Upon Her Lips - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

that night, Yuran stood at the doorway for a long time. She only agreed to leave when Aunt Dai urged her to follow her inside.

She knew that Lady Mu Fei had left the mansion; according to the others, she would likely be gone for several days.

Yuran felt a sense of sadness in her heart because she truly wanted the Lady to see, the moment she woke up the next day, that the flowers in the backyard had already been tended to. She simply wanted Lady Mu Fei to see it.

Although Aunt Dai led Yuran to the head chef to collect her food—which, for her, was probably the most fragrant and sweet food she had ever tasted in her life—she couldn’t seem to muster any energy. Aunt Dai attributed this to her body not being used to such high-quality food after a lifetime of starvation.

But Yuran knew the truth: her low spirits were because Lady Mu Fei had left.

Yuran nibbled on a piece of bread in small bites. Having lived a life of constant hunger, she felt somewhat full after eating only half of a small bun.

The head chef, Han Sheng, studied the new human girl in the mansion with curiosity. It was said that this girl had been taken in by Lady Mu Fei on a whim. The girl had followed Aunt Dai inside, greeted him very respectfully, and only dared to take the smallest piece of bread to eat slowly after receiving permission.

“At this rate of eating, when are you ever going to grow taller?”

Han Sheng had finished his busy work. The mansion staff had purchased a great deal of flour and ingredients, and without realizing it, he had prepared many human dishes. He had made quite a lot of bread, but given this human girl’s appetite, it would likely all spoil.

Hearing Mr. Han Sheng’s words, Yuran put down the bread in her hand and listened politely.

Han Sheng had a casual personality. He signaled for Yuran to keep eating. “Don’t feel embarrassed. This food was all made for you. Although I made too much at once, there’s no helping it—you’re the only one here who can eat these delicacies.”

Yuran didn’t quite understand why she was the only one eating. she couldn’t possibly finish it all. Moreover, she had never dared to dream of such food before; she had only ever watched others eat from outside restaurant doors with longing eyes.

“One… one… is enough,” Yuran answered honestly, not daring to take more.

Han Sheng gave a helpless smile; it seemed the girl didn’t understand what he meant. But he didn’t explain further. Instead, he placed several more pastries onto Yuran’s small plate. The girl looked at him gratefully and stuttered her thanks.

“Little brat, the person you should be thanking is the mistress of our mansion. Without her approval, I wouldn’t even have had the chance to practice the skill of making bread, and you wouldn’t be eating this,” Han Sheng said, letting out a hearty laugh.

His mindset was a bit different from the others working in the mansion. After all, having lived for so many years, he found it quite fascinating to see a well-behaved and cute human child living here.

One must know that he was considered something of a mentor to the current head of the house. Although his original profession had nothing to do with being a chef, he was living in “retirement and seclusion,” and the Young Mistress didn’t mind, giving him a job as a chef so he could enjoy his leisure.

Thus, after receiving the request from Mu Fei’s butler, Dao Lei, today, he had tried making human food for the first time. He followed programs on human culinary culture, and although he couldn’t perceive the flavors spreading across his taste buds, he had perfectly replicated the essence. The meal was perfect—there was just too much of it.

With nothing to do, he was curious: what kind of magical person was this girl to make the Young Mistress pay her some mind? When he saw the little girl with her hair hanging down, looking like she had just been weeding and tending flowers, he only thought she was a bit plain. There was nothing particularly special about her.

Aunt Dai said she was about twelve years old, but she was very thin and weak—the kind of poor thing that looked like she might blow over in a gust of wind. When the little girl spoke, Han Sheng was even more surprised to find she had a stutter. It took her a long time to stumble through a few words. That such a girl could be kept in mind by that extremely fastidious Young Mistress (even if Dao Lei managed her on the surface, it required Mu Fei’s permission), Mr. Han Sheng, who had watched Mu Fei grow up, could only shake his head.

Of course, he was mostly kind to the girl because, despite her stutter, she wasn’t annoying. Han Sheng watched as the girl gripped a pastry with fingers swollen like carrots and nibbled away, finding it both comical and a bit heartbreaking. A child of this age should be well-cared for in the human world, yet her hands and face were covered in chilblains.

“Aren’t you afraid of the pain?” Han Sheng asked curiously.

Chewing her bread, Yuran looked up at this very handsome middle-aged man. However, the man wore a black eyepatch over his left eye; if he didn’t speak, he was quite intimidating.

Yuran saw him point to her hand—her red and swollen fingers. As long as she didn’t touch them, they didn’t hurt, but gripping things tightly and working in the garden all afternoon meant that any exertion now caused pain.

“I… I am afraid…” Yuran murmured through her dry lips.

Han Sheng watched with a smile and handed her a glass of water. “If you’re afraid of the pain, why work so hard? Don’t these fellows know how to pity a child like you? Then again, it’s only in winter that a little human like you can get so close to the Red Lotus. You wouldn’t be able to handle that flower when the weather is hot. Of course, if you’re tired, you can just tell Aunt Dai; at the very least, she can let you rest.”

Yuran just nodded blindly as she listened, but she was still a bit afraid of Aunt Dai. In fact, she was a bit wary of everyone in this grand mansion; it felt very foreign and made her body turn cold instinctively.

However, she didn’t want to return to her mother’s side at all. Here, she could have hot water for baths and didn’t have to worry about being slapped.

Because Lady Mu Fei was here.

