After I Lost My Memory, I Was Coaxed into Marriage by a Yandere - Chapter 8

As night fell, Chi Wei lay in bed, clutching the edge of the quilt with both hands, thinking about the words Xin Rong had spoken during dinner.

The mattress beside her sank as Xiao Yanyi slipped into the covers.

“There is a southbound ship tomorrow that happens to be on our way. We might need to set off a day early.”

Chi Wei turned to face Xiao Yanyi. “I will follow your lead, A-Yan.” She was now quite curious about what Xiao Yanyi looked like, especially after Daoist Xin Rong had praised her appearance so relentlessly.

As was her habit, Chi Wei pulled Xiao Yanyi’s hand into hers to warm it and pressed the tops of her feet against the soles of Xiao Yanyi’s.

In the moonlight, Xiao Yanyi’s gaze fell upon Chi Wei’s face, a hint of softness rising in her eyes that even she had not yet noticed.

“I really want to see what my Madame looks like, but can my eyes truly be cured?” Chi Wei lacked confidence. With their departure set for tomorrow, she worried that this journey south would exhaust all of the family’s savings.

Xiao Yanyi gave a light chuckle. Her fingertips moved slowly along the side of Chi Wei’s cheek, occasionally pinching the soft skin with her thumb or rolling the already reddened, warm earlobe between her fingers. Her posture was not quite like that of a lover, but more like someone petting a gentle cat she had raised herself.

“I know what you are worried about. Rest assured, I have asked the merchants; there are many skilled doctors in the south. We will find a way to cure you. As for you, you did not seem this curious about my looks for the past two months. Is it because you heard Xin Rong call me beautiful and realized I am not a monster that you are curious now?”

Chi Wei squinted and shook her head gently. “The house was quiet before and few outsiders came, so naturally, no one spoke of your appearance. I never gave it much thought. But today, a guest who only recently met you praised you so much, and I…”

She paused, her voice dropping lower, tinged with a sense of loss. “And I do not even know what my own Madame looks like. It makes my heart feel a bit empty.”

The smile at the corner of Xiao Yanyi’s mouth could no longer be hidden and overflowed from her eyes. “A-Chi, you are not jealous, are you?”

“Of course not,” Chi Wei hurriedly denied, though the tips of her ears grew redder and her voice more mumbled. “It is just… curiosity.”

Xiao Yanyi gently took Chi Wei’s hand, guiding it. The first thing Chi Wei’s fingertips touched was warm skin.

Then, she felt long eyelashes lightly brushing against her palm, creating a fine, dense itch. Her fingers followed the contour downward, grazing the bridge of a straight nose, finally stopping on something moist and soft.

It was her lips.

Chi Wei’s fingertips trembled, and she instinctively tried to pull back. However, Xiao Yanyi seemed to have anticipated this. She did not let go; instead, she lowered her head and pressed a gentle kiss into Chi Wei’s palm.

The next day, they set off south ahead of schedule.

At the pier, the salty, damp sea breeze blew unrestrained, carrying a bone-chilling cold that pressed Chi Wei’s clothes tight against her body before snapping them back in the wind.

This journey south failed to bring the fair weather they had hoped for. The sky was terribly gloomy, with heavy layers of black clouds pressing down from the horizon toward the port.

The cabin was small, divided into upper and lower bunks. She and Xiao Yanyi took the bottom bunk while Xiao Tan took the top, which worked out well. The floor space was cramped; three or four people standing there would likely make it impossible to turn around. However, for a ship, having a steady place to sleep was considered good enough.

“A ten-day journey, and this small cabin costs five taels of silver. I will keep the remaining money safe,” Xiao Yanyi said as she spread the old quilts they brought from home onto the bed, trying to make the boards feel softer. “There will likely be many more expenses once we arrive.”

Chi Wei nodded in agreement. Speaking of Xiao Tan, she suddenly realized her right palm felt empty. Usually, when going out, she would hold Xiao Yanyi’s hand with her left and Xiao Tan’s with her right; it had become a habit.

