In the evening, after a long day of work, Fang Erlang finally returned home, carrying a clay pot. Without wasting any time, she immediately went into the adjacent room.
"Yue'er, Yue'er, did you feel better today?" Fang Erlang gently placed her wet and rough hand on Lu Yue's forehead. Lu Yue finally snapped back to reality and saw the woman in front of her. She had her hair arranged in a bun and was wearing a rough blue cloth gown, looking extremely worried.
"Yue'er, come on! Your mother brought you some chicken and silk porridge. Eat some before you sleep!" Lu Yue was startled. It turned out that her mother still cared for her, coming to pick her up once again.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her eyes followed Fang Erlang instead. How many times, in the midst of her ghostly existence, when she regained her consciousness, did she think of the way Fang Erlang had died, smashing her head in the main hall of the National Teacher's temple?
Fang Erlang skillfully set aside the remaining porridge, gently helped Lu Yue to sit up straight, and lifted the blanket a little to check. Seeing that warm air was no longer seeping out, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Doctor Liu said that it's not a bone injury. As long as it doesn't bleed again, it will be fine in a few days when the flesh grows back. You're alone at home, so you can't move around. If you accidentally touch it and it starts bleeding again, the flesh won't grow back properly, and it will cause more trouble."
Lu Yue looked at the bandage wrapped around her left leg, feeling a little confused. Fang Erlang didn't hear Lu Yue's protests and saw her dazed expression. Her heart ached for her. "Don't worry, I've already talked to Madam Wu. She also informed General Zuo on our behalf. From now on, you won't have to follow the Thirteenth Young Master anymore."
Madam Wu? Wasn't that her birth mother? Lu Yue once again stared blankly at the place where she currently lived. A table, chair, cabinet, and her own small bed. It was considered good if three people could turn around on the floor. This was the place she loved to remember the most when she was still a ghost.
Seeing her scrutinizing the place, Fang Erlang's heart ached for her. "Fei Yue'er, let Mother feed you."
Lu Yue instinctively opened her mouth, and a mouthful of hot porridge entered her stomach. Although she didn't understand what was happening to her now, she cherished the interaction with Fang Erlang immensely. Even if it was just a dream, she didn't want Fang Erlang to starve because of her, even a bit.
"Mother, let me do it myself. You should eat too!" Lu Yue took the porridge bowl and poured two more big mouthfuls into her own mouth.
Fang Erlang watched her eat happily, feeling extremely satisfied. Lu Yue had been in a daze for the past two days, and now she could eat porridge like this. It was really great.
"Slow down, there's still a lot left." Fang Erlang also prepared a bowl for herself. "Tonight, the Fifteenth Young Master said he wanted to eat chicken and silk porridge, but he got punished in the ancestral temple by the National Teacher."
Needless to say, the kitchen staff benefited from it.
Lu Yue slowed down the pace of eating, and her mind began to wander. She wondered what was going on with herself. The injury on her leg was caused by the water arrow technique that the Thirteenth Young Master had just learned when she was eleven years old. After being injured, she had been in pain all this time. Even though she had studied light work for four years, she couldn't even dodge the water arrow that the Thirteenth Young Master had just learned. It was utterly useless.
Feeling desperate, she let a wound that should have healed in about half a month fester instead. She ended up bedridden for two months. When she finally went out again, people called her "Useless Six Fingers."
Silently, Liuyue moved her right sixth finger. Lu Yue now seriously doubted whether that old monk's Buddhist teachings were really that powerful. When she was recognized by the National Teacher because of her six fingers, she turned back and saw that her birth mother, who hated her siblings for not calling her Xiaoba, only calling her Liu Bao, had been killed.
At the spot where the wound was, pain shot through again, causing Lu Yue to furrow her brows. "Mother, in six days, it's the Emperor's fiftieth birthday celebration, right?"
"Yes!" Fang Erlang also took a couple sips.
Setting down the bowl, wiping her hands, and lifting the blanket, Fang Erlang gently massaged Lu Yue's feet to improve blood circulation and prevent them from getting numb from not moving for a long time. "Tomorrow, most of the master and mistress will go to the palace to prepare. You can come back earlier."
Lu Yue felt a sense of warmth as she watched her mother carefully massage her feet. It was said that when a person died and crossed the Naihe Bridge, they would first return to the place where they died to collect their footprints...
But now, she had returned to two years ago, when the incident happened, when she was eleven years old. She touched the window.
Her heart was beating forcefully, and there was warmth in her palm, indicating that she was living through this all over again.
"...Mother, don't massage anymore. I'm not numb." Lu Yue reached out and stopped Fang Erlang's movements. "You don't need to rush back tomorrow. Granny Li from the kitchen always uses chicken feathers as arrows. If she catches me..."
"Tell Madame Liu that Miss Ling won't be here, and Madame Wu won't be able to protect you." Last life, Madame Liu took this opportunity to punish Fang Erxiang, beating her with a board and deducting three months' allowance. That's small matters, but having to take care of herself in a way that hindered her progress... until she died in the main hall half a year later, Fang Erlang's body had not fully recovered. That was also the place she regretted the most during her time as a wandering ghost.
