In early spring, it was bone-chilling in Dasu Town. When looking around, it was full of withered and yellow mountain forest hanging with a little bit of snow. When the wind blowing, the fine snowflakes dispersed in twos and threes.

In the bleak wind, there were a few whispers from the old maidservants.

"The second daughter of the Su family has been swept out!"

"She deserves it! I heard that she destroyed the prospect of the first young master of Su family. It's good enough that she didn't get killed!"

"Tut tut!"

The sky was slightly bright. On the mountain road, a bent old woman came head-on. She patted her frost-streaks with one hand until she reached a shabby and airy hut at the foot of the hill. She opened the door with a creak and squeezed in, then closed the wooden door at once as if it could shut the cold out.

The charcoal fire inside the hut went out a long time ago. The old woman frowned. Her face full of vicissitudes of life showed a little distressed. She took a few steps to the bed and uncovered the iron-hard quilt and revealed the little girl whose face was purple with cold.

"What a sin! The Second Madam is so cruel! Anyway...she's the second daughter of Su family!"

The old woman wiped the tears, brought out a bowl of steaming rice soup that was still warm from her arms to feed Su Erya. Then she immediately seized the time to make charcoal fire for the hut, held Su Erya in her arms for a while, and left in a hurry.

In a few hours, the third Miss should get up, and she had to go back and take care of her.

Even though she knew that the Second Miss would not live through the early spring, the old lady still kept a trace of longing in her heart. So, she sneaked in every morning to take care of her.

Not long after the old woman left, Su Erya, who lay motionless on the gra.s.s couch, suddenly got up like a corpse. Then her eyelashes trembled slightly, revealing a pair of lackl.u.s.ter eyes.

The charcoal fire continued to burn. With time going by, Su Erya's eyes moved, then her little head turned slightly, and her eyes focused on the charcoal fire.

In the previous life, her face was destroyed by the charcoal fire.

"Mammy Li..."

Su Erya murmured. She tightened her thin quilt and struggled to get out of bed, finally leaning on the edge of the charcoal brazier. Then she felt the sharp chill receding a little. A small pile of charcoal was piled in the corner of the hut. She knew that they were stolen from her third sister's room by Mammy Li. Her third sister was their mother's favorite daughter. Her mother distributed about 100 jin of charcoal to her in winter, which she could not use up.

Looking at the tender shoots on bare branches outside the hut on the bud, her eyes showed confusion. But the confusion was fleeting and quickly turned into a bottomless gloom. Scenes from previous life flashed through her mind.

She was the Second Miss of the Su family, but her life in Su's mansion was not better than a servant girl. Her parents didn't like her, and she didn't even have a proper name. Until ten years later, she had her real name, Su Li.

Previously in the Su family, only her eldest brother Su Qingtan and fourth younger brother Su Qinghao could give her a trace of motivation to live. But since the disaster, even the eldest brother had distanced himself from her. Under the torture of her mother, she seemed to live in h.e.l.l every day.

Over the course of ten years, due to her heavy work, she suffered from many diseases. She was only in her twenties but looked like a woman in her thirties and forties. Compared with her third sister Su Zipei, who was one year younger than her, she looked more like her mother.

Because her face was disfigured, the Su family intended to find her a husband to get benefits. But no one wanted to marry her. Finally, the Su family found out that she had no use. With the hint of Su Zipei, she married a lame poor young man.

Not a wife, but a concubine.

But it was the happiest day of her previous life. She was frightened by the torture and gradually grinned and bore everything she met.

Her husband was surprisingly kind and even gentle to her. Next year, she gave birth to a son for him.

She thought she was finally out of her misery and into a better place.

But within months, her husband was beaten to death in the street. Her son was strangled to death. And She was thrown into the dirtiest part of the Army.

Later, she learned that all these changes were only because of the General's wife Su Zipei's simple words. "Even if she is my sister," she said, "that would not erase the fact that her husband is a progeny of a traitor."

In just a few months, she returned from heaven to h.e.l.l.

However, Su Zipei got a good name by placing righteousness above family loyalty.

She was willing to become a devil, dragged out an ign.o.ble existence and learned toxicology secretly. She wanted to poison the Su family. But in the end, she accidentally poisoned her biological father...

Su Li closed her eyes in pain and cried. When she was executed, she dreamed of an afterlife on the rack. But she did not expect that G.o.d would send her back to her fourteen years old.

"Purr..."

The sound from her belly brought Su Li back to reality.

She lived on rice soup from Mammy Li this month. It was okay when she was unconscious. But she was awake now so felt very hungry.