“Eh?” She tilted her head to listen. “Where did Xiao Tan go?” The events of the previous day had left her with lingering fears. In this world, child abductions were common, and she desperately hoped the girl had not wandered off.

Xiao Yanyi’s movements as she laid the bedding paused imperceptibly. “She is likely out on the deck playing with children from other families.”

Chi Wei turned her head toward the porthole, listening intently. “The wind is so sharp outside; I feel like it is going to rain.”

At that moment, back in the wooden house at the end of the village they had just left, Xiao Tan was walking out of the empty kitchen. She held an old kitchen knife she had found by the stove, her face expressionless as she walked straight toward the woodshed.

The kitchen knife flipped up and down in her hand without ever hitting the ground. Entering the room and seeing Xin Rong lying unconscious on the floor, she gave an impatient “tsk.”

“How could I possibly kill someone? Xiao Yanyi, you really are something.”

“Besides, what this stinking Daoist said that day was not actually that unbearable. It is just his luck that he had to end it with ‘Snake demons are by nature lustful.’ That is what enraged Xiao Yanyi. Otherwise, she might have let you off the hook.”

Xiao Tan squatted on the ground, measuring the knife against Xin Rong’s neck back and forth, unable to bring herself to do it. Finally, having no other choice, she took out a packet of knockout powder, poured it onto a wet cloth, and smothered Xin Rong’s face for five breaths.

As she stood up, she did not forget to toss several empty wine bottles onto a nearby pile of weeds.

“Count yourself lucky to have met this Lady, or you would be entering the cycle of reincarnation today.”

Once everything was settled, she clapped her hands. She turned to leave but paused. After a slight hesitation, she turned back into the dim room, squatted down, and carefully searched Xin Rong, pocketing the two taels of silver she found.

Only then did she get up and trot quickly toward the pier.

The morning mist had not yet dispersed, floating damply in the air and blurring the distant houses and the river surface. Xiao Tan ran all the way, passing an endless field of rapeseed flowers. The light was dimmed by thick clouds; the normally brilliant golden sea of flowers appeared somber and dull.

She wove through the crowded port where cries and shouts rose and fell, past the stalls that had been set up early. Steam rose from the wonton pots, and the proprietress who had helped them borrow stools the day before even looked up to wave at her.

Then there was the roast chicken shop whose aroma filled the street and had tempted her for days. She felt the silver in her bosom, hesitated for a second, then quickly bought a paper-wrapped roast chicken before running even more frantically toward the moored ships.

Just as she jumped onto the gangplank, the sailor pulled the board. The ship swayed slightly and left the shore.

Xiao Tan leaned against the railing, panting. She looked back as the morning mist thinned. On the stone monument at the port, three vigorous characters, “Mistwave Port,” came clearly into view.

So, this seemingly ordinary fishing village actually had a name.

But none of that mattered now. She figured they probably would not be coming back.

Suddenly, Xiao Tan was grabbed by the collar and hoisted up as the sailor’s shout rang out.

“Weigh anchor! Hoist the sails!”

The captain was named Luo Han, a middle-aged woman with a scar at the corner of her eye. It was said the scar was a memento from a fight with pirates.

“Whose little girl is this, running around everywhere? The ship has already set sail; how are you supposed to get off now!”

Xiao Tan’s legs swung back and forth in the air. Being grabbed by the collar did not feel good, and she said huffily, “Let go! My sister is on this ship! I am a passenger too!”

“Ah, haha, is that so? Little girl, get back to your room. It is about to rain.” Luo Han set Xiao Tan down and, ignoring the girl’s hands-on-hips anger, guiltily turned to greet the sailors.

“Everyone keep a sharp eye out! No slacking! One of these shipments belongs to the Xuandu Bureau of the Great Yan Empire. If anything goes wrong, you will pay with your lives.”

Xiao Tan gave Luo Han a fierce glare. By the time she followed the scent back to their room, she had already eaten half of the delicious roast chicken. “I am back! We do not have to eat dry rations tonight!”

“Eh? What is wrong with you two?” When she entered, only two heads were visible on the bed. Xiao Tan set the chicken on the table and walked to the bedside. “It is broad daylight; why are you both under the covers?”

