Chapter 44

Yan Yiming, who had always been cold and aloof toward everyone, had actually taken the initiative to speak to Jiang Yi. Everyone present was utterly astonished. Old Madam Jiang, who had always disliked Jiang Yi and disapproved of Yan Yiming, found the two of them even more displeasing to the eye.
With Yan Yiming’s arrival, Second Lady Jiang could no longer speak ill of her in her presence. The farce-like meeting finally came to an end as Old Madam Jiang stiffly declared she was tired and impatiently dismissed all the younger generation.
The crowd slowly dispersed. Jiang Yi stepped out of the suffocating room, and the cool air that greeted him jolted him awake. Outside the courtyard, his eyes met a vast expanse of pure white snow. Amid the silvery landscape, a striking figure in bright red stood on the snow not far away. Hearing his footsteps, she turned around. Her skin was even more dazzlingly pale than the snow beneath her feet, and she chuckled softly,
“Finally out.”
Though this was only their second meeting, her familiarity made it seem as if they had known each other for a long time. Yet Jiang Yi knew clearly that they had never met before.
She was three years older than him, so he ought to address her as “Fifth Sister.” But for some reason, Jiang Yi was unwilling to call her that and instead respectfully addressed her as “Fifth Miss.”
Boys always develop later than girls, especially since Jiang Yi was three years younger than her.
Yan Yiming looked at Jiang Yi with a half-smile, her expression teasing as she regarded the boy who stood a head shorter than her, his small face slightly scrunched up. “No respect for your elders, you should call me sister.”
Jiang Yi fell silent for a moment. “I haven’t been formally accepted into the clan yet, so you’re not my sister.”
“Then once you’re in the clan, will you call me that?” Yan Yiming kicked lightly at the snow beneath her feet.
Jiang Yi walked alongside her, pursing his lips as if unwilling to answer the question. Instead, he lowered his voice and asked why she had come to see him the day before.
“Because I’m your sister,” Yan Yiming circled back to the topic, her eyes crinkling with amusement as she glanced at him. “If you don’t call me sister, I won’t be this nice to you anymore.”
A flicker of panic stirred in Jiang Yi’s heart, but when he looked up and saw the laughter in her eyes, he immediately understood she was teasing him again. If she truly didn’t care for him, she wouldn’t say such things.
Jiang Yi suddenly felt a wave of helplessness. “Let’s talk about it after I’m officially in the clan.”
Watching the two from a distance, Second Lady Jiang couldn’t comprehend why Yan Yiming, usually cold and silent, was so familiar with this newly arrived little bastard. Beside her stood Third Miss Jiang, who had just been pushed aside by Yan Yiming. Her narrow eyes, so like her mother’s, burned with resentment.
Because Lord Jiang held a higher official rank than Second Master Jiang, the second branch of the family always felt slightly inferior to the main branch. Yet, her fear of Yan Yiming wasn’t due to Lord Jiang’s status, it was because of Yan Yiming herself.
Those eyes of hers held no warmth, sending chills down one’s spine. And because everyone knew she wouldn’t live much longer, there was a touch of extreme madness about her.
Once, when Third Miss Jiang had gossiped about her behind her back and was accidentally overheard, before she could even defend herself, that mad girl had pulled out a sharp hairpin from who-knows-where and pressed it against her, demanding she repeat her words.
Expressionless, the girl had told her she didn’t have many years to live anyway, and if provoked, she wouldn’t mind taking someone down with her.
Third Miss Jiang had been so terrified she didn’t dare leave her room for three days. Furious, Second Lady Jiang went to confront Lady Jiang, only to run into Yan Yiming during one of her fits.
Normally, Lord Jiang wouldn’t involve himself in the inner household affairs, but when it concerned his precious daughter, he flew into a rage. He summoned Second Master Jiang and berated him harshly, accusing him of failing to discipline his wife and daughter, did he want to anger A’Ming to death?
Humiliated by his elder brother’s scolding and seeing his pale little niece, Second Master Jiang swallowed his anger. He then gathered his wife and daughter for a stern lecture. After that, neither Second Lady Jiang nor Third Miss Jiang dared to speak ill of Yan Yiming in her presence again.
“She’s fated to die young anyway,” Second Lady Jiang comforted her daughter. “If she really kicks the bucket in a fit of rage one day, we’ll be the ones blamed.”
Already destined for a short life, and now unmarriageable on top of it, Second Lady Jiang and Third Miss Jiang finally felt a sense of balance. Though they no longer dared to provoke Yan Yiming openly, they grew even bolder in spreading rumors behind her back, telling outsiders that Yan Yiming was so ill she couldn’t even get out of bed.
Watching her and Jiang Yi walk away, Second Lady Jiang let out a cold laugh. One was a sickly weakling, the other a little bastard, the former couldn’t compare to her own daughter, who was already betrothed to a good family, and the latter was even less worthy of being mentioned alongside her son, whom the tutors praised endlessly.
She had no time to spare wondering why the two of them were so close.
They were all just worthless trash.
As Jiang Yi and Yan Yiming walked along, they occasionally encountered servants or the illegitimate children of the Jiang family. Each time, Yan Yiming would instantly wipe the smile from her face, reverting to the cold, indifferent expression she had worn when he first saw her that day.
Jiang Yi didn’t know why she treated him differently, but he adored that feeling.
When they returned to the courtyard, the surroundings were once again quiet and peaceful. Jiang Yi sat by the brazier and coughed softly twice. He had caught a chill the day before and still hadn’t fully recovered.