Ah! It had only been a year since Miss Ling went to the spiritual sect, but Madame Wu had become much quieter. Fang Erlang did not let go of Lu Yue's foot, still speaking in a low voice. "Yue'er, when you're better, go visit Madame Wu more often."
That mother? Lu Yue's heart ached, and she didn't answer.
"Madame Wu was just talking about you today. The medicine for this injury was specifically brought by her. Otherwise, with such a big wound, who knows how much blood would have been lost."
From childhood to adulthood, Lu Yue didn't know how many good things Madame Wu had done for her. Because she was born with six fingers, she was often pointed at and treated poorly. But Madame Wu never looked down on her because of it. She even often gave her little gifts.
Lu Yue lowered her eyes, and in her previous life, before her birth mother officially acknowledged her, especially when Miss Ling went to the Lingjian Sect, there were countless times when she wanted to adopt Lu Yue as her goddaughter.
Huh! What a goddaughter.
"Mother... do we need to continue like this?" Lu Yue's words made Fang Erlang finally look up.
Before, Lu Yue would be very happy every time she mentioned Madame Wu. Today, she was silent, was it because she was angry at Madame Wu for not standing up for her?
"...Mother!" Lu Yue covered her face. Four months later, Ling Ling advanced to the eighth level of the Qi Refinement stage. Because of the overflow of spiritual energy, her Master, Daoist Hua San, discovered that she had a trace of a twin mutual transmission physique. Although Daoist Hua helped solve the problem, her cheap father still recognized her because of it.
To help Madame Wu avoid punishment, Fang Erlang took all the blame herself. She said that she and Madame Wu gave birth at the same time, but she had a stillborn child, so she switched them.
What was the truth? Lu Yue couldn't suppress the movement of her sixth finger. Her birth mother wanted to maintain her perfect image in front of her cheap Ling.
Just the thought that Su Mother would be driven to her death because of her birth mother made Lu Yue unable to bear it. "Mother, when Father left, didn't the National Teacher's residence give us a resettlement fee? Plus, the money you saved over these years, let's leave together. Let's find a beautiful place with mountains and rivers, buy a few hundred acres of land, build two houses, and be little landlords."
Fang Erlang's expression changed, and she took a step forward, hugging her forcefully. "Yue'er, did those people from the Thirteenth Young Master's side make fun of you again?"
"Sniff!" Lu Yue's answer was filled with a strong nasal tone. If they didn't leave, not only would her mother die, but she would also die.
In order for her birth mother to commit suicide, she was thrown away by her adoptive father and helped him and his whole family as cannon fodder.
Delaying time as a disposable pawn.
"Mother, let's leave. They always make fun of me. Clearly, that day the Thirteenth Young Master was interested in Zhang Yan, but they pushed me out instead."
Lu Yue knew how much Fang Erlang cared for her. Only bymaking her situation sound more miserable and desperate would Lu Yue have a chance to leave the care of Madame Wu, who had been serving her since she was young.
"Mother! I learned martial arts with them, but none of them are like me... All the young masters and young ladies keep bothering me because I served as Miss Ling's maid for a few days. Before, I didn't dare to tell you..."
Fang Erlang's imagination went wild, trying to fill in the rest of Lu Yue's sentence. Because she had an extra finger, she was never treated well since birth. In the National Teacher's residence, she was always afraid of Madame Wu's favoritism and got glared at by others. She had been looked after both overtly and covertly, subjected to numerous glances of disdain.
When she was young, she could come back and cry, but after the age of eight, even if she suffered, she never came back crying.
Now, seeing her like this so suddenly, there must be a reason why she couldn't bear it anymore.
"Alright, Mother will take my little Yue'er and leave. Let's find a place where the people are honest and simple. I'll find a servant for you as well."
Lu Yue had a relieved expression as Fang Erlang hugged her tightly. If they didn't leave, not only would her mother die, but she would also be destroyed.
To protect Madame Wu from punishment, Fang Erlang took it all upon herself. She said that she and Madame Wu gave birth at the same time, but she gave birth to a stillborn child and switched them to fulfill her husband, Lu Sheng's, wishes.
What was the truth? Lu Yue couldn't control the movement of her sixth finger. Her birth mother wanted to keep up the appearance of perfection in front of her cheap Ling.
Just the thought of Su Mother being forced to death because of such a birth mother was unbearable for Lu Yue. "Mother, didn't we receive a settlement fee from the National Teacher's residence when Father left? Combined with the money you saved over the years, let's leave together. Let's find a place with beautiful scenery, buy a few hundred acres of land, build two houses, and become small landowners."
Fang Erlang hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. "Alright, my Yue'er, let's go. Mother will take you away from here."
In that embrace, Lu Yue felt a sense of security and warmth that she hadn't felt in a long time. She knew that she had a chance at a new life, away from the constant mockery and mistreatment. Together, they would build a peaceful and happy future for themselves, far away from the troubles of the National Teacher's residence.