I BECAME THE FEMALE LEAD'S STEPMOTHER - CHAPTER 36

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Chapter 36: "I Really Didn't Mean to Bully Her"

Her legs didn't even feel numb anymore.

Upon it were filigree leaves inlaid with gold leaf details.

Xiangwu could hardly believe her eyes.

The Marquis said this was a reward for her.

She knew in her heart that this flower hairpin was bound to be extraordinarily precious. In fact, craftsmanship like this wasn't something you could find anywhere in the Dingyuan region, it was almost certainly a piece straight from the capital city of Yanjing!

In fact, even if such an exquisitely crafted piece of jewelry were placed right in front of Young Miss, it would still be a rare treasure. Not a single flower hairpin in Young Miss’s jewelry box could match this one.

This left Xiangwu feeling a little terrified. She looked up at the Marquis and asked, "My Lord, this...?"

Huo Yunqing raised an eyebrow. "What, you don't like it?"

Xiangwu shook her head frantically. After shaking her head, she murmured softly, "My Lord, it's wonderful. It's just... it's just far too precious. Can it really be given to a servant like me?"

Although the Marquis seemed quite interested in her, and although she did plan to get some gold and silver from him to secure her future, having such a rare piece of jewelry dumped right into her hands, something even Young Miss might not be able to get her hands on, left her feeling thoroughly uneasy.

Her status was low; could she even use something like this? If Young Miss saw it, wouldn't she be green with envy?

Huo Yunqing replied, "Since I said I'm giving it to you, it's yours. Could I, the Marquis, possibly deceive you?"

Hearing this, Xiangwu stopped being overly polite and hurriedly accepted it.

Holding it in her hands, she looked closely at the flower hairpin. She thought to herself that there was no way someone of her status could ever wear this out in the open, but she could keep it tucked away to sell for silver later. This had to be worth quite a fortune!

In an instant, her heart overflowed with joy, and she couldn't even bring herself to pull her gaze away from the jade. "Thank you, My Lord," she said happily.

Seeing her little face glowing with a rosy flush and her eyes shining brightly with excitement, yet keeping those eyes locked entirely on the hairpin. Huo Yunqing couldn't help but arch his brow. "What? Is there only jade in your eyes, and no Marquis?"

"Of course not!"

Xiangwu forcefully pulled her gaze away from the hairpin and shifted it toward the Marquis.

The Marquis was a man of lofty status, draped in purple robes and wearing a jade crown, radiating nobility in every gesture. He was someone far beyond her reach in the past, yet now he was holding her so dotingly, applying ointment to her sore fingers, and giving her such an extraordinary hairpin.

Xiangwu felt a wave of emotion so intense that her nose tingled with tears. "My Lord is so good to a servant like me!"

Huo Yunqing raised a finger and lightly caught a tear just below her eye. "You really are such a crybaby."

Yet the more he spoke like this, the more Xiangwu wanted to cry. "No one has ever been this good to me before."

In truth, Xiangwu naturally understood that the Marquis was treating her well because he fancied her body and wanted her to attend to him by his side. But she was just a minor maidservant after all. If he wanted her, all he had to do was say the word, and she would have to serve him. He didn't need to go through all this trouble at all, nor did he need to give her such precious jewelry.

So even though she understood the reason behind it, her heart still throbbed with warmth.

Ever since she was young, she had wandered the streets, was taken in by adoptive parents, and then sold into the estate. Aside from the three young sisters she had grown up with who were somewhat close to her, how many others ever treated a mere maidservant like a real person?

Huo Yunqing looked at the little maid with tear traces still on her face and took a proper moment to examine her.

Originally, he had only intended to tease her. A jade flower hairpin like this might be precious and hard to come by for the servants below, but to him, it was just a random trinket. The last time he passed through Yanjing, he happened to walk by the capital’s largest silversmithing shop. Remembering that the hairpin the little maid wore was far too crude to be shown in public, he went inside to look around and ultimately selected this specific piece just to bring her a little joy.

Who knew she would actually start weeping over it?

"At what age did you enter the estate?" Huo Yunqing asked.

