The Female Rake and Her Blind Girl - Chapter 3

What right did Xue Lingmiao have to expect such indulgence?

The sorrow between her brows dissipated, replaced by a smile more sincere than before—one of heartfelt joy. Yet, fully aware of her own situation, she didn’t dare speak presumptuously.

“I will follow your rules,” she promised. “I will do what I can and try my best not to cause you any trouble, Ayu.”

“Try my best.” What precise, earnest wording. Su Yu felt she could foresee the endless stream of trouble heading her way even with her eyes closed.

The two remained silent as they left the restaurant. Su Yu simply had nothing to say; bringing a person home after only two meetings in a single day was a bit too much “novelty” even for her. She needed a moment of quiet.

Since she remained silent, Xue Lingmiao didn’t dare initiate a conversation. In truth, she had far more to say than Su Yu did.

At the age of three, she had learned from her father that besides her kin, there was another special existence in this world. She hadn’t understood the meaning of “fiancée” then, but from that moment on, she had looked forward to the day they would meet.

Later, she understood. She understood that this was the person meant to accompany her for a lifetime. The innate loneliness that usually shadowed her faded away; whether she was happy, sad, or picking herself up after a fall, she couldn’t help but think of her. Over seventeen long years, this person had slowly become her entire world.

Under her father’s guidance, she had learned many things, and everything she learned was connected to Su Yu.

Knowing that her “Sister Ayu”—who was a year older liked practicing calligraphy, she had gritted her teeth through the freezing winters, practicing until she could write beautiful characters blindly. Knowing Su Yu was obsessed with the qin, she spent tireless hours in the music room mastering melodies.

She knew every little quirk Su Yu had before the age of fifteen; she knew her embarrassing stories; she knew Su Yu was different from other girls—that she was one of a kind.

They were halfway home, and the young girl had remained silent the entire time. Feeling it wasn’t right to keep ignoring her, Su Yu’s eyes darted around as a mischievous impulse struck. She suddenly let out a sharp “Hey!” right by the girl’s ear.

Startled, the girl dropped her bundle on the ground.

Unable to see her surroundings, Xue Lingmiao gripped her bamboo cane in terror. Ignoring her fallen belongings, she cried out with a sob in her voice, “Ayu? Ayu, where did you go? Was, was that you just now? Why would you scare me like that?”

She looked so aggrieved, fighting back tears, that Su Yu realized she had overstepped. Feeling awkward, she picked up the bundle and patted off the dust. “It was me. I was just bored.”

Realizing how childish she sounded, her face flushed. “Are you alright?”

“I, I’m fine.” Fearing another lapse into silence, the girl took a deep breath to steady herself. “Am I a total stranger to you? Did Uncle Su never mention me even once?”

“No. I only learned of your existence today.” Fearing the girl would overthink it, Su Yu added, “My dad was very unreliable. Don’t take it to heart.”

“I see.” I suppose that counts as comfort, Xue Lingmiao thought, offering a pale smile. “If you’re bored and don’t know what to say, you can ask me things. Ayu, you haven’t even asked my name yet.”

“Oh, right.” Having found a proper topic, Su Yu asked, “Can you tell me your name?”

“Of course,” she replied. “My surname is Xue, and my given name is Lingmiao. Ling as in ‘quick-witted,’ and Miao as in ‘vast mist.’ Miao carries the sense of being vast and indistinct, my father wanted me to be clever and sharp to make my way in the world, facing my flaws head-on.”

“Miao, Lingmiao. A fine name.”

Hearing her name fall from Su Yu’s lips made it sound exceptionally beautiful. Lingmiao’s fright subsided as she walked cautiously with her cane. “Ayu, are we there yet?”

“We’re here, we’re here.” Su Yu carried the bundle for her. “Come, let me teach you the layout of the house, so you don’t go wandering into the wrong places later.”

Her wrist was gently held, making Lingmiao feel as if she were walking on air. She didn’t dare let her thoughts run wild as she was led to touch a large stone at the entrance.

“Can you feel it? This is a cat. I carved it myself—wasted quite a bit of stone before I got it right. In the entire city of Xiushui, this is the only one this cute.”

Su Yu’s tone was brimming with pride. The girl couldn’t help but smile inwardly; teaching her the “layout” was just an excuse to show off the stone cat.

She carefully felt the cat’s head to ensure she wouldn’t mistake it later, then praised sincerely, “It is more impressive than I could have imagined.”

How skillful must those hands be, and how precise the strength, to produce such a work? It took a person who didn’t care for gossip and lived freely to place such a thing so boldly at their front door. No matter the angle, she admired it.

As the leading female “profligate” of Xiushui City, while others placed stone qilin (A dragon-like head) or lions at their gates, Su Yu had placed a cat that was both majestic and adorable, earning her no small amount of ridicule.

She didn’t care for those who lacked the eye for art. Perhaps the girl’s lack of hypocrisy pleased her, for she led her inside with newfound diligence. “Watch your step.”

Lingmiao’s ears reddened. Her feelings were fermenting like spring wine in the breeze.

It was a two-courtyard residence, clean and tranquil. The courtyard was planted with flowering trees that grew wildly with minimal care, full of life.

“The back guest rooms haven’t been cleaned yet, so you’ll stay in the room next to mine. It’s small but clean. Do you want to bathe? And will you take a nap after?”

“Is Ayu tired?”

“A bit. So, you’d better cooperate.”

The girl swallowed the words advising Su Yu to go sleep and let herself be led obediently. As the bathwater steamed, Su Yu asked uncertainly, “Can you wash yourself?”

“I can.”

“Good.” Su Yu’s voice tilted upward with relief. “I’m going to sleep then.”

The door creaked shut, and the footsteps faded. In the silence, the girl slowly untied her sash and felt her way into the warm water.

The exhaustion of her journey began to fade. She removed the white silk veil from her eyes. Through the rising steam, her eyes were revealed to be extraordinarily beautiful, though they lacked the spark of life to match, resembling a pool of still water.

“I have to work very hard to be accepted by Ayu,” she whispered softly.

When Su Yu woke, the sky was painted with a brilliant sunset. Hearing a chaotic noise from the next room, she belatedly remembered she wasn’t alone. Fearing the girl had met with an accident, she rolled out of bed, hurriedly tied her sash, and rushed over.

“What happened? Is everything okay?”

Inside, the girl was hissing in pain while clutching her knee. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

Su Yu kicked the door open and strode forward. Seeing the girl’s suppressed pain, she was almost moved to angry laughter. “My first rule: no lying to me. I’ll ask again, what happened?”

Faced with a demand to state the obvious, Xue Lingmiao blinked innocently. “I bumped into the table.”

As if hoping for some affection from her fiancée, she added aggrievedly, “Ayu, why are you being so mean?”

Taking a blind girl home really is a disaster, Su Yu thought. Looking at the sharp corners of the table, she could only imagine how much that sudden collision must have hurt.

Today it was a table; tomorrow she might trip over a high doorsill. Was she going to have to dismantle the whole house for her?

She crouched down. Since it wasn’t appropriate to roll up the girl’s pant leg to check the injury, she rubbed her chin. “Didn’t you say you’d follow my rules? Tell me, what are you thinking right now?”

The girl endured the pain, her voice trembling. “Do I have to say it?”

“Tsk, still trying to hide things from me?”

“I’m not,” Xue Lingmiao said, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m thinking that my knee hurts so much, why won’t Ayu pat my head instead of scolding me?”