The Female Rake and Her Blind Girl - Chapter 6

If anyone had previously sworn to Su Yu with absolute certainty, that a single person’s smile could outshine the cool breeze and the bright moon, or surpass the vivid “vermillion mole” etched into one’s heart, she would have dismissed it with a cold sneer.

But now, having seen it with her own eyes, the feeling was different.

At the mention of “Little Koi,” the young girl’s smile held none of the worldly vanity or deceit found in the mortal realm. It was like a handful of spring water—utterly, blindingly clean.

As the eldest daughter of the Su family, Su Yu had been orphaned young and forced to fight for survival in Xiushui City. She had known peerless wealth, but she had also spent nights sinking into lonely desolation. Her clear eyes had seen too much cold calculation too early; as she saw more of the world, hidden undercurrents began to stir in her gaze, and her heart became clouded by the dust of the world.

This was a level of purity that Su Yu could never possess.

“Ayu?” At some point, the girl had developed a habit: whenever her heart fluttered with unease, she reached out to touch her fiancée.

Tilting her head to avoid the hand blindly reaching toward her, Su Yu suddenly laughed. “Is the Little Koi not cute enough? Why do you have to touch me?”

“Ah? This.” Does touching you even require a reason? Xue Lingmiao’s eyes curved into shy crescents. “Even if the Little Koi is cute, how could it ever compare to Ayu?”

Su Yu didn’t know what was going through her mind, only thinking that this little girl was truly something—flattery rolled off her tongue effortlessly. When Su Yu remained silent for a long moment, Xue Lingmiao asked dejectedly, “Ayu, can my hand come out of the water now?”

“Why come out?”

“What?” The girl looked incredulous. “Does my hand have to stay in there forever? But Ayu, it tickles.” The fish’s mouth was already nibbling at her palm!

Urgency flickered across her brow, and her small face glowed with a faint crimson hue under the sunlight—a truly enchanting sight. Su Yu laughed, grasping her soft, boneless hand and pulling it from the fish basket. “I’m done teasing you. Hold onto it while I find a fish tank. We’ll keep the koi at home, alright?”

“Alright!” Crystal droplets of water rolled off the smooth, fair back of her hand like dew sliding off a lotus leaf. It was a beautiful scene—the pale, luminous fingers and even the fine, delicate hairs on her skin seemed lovely.

Su Yu averted her gaze and hurried off.

A red-and-white patterned koi was placed into a spacious ceramic tank. As soon as the fish hit the water, it began to dart gracefully, sending ripples of vitality shimmering across the surface.

Soaking in the warm sun, Su Yu sat casually on the green stone steps. The girl wasn’t wearing her white silk blindfold at the moment; looking up, Su Yu called out to her, “Come, sit down.”

Xue Lingmiao approached, leaning on her bamboo cane. She didn’t try to grope through the empty air to find her way; instead, she chose a favorite shortcut—catching the scent of her fiancée on the gentle spring breeze and placing a hand on her shoulder.

The movement wasn’t perfectly precise, causing her palm to brush against the side of Su Yu’s neck. Seized by a secret bashfulness, she carefully slid her hand down from the neck to find a point of support. Once she determined where the step was, her lithe figure sat down right beside Su Yu, leaving only a finger’s width of space between them.

Her method of finding her way was undeniably intimate. Interestingly, Su Yu, who usually disliked physical contact, chose to allow it from start to finish.

The fish playfully flicked its tail in the tank, splashing a tiny bit of water. Wiping a droplet from her face with her fingertip, Su Yu felt a rare spark of interest. “Tell me about your years growing up.” With such an unignorable presence by her side, she finally began to face the reality of the two of them living under the same roof.

Struck by this string of pleasant surprises, Xue Lingmiao smiled and gave a simple account of her life.

She chose mostly the things she felt comfortable sharing, keeping the unspeakable memories tucked beneath her tongue.

The first time she was cruelly ridiculed; the first time she was intimidated by peers; the first time she was lost in a small alley, unable to find her way home. All these things—small, unforgettable, and soul-piercing—she did not want to tell Ayu.

The voice flowing into her ears was incredibly pleasant, and Su Yu found herself growing drowsy. Her lazy nature took over for a moment; her eyelashes drooped, and her head slowly came to rest on the girl’s shoulder.

This sudden closeness felt like a treasure gifted by the heavens. Xue Lingmiao’s voice turned soft and tentative: “Ayu?”

“Mm.” Su Yu was too sleepy to move.