Xiangwu raised a hand to wipe away a tear and said with a choked voice, "My Lord, when I was young, I wandered the streets without a father or mother. Later, when I was four or five, I was taken in by adoptive parents. They raised me for two years, but because the family was poor and we couldn't get by, they sold me off to the Marquis’s estate... sold as an indenture for life."

Huo Yunqing asked, "You don't remember your own parents?"

Xiangwu shook her head. "For as long as I can remember, I’ve been scraping by alongside street beggars. I don't remember ever having parents. Later, it was Grandmother who took me in out of pity, though Grandmother died just a couple of years later, and my adoptive parents didn't care for me either."

As for that grandmother, her memory of her had actually grown hazy by now; she only remembered that she had been kind to her, the single person in her past who had ever truly cherished her.

Hearing this and seeing her laughing through her tears, Huo Yunqing pressed on. He reached out and gently ruffled her hair. "No more crying, or I won't give you things like this ever again."

Seeing the Marquis speak this way, Xiangwu hurriedly wiped her tears away with force, then tightly pursed her lips to keep herself from crying any further.

Looking at her like this, Huo Yunqing couldn't help but let a flicker of a smile cross his eyes, she really was a little money-grubber.

Xiang Wu stared up at the Marquis eagerly as he smiled.

For a moment, she actually thought the Marquis looked quite handsome when he smiled.

He was a high and mighty Marquis, noble and distant. Usually, just looking at him inspired fear; one glimpse of his stern, harsh bearing was enough to send a chill down anyone's spine. But right now, as that faint, lingering smile settled into his deep, dark eyes, it was like a sudden burst of green breaking through a vast, endless snowscape, filling the heart with an unexpected wave of warmth.

Even after stepping out of the Marquis’s room, warmth still lingered in Xiangwu’s heart.

She suddenly felt a wave of relief and gratitude.

In truth, ever since she learned of that dream, she had been like a frightened little rabbit, thrashing about frantically in an effort to escape her preordained fate, but she had never been able to find a way out.

Now that there was no other choice left, lie back and prepare to become the Marquis's concubine... Surprisingly, she found herself thinking that this wasn't bad at all.

The Marquis wasn't a bad person after all.

As she thought this, a ray of sunshine happened to filter down through the nearby bamboo grove, scattering a bright glint right before her eyes. It reminded her once more of the Marquis’s faint smile.

Bai Jian, of course, didn't fail to notice the change in the little maidservant.

The little maid who went in had been filled with anxiety, yet the little maid who came out looked as though she had eaten honey, her expression overflowing with sweet happiness.

Just as she was pondering this, Xiang wu happened to turn her head and spotted her.

Seeing her, Xiangwu’s eyes darted around before she broke into a bright smile toward her.

That smile, anyone could tell at a glance that she was seeking a favor.

Bai Jian kept a solemn face, remaining silent.

Xiangwu trotted over and smiled sweetly. "Sister Bai Jian, may I ask you something?"

Bai Jian replied, "Miss Xiang wu, please go ahead."

Xiangwu pursed her lips, a shy blush creeping onto her cheeks. She asked in a tiny voice, "Sister Bai Jian... what kind of person do you think the Marquis is?"

"I don't know," Bai Jian said.

Xiangwu’s willow-leaf brows arched high in surprise. "Ah? You don't know?"

Bai Jian added, "Peaks from the front, ridges from the side, the Marquis I see in my heart may not be the Marquis you see."

Xiangwu let out a slightly disappointed "Oh." What kind of response was that? Far too cryptic! But she quickly rephrased her question. "Then in your eyes, Sister Bai Jian, what is the Marquis like?"

Bai Jian replied, "I don't know either."

Xiangwu: "?"

"I have never thought about this question before," Bai Jian said.

Xiangwu: "..."

Taking a deep breath, Xiangwu pondered for a moment and decided to be direct instead. "Sister Bai Jian, I want to ask about something. You can answer if you can, but if you can't, just pretend I never asked, alright?"

Bai Jian nodded. "Alright."

Xiangwu grew even more bashful. After stammering for a long moment, she finally blurted out, "The Marquis... is he very formidable in that area?"

"Which area?" Bai Jian asked.

Xiangwu had no choice but to frantically gesture with her hands—first her fingers, then her fists, making all sorts of motions. Finally, she looked at Bai Jian and asked, "Miss Bai Jian, you should understand what I mean, right? Is the Marquis... very formidable in that aspect?"

