Watching her husband lying on the bed, covered in wounds, a man she had never met before and who was also a eunuch, A Mei felt completely panicked, filled with unknown fear and despair.
She was like a walking corpse now, unsure of what to do, yet afraid to do nothing.
A Mei remembered there were still some buns left to steam in the kitchen. While keeping an ear on the movements inside the room, she stoked the fire to steam the buns. After a moment's thought, she also put a pot of millet porridge on a small burner to simmer.
A Mei was exhausted, hungry, and thirsty. Once the buns were steamed, she tucked two into her clothes and returned to the room.
She wolfed down the two buns and was just about to drink some water when she suddenly saw the person on the bed open his eyes and look at her.
His face was already terrifying due to two scars, and now, with his narrow eyes squinting at her with ill intent, a chill instantly shot from the soles of A Mei's feet to the top of her head.
A Mei was so frightened that a piece of bun got stuck in her throat, nearly choking her. Finally, her survival instinct overcame her fear. With trembling hands, she picked up a cup of water, took a big gulp, and finally washed the bun down.
Just then, the man snorted coldly, his voice sharp and piercing, deeply unpleasant to hear: "So you're the wife my godfather bought for me?"
A Mei immediately stood up, both nervous and scared. Belatedly, she nodded, stammering, "H-husband, I am A Mei."
"What did you call me?" A snort of laughter erupted from his chest, his shrill voice suddenly rising sharply, laced with gloom and malice.
A Mei repeated, trembling, "H-husband!"
"Hah... hiss..." The man sneered, perhaps tugging at the wounds on his face again. The freshly scabbed wounds oozed blood, making him appear even more horrifying and ferocious.
"Husband? Are you mocking me for not being a real man, saying it deliberately to my face?"
"N-no, I'm not," A Mei shook her head in terror, taking a step back. The urge to flee surged within her for a moment. Fortunately, the words her godfather said before leaving were already branded in her mind. Suppressing her fear, A Mei walked to the bedside. "It's... it's bleeding again. L-let me wipe it for you."
An Sheng looked at this woman who was clearly terrified to death yet dared to approach. He raised an eyebrow, staring at her with a sinister gaze and saying sarcastically, "Quite the fearless one, aren't you?"
His words scared A Mei so much her nose twitched and her mouth quivered, nearly making her cry. Overwhelmed by fear and grievance, she took a deep breath. While carefully wiping the blood from An Sheng's face, she choked back sobs and asked, "Husband, w-would you like some water?"
An Sheng's gaze shifted away from A Mei. Heaven knew he was burning with pain all over his body. However, An Sheng had always been able to endure. Even though he couldn't move on the bed, he didn't show a trace of pain or weakness.
Especially not in front of a woman who kept calling him 'husband.' Hah, husband!
Having endured so many beatings since childhood, An Sheng knew his limits. This time, although he looked a mess, his foundations weren't damaged. Since he wasn't dead, and recalling the past events in the palace... suffering this deliberate flesh wound wasn't in vain. What he needed to do now was recover and wait for the right moment to act.
Thinking this, An Sheng glanced at A Mei.
"What kind of expression is that? It's hideous. I detest long faces the most; they're bad luck! Go pour me a cup of water and get some food."
"A Mei will go right away." A Mei sniffled, forcing back her tears, and hurried off to prepare.
Once outside the door, A Mei's tears flowed uncontrollably. She was so afraid. She could already foresee how difficult her future days would be. The man on the bed was truly too terrifying.
Don't blame A Mei for thinking this. The man, injured and bedridden, was already so hostile and spoke to her like this. If he recovered in the future, would A Mei have any good days? Thinking of this, A Mei cried even harder.
But even crying was a luxury. A Mei wiped her tears hard, poured a cup of hot water, ladled a bowl of millet porridge, and hurried back into the room.
An Sheng was deep in thought when he heard the noise and turned his head.
What met his eyes were A Mei's tear-reddened eyes and the water and porridge she carried in her hands.
A flicker of something strange passed through his eyes, but his words were still unpleasant: "That fast?"