The only sounds were the wind and the koi splashing in the water. The girl didn’t dare move, fearing she would disturb her fiancée’s sleep. The “deer” in her heart mocked her cowardice: You’re so useless. She’s your fiancée, why be so shy? You could put your arm around her, or invite her to sleep on your lap so she’d be more comfortable.

Xue Lingmiao’s lashes trembled. After a moment of deliberation, her hand shook as she pulled Su Yu into an embrace.

In her half-asleep state, Su Yu was too lazy to open her eyes, thinking privately that the little girl was quite bold to do this to her. She found a comfortable position in the girl’s arms and nuzzled twice, her nose catching a full breath of floral fragrance.

At this, the girl’s breathing turned ragged. Her face flushed a deep red, and the tips of her ears burned with a numbing heat. She parted her lips slightly, exhaling slowly, confused by what Ayu had just done to her.

Her intuition told her that Ayu was far too good at “bullying” people.

Su Yu slept for half an hour. She hadn’t expected to sleep so long and was eventually woken by hunger. Her throat felt slightly dry, and her voice carried a post-nap rasp. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“If you’re tired, you should sleep. Why would I wake you?”

Su Yu pulled away from the “warm jade” of the girl’s embrace. The corners of her eyes were tinged with a hint of red—a seductive charm that outsiders never saw, and the only person lucky enough to witness it happened to be blind. Xue Lingmiao, unsettled by the unusual tone of Su Yu’s voice, felt her heart race again. “Are you thirsty?”

“Mm.” Not yet fully awake, Su Yu shook her head slightly. “You smell really good.”

She was entirely unaware of the weight of her words. The girl was so embarrassed by the blunt praise that she wanted to flee. She pursed her moist lips. “You smell even better.”

After a round of debating who smelled better, Su Yu’s consciousness cleared. “Oh, I’m hungry.”

“I’m hungry too.” The girl, reflexively mimicking her, paused. She couldn’t help but grab her bamboo cane and stand up flustered. “I, where is my koi? I want to take it back to my room.”

Su Yu handed her the fish tank, but the next second, her heart leaped into her throat. “Watch out!”

With her legs numb from the long sit, the girl tripped and fell forward while holding the tank. Water spilled out, and the fish thrashed in panic. Su Yu managed to catch her at the last moment, holding her by the waist for a while before she remembered to breathe.

Truly a fool, Su Yu thought, so frustrated she didn’t know what to do. “What is wrong with you?”

Still shaken, the girl clutched the small fish tank tightly. Facing her fiancée’s harsh questioning, she replied bashfully, “Ayu, my, my legs went numb.”

Such an excuse wouldn’t win Su Yu’s sympathy, but then the girl’s eyes reddened. “When you woke up, I felt so shy. I just wanted to go hide.”

“What on earth are you talking about?” Su Yu felt awkward at the confession. “A girl with such a glib tongue, who knows which of your words are true and which are lies?”

“Every word is the truth! Ayu, you must believe me.”

Su Yu stared at her for a long while. She truly couldn’t bring herself to hold a grudge against a blind girl—besides, the girl’s legs had only gone numb because of her. She reined in her temper. “You’d better save me some trouble. Don’t go bumping into things all day and coming to annoy me; I’m a busy person. My second rule: you are not allowed to get hurt. Otherwise—”

The threat was on the tip of her tongue, but looking at that face, she found she couldn’t say it. She let out a heavy, cold snort. “Otherwise, don’t expect me to buy medicine or apply it for you!” With an angry flick of her sleeve, she stormed away.

Left behind clutching the small fish tank, the young girl stood pitifully in place, her eyelashes damp with tears.

Ayu scolded me. I made Ayu angry. Her mind was a mess. she wanted to chase after her, but mindful of the new rule, she felt restricted and helpless—innocent yet at a total loss.

Halfway across the yard, Su Yu’s steps gradually slowed. she looked back at the delicate girl standing amidst the spring breeze, and the stifling frustration in her chest only grew heavier. She thought resentfully: What a nuisance. If I weren’t watching over her in this border town, I wonder how she’d even survive!

Yet, the thought of this person traveling a thousand miles just to seek her out made her heart soften. A “nuisance” only becomes a nuisance when they have the power to disturb your heart.

Su Yu silently watched the girl’s narrow, thin shoulders tremble slightly in the gentle wind. Cursing her own fate, she turned back. “Give me the fish tank.”

The girl hadn’t expected her to return. All her trepidation vanished the moment she heard that pleasant voice. As she handed over the tank, the emotions she had been suppressing poured out like a flood.