Bai Jian suddenly understood, though a trace of doubt lingered in her mind. "He is indeed very formidable."

Xiangwu pressed on, "Then... When you first started out, did you feel like it was extremely exhausting? Did you feel completely worn out?"

Hearing this, Bai Jian fell silent.

Xiangwu’s small face turned red as a cooked shrimp. "If it's too difficult to answer, you don't have to say anything, Sister Bai Jian. I was just curious..."

Bai Jian said solemnly, "The Marquis's skills are indeed extraordinary. The first time I sparred with him, I was utterly exhausted and couldn't even get out of bed the next day. It took me a good seven or eight days of rest to recover."

Ah?!

Xiangwu was utterly horrified, staring at Bai Jian in complete disbelief.

Sister Bai Jian looked so strong and sturdy, yet even she couldn't handle it and needed a full seven or eight days to recover?! Wouldn't a weak girl like herself lose her tiny life entirely?!

Bai Jian nodded in all earnestness. "It's true. The Marquis practiced martial arts from a young age and fought in campaigns across the south and north. His skills are extraordinary."

Xiangwu’s face turned deathly pale, and her legs trembled so violently she could barely walk straight.

Suddenly, the precious beaded hairpin hidden in her robe didn't feel so enticing anymore.

Gold, silver, and jewels were wonderful, and the Marquis was handsome when he smiled, but... but her little life was far more important, wasn't it?!

Seeing her like this, Bai Jian extended a firm hand to support her arm. "Miss Xiangwu, are you alright?"

Xiangwu’s lips quivered as she looked at Bai Jian helplessly. "Fine... I'm fine."

Yet her tears were already threatening to spill over.

Right at that moment, Yueqing, Yunruo, and Huameng approached from the other side. They spotted Xiangwu and were about to greet her, but the moment they saw Bai Jian standing beside her, they froze, not daring to make a sound.

Seeing them, Bai Jian spoke up, "Young ladies, you may return first."

Hearing this, the other little maids felt as if they had received a grand pardon. They hurriedly curtsied in thanks and scurried away as fast as their feet could carry them.

Xiang Wu scrambled right along with her three older sisters, fleeing the scene in panic.

Once they were far enough away, they began whispering among themselves.

"Xiang Wu, how are you? We were scared to death!"

"That woman in red had such a stern face! It was terrifying—we thought she was going to beat us up!"

"She didn't say a single word, and when she did speak, her tone was chilling. It's the middle of summer, but I felt like I was freezing into ice!"

Xiangwu pouted her lips, desperately trying to calm herself down. "I... I—"

Before she could finish, Yueqing let out a sigh. "You've always been silly and timid. You were probably scared out of your mind too!"

Yunruo added, "There were three of us, but you were all alone! At least we had each other to build up courage. Poor you, all by yourself, how terrified you must have been!"

Huameng nodded in agreement.

Xiang Wu took a deep breath and nodded along. "I think I'm pretty pitiful too..."

—------

Meanwhile, beneath the bamboo grove outside the courtyard, another woman dressed in red stepped forward.

She gazed at the receding backs of the little maidservants, focusing on the one whose figure was exceptionally slender and delicate, looking so physically weak that she seemed ready to collapse with every step.

"You bullied her on purpose."

"Don't you think teasing her is quite fun?"

"Fun?"

"No wonder the Marquis likes to pick on her."

Zhu-yi frowned and turned to Bai Jian, her face full of disapproval. "Even so, you shouldn't have scared her on purpose."

Bai Jian replied, "Scaring her a little won't hurt. It's not like she's going to practice martial arts anyway."

She was actually a bit puzzled—why would a little maidservant suddenly ask about practicing martial arts out of nowhere?

Zhu-yi turned her head and looked at Bai Jian. "Do you truly not know?"

"Know what?" Bai Jian asked.

Zhu-yi said, "Do you really think she was asking about martial arts sparring?"

Hearing this, Bai Jian stared at Zhu-yi. After a long silence, realization finally dawned on her.

Once it clicked, an entirely innocent expression washed over her face.

"This time... I really wasn't bullying her on purpose."

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