My Green Tea Junior Sister Smells So Good - Chapter 10

It was said that while Shen Qingyi was unconscious, Du Yuanluo was dissolved in tears. She asked the disciples of the Yunyin Sect why Shen Qingyi was being punished, but everyone merely looked at her with complex expressions, no one would speak of the reason.

Later, Jiang Linchuan arrived. Du Yuanluo initially intended to avoid him, but Jiang Linchuan blocked her path, refusing to let her leave.

“Do you know why Junior Sister was punished?”

This was exactly what Du Yuanluo wanted to know, so she cast aside her reservations about propriety: “Why?”

“It all started because of you.”

Jiang Linchuan’s tone did not carry an air of accusation, yet every word struck Du Yuanluo’s heart like a heavy hammer.

“Me? What does it have to do with me?”

Although she did not yet know the specific reason, Du Yuanluo was already filled with guilt.

“To keep you within the mountain gates, Junior Sister first clashed with the Sect Leader, and then went to pester the Elders. I merely offered a few words of advice, and she engaged me in a violent confrontation.”

At a loss, Du Yuanluo twisted the hem of her clothes. It truly was because of her, yet she had no idea how to resolve it.

Seeing Du Yuanluo’s helpless state, Jiang Linchuan spoke again: “Perhaps it shouldn’t be said that this started because of you, but rather because of me. You do not belong to the Yunyin Peaks, it was I who brought you into this world where you don’t belong. Junior Sister is an exceptionally good person. I didn’t want to hurt her, yet things have come to this. I don’t know what will happen next.”

“Immortal Jiang, I understand. It is my presence that has caused all these troubles.”

Even without Jiang Linchuan saying it, Du Yuanluo knew she was a “jinx.” Wherever she went, peace vanished; even cultivators who lived beyond the mortal world could not escape the misfortune she brought.

She felt a hint of regret, regret that she shouldn’t have returned the last time.

She knew Shen Qingyi was a good person, so why did she drag her down? Because she was a good person, she was the one who suffered.

Du Yuanluo wiped away her tears: “Immortal Jiang, I will leave now and never return. Once I go back, I will burn incense and pray for Immortal Shen every day. She is so kind, she will surely become a celestial.”

A cultivator’s lifespan is incredibly long, and once they become celestials, they live as long as heaven and earth. For Shen Qingyi, she would likely soon forget the ephemeral existence of Du Yuanluo.

But in Du Yuanluo’s eyes, Shen Qingyi was an indelible presence in her life.

Previously, she felt that Jiang Linchuan’s appearance in her life allowed her to reconcile with her past sufferings. Now, having formed a bond with Shen Qingyi, she felt perhaps all the luck of her lifetime had been spent on this encounter.

Jiang Linchuan refused to let her go: “Then at least wait until Junior Sister wakes up and tell her yourself. Otherwise, she will misunderstand and think I drove you away, which would lead to another great scene.”

“I will leave a message for Immortal Shen,” Du Yuanluo shook her head in refusal. She was afraid to face Shen Qingyi’s gaze, her already wavering heart would surely falter.

Just as Jiang Linchuan said, as long as she stayed here, there was no telling what calamities she might bring upon Shen Qingyi. She could not think only of her own comfort.

At this point, Jiang Linchuan could no longer fathom Shen Qingyi’s thoughts. If she were jealous of Du Yuanluo, why was she so kind to her? If she held no grudge against Du Yuanluo, why did she treat him with such coldness?

He couldn’t figure it out, but Shen Qingyi had certainly become unpredictable ever since Du Yuanluo arrived on the mountain. Though he didn’t know the root of the problem, sending her away would surely ease the tension.

Du Yuanluo prepared a pot of medicinal food and entrusted the Fifth Immortal, the one who had been kindest to her, to deliver a lock of her hair to Shen Qingyi.

She knew well that a keepsake for remembrance should be a gold hairpin or a jade pendant, or at the very least a sachet or an embroidered pouch. But she had nothing except her own body, even the clothes on her back belonged to Shen Qingyi.

She had always been a person who kept to her place and dared not take advantage of others. But this time, she did not change back into her own clothes. In truth, her own clothes were considered fine goods in the mortal world, they were the wedding robes she wore as a sacrificial bride, the best clothes she had ever owned.

But she wanted to leave something of Shen Qingyi with her as a memento. Shen Qingyi didn’t lack a single set of clothes. Du Yuanluo would let them accompany her for the rest of her life.

When she returned to the town where she grew up, the residents were stunned. This woman, who had narrowly escaped the clutches of a demon, had returned once again from the immortal mountain.

The difference was that this time, no Immortal accompanied her. A servant of the Li family opened the door to find her sleeping outside. Thinking a “Celestial Madam” had returned home, the servant joyfully rushed to report the good news to the masters.

Madame Li was a shrewd woman, it only took a few questions to clarify the situation. Although Du Yuanluo didn’t recount every detail of her experience on Yunyin Peak, Madame Li reconstructed the gist of it, this jinx had been kicked out.

Madame Li had hoped to claim some connection with the immortals, but those hopes were now dashed. Being a practical housekeeper, she wouldn’t turn away a girl who cost her nothing, she mocked and suppressed her with a few cold words before sending her back to serve the Young Mistress.

However, the Young Mistress was no longer willing to keep her.

Years ago, Du Yuanluo’s presence in the Li household caused the Master and the young masters to fight over her. Madame Li was so furious she nearly sold her to a brothel. It was the Young Mistress who stepped in to save her, keeping her as her own maid.

