"She's waking up, she's going to wake up, and she looks so polite too."
"Oh my, that little face is so rosy, but why did they shave her into a Little Baldy at the Taoist temple?"
"This is Buddhism and Taoism pressing down on her fate, shh, keep your voices down."
The final voice, commanding and elderly, stopped the chatter of the few people.
Little Milk Bun was lying on the bed, half-asleep and half-awake, rubbing her eyes and opening them to suddenly meet someone's gaze, confused.
It must be noon now, the curtains were drawn, so the room was somewhat dim, and Tang Jin was still groggy, propping up her little body, looking at the sudden crowd of people appearing at the door, blinking with curiosity.
A soft and cuddly Little Milk Bun always lifts one's mood just by looking at her.
In front of her was an elderly man with salt-and-pepper hair, peering into the room along with a group of servants, all with smiling aunts' faces.
Tang Jin came back to her senses and saw the dark blue qi extending from the old man's forehead down to his philtrum, knowing this must be her sick grandfather.
Before Old Master Tang, Tang Fengfu, could say anything, Tang Jin crisply called out to him.
"Grandfather."
"Ah, my Darling, come give Grandfather a hug, Grandfather has missed Jinjin so much."
The usually very strict Old Master Tang's smile nearly made his eyes disappear, the little one looked too well-behaved and soft, tiny and delicate, with pink and tender cheeks from just waking up.
Boys and girls really are different, thinking of his own three rascal sons, and then his six grandsons, this one precious seedling is just endlessly endearing.
What's wrong with being a Little Baldy? We are the cutest Little Baldy!
He hugged the soft precious child close to his chest.
Old Master Tang cherished her greatly, and strangely, this morning he felt much lighter in his body, his spirits had partly returned, and only after eating breakfast did he learn that his granddaughter had already been brought back and was sleeping upstairs.
"Have you slept enough? Shall we go downstairs for lunch?"
Tang Jin smiled and nodded.
-
At the dining table, Old Master Tang's appetite was also quite good today; he had eaten more than half a bowl of rice before he noticed something amiss in the living room.
"Where's that big porcelain vase?"
Old Master Tang's brows furrowed.
Having received some guidance from the Feng Shui Master, Old Master Tang had grown the family business even larger, and he had a certain trust in him.
"I had Dad find someone to move it away," said Tang Jin, earnestly eating her food while raising her head from the bowl, quickly jumping in on a topic within her area of expertise.
"Moving it is better for Grandfather's health, do you feel much more comfortable now?"
In the past few months, the negative energies being suppressed within the estate were gradually dispersing away from Grandfather, and while the source had yet to be dealt with, the results were becoming apparent by the morning.
If his precious granddaughter asked for it to be moved, then it should be moved. He too had felt that placing it there could pose a danger if someone accidentally knocked it over and injured someone; he hadn't really taken Tang Jin's words to heart.
"Absolutely, seeing Jinjin made Grandfather eat more than half a bowl of rice in no time."
"That's because the doctor's treatment is effective."
Coming down the stairs, Tang Micheng ran down with noisy steps, glanced at Little Baldy who had changed into ordinary pajamas, and paused, taken aback by those large round cat-like eyes, then slightly pursed his lips.
"Don't suddenly credit the doctor's hard work to someone else, it's disrespectful to the doctor."
"Young Master, please start eating your meal," urged a servant.
Tang Micheng huffed and pulled out the stool opposite Tang Jin to sit down, making quite a commotion as he did.
But from the moment Tang Jin looked at him, she acted as if he didn't exist, focusing on eating her rice as if she couldn't see his displeasure.
Old Master Tang frowned: "Where are your manners at the dining table?"
Tang Micheng paused, just about to speak, when Old Master Tang, without even looking at him, served Tang Jin some vegetables with a smile beaming from his face, evidently very fond of his granddaughter.
He closed his mouth again and quietly sat down to eat.
He knew it; Grandfather was especially fond of Tang Jin because she was his only granddaughter. His cousin had also grown up in the Tang Family since she was a child, another girl who was good to their grandfather, so why did his cousin have to tread on eggshells around the family?
Perhaps he just didn't like Tang Jin and was unaccustomed to seeing Grandfather so relaxed and doting, blaming all issues on Tang Jin being a girl, while he himself was unrelated, using his cousin to express his malice towards Tang Jin.
Tang Jin tried her best to finish the rice in her bowl, her little belly rounding out slightly, and let out a tiny burp. Covering her mouth, she noticed Tang Micheng's chubby face filled with malice.
This cousin didn't like her.
Tang Jin leaned back comfortably on the little high stool and continued to scoop up her rice, unperturbed.
She had encountered plenty of people who disliked her, whether they were bullies or competitors. She had dealt with more intense malice than this cousin's, which at most resembled a child's jealousy.
"Jinjin doesn't get angry with ignorant people."
Tang Jin hummed softly as she continued to eat. Tang Micheng's chopsticks stuttered over his bowl. Had he just been insulted without realizing it?
By the time he looked up at Tang Jin, the delicate bundle had already snuggled into Old Master Tang's embrace, her voice sounding doughy and sweet as she looked up.
"Steward Grandfather, may I make a call to Dad? There's something wrong with his brain, and he needs to get to the hospital quickly for a checkup."
Steward Grandfather: ...What do you mean there's something wrong with his brain?
Halfway through his meal, Tang Micheng lost his appetite at the sight of Tang Jin. He realized she wasn't just annoying; she was a master of deceit! He promptly got up, holding his skateboard, ready to leave, and started complaining to his friends on his phone.
'Brother Cheng, I heard your sister came back?'
'Don't even mention her to me. Ever since she returned, she's all my family sees. They didn't even wait for me to come down to eat. I'm so annoyed by her.'
"Brother."
Tang Micheng had just sent that message when a sweet, glutinous little voice behind him made him shudder. He locked eyes with her large, cat-like pupils, feeling inexplicably guilty.
Hiding his phone behind his back, Tang Micheng growled, "What do you want? Get lost, I don't have time to coddle kids."
"I just wanted to remind you to come home early tonight, no later than eight o'clock, and don't take the overpass on your way back."
Tang Jin, tiny as she was, stood only half as tall as the nine-year-old boy in front of her. Even with her voice sweet and soft, the content of her message sent a chilling sensation down his spine.
"Speaking all mystical and weird, what a nutcase."
The little one was already in front of him, but the plump boy swiftly blocked her and rushed through the door.
Tang Jin didn't mind and waved at him, "If anything happens, try to head home, Brother. See you later."
Her cat eyes blinked, and Tang Jin watched Tang Micheng's rotund figure tinged with a faint shade of black air trailing behind him. Her tone carried a hint of concern, but her smile was exceedingly sweet.
"Don't be too smart for your own good."
*
Tang Micheng glided down the main street on his skateboard, clutching his phone, a dour expression on his face as he texted his friends.
"My sister's been at the Taoist temple, right? She's talking all mystical, telling me to be home before eight. It's a joke; the evening's events don't even end until eight-thirty. She's definitely crazy."
'Man, that's some spooky stuff, huh?'
'Your sister's really from the countryside, deeply poisoned by feudal ideology.'
-
At seven o'clock, the arcade time signal sounded, and Tang Micheng felt strangely restless. Not long after, he stood up.
"Brother Cheng, a new game is being released and you're leaving before it ends? What time is it now?"
"You're not seriously leaving before eight just because your sister told you to, are you, Brother Cheng?"
Tang Micheng shrugged off the hands reaching out to him. He couldn't quite explain the unease he felt. Might as well head back early, but to say it was because of Tang Jin's words?
"Why would I listen to her? I'm not sick."