A Mei hummed in affirmation and explained softly, "The porridge was cooked earlier, kept warm on a low simmer."
What A Mei heard next was a sharp, caustic voice.
"Then hurry up and help me sit! Do you want to starve me to death?"
A Mei bit her lower lip hard. With her thin, frail frame, she struggled to help An Sheng sit up. Since An Sheng's arms were also injured, A Mei fed him with a spoon, first giving him a few sips of water, then feeding him the millet porridge bit by bit.
Fortunately, An Sheng didn't make any sarcastic remarks during the meal and simply lowered his head to finish the porridge.
After helping An Sheng lie back down, A Mei heard the voice full of disgust again: "Go bring the chamber pot and place it by the bed. Then you can leave. Prepare some light food and bring it over tomorrow morning."
A Mei quickly went out to fetch the chamber pot. She looked at the pot, then at the immobile man lying there, her mind in turmoil. Finally, she asked uncertainly, "H-husband, you're injured now... does A Mei need to help..."
A Mei meant well; the implied 'help' was obvious. But to An Sheng's ears...
A mocking curve appeared at the corner of his mouth, while the malice in his eyes was clearly visible.
"What, can't tell you're truly audacious? Want to see how a eunuch manages his business?"
A Mei's face turned deathly pale at his words. She shook her head, explaining, "N-no, that's not it."
An Sheng looked at her with a gaze as cold as a venomous snake, suddenly roaring, his shrill voice almost piercing the roof: "Then get the hell out of here!"
A Mei couldn't hold back her tears and fled.
For several days after that, An Sheng was relentlessly vicious, sharp-tongued, and sarcastic towards A Mei. Whenever displeased, his mockery never ceased.
During the day, A Mei attended to An Sheng's medicine and meals. At night, she always left his room in tears.
When An Gui returned home after five days away on business, the first thing he saw was his godson, now able to get out of bed and leaning in the doorway, and A Mei, who had only been gone five days but now had swollen, red eyes from crying, washing clothes in the courtyard. Already frail, she now looked even more gaunt and haggard.
An Gui frowned almost imperceptibly.
"Godfather." A Mei looked at him as if seeing a family member. All the grievances of these days suddenly found an outlet, and she burst into tears.
"Cry, cry, cry! Who are you mourning? I'm not dead yet!"
The sharp voice, dripping with venom, came from above. A Mei was so frightened she bit her lip hard, not daring to make a sound. Her large, tear-filled eyes looked at An Gui pleadingly.
"Enough. What's the point of venting on a young girl? If you have the skill, use it outside."
To A Mei, these words were a lifeline. She looked at An Gui gratefully, the tears she had been holding back falling once more. The pent-up emotions of these days finally found a moment of relief.
An Sheng snorted, fell silent for a brief moment, then dropped his sarcastic demeanor and called out to An Gui.
"Godfather."
An Gui grunted in acknowledgment, walked over to A Mei, and said, "Leave the washing for now. Go prepare some food for me."
He then headed towards the inner room, his gaze settling on the scabbed scars on An Sheng's face. "You, come with me."
From A Mei's perspective, she saw the two of them enter the inner room one after the other. As for what they discussed inside, she had no idea.
A Mei hurried to the kitchen to prepare the meal. The thought that she no longer had to face her formidable husband alone lifted her spirits considerably.
Since Godfather had returned, A Mei made a few extra dishes. Once the food was laid out on the table, An Gui came over first and told A Mei to start the meal.
A Mei glanced towards the doorway, hesitating to speak.
"You're an honest child. Don't worry about him. He'll eat when he's hungry," An Gui said, picking up his chopsticks and, for the first time ever, served A Mei a portion of food.
A Mei was momentarily overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. She gave a soft "mm" of acknowledgment and began eating in small, delicate bites.
When they were halfway through their meal, a figure appeared at the doorway.
A Mei looked up and saw a slender man standing there. He wasn't exceptionally tall, but neither was he short. His clothes were new—a cyan silk robe that, on his lean frame, lent him an air of unexpected nobility. This was An Sheng.