Madame Li had hesitated then, because a Young Mistress’s personal maid would eventually become a concubine-attendant in her marriage dowry. With a face like Du Yuanluo’s, she was bound to cause chaos in her daughter’s future household. But the Young Mistress was young then and didn’t understand such things, she only felt that Du Yuanluo was beautiful and obedient, and having such a maid would bring her prestige.

Later, Madame Li’s fears became a reality.

The Young Mistress was betrothed to a young master of equal social standing. Both families were satisfied, and the Young Mistress, peering from behind a screen, felt her heart flutter for the elegant gentleman. It was supposed to be an excellent marriage, but a disaster occurred on the day the young master came with his parents to propose.

That day, the young master was overjoyed and drank himself into a stupor. Du Yuanluo was ordered to bring a bowl of hangover soup, hand prepared by the Young Mistress, to the future groom. But the moment the young master saw the beautiful maid, his lust was emboldened by the alcohol, and he grabbed Du Yuanluo, intending to force himself on her.

Though they were stopped by the crowd, the marriage was called off, nearly turning the two families into bitter enemies.

The Li family couldn’t very well go to the other house to hold their son accountable, so Du Yuanluo bore the brunt of the punishment. She had been beaten many times growing up, but this time was especially severe. She nearly lost her life and was thrown into the woodshed to fend for herself.

The Young Mistress, remembering their past bond, ordered her to be fed three bowls of porridge a day, as for her injuries, she survived purely through sheer stubbornness. Since then, the Young Mistress ignored her, and she remained in the kitchen doing heavy labor.

Not long after, a demon began haunting the town. The local priests couldn’t suppress it, so they chose a compromise, offer sacrifices and a bride to pray for the people’s safety. As luck would have it, the “bride’s lot” was drawn by the Young Mistress.

With the Li family’s wealth, they could have bribed someone to redraw the lot. But the Li couple was struggling with how to deal with Du Yuanluo. Since she had served the Young Mistress, selling her to a brothel would damage the Young Mistress’s reputation. Keeping her at home was out of the question, she was a jinx that even the Li family’s great fortune couldn’t withstand. Making her disappear would cost a large sum in bribes to cover up a murder, and buying a new maid would be another expense.

Being merchants, the Li family calculated everything clearly, they wouldn’t lose a penny if they could help it. They had kept Du Yuanluo in the kitchen, making her work as much as possible to compensate for their losses.

At that moment, the opportunity arose for Du Yuanluo to take the Young Mistress’s place as the sacrificial bride. The Li couple plotted to either drug her or tie her up to put her in the bridal sedan, regardless, she was just a weak woman they could manipulate at will.

However, upon hearing that the Young Mistress had drawn the lot, Du Yuanluo proactively went to the Madame and offered to marry in her stead. The Young Mistress had treated her well, yet she had ruined the Mistress’s marriage, it was precisely because the Mistress hadn’t married that she was eligible for the sacrificial lot. In her mind, it was only right that she should block this calamity for her.

Sitting in the bridal sedan, Du Yuanluo was terrified but also at peace. In her short life, she seemed to have harmed many, at the very last moment, being able to compensate for it gave her a sense of closure.

Later, when she was brought back by Jiang Linchuan, the Young Mistress had come to her, holding her hand and praising her “good fortune,” reminding her not to forget that this opportunity was “given” to her. In reality, the Young Mistress hadn’t seen her once since the broken engagement. Even on the eve of the sacrifice, she refused to show her face, and Du Yuanluo had kowtowed to a closed door to say her farewells.

Now that Du Yuanluo had returned, the Young Mistress still refused to see her. Her reason was “valid”: Du Yuanluo had “eloped” and been sent back, and seeing her would tarnish a lady’s reputation. She was relegated to the kitchen for heavy labor.

Du Yuanluo’s old belongings had long been divided among the other maids, she truly had nothing left but the clothes on her back. This was the only memento Shen Qingyi had left her, and she didn’t want to get them dirty or torn. She had asked her masters for a change of clothes.

Madame Li, puffing on a water pipe, said coldly: “Even the Young Mistress doesn’t get new clothes unless it’s a festival. Why should I make some specifically for you? Besides, you were with an Immortal, didn’t he give you any clothes or jewelry? You truly have no shame. Even a girl in a brothel gets a few bolts of silk and a set of jewelry when she’s presented. You didn’t ask for what you should have, and now you come to me, the scapegoat, to beg.”

Du Yuanluo’s face flushed with shame, and she didn’t dare mention a change of clothes again.

However, she discovered that the clothes she wore were no ordinary items. Even while working in the kitchen every day, they never caught a drop of grease, nor did thorns or branches ever tear them. These clothes, like Shen Qingyi herself, maintained her dignity, though she feared she might not even be able to keep this last memory.

The clothes Du Yuanluo wore were decent, but not so grand that the Young Mistress would covet a used garment. But as the days passed, the Mistress also noticed the miraculous nature of the fabric.

When Du Yuanluo first returned, the Mistress had wondered if she brought back any treasures from the immortal realm. The Li couple had thought of this even earlier and had a matron search her from head to toe, finding nothing.

Now it seemed they had “failed to recognize gold and jade.” Those clothes were likely “celestial garments” not flashy or brilliant at first glance, but indeed seamless, stainless, and indestructible. Even on a soot covered maid like Du Yuanluo, they made her look radiant, if paired with makeup and gold and silver jewelry, she would truly look like a celestial from a painting.

The Young Mistress began to imagine herself heavily made up, adorned with jewels, and wearing this celestial garment at the temple fair. She would surely capture everyone’s attention and perhaps, find herself another great marriage.