A fair, well-defined hand reached out from the quilt, gently brushing away stray hairs. Xiao Yanyi emerged with a pale face and lowered lashes, looking weak and powerless.

“Xiao Tan,” she said in a faint voice, “can you go out and ask them to stop the ship? We should take the land route instead.” Before she could finish, she closed her eyes, her palm resting weakly against her forehead.

“I am afraid that will not work. The ship had already left the port when I came in. How is Chi Wei?” Xiao Tan pursed her lips to suppress a smile.

Xiao Yanyi lay on her side facing outward, one hand covering her face while the other limply pulled back the quilt behind her.

Chi Wei’s eyes were tightly shut, her brow furrowed, and her face was a ghostly shade of green. Hearing the voice, she managed a strained, bitter smile. “Xiao Tan is back…” Before she could finish, she turned away, her throat moving slightly as she clearly fought back nausea.

“Are you both seasick?” Xiao Tan sat on the edge of the bed and tucked the corners of the quilt in for them. They were already this miserable just leaving the port; how would they survive the next few days?

She stood up, went to the table, broke off a chicken leg from the oil paper, and said while chewing, “Do not think I am being selfish by eating alone. Looking at you two, you could not swallow this anyway. We cannot let it go to waste.”

Chi Wei could not stand the smell of meat right now; she waved her hand blindly, pulled the quilt over her head, and said nothing more.

Xiao Tan found it amusing and turned her gaze to Xiao Yanyi. As the cabin swayed, stray hairs fell across Xiao Yanyi’s pale cheeks, adding a touch of disheveled beauty.

Xiao Yanyi pulled out a purse and placed it by the bed. “I will not eat either. Remember to ask the captain for a bath bucket. I need to use medicine for Chi Wei’s eyes tonight.”

“Medicine?” Xiao Tan’s chewing stopped, a look of concern on her face. “What medicine?”

Xiao Yanyi looked up, her dark pupils peering through the strands of her hair. “The medicine the traveling doctor gave us last time. He said it regulates the foundation. It must be used before we arrive.”

Xiao Tan’s frown deepened, guessing it was the medicine to dissolve Chi Wei’s internal cultivation. “But can you two manage in this state?”

“Get some seasickness medicine first,” Xiao Yanyi said, closing her eyes.

After nightfall, having taken the medicine provided by the captain, the two finally regained some strength. Though still weak, they were no longer paralyzed on the bed.

With a heavy thud, a bath bucket was carried into the room. Bucket after bucket of hot water was poured in, and steam began to rise, instantly filling the cabin with a damp, warm mist.

Xiao Tan picked out two taels of silver from the purse and handed them to the sailor. He took it with a smile and turned to leave.

As Xiao Yanyi went to close the door, she vaguely heard the sailor laughing with his companion in the hallway. “Strange. Usually, families wash themselves clean before boarding. Who takes a bath every day once they are on a ship?”

“Just rich people being picky. What do we know?”

The door closed. Xiao Yanyi tilted her chin slightly toward Xiao Tan, gesturing to the upper bunk. Xiao Tan understood, nimbly flipped onto the bed, and lay down facing the wall. Xiao Yanyi pulled a cloth curtain across, separating the bed from the rest of the room.

Supported by Xiao Yanyi, Chi Wei stepped into the bucket. The warm water covered her shoulders and neck, yet she still felt uneasy. “Fresh water is scarce on a ship. Is a medicinal bath very expensive? Maybe we should wait until we reach the south…”

“It is not expensive.” Xiao Yanyi looked down at Chi Wei’s tense shoulders, her palm resting on them, her voice low and soothing. “The family is not lacking this much.”

Seeing Chi Wei still frowning, Xiao Yanyi’s eyes darkened. She said no more, simply pouring all the herbs intended for dissolving cultivation and regulating the meridians into the water.

She stood by the tub, gazing down at Chi Wei’s unfocused eyes. After a long silence, she quietly lowered her head, brought a fingertip to her lips, and gave it a light bite.

A drop of crimson-gold blood slowly seeped out, falling into the misty water. It rippled silently and vanished into the warmth in an instant.