Chapter 4

The dining area was on the first floor. When they entered, Lin Miao was surprised to see so many people!
Someone greeted the maid and discreetly asked, “Is this the child?”
The maid nodded slightly, not wanting to say much. “I just brought her here to eat.”
Lin Miao didn’t understand anything. Because she didn’t, she chose to observe more and speak or act less. She was afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing...
The maid brought her two dishes, one with meat and one vegetarian, and also a bowl of rice.
Lin Miao was so hungry! But she didn’t show it. Instead, she ate very politely.
She thought about a lot of things. Now that she was already being disliked, she couldn’t eat too much, if she did, she’d probably be disliked even more.
But the food was so delicious!
Lin Miao was so satisfied with the meal that she completely forgot what she’d just been thinking. In no time at all, both her plates and her bowl of rice were empty.
She still felt a little hungry but didn’t dare go get seconds, especially since the maid beside her hadn’t finished her food.
Lin Miao quietly asked, “Where should I wash the dishes?”
“You don’t need to wash them,” the maid replied. “The Madam will probably come see you soon.”
With that, she took Lin Miao back to the same room as before.
Lin Miao didn’t really know what to do.
No one had assigned her any tasks, which made her feel useless.
She looked around at the tidy room, there was nothing for her to clean either.
After a while, just as expected, the Madam came.
She pulled Lin Miao to sit beside her. “You saw your little brother today, didn’t you?”
Lin Miao didn’t quite understand. “No, I didn’t. My little brother is in the city.”
The Madam chuckled and explained, “I meant Xiao Yu. From now on, Xiao Yu will be your little brother, how about that?”
Of course, Lin Miao remembered who Xiao Yu was. She was a bit confused. “But...he’s taller than me.”
She had always thought that being a big sister meant being taller. Her own younger brother often said, “The day I get taller than you, you’ll have to call me ‘big brother’!”
So, back home, the two of them were always trying to eat more and grow taller.
The Madam was taken aback, then smiled. “But he’s not in good health. He needs a big sister to take care of him. Will you be his big sister?”
Lin Miao felt a little sorry for the boy. After all, he was taller than her but had to be her younger brother.
She quietly asked, “Is this my job?”
Her cousin hadn’t clearly told her what the job would be, except that the boss had a bad temper and would get angry easily.
Seeing her sincere eyes, the Madam couldn’t help but smile and nod. “Can you do this job? We’ll pay you a salary.”
Lin Miao blushed. “I saw you already gave my mom the money.”
The Madam gently patted her head. “Your brother has a bad temper. Don’t get mad at him.”
Lin Miao nodded. Little brothers always had bad tempers.
When her mom went to work, she used to take Lin Miao with her because she didn’t trust the grandmother, who favored boys over girls. So her brother was left at home with their grandmother.
When her brother was four and she was six, just the right age to start school, she came back. Her brother had a terrible temper, always yelling at her. Later, she helped him in fights and even got punished with him when they sneaked pears together. Their relationship improved, and he started listening to her.
“Alright, time to sleep now. Kids need lots of sleep to grow taller,” the Madam said.
Lin Miao obediently lay down on the big bed. The Madam tucked her in. “From now on, I’m your grandmother.”
Lin Miao didn’t really get it, but nodded anyway and called her “Grandma.”
“Ay.” The Madam was quite pleased. She gently touched Lin Miao’s forehead. “Shui Shui, see you tomorrow.”
The next day, just as dawn broke, Lin Miao woke up.
Her first instinct was: Go up the mountain to pick mushrooms!
Then she saw the soft white sheets and remembered, she wasn’t at home anymore.
Lin Miao got up, folded the blanket, and went to brush her teeth and wash her face.
When she opened the door, there wasn’t anyone around.
She thought for a moment, then quietly tiptoed downstairs.
She had just reached the staircase when she saw the young master being supported by someone.
He looked even paler than yesterday, and when he saw her, he frowned.
Lin Miao didn’t dare call him “little brother,” afraid it would make him angry. Back when she had just returned home, her real little brother had forbidden her from calling him that.
So with experience, she softly said, “My name is Lin Miao. You can call me Shui Shui.”
The young master glanced at her clothes and slippers, then turned to the butler beside him and asked, “Did you have her wear my old clothes?”
Lin Miao also realized the issue, she was indeed wearing his hand-me-downs.
Her cheeks flushed, and she ran back into the room.
The young master watched her disappear at the top of the stairs, then said irritably to the butler, “Before she leaves, make sure to buy her a new set of clothes.”
The butler: “……”
Right then, they saw her running back again, da da da, her steps quick and light.
A bit embarrassed, she held out her hand. “Don’t be mad. I only wore your clothes because I didn’t bring any. Here.”
She took his hand with her left one and placed a neatly folded 100 yuan bill in his palm.
Softly, she said, “Don’t be angry anymore. I’ll pay you back after I get my salary.”
Her mom had given her five hundred-yuan bills, and she had kept them all carefully.
The young master felt the bill burning in his hand. He handed it back. “Wear it if you want.”
Then he went back upstairs to his room.
Lin Miao tucked the money away, thinking this new “little brother” was way better than her real one. When she first came home, her brother had taken all her stuff and said it should all be his.
But this brother had let her wear his clothes.
After breakfast, the Madam took Lin Miao to the young master’s room. He was lying in bed getting an IV drip. He looked even more fragile now.
The Madam led Lin Miao to sit at the bedside and said, “Shui Shui, will you take care of your brother here for a while?”
The young master suddenly opened his eyes, looking utterly displeased. “Brother?”
Then he turned to Lin Miao. “Go out for a minute.”
Lin Miao was a little worried, but he looked genuinely upset, so she left without protest.
As she stood outside the door, her mind raced. The young master really didn’t like her.
She might become the only person in the village who went out to work and got sent home within three days.
How embarrassing. Should she bring candy back for the kids?
Soon, the Madam came out, beaming. “It’s settled, Shui Shui. He won’t tell you to leave again.”
That twist came way too fast, Lin Miao was thrilled.
“But,” the Madam added, “don’t call him ‘little brother.’ You’ll have to call him ‘big brother.’”
Though she used to argue with her real brother about who was older, now that the young master was taller, Lin Miao felt it made sense to call him ‘big brother.’ Once she got taller than him, then she could make him call her ‘big sister.’
“Oh right, go change your clothes,” the Madam said.
Lin Miao nodded.
All in all, today was a beautiful day.
Her heart was dancing with joy.
After changing, she went to the young master’s room. He was still asleep. He looked really handsome when he slept.
But Lin Miao didn’t dare stare too long,
Because she had received the first task of her working life: watching the IV drip. When it was almost finished, she had to call someone to remove the needle.
She didn’t dare slack off even a little. The doctor had told her this was very important, if she wasn’t careful, the blood might backflow into the bottle…
So Lin Miao watched the hanging IV bottle with intense focus.
Terrified that if she so much as blinked, it would suck the young master’s blood right back in.