Song Xingzhi lived during the reign of Emperor Huizong

Chapter 2

<><A><>The promoter function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now!!!</A><> Zhou Geyin opened her eyes, looked at the dark room, and gave herself a bitter smile. Dong Kui was still asleep in the room. She dared not make a sound; her whole body was sore and weak, and she couldn't move at all.

She thought, "This should actually be the Suzhou-Hangzhou area."

There was a girl from Suzhou in Zhou Geyin's dormitory. The two were very close, and she spent almost all her summer vacations in Suzhou during college. Thanks to these trips, she was able to understand the conversation between Granny Sun and Dongkui. Although the Suzhou dialect at that time was somewhat different from the modern one, it was still largely similar.

She was a little worried about her speech. Although she could hear, her speech was somewhat different from theirs. And judging from what she had just heard, the original owner of this body seemed to be over ten years old, so her speech should be quite fluent. Fortunately, the doctor said that her brain was likely damaged by the fever, so if she misremembered people, couldn't recognize them, or had difficulty speaking clearly when she woke up, it shouldn't arouse too much suspicion. After all, the "eldest grandmother" and "third grandmother" in the family should be very worried about her dying. If she was alright, most people would probably be relieved and wouldn't investigate too much.

Even now, Zhou Geyin still vaguely feels that this is a dream, as if she will return to her original world after waking up. But how can she possibly find a way back after such a completely unexpected and unexplained time travel?

The most important thing is to first understand the situation within the mansion and what role you should play.

She breathed a sigh of relief. The original owner of this body must have died after falling into the water and developing a fever, and she had taken over. Based on the information she had, there should be three brothers in this household. Her father was the second oldest and was currently living in the capital with her mother. However, for some reason, he had not kept her and her "brother" with him, but instead entrusted them to her grandmother, who had come to the capital for the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration.

The one who called Granny Sun "Shige'er" must be my brother. He's gone to Yangzhou with his teacher and will be home tomorrow. And that so-called "grandmother" will be back in about half a month.

The most urgent thing now is how to face that "Brother Shi" tomorrow, and what attitude to take. Although the older brother is said to love his younger sister very much, he is only sixteen years old, so it shouldn't be too difficult to hide it from him.

Zhou Geyin kept her eyes open, and it's unclear how long she thought about it before she finally drifted off to sleep, albeit uncomfortably.

The next day, when she groggily woke up, it was already broad daylight. Dongkui sat by the bed and saw that she had opened her eyes, though they were still blurry, but she breathed a sigh of relief. She helped Zhou Geyin wash and dress, then brought her a small bowl of ginseng and lean meat porridge and fed her. Just as she was about to go out to find Granny Sun, a beautiful young girl walked in.

The girl was about the same age as Dongkui, but much prettier. If she weren't dressed as a maid, Zhou Geyin would have definitely thought she was a young lady from one of the households. She asked Dongkui with some concern, "Are you feeling better, young lady? Can you speak and recognize people now?"

Dongkui sighed softly, "His eyes are a little brighter, but he's still a bit dazed. His fever has gone down, though. I was just about to ask Granny Sun to come and take a look. Qiusang, you've come at the right time. Stay here and watch over him. I need to go and urge the kitchen to send over the medicine later."

Qiu Sang agreed, then said, "Why didn't you brew the medicine in the room instead of going to the kitchen? It's so inconvenient." Dong Kui said, "Do you think I don't want to? I went to wake them up this morning to serve me, but they've been locked up in the woodshed for three or four days and they've all caught typhoid fever. They're going to the storeroom to get medicine. There aren't enough people in the room right now, so they can't take care of everyone. How can they have time to brew the medicine?"

Qiu Sang said, "Yes, it must be that girl, the magistrate, who has typhoid fever. She infected them last night. If I hadn't gone back to my parents' place, I would probably have become sick too. Go and find Granny Sun to come over. I'm not at ease taking care of her here by myself. I don't know what to do if something happens."