A young maid serving him came in cheerfully, carrying a small clay pot still steaming with heat. Jiang Yi casually asked what it was.
“Fifth Miss said you caught a chill yesterday, so she specially had someone prepare ginger soup for you. Did you really catch a chill, Young Master?”
Jiang Yi hummed in acknowledgment, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips.
He sipped the ginger soup slowly, took out the books he had brought with him, and sat by the brazier, reading intently.
He knew these ten years would be difficult to endure, but now, it didn’t seem so unbearable after all.
In the blink of an eye, the year was drawing to a close.
With the New Year approaching, the Jiang residence was bustling with festive cheer. Red lanterns had been hung early, and the entire estate was adorned with colorful decorations, creating a lively atmosphere.
Jiang Yi had already been in the Jiang residence for half a month.
He lived in a remote part of the estate and had a cold, aloof temperament, so few people bothered to trouble him. Still, it was clear he was not well-liked in the household. The items sent to him were either incomplete or worn-out castoffs no one else wanted.
The young maids serving him often grew red-eyed with anger, but Jiang Yi remained expressionless.
If there was too little charcoal, he would simply wear more layers. If there were too few candles, he would sit closer to the light. The daily meals weren’t particularly good, but as long as they filled his stomach, it was enough. Though only thirteen years old, he carried himself with a composure far beyond his years.
He was always reading. When he arrived at the Jiang residence, he had brought only two sets of clothes but two full chests of books. Out of curiosity, the young maids flipped through them, only to realize that with their limited literacy, they couldn’t understand a word.
Lan Xiu, Yan Yiming’s head maid, once remarked to her, “This young master may seem unassuming, but he’s actually quite capable.”
The servants in the residence were adept at reading their masters’ moods. The concubines favored by the master, along with their children, held status, while those disliked by the master or the old madam were often timid and easily bullied, sometimes even the servants dared to insult them.
Yet, even the least favored young masters and misses in the household came from better backgrounds than Jiang Yi. However, after some time, Lan Xiu noticed that the maids serving Jiang Yi didn’t dare speak harshly to him and were even somewhat afraid of him.
Yan Yiming merely smiled faintly upon hearing this. Some people were born with such talents. Seven years later, Jiang Yi would navigate the vast and treacherous political arena with ease, let alone a small household like the Jiang residence.
Even if the maids couldn’t bully Jiang Yi, the supplies provided to him were still far too meager.
Jiang Yi could accept Yan Yiming helping him once or twice, but after several times, the boy simply refused to accept any more assistance. Yan Yiming still remembered how little Jiang Yi had looked at her, hesitating for a long time before finally speaking, “...Do you think I'm pitiful?”
Pitiful, my foot. Yan Yiming cursed inwardly the moment she heard it.
She would never pity him, of all people.
After realizing the innate pride hidden deep within the young boy, Yan Yiming never again openly helped him as she had before.
She only tried to find ways to assist him without letting his sensitive nature catch on. But Jiang Yi, misinterpreting her sudden distance as anger, finally showed a trace of anxiety on his delicate, youthful face. His dark, ink-like eyes, usually so still and quiet, were no longer calm.
It was the first time Jiang Yi had come to Yan Yiming’s place. The plainly dressed young boy sat across from her, a flicker of struggle crossing his face before he looked up and said slowly, “Fifth Sister, are you angry?”
His voice was clear and cool, but perhaps because the words were difficult to say, the term “Fifth Sister” carried a hint of shyness.
Yan Yiming was taken aback for a moment. Seeing Jiang Yi’s ears already flushed red, she laughed openly without any attempt to hide it.
“No,” she said quickly, noticing Jiang Yi’s expression stiffen again at her laughter. “I’m not angry. I understand what you mean.”
Since they had grown closer, the two of them often talked. Yan Yiming told him that she treated him well because, ever since he arrived, she was no longer the youngest in the household. As an older sister, it was only natural for her to care for him.
But Jiang Yi always felt it wasn’t that simple. He still had the vague impression that Yan Yiming seemed to have known him long before.
When Yan Yiming assured him she wasn’t angry, Jiang Yi finally let out a sigh of relief.
Without him even realizing it, her words had already come to matter so much to him.
Outside, snow was falling again. Lan Xiu and the other maids were making red lanterns for the New Year celebrations. After a while, Lan Xiu came over and told Yan Yiming that the young master should take a couple of lanterns back with him, so his place wouldn’t look too cold and lonely during the festivities.
Perhaps reminded of the times when his mother and Fifth Master Jiang were still alive, or perhaps only realizing now how alone he would be even on New Year’s Eve, something flickered briefly in Jiang Yi’s eyes. He nodded faintly and thanked her.
Lan Xiu meant well, but her words still carried an unintended sting. Yan Yiming, sharp-eyed, noticed that even though Jiang Yi’s face showed no trace of emotion, his hand on the table twitched slightly.
No matter how indifferent he pretended to be, how could he truly not care?
On New Year’s Eve, the Jiang residence was brightly lit and bustling with excitement. Even the maids took the chance to slip outside and enjoy themselves. Only Jiang Yi remained, as usual, sitting by the lamplight, reading.
Perhaps the firecrackers outside were too loud, making Jiang Yi less engrossed in the scene. He stared blankly as the candle flame gradually burned out, until the soft sound of footsteps on snow reached his ears.
Jiang Yi assumed it was the maidservants returning from their fun and paid no mind, but as the sound drew closer, he looked up and met Yan Yiming’s delicate features.
Holding a lantern, she offered an incredibly beautiful smile and said,
“Let’s stay up together to see the New Year in.”