Su Li wrapped up the quilt and opened the door. Dazzling sunlight made her slightly narrow her eyes. She thought for a moment, put down the quilt and walked into the cold wind in a thin cloth gown of a single layer.

The cold air poured into the clothes, as if it would freeze the blood.

Su Li's face was white, but her expression was calm. She stooped, quickened her pace and skillfully ran into the bamboo forest in the mountain. Based on the experience of her previous life, she soon dug up two winter bamboo shoots. Holding the bamboo shoots in her arms, she ran to the pile of clam sh.e.l.ls by the river and picked up a big whole clam sh.e.l.l.

The water was icy cold. Su Li squatted down by the river to wash the winter bamboo shoots and clam sh.e.l.ls slowly. The water reflected her little sallow face. Only a pair of her black eyes were delicately beautiful.

For as long as she could remember, she had hardly eaten a good meal. She was fourteen years old, but she was as thin as a ten-year-old girl.

Su Li touched her scar-free cheek and gave a beautiful smile. She took all the things she had washed and went back into the mountain. It was about two hours before she came down from the hill and went back to her hut.

Su Li put the clam sh.e.l.l filled with water on the fire brazier. She wrapped up the quilt and went to the corner to pick up some pieces of charcoal and threw them into the brazier. Soon the water in the clam sh.e.l.l was boiled.

Seeing the steaming hot water rolling continuously, Su Li stopped hesitating. She threw some of the bamboo shoots that were peeled into the water and continued to peel the others.

The aroma of the bamboo shoots permeated the hut slowly. Su Li couldn't help drooling and became hungrier.

She picked up the branches beside her and scooped up some medium well bamboo shoots. Regardless of the heat, she put bamboo shoots into her mouth immediately, chewed them casually and swallowed them.

"So tender!"

Su Li's eyes lit up at once. She looked at the twinkling bamboo shoots in the water. As a matter of fact, these bamboo shoots hadn't taste at all. But she could taste sweet from the bitter wild vegetables, not to mention the winter bamboo shoots.

Su Li was very fast that she picked up the bamboo shoots and ate them as soon as they were cooked.

She ate two bamboo shoots in less than one hour, then she felt somewhat full and had some strength.

After handling the clam sh.e.l.l carefully, she took out several herbs that were picked from the mountain and lost herself in thought.

These were all supplements used to improve her body. But she also knew that she was too weak to absorb these supplements. Although she could control the quant.i.ty, it was estimated that she would have a fever for several days.

Whir...

After thinking about it, Su Li had a burning feeling in her throat. This was a sign of fever. She had been in the cold wind for about four hours and her body was so weak.

Su Li put the herbs into her mouth directly and chewed them, wrapped up the quilt and lay down again. Because the supplements worked, it wasn't long before she fell asleep.

She didn't know how long it took…

"Second Miss, Second Miss..."

The anxious and repressed voice was sounded, and Su Li opened her eyes reluctantly. She felt as if she were in a stove, and even her brain was about to burn.

Her vision blurred for a moment and finally became clear. She looked up at the old woman, Mammy Li, who was holding her in her arms.

"My poor Second Miss..."

Mammy Li's rough hand was on Su Li's forehead and her eyes were hazy with tears. She knew what a sudden fever meant.

"Is that Nanny Mammy?"

A faint voice was sounded. Mammy Li was startled and immediately said with surprise and joy, "Second Miss, you are awake?!"

Hearing Su Li's unique name for her, Mammy Li felt a pain in her heart, but her face became softer. She bowed her head and touched Su Li's face and whispered, "Second Miss, it's me. It's Nanny Mammy!"

Su Li frowned in pain and said pitifully, "Nanny Mammy, I want to see my eldest brother. I didn't steal the night-luminescent pearl. I want to see my eldest brother..."

After holding on to this sentence, she tilted her head and fell asleep again. She was not deceiving. The medicine was too fierce. Even with her tempered will, it was still a little unbearable.

Seeing that Su Li was asleep again, Mammy Li panicked immediately. She shouted several times in a row, but Su Li did not wake up. Her heart trembled and let go of her hand slightly.

Stupefied for a moment, Mammy Li's eyes became firm. She stroked Su Li's hot forehead gently and whispered, "Second Miss, Nanny Mammy is going to find your eldest brother!"

Without packing up anything, Mammy Li turned and ran to Su's mansion.

As it was getting late, Su Qingtan put down his sword and took a long breath. He was about to go back to his room to study, but there was a noise outside the yard.

"I really have something important to tell the young master. Just one word..."

"How presumptuous! First Young Master's yard is not where a poor mammy can come!"