Strangely, the person she should have feared most was the Lady with the highest status in the house, yet she didn’t want to be afraid. Instead, she couldn’t help but want to get closer to her. Moreover, the first time she saw Lady Mu Fei, her heart was filled with nothing but awe. To think such a beautiful person existed in this world—more beautiful than anyone she had ever seen on a big screen.

“Be… because the Lady… l-likes it.” After a moment of dazing, little Yuran whispered a few words.

Han Sheng tilted his head in confusion, not quite understanding her. Realizing he didn’t follow, Yuran pointed her hand toward the beautiful backyard bathed in the soft moonlight.

“Are you saying that because Mu Fei likes flowers, you’re working so hard?” Han Sheng was one of the most senior staff members in the mansion, so when no outsiders were around, he referred to the high-ranking mistress by her name.

Of course, because Han Sheng understood her meaning, Yuran’s mouth curved into a smile, and she nodded happily.

Seeing the pure and sweet smile of the girl, Han Sheng just found it funny. This brat had been hungry for so long, yet she didn’t smile when she got food; instead, she smiled so happily because Mu Fei was mentioned. Han Sheng teased the twelve-year-old girl a bit mischievously: “Little brat, you couldn’t possibly admire Mu Fei, could you?”

“Ad… mire?” Yuran repeated the unfamiliar word with confusion. Having lived in a cold basement for years, no one had ever spoken to her about “love” or “admiration.”

Seeing the girl’s questioning expression, Han Sheng realized he had steered the conversation in a somewhat awkward direction. Clearly, the girl was staring at him seriously, wanting to learn. For a twelve-year-old kid, he, an old man who had lived a long time, didn’t know if he should continue this topic.

So, he took a small bite of the human food he had made. As expected, it was tasteless and even a bit nauseating.

“‘Admiration’… it means they are very important to you, that you cherish them. Then, your heart will be filled with that person. You’ll understand when you grow up.” Han Sheng pointed his finger bone to the position of his heart. Though he was a cold-blooded immortal species with no heartbeat, he felt bored enough to act like a teacher and demonstrate for the girl.

The heart filled with that person.

Yuran touched her chest with her hand in confusion. Her heart was so small—how could it fit a whole person?

“But you’d better not admire her. Because that Lady is someone beyond your reach, little brat. You’ll only suffer for it.” Han Sheng teased the short-lived little creature half-jokingly. It was a kind of friendly warning in advance; setting aside his predatory nature, he quite liked the girl.

Yuran gripped the half-eaten bread with jam. She had never resisted “suffering.” The beatings she endured at home were a hundred times worse than any hardship, because she was hated by her mother no matter how hard she tried to do things right.

She had once seen her mother smiling tenderly at other children, but toward her, there was never a kind face. She had always longed for someone to smile at her, for someone not to loathe her so much. It made her feel like a human being rather than the “worse than an animal” thing her mother called her.

Therefore, Lady Mu Fei’s smile was the first blessing she had ever received.

Yuran couldn’t help but curl her lips, a mixture of joy and shyness appearing on her face—the true bashfulness of a twelve-year-old girl.

“I… I…” Yuran swallowed, then looked at the curious Mr. Han Sheng and continued to try and articulate: “not… afraid.”

Not afraid of suffering. As long as it was something that made Lady Mu Fei happy, she wouldn’t be afraid to suffer.

Clearly, the words “suffer” were very difficult for Yuran to say. Her tongue pressed against the gaps in her teeth, but she could only make a faint “chi” sound. She pursed her lips and eventually lowered her small head in embarrassment as Han Sheng tried and failed to suppress a smile.

“Waiting for you to finish a sentence feels like it would take a century. Luckily, I can live to that age. It’s okay, little brat, take your time,” Han Sheng comforted the poor little thing considerately.

Yuran pursed her lips and nodded obediently. Then, she wrapped the half-eaten bread in paper and looked at Mr. Han Sheng. Han Sheng could guess the meaning behind that look.

She was asking: Can I take this half-piece of bread back with me?

“Of course you can!” Han Sheng stood up and took the remaining pastries from the oven to show Yuran. “Look, there are so many left here. You can take a few more back with you.”

Yuran looked in wonder at the various golden-brown pastries; these were foods she had only ever seen on television. She swallowed. She was actually full after the half-piece of bread, but she was afraid of being even hungrier at night or not having food tomorrow, so she wanted to save them.

“Three meals a day—as long as you aren’t kicked out by Mu Fei, you can always come to me.”

Yuran was forced to accept the pastries carefully wrapped in food-grade paper by Mr. Han Sheng. Even through the paper bag, she could feel the warmth of the food inside. She still found it hard to believe.

“Ah… will… will it… be… too… much?” Yuran held up the paper bag, wanting to ask once more to be certain.

Han Sheng felt that this child was truly trembling with fear in everything she did. He had heard her biological mother was a “junkie,” and she had clearly suffered a lot.

“You’re the only one here who can eat this food. Besides, consider it a reward for your afternoon’s work. If you don’t eat your fill, you won’t have the energy to tend the flowers, and your Lady will be unhappy when she returns,” Han Sheng explained with a smile, his blue eyes fixed on the little girl.

Sure enough, when Yuran heard Han Sheng’s words—especially the part about Mu Fei being unhappy—she immediately felt that she should eat a bit more to do the right thing.

So, she gripped the bag tightly, bowed deeply to Mr. Han Sheng in gratitude, and then, hearing Fu Ya calling her from behind, she immediately followed, not daring to delay for a second.