!"

"So if you never pass the provincial exams, I'll sleep with you for free forever?"

Chen Silang nearly choked on his saliva.

He Xianjin turned around and took out incense from the bamboo basket, handing it to Chen Silang. "Come on, go offer incense to my mother, tell her your wishes, and see if she agrees."

As long as you have the face.

Three long sticks of incense were thrust directly under Chen Silang's chin.

Chen Silang was caught off guard.

"Go on."

He Xianjin urged him coldly.

The three sticks of incense were about to poke into Chen Silang's nostrils.

Chen Silang reflexively stumbled back a step, looking up in slight panic, only to see He Xianjin standing straight, her eyes deep and conveying an emotion unfamiliar to him.

Was she... looking down on him?

This realization shocked Chen Silang.

He Xiaoniang was weak and pitiful, and this daughter had always been silent and obedient, fully aware of her position as a dependent.

When she saw him, she either kept a distance or endured quietly.

Even last time, when he tried to take advantage of the night to get close to her, he only managed to force He Xianjin to fall into the water due to a misstep.

His mother had pulled his ear and scolded him fiercely for half an hour.

Later, he heard that He Xianjin had been ill for two days.

Soon after, He Xiaoniang passed away.

It wasn't because of him, right!?

Chen Silang was terrified, hiding for several days, fearing that He Xianjin would report him to his father. But until now, his father hadn't come looking for him, so he plucked up the courage to sneak into the inner courtyard.

He Xiaoniang was dead, no one could protect He Xianjin anymore!

Who could stand up for her?

People far from home are lowly!

Before He Xiaoniang came to the Chen family, she had been fleeing famine! A mother and daughter with only two sets of ragged clothes on their bodies, even their names and records had been snatched away!

The grapes were ripe.

They could be picked.

Chen Silang's courage grew by three parts, and he brushed off the incense in He Xianjin's hand. "He Xiaoniang was just a concubine, a servant! There's no reason for me to offer incense to her!"

Chen Silang smiled awkwardly. "But since Xiaojin has become mine, she can be considered my half-mother-in-law, so it's fine for me to bow and offer incense to her."

Chen Silang took another step forward, placing his hand on He Xianjin's waist. "Don't be afraid, Xiaojin, I will not betray you."

Like a bowl of oil poured on her waist.

He Xianjin looked at her waist, then at Chen Silang, smiled, and called out loudly, "Third Master! You're back again!"

Chen Silang quickly withdrew his hand, hurriedly looking back.

No one there.

He let out a sigh of relief.

Just as he turned back, he felt a burning pain in his right hand!

Unbeknownst to him, He Xianjin had poured all the hot wax from the white candle onto Chen Silang's right hand!

The candle wax burned against his skin!

Chen Silang jumped around, shaking his right hand wildly, making incomprehensible noises.

He Xianjin smashed the bowl containing the hot oil onto the ground with a "smack!"

The bowl shattered into fragments!

He Xianjin seized Chen Silang's chin, tiptoed, face to face, skin against skin, enunciating each word with venom:

"Remember this: if you touch me again, should your right hand dare, I'll cripple it; should your left hand dare, I'll sever it."

"With my wretched life in exchange for your bright future—I'm making a profit!"