A Mei thought her husband was very pale, not just a simple pallor. Especially with those two finger-width whip scars crisscrossing his face, his whiteness seemed abnormal, making him appear even more frightening and terrifying.
Meeting his inscrutable eyes, A Mei's heart trembled. Flustered, she quickly stood up and called out, "Husband."
An Sheng snorted but said nothing, his expression unreadable. He walked to the table and sat down. A Mei hastily served him a bowl of rice.
For a time, the only sounds in the room were the clinking of bowls and chopsticks and the sounds of chewing and swallowing. Perhaps out of habit, An Sheng ate hastily and quickly, finishing first despite having started last.
Seeing that An Gui had also set down his chopsticks, A Mei, finding she couldn't eat any more either, stood up to clear the dishes.
"You usually have two bowls of rice. Why only one today?" Perhaps to ease the tension, An Gui's voice was gentler than before.
Upon hearing this, A Mei's face flushed bright red, a mix of shyness and embarrassment washing over her. Before coming to the An household, A Mei had often gone hungry. Since entering the An residence, she could eat fragrant white rice to her heart's content, and she couldn't bear to waste the food she usually cooked, so she typically ate quite a lot.
But now...
Fearing further mockery, A Mei cautiously glanced at An Sheng. He seemed not to have heard, sitting there with a slight frown as if deep in thought.
A Mei quietly let out a sigh of relief and replied, "Godfather, A Mei is full."
She then quickly cleared the table and poured a cup of tea for both An Gui and An Sheng.
After pouring the water, A Mei stood properly, like a maid awaiting orders.
An Gui gave a low cough, deliberately drawing their attention, and spoke slowly, "Since Sheng'er is well now, I will help you two hold the wedding ceremony tonight."
An Sheng glanced at A Mei, who hadn't yet processed this, curled the corner of his mouth, and gave her a mirthless smile. "Never thought our family would misjudge someone. To have caught Godfather's eye, you must have some skills."
See, the sarcasm arrived as expected.
Understanding dawned on A Mei, and her eyes widened in horror as they happened to meet An Sheng's sinister smile. The man was smiling, yet it sent chills down A Mei's spine.
Trembling, A Mei wanted to speak but didn't know what to say. She had been bought to be a wife, after all. Resigned to her fate, she lowered her head.
"Enough, stop frightening her," An Gui interjected, then his gaze fell on A Mei's bare wrist.
"A Mei, where is the bracelet I gave you?"
A Mei hurriedly took out a small bundle from within her clothes, unwrapping it layer by layer to reveal the bracelet inside. She pursed her lips somewhat sheepishly. "Godfather, the bracelet is precious. I was afraid of damaging it while working, so I've been keeping it close to me."
An Sheng's gaze beside them fell on the bracelet in A Mei's hand. His expression momentarily grew distant, then he narrowed his eyes dangerously and let out a mocking, ambiguous chuckle, half question, half sigh. "Godfather, you really are getting me a wife."
His scrutinizing eyes then landed on A Mei, and he spoke without restraint, self-mockingly, "What's the use of us eunuchs taking a wife? It just makes people laugh at us."
An Gui snorted heavily, his face darkening as he rasped, "Sheng'er, we are eunuchs already, what more do we have to fear from ridicule? Our very existence is a joke. But even as eunuchs, we must become the kind that others dare not provoke, cannot afford to offend, or even have to beg and kowtow to. Isn't that always what you've aspired to be?"
As soon as the words fell, An Sheng's eyes immediately turned sharp. His whole body tensed, and then he spoke word by word, his voice hoarse, "Naturally."
Beside them, A Mei only felt that An Sheng seemed utterly sinister and terrifying, momentarily too scared to even breathe heavily.
An Sheng's gaze swept over A Mei, cold and devoid of emotion, his tone impatient. "Since you've entered the An family, you are my person, An Sheng's. If you look down on me for being a eunuch and think of leaving or hope I'll set you free in the future, abandon that thought. From now on, serve me and Godfather well, and I naturally won't treat you poorly."
At this moment, A Mei was both terrified and panicked. She didn't even dare look up, only managing to give a stiff, awkward nod.