Dongkui nodded and went out. She returned with Granny Sun in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Granny Sun had already brought the medicine from the kitchen. The three of them used chopsticks to pry open Zhou Geyin's mouth. They found that after taking a bite, the child instinctively tried to hide, not wanting to eat. Granny Sun finished feeding him and breathed a sigh of relief: "He knows it's bitter now; his seven orifices must be open." Dongkui and Qiusang felt relieved upon hearing Granny Sun's words and each wiped away a cold sweat. However, they didn't notice that Zhou Geyin's face was contorted, and tears were almost welling up.

Traditional Chinese medicine! This Chinese medicine is incredibly bitter!! You guys don't even bother with the technique of force-feeding it; you actually poured it into my nose! I should have known better than to dodge! Why am I so unlucky?! Shouldn't you give a child a piece of candy after giving them medicine?! Where's my candy?!

However, the medicine worked very quickly, and she soon became disoriented, probably because it contained sedative and sleep-inducing ingredients.

She slept very soundly, and didn't know how long she had slept. In her half-awake state, she felt someone moving around on her head, which annoyed her. She half-opened her eyes.

The room was already brightly lit, but she was still first startled by those large, dark, and bright eyes. Then she realized that a boy of about ten years old was bending down and reaching out to touch her forehead. The boy wore a jade crown that held his hair in place, and it was tied with a red necklace. He was wearing a brand-new dark purple coat with copper coin flowers printed on it, and he also wore a talisman and a name lock. On his right hand, he had a bracelet that symbolized longevity. He was looking at her with a face full of anxiety and worry.

Zhou Geyin saw his full, beautiful lips, delicate features, and fair, delicate skin that seemed ready to burst with moisture if pinched. If he were discovered by a talent scout in modern times, he would be a living, breathing young idol. She sighed inwardly, "Where did this effeminate man come from? And he's so strikingly handsome!"

She stood there, stunned, unsure how to react. Should she remain silent or burst into tears? Or ask, "Who are you?" Before she could decide, she instinctively tilted her head back and bit down hard on his hand that was still above her head!

Chapter Four, A Slight Awakening

The promoter function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join us now! The ten-year-old child's teeth were already hard, and she bit down hard. The child felt pain and tried to pull away, but seemed afraid of hurting her if he did, so he just stood there with a pained expression, letting her bite him. He just turned his head and shouted, "Grandma!"

Hearing his pitiful cries, Granny Sun hurried to the bedside. Her eyes met Zhou Geyin's still somewhat dazed gaze, and she suddenly noticed that she was biting the young master's hand. The young master looked pained and wanted to shake her off but dared not move.

Seeing this situation, Granny Sun was even more hesitant to act. The little girl seemed to be half-conscious, and what if she accidentally hurt her when she pried open her mouth? But she couldn't ignore the young master either. Judging from the look of it, if the girl didn't let go of her teeth, the young master's hand would bleed!

In her haste, she could only lean close to Zhou Geyin's head and say, "Little melon seed, open your mouth! This is your brother!! This is Shige'er! Be good!" She then carefully put her hand into Zhou Geyin's mouth, trying to slightly separate her upper and lower teeth.

Who is "Little Melon Seed"? Zhou Geyin was slightly puzzled. Could it be her own nickname?

The boy cried out in pain, "Guazi, loosen your mouth, it's your brother! It's your brother!"

Granny Sun also said, "Guazi, it's your brother! Quickly let go, it's your brother!" Zhou Geyin herself didn't know why she had taken a bite, but after being called a few times, she slowly let go of her mouth.

At this moment, Dongkui also came in upon hearing the noise. She saw the young master standing there with his arm in a sling, two rows of deep teeth marks on his hand. If he bit in any further, blood would come out. Granny Sun's finger was still stuck in the little girl's mouth. The little girl looked a bit dazed, but she tried her best to spit out Granny Sun's finger.

Salty pig's trotters! Zhou Geyin felt tears welling up in her eyes. This Granny Sun was definitely her nemesis! She could feed medicine up to her nose, and even a single finger could kill her with its saltiness!

Thankfully, Granny Sun was doing needlework just now. If she had been doing dirty work like wiping tables or sweeping floors...

Seeing Dongkui standing blankly at the door, Granny Sun said impatiently, "What are you standing there for? Go and get the young master some medicine!" Dongkui blankly said "Oh," and went out. Suddenly, she realized what was happening and came back in. She went to a small brown cabinet by the bed, rummaged through it, and pulled out a small bottle. She hurriedly applied the medicine to the young master.