The guard's severe reprimand made Su Qingtan frown. He was not used to the domineering guards his mother had arranged for him. But his mother's orders could not be disobeyed, and he chose to ignore them.

He called a servant girl and said, "Let the mammy in."

The servant girl's face revealed a dilemma, "Young Master, my lady wants you to concentrate on your studies. Don't…"

"Am I a young master, or are you a young master?" Su Qingtan said coldly, "How much time can she delay? Let her in!"

When the servant girl saw that the young master was angry, she dared not to disobey his orders. She got up quickly and went outside the yard to let Mammy Li in.

With the permission, there was a surprised smile on Mammy Li's desperate face immediately. She stepped into the yard without saying a word.

"So, it's you, Mammy Li. What's wrong with you?"

Su Qingtan asked doubtfully when he saw Mammy Li, who was in high spirits. Mammy Li was the nursemaid of his second younger sister when she was a child, so he was also familiar with her.

When Mammy Li saw Su Qingtan's indifferent expression, her heart thumped, and her face was pale. It seemed that the young master did not care so much about Second Miss.

But at this point, there was nothing she could do about it. She could only plop down on her knees and cry,

"Young master, no matter how serious the mistake had made by the Second Miss, please come to see Second Miss for the last time! This is the only wish before she dies!"

Cras.h.!.+

Su Qingtan's body trembled violently, and there was an incredible look on his face. The teacup fell from his hand and got into pieces, and he did not seem to know that the boiling tea spilled on his hand.

The servant girl picked up the handkerchief hurriedly to wipe, but Su Qingtan threw her hand away. He grabbed Mammy Li and said angrily, "Take me there!"

Along the way to the hut, Mammy Li's hand was pulled painfully by Su Qingtan, but her heart was very stable. The first young master still cared about Second Miss. But why didn't he respond to what the First Madam did? Didn't he know it?

At this time, Su Zipei sat at the table in an exquisite and luxurious room at the western yard of the Su's mansion. She was so angry that a group of servant girls was keeping quiet out of fear.

There was an extinguished charcoal basin in front of her.

"Where is Mammy Li?"

Su Zipei was so angry that her voice changed. The charcoal basin in her room never went out in winter. But when she came back from outside today, she found it was very cold in the room. How could a spoilt girl like her bear it!?

Mammy Li had always been in charge of adding charcoal. The big servant girl Chun'er stood up immediately and said, "Miss, Mammy Li often went to the charcoal room furtively this month. She went out before dawn every day. I don't know where she went."

The expression of Su Zipei changed slightly when she heard her words. Then she smiled coldly, got up and put on her cloak, and hummed, "Chun'er, take some strong Mammies, and let's go!"

It was not close from the Su's mansion to the hut. Mammy Li had to walk for two hours on weekdays, but this time it took less than an hour.

Su Qingtan was stunned when he saw the dilapidated hut that could fall at any time.

Did his second sister always live in a place like this?

"What's going on?"

He remembered what his mother said. Although the second sister was kicked out of the mansion, she only went to live with their relatives and would be able to come back when their father was not angry.

He was still angry at what his second sister had done. He didn't even think his mother would lie to him.

Su Qingtan slammed the door opened, and his white training suit was stained with dust. But he, who always loved to be clean, didn't seem to know it. He rushed to the bed and then he saw Su Erya huddled like a stray cat. His heart suddenly seemed to have been severely twisted. It hurt so much that he couldn't even breathe.

The second sister was thinner than before and hardly looked like a human being.

"Second sister, wake up. Brother is here..."

Su Qingtan called softly. Su Li frowned, but she didn't open her eyes and murmured, "I did not steal the night-luminescent pearl. Brother, why don't you believe me..."

Su Qingtan felt the pain in her whisper, and his heart trembled slightly.

The subconscious wouldn't lie to him. Did mother blame second sister wrongly?

There was no time to think carefully, Su Qingtan picked up Su Li, which was very light. He turned and said, "Mammy Li, go to town and find the doctor of Baicao Tang. I'll take second sister back."

With an inadvertently glance, Su Qingtan saw Su Li's arm under her jute clothes. There was a blood mark. His pupils shrank, and he lifted her sleeves with right hand. His eyes were filled with shock immediately.

There were bloodstains all over Su Li's arm, old and new. A lot of new bloodstains were stick to the jute clothes with blood. Now these bloodstains were pulled by Su Qingtan, and the wounds were torn apart again, with dark red blood coming out.

Su Qingtan did not check her left arm. He took a heavy breath and was about to ask Mammy Li who did it, when he heard another dense sound of footsteps outside.

Su Qingtan fixed his eyes and glanced at Mammy Li, who was in a panic. He struggled in mind for a