Recklessly, she threw her arms around Su Yu’s neck, tears streaming down her face. “You scolded me! You scolded me again!”

Like a little kitten baring its claws in pure grievance, she made Su Yu feel both pained and amused. “If I don’t scold you, will you ever learn? The injury on your knee hasn’t even healed, yet you walk without any stability. Do you want to add new wounds to the old?”

Seeing she wasn’t being pushed away, Xue Lingmiao buried her face in the crook of Su Yu’s neck, sobbing softly. “But when you look at me, I truly do feel shy. I wasn’t lying. I didn’t want my legs to go numb either, but I loved having you lean in my arms. I couldn’t bear to wake you. Ayu, did I do something wrong?”

Hot tears soaked Su Yu’s clean collar, wordlessly interrogating her conscience. Holding the fish tank in one hand, she kept her other arm suspended in the air for a moment before finally letting it drop to pat the girl’s back comfortingly.

She teased with a smile, “You little troublemaker. Were you sent by the heavens just to torment me?”

The girl asked timidly, “Then, do you want me to torment you?”

“Hmph.” Su Yu pushed her away, changing the subject with feigned disgust. “You’ve made my clothes dirty. I don’t care how you do it, but you’re going to wash them clean for me.”

“I can wash clothes.” Given a task to do, she seemed to stop fixating on the previous question. Realizing her face was covered in tear tracks, she pulled out a handkerchief to wipe them away.

Even a little beauty wiping away tears is a sight to behold, Su Yu thought, silently admiring her for a moment. But seeing those eyes slightly swollen from crying, she frowned with annoyance—there were plenty of lonely, helpless souls in the world, but one that could actually make her heart ache was a rare find indeed.

“Don’t, don’t look at me.”

“I’m not looking at you,” someone lied through her teeth.

Xue Lingmiao tilted her head in confusion. “My intuition tells me you are. Don’t look, Ayu. I don’t look good right now.”

Su Yu was moved to laughter again. She took the girl by the wrist and led her toward the house. “You look fine, very beautiful. If you take care of yourself, I won’t scold you anymore. Am I crazy? Losing my temper all day, I’m not a lion or a tigress.”

“Then was Ayu lashing out because she was embarrassed?”

“Nonsense.”

“Was it because I scared you? You’re afraid of me getting hurt, you care about me?”

“Be quiet!” Su Yu let out a yawn. Under the clear, bright sky, she thought to herself: I really have gone mad.

A warm, hard-boiled egg was rolled carefully over her eyelids. Xue Lingmiao sat on a small bamboo chair, her hands fidgeting aimlessly with her fiancée’s silk belt. “Ayu, it tickles.”

“Endure it.”

“Ayu, weren’t you hungry?”

Su Yu glared at her. “Your eyes are swollen. Looking at them annoys me.”

“I’ll cover them with the white silk. If you can’t see them, you won’t be annoyed.” The girl tugged at her belt. “Ayu.”

With warm breath brushing against her face, Su Yu leaned back slightly, pinning the girl’s chin between two fingers. “No need for talking. Just cooperate quietly.”

Xue Lingmiao: “?”

Using an egg to reduce swelling wasn’t a fast process. Even after lunch, Xue Lingmiao wore her white blindfold. She pleaded with Su Yu to help her familiarize herself with every plant and tree in the yard; they walked through the small two-entry courtyard inside and out countless times.

Her memory was sharper than most. Eventually, Su Yu let go of her hand, allowing her to navigate alone with her cane. With Su Yu nearby, Xue Lingmiao grew quite bold. After several near-misses where she corrected her path just in time, she was able to manage a full lap around the yard by sunset.

As evening fell, Su Yu removed the threshold to her own room to prevent trips. She sat on a bamboo stool, using the “Little Koi” on the handkerchief as a reference to embroider a matching belly warmer. Taking advantage of the fact that the girl couldn’t see, she planned to embroider two or three matching handkerchiefs as well.

Xue Lingmiao sat not far from her, happily washing the clothes. Su Yu was surprised. “You’re this happy about being punished with chores?”

“Punishment? This isn’t a punishment.” She looked up, speaking earnestly. “A wife and her spouse are one. Though we aren’t married yet, since Ayu hasn’t driven me away, I should treat you well. There is no ‘yours’ or ‘mine’ between us.

Being able to do something for you, even something small, is as sweet as drinking from a spring.”

Su Yu’s expression shifted slightly. Her hand, busy with needle and thread, paused for a beat. She couldn’t help but grumble inwardly: Is she a honeybee spirit in human form? She came here specifically to collect nectar, her tongue is far too sweet!