Granny Sun asked worriedly, "Does your hand hurt, young master? Should we call a doctor? Were you frightened?" She then went to pull his ear, a practice known as "rejuvenation," which is said to calm a frightened child by pulling his ear.

The boy shook his hand and said, "Much better. Sister Dongkui applied the medicine, and it doesn't hurt much anymore." He was still shaken by what had just happened. "What happened to my sister? How did she get so sick? She doesn't even recognize me?! Has she seen a doctor? Has she taken her medicine? When will she get better?!"

He bombarded her with questions, and Granny Sun couldn't tell him the truth. She could only lie and say that the child was playing and accidentally fell into the water while playing with his little sister. He was rescued with great difficulty, but had been running a high fever for three or four days.

The young master was already over ten years old, but he had seen a bit of life. He also knew that his younger sister had always been afraid of water, so she would never have gone to the lake just to play. Moreover, his older sister had always had a bad temper, and his younger sister didn't like playing with her. How could his younger sister fall into the water and get a fever, while his older sister was completely fine? He was skeptical, but since it was the old nanny who had raised him who said this, he didn't dare to question her.

Seeing his expression, Granny Sun knew he didn't quite believe it, but she didn't say much. She just sighed, "Young master, go and keep the young lady company. See if you can get her to say a few words. The doctor said that if she has a high fever for three or four days, she may have damaged her brain."

Hearing this, he quickly sat down on the edge of the bed, not caring if he got bitten again, and leaned down to whisper to Zhou Geyin, "Are you feeling better, little sister?"

Zhou Geyin looked at him blankly, remaining silent. Seeing his usually lively little sister like this, his nose stung, and he almost shed a tear. He said with tears in his eyes, "Little sister, do you still remember your brother? Brother is back. It's my fault for not taking good care of you." He sniffed and continued, "Can Guazi still talk? Tell your brother that your brother brought you a gift..." After he finished speaking, he shook the object in his hand. It turned out to be a rattle drum, exquisitely crafted. What was exaggerated was that even though his other hand had been bitten so badly, he hadn't let go of this one.

"How old is this for? How childish!" Zhou Geyin complained, but couldn't help feeling a little touched.

Although Zhou Geyin remained silent, the boy was not discouraged and said again, "Look how fun this little drum is! See, it makes two sounds when you move it..." He shook his hand, and sure enough, the little drum made two sounds. He continued, "Isn't this fun? I secretly went out of town in Yangzhou to buy it for you without my teacher's knowledge. My classmates laughed at me for it; everyone else bought slingshots and knives, but I bought this..."

As he spoke, his voice began to choke, making Granny Sun and Dongkui feel even more heartbroken.

The young master and the young lady have been separated from their parents since they were young and have lived with their grandmother. They can be said to rely on each other, and their relationship is much better than that of ordinary siblings. Now that the young master sees the girl like this, how sad he must be.

Seeing him like that, Zhou Geyin felt a little sorry for him. She hesitated and opened her mouth, calling out, "Brother...brother..." Because she hadn't spoken for several days, her voice was hoarse, and with the rise of internal heat, her tone had changed, which masked her inaccurate Su Bai tone.

But the child paid no attention to any of this. As if hearing heavenly music, a wide smile bloomed on his lips, his face displaying a peacock's tail feathers—at first just ordinary, delicate tail feathers, but after unfolding, a breathtakingly beautiful display. Smiling, the tears he had been holding back finally fell, making him even more adorable. He said, "Little sister, you've finally spoken! Are you alright? Are you hungry? Are you feeling unwell? Should we call the doctor?"

Oh no! This guy is absolutely stunning! A man looking like that, with that kind of expression—is he deliberately trying to kill us women?!

No wonder so many men are into BL (Boys' Love). There's the ancient tale of Mi Zixia sharing a peach, and the monarch's homosexuality… She thought of her classmate's complaints: "Good men are already scarce in this day and age, and high-quality men are even more precious than diamonds. Yet there are still men trying to steal the best from us! Are they trying to kill us all?!"

Stop! What are you thinking?!