princesa xiangsi

Capítulo 4

Having received a favor, of course she wanted to repay it. The first thing Xiao Juyuan did after getting close to the warm fire was to take out food and share it with her older sister. Her mother was so thoughtful; she had even brought her some plums as snacks.

The little girl took the pie from her and ate it heartily without saying thank you. She had paid the price for the fire she had painstakingly built. Her difficult childhood had taught her better than anyone that one shouldn't take advantage of others for free.

"Sister, what are you doing here?"

Xiao Juyuan asked questions as she ate, because she felt it was strange and awkward for the two of them to be alone without saying a word.

"I came with my father to collect herbs, but we got lost, and then it started raining."

Where is your father?

The little girl glanced at the torrential rain outside, which had billowed a thin layer of smoke over the ground, and a chilling, almost sinister smile crept across her lips. Father? Dead. He slid down the hillside and fell off the cliff.

She watched him reach out to her in terror for help, and her first reaction was a smug, triumphant laugh. Then she spat on the face of that old, ugly, and disgusting man.

He should have died long ago!

He was always drunk, beating and cursing her, and threatening to sell her into a brothel from time to time. He forced her to work, to beg for food, and even to steal.

He's considered a father too?!

Good riddance!

After the rain stopped today, her life was like a fresh start!

"Sister, what's your name?" Xiao Juyuan asked, trying to make conversation when she was silent.

"And you?" she suddenly felt like chatting and asked back. Who said she couldn't talk and chat except when she was working? From now on, she was a free person, able to do whatever she wanted!

“My name is Xiao Juyuan, and I’m from the Xiao family in Ya’an. My father’s name is Xiao Mingyu, and my mother’s name is Li Juxin.” Seeing that she finally responded, Xiao Juyuan was extremely excited.

"You're a young lady from the Xiao family?!" The little girl's eyes sparkled as she stared intently at Xiao Juyuan.

It's her! The Xiao family's little princess!

She begged for food on the street, disheveled and huddled in a corner, watching from afar as Xiao Mingyu, the locals' god of wealth, rode his famous steed from beyond the Great Wall, placing his most beloved youngest daughter in front of him as they rode and laughed.

She looked at the little girl who was about her age. She was so beautiful, smiling and talking, occasionally pouting with a hint of coquettishness. Whenever she pouted, her handsome father's face would show tenderness.

Her hair was so black and shiny, so beautifully combed, and the hair ornament she wore was a style she had never seen before in her life. She sat proudly in her father's lap with a smile, looking blissfully carefree.

Sunlight bathed them, casting a soft glow on the horse's mane and their clothes...

Envy bordering on despair is an extreme form of suffering.

She looked at Xiao Juyuan more closely. Her clothes were dirty and torn in several places, and her hair was messy because it was wet from the rain, but the carefree innocence on her face had not changed! That was the expression of someone who grew up in a wealthy family and was pampered. That was... a sense of security.

Unlike her, who was always worried about when her father would beat her or sell her, she was like a lonely bird that couldn't find a place to land, and the slightest noise would startle her and make her flee in a sorry state!

"Why are you here?" she frowned, puzzled.

“My mother sent me here to wait for my father-in-law in this cave. He is my father’s sworn brother, and his son, Pei Junwu, is my betrothed.” Xiao Juyuan spoke eloquently, with a hint of pride.

"Shameless!" she snorted. Husband?! This girl possessed countless things she could only dream of.

“Shame? What’s there to be ashamed of? My mother said Pei Junwu is very handsome.” Xiao Juyuan laughed. “Now I can see him. Look, this is the token that my father-in-law and I recognized each other, the Tianque Sword. It’s very heavy. I wanted to throw it away several times along the way, but without this sword, my father-in-law wouldn’t recognize me. He’s never seen me before.”

A strange light rose in the little girl's eyes.

"Never seen it before? Don't recognize it?"

"Hmm. I really don't know why Mother insisted that I go with Father-in-law. She said that she and Father were in danger and that I should hide first. I'm very worried about them." Xiao Juyuan pursed her lips sadly.

To the little girl, her sad expression was just a case of feigned sadness; what did she know about being sad?

Today is truly her day!

She had a premonition that fate was working a miracle for her! Her father's death was a miracle in itself, but the appearance of this little fool was an even greater miracle! It was heaven's compensation to her, perhaps because her countless pleas to the heavens had finally worked.

"Are you worried about them?" she asked, showing sympathy.

"Yes, I've never seen Mother with that expression before... it's the kind of expression that makes my heart ache." She couldn't describe it.

"Do you see the big tree on that cliff over there?" The little girl pointed outside the cave. The rain had lessened, and a bright light appeared on the other side of the mountain, as if something was on fire, allowing them to clearly see the tree.

"Mm." Xiao Juyuan followed her hand and nodded.

"That's a wishing tree, it's very effective. We poor people would say whatever we wanted to that tree. My mother was sick and about to die, so I went to the tree and made a wish, and she got better all of a sudden."

"Really?" Xiao Juyuan was very surprised; she had never heard of such a thing before.

"You can make a wish there too. It's very effective."

"Then... I want our whole family to be happy together, is that okay?"

"Of course."

"Then I'll go right now!" Xiao Juyuan picked up his sword and was about to walk out.

"Hey!" the little girl called out to her. "Are you taking this sword with you? The mountain path is a bit steep, and it's raining. It'll be too much trouble for you to carry it. Just leave it here, and I'll watch it for you."

Xiao Juyuan hesitated for a moment. Although his mother said that the sword should not leave his side, it was really troublesome to carry it along the way. It was heavy and long.

"Don't worry, I'll wait for you right here," the little girl nodded, speaking with conviction.

"Well—okay." She finally nodded, figuring she'd be back quickly anyway.

"Go on," the little girl said, her eyes shining brightly as she watched her small figure struggling to crawl along the mountain path. "Go on, that path is the road to the underworld!"