Chapter 4 - No One To Rely On

"Miss," Xiao Lu called out from behind as she followed Wei Liuying to the shed.

Wei Liuying cast a sidelong glance to her servant. "What is it, Xiao Lu?"

"Why don't you speak to them about what had actually happened? It's not like Miss is so weak…."

"What's the use is there?"

"Miss?"

Wei Liuying let out a hollow and mirthless laugh. Asking for her family to care for her was the same as asking for disappointment. It would be better for her to just silently do what she had to do while keeping a way out for herself.

When she arrived by the shed, the servants there blocked Xiao Lu. Xiao Lu's face turned dark, but she knew that it was the rule. She was not allowed to accompany Wei Liuying.

"Third Miss, please."

"I can enter by myself."

The servant nodded. This was not the first time Wei Liuying was punished by Master to stay in the shed without eating.

As Wei Liuying entered the shed, she could see that it was still the same as before. There was a stack of hay along with some other tools such as a wooden basket, chair, and so on. It was usually used to store some unused equipment or just left empty to punish the children when they do wrong.

Wei Liuying walked to the stack of hay and sat down. Her jet black hair looked into a distance as her hands slowly moved to pull the hay and started to align them together bit by bit. She was making a net for her to sleep by night time because if not, she would catch a cold in a place like this.

As for eating…

Taking out a steamed bun from her pocket, Wei Liuying silently ate. She had been punished here a couple of times. There was no way she would let herself be mistreated without any food at all, so she always prepared some meat buns in her pocket in case she would be punished suddenly.

'First Sister turns really strange today,' Wei Liuying thought to herself.

Wei Xiao Hua might be the legal daughter, but she was usually very timid. Because of that, the concubines usually used this chance to make sure that they would be able to gain an advantage from her. Today was no exception as it was her and Wei Hong Zheng's turn to accompany Wei Xiao Hua.

Wei Hong Zheng wanted to get close to the Fourth Prince, which is why he always tries to make himself look useful. The best way to do that was by making her look bad, which was why she would always look like she made fun of herself in front of Ji Shu. Even though she was unwilling, her brother would just force her with his martial arts.

If only it was possible, Wei Liuying wanted to run away from home altogether. Unfortunately, she would only court death if she were to run away right away without anyone to support her.

'Done.'

The net was only barely passable and could easily be destroyed. Wei Liuying simply gathered some of the hay and put it on top of the net before she lied down on top of the rest of the hay. It would feel warmer this way when she slept.

Time passed swiftly.

Clank!

Wei Liuying sat up abruptly when she heard the sound. She quickly pulled the hay away from her and tidied up her dresses. From the small window nearby, she could see that it was already morning, which was the time for her to get out.

"Third Miss, are you still alive?"

"I'm alive," Wei Liuying replied calmly.

The guard looked inside and heaved a sigh when he saw that Wei Liuying was still standing respectfully. Even though Wei Liuying's position was basically the lowest, she still managed to survive so far in this harsh residence. Even he couldn't count the time when Wei Liuying would be punished to stay in this shed anymore.

"it's morning, you can return back now."

"Thank you."

"It's nothing much."

As Wei Liuying walked back to her own quarter, the guard sighed to himself. In his eyes, Wei Liuying was clearly the most sensible one. After all, she was always the calmest whenever she was punished, yet their Master seemed to hate Wei Liuying so much that he was so harsh whenever he instructed her.

Wei Liuying made her way to her courtyard. Xiao Lu was already waiting near the door. "Miss!"

"Xiao Lu, it's still early. You should have waited inside."

Xiao Lu's face looked troubled. "Miss, Madam Feng is..."

She's inside.

There was no need for Xiao Lu to finish her words, Wei Liuying knew that clearly. She nodded and patted Xiao Lu's hand to reassure her. Even though Wei Liuying knew that nothing good would happen even if she were to enter her quarter, she didn't have any other choice.

Wei Liuying pushed any thoughts from her heart as she stepped forward. Her small hands pushed the door open, revealing her mother standing in the middle of the room. As usual, Feng Chun dressed extravagantly with various headpieces and makeup to the point that the smell permeated the room.

"Mother."

"You still remember that I'm your mother?" Feng Chun snapped.

"There's no way this daughter can ever forget you, Mother," Wei Liuying replied respectfully as she bowed down to hide her expression.

Feng Chun snorted. "That's what you say, but why did you stop me from speaking? That b*tch should have just died because of the fall! She's so clumsy and an idiot! Not to mention…."

Wei Liuying closed the door to prevent the sound from reaching out. However, she knew that if her mother were to speak this loudly, a lot of servants would surely hear it. She sighed internally because she knew that her mother would always do this whenever something not in her favor happened.

"Mother, Father won't like it if you keep on badmouthing First Sister," Wei Liuying said when Feng Chun stopped to catch a breath.

Feng Chun's face contorted. "He hadn't been visiting me and instead of heading over to that b*tch Mei. Tell me, what do I lack from her?"

Wei Liuying: "…" if you can keep your mouth shut, Father will be happier.

Of course, Wei Liuying couldn't possibly say it out loud unless she wished her mother to beat her up too. After being punished by Wei Hong, she clearly didn't want to get punished by Feng Chun too.

"Mother, Father is busy lately, so he needs someone who can calm him down," Wei Liuying tactfully answered.

Feng Chun frowned. "Are you saying that I'm unsuitable for that?"

"How about if Mother tries to recite poems for Father? He might like it."

"You're right! I'll challenge that annoying Mei B****!"

After a few more talks, Wei Liuying finally managed to bring her mother out of her quarter. She turned around and opened the door again, where Xiao Lu was standing with a pale expression. She was waiting with other servants outside, and they could hear what Feng Chun said about Wei Xiao Hua.

If words were to spread to Wei Hong, there was no telling what might happen.

"Come in and help me get ready."

"Yes, Miss."

"Call Xiao Yu too."

"I understand."