At lunch, she had a great appetite, which even Zuitao found quite surprising. Liu Yushu also thought she had changed a great deal, but it was a happy thing for her.
Who didn't want to be healthy? She didn't want to be a sickly person all her life.
"How's the Danfeng Studio?" Liu Yushu asked Zuitao. She was eager to see what kind of end Concubine He would meet this time.
"Concubine He was almost beaten to death that day. Then the master confined her to the Danfeng Studio. She hasn't been seen outside since. And her personal maid, Fulei, has also disappeared," Zuitao whispered in her ear. "I heard that the master dragged Concubine He out of the mansion and beat her to death. To avoid disgrace, he disfigured her and threw her into the mass grave. The same happened to Fulei. The eldest young master is probably in great danger. All the servants around him were beaten to death. As for Miss Mei, she was also confined to her room, and someone delivers meals to her every day."
Liu Yushu was surprised and sighed at the same time. She hated Concubine He deeply and had long wanted to see her end. Now that Concubine He had died so simply and quickly, she felt it was too easy on that venomous woman.
"Since they're all dead, let's just live our own lives from now on," Liu Yushu sighed.
"You're right, miss," Zuitao said as she helped her out of the room.
The weather was nice outside. She took a walk in the yard to aid digestion.
"The flowers by the wall look quite nice," Liu Yushu said as she walked over and bent down to take a look.
She liked mallow. The small purple flowers were elegant. She had planted a lot in the yard in spring, and now they were all in bloom.
"Miss, do you want to pick some and put them in a vase?" Zuitao asked with a smile. Seeing her in a good mood, she felt happy too.
It had been a long time since she had seen such a relaxed expression on her face.
"Okay," Liu Yushu replied with a charming smile. Holding a few flowers in her fair hand, she suddenly heard a few meows from above. Looking up, she saw a black-and-white cat lying on a high tree branch, meowing non-stop. It seemed to be trapped in the tree and couldn't get down.
"Go and call the guard to rescue this little thing. It's a life after all," Liu Yushu ordered. She used to be in poor health, and her grandmother was worried that cats and dogs carried bugs, so she wasn't allowed to touch them. But she especially liked furry things.
Now that her health had improved, and she happened to meet this little cat today, she was itching to keep it in the yard.
A guard climbed up the tree and tried to grab the cat by the back of its neck. But he missed and was scratched by the cat's paw instead. Liu Yushu couldn't help laughing and thought the little cat was quite feisty.
The guard got angry and firmly grabbed the cat's neck. The cat let out a painful scream. After getting down from the tree, Liu Yushu frowned and took the cat from the guard's hand. She said coldly with an unhappy expression, "You can go now."
Strangely enough, the little cat seemed to know who its master was. It nestled in Liu Yushu's arm and hissed at the guard's back, looking as fierce as a little tiger.
"Be good, Mimi. Don't be angry," Liu Yushu said with a gentle smile. She gently stroked the cat's head and back. It was furry and warm, and felt really good to the touch.
The cat was very close to Liu Yushu and enjoyed being stroked. It let out a comfortable purr and even actively rubbed its head against her hand. Its little tongue gently licked her slender fingers.
"It tickles," Liu Yushu said with a bright smile. She carried the cat into the room and told Zuitao to get some clean water and cooked chicken.
Watching the cat gobbling up the food, her heart melted. She couldn't help stroking the cat's little head again and said with a smile, "Eat slowly. It's all yours. No one will fight you for it."
She didn't know if this cat was a stray or a pet cat. But it was so friendly that it seemed like a pet cat.
After the cat was full, it jumped onto her couch in the inner room, curled up, and fell asleep.
Liu Yushu happily found some fabric and made a round cushion for the cat with her own hands as a cat bed.
After dinner, Liu Daqiang asked Liu Yushu to go to the front hall for a meeting.
She guessed that her father probably wanted to tell everyone in the mansion about Concubine He's matter. Not everyone in Concubine He's room was dead. There was still Liu Yumei. This Liu Yumei was just like Concubine He. Usually, she was domineering and often showed disrespect to her elder sister, relying on Concubine He's support.
In the front hall, her father, Liu Daqiang, was sitting in the main seat. Concubine Sun, wearing a maroon dress, was sitting on the right. She was smiling slightly and adjusting the gold hairpin on her head. After Concubine He's death, Concubine Sun looked much better and dared to wear colorful clothes. In the past, she had always been submissive in front of Concubine He. Next to Concubine Sun was Concubine Tian, wearing a crescent-white dress. She was a delicate and gentle beauty with a quiet temperament. She was in her early twenties, only five years older than Liu Yushu, and was quite well-behaved in the mansion.
Liu Yushu's seat should be on the left side of Liu Daqiang. But when she looked up, she saw that Liu Yuyu was already sitting there, sipping tea leisurely.
She frowned unhappily. Zuitao glared angrily and whispered, "Miss Yu is so unruly. She's your younger sister. How can she sit in your seat? I'll go and ask her to get up." Just as she was about to step forward, Liu Yushu stopped her. "Forget it."
Her father, Liu Daqiang, clearly knew who should sit where. Since Liu Yuyu dared to sit in her seat, it was obvious that her father had given his tacit approval.
Usually, her father doted on Liu Yuyu more.
Liu Yushu walked over calmly. After sitting down, Liu Yuyu turned to her with an innocent look on her face and smiled sweetly. "Elder sister, I didn't know this was your seat. I just wanted to sit closer to father. You won't blame me, will you?"
Just as Liu Yushu was about to speak, Liu Daqiang said coldly, "Alright. Since everyone is here, I'll just say a few words briefly."
He didn't even give Liu Yushu a chance to speak, publicly humiliating her.
Since her father despised her so much, her younger sister, Liu Yuyu, would surely take advantage of the situation.
Zuitao glared at Liu Yuyu angrily, while Liu Yushu remained calm. She smiled slightly and whispered to Zuitao behind her, "The tea is cold."
Zuitao was a bit stunned at first but then understood. She quietly left the room.
Liu Daqiang looked at Concubine Sun. "From now on, I'll leave the affairs of the mansion to Meng'er to handle."
Concubine Sun immediately replied with a beaming smile, "It's all because the master trusts me. I will surely manage the affairs of the mansion well and never let the master down." Her eyes fixed on Liu Yushu, and her expression became strange. "I will never let anyone in the mansion follow in Concubine He's footsteps and do anything dirty and despicable."
"Alright. Everyone can leave now," Liu Daqiang said. As soon as Concubine He was mentioned, his face turned ashen. He waved his sleeve angrily and left.
The others also left. After Liu Yuyu gave Concubine Sun a look, she stayed behind. Only Liu Yushu and Liu Yuyu were left in the room.
Zuitao came back with a bowl of hot tea and saw Liu Yuyu pretending to lecture Liu Yushu. "Sister, you mustn't learn from Concubine He. But even if you have an affair with some wild man, I, as your younger sister, will surely keep it a secret for you. After all, you're my sister." Her words were affectionate, but her eyes were as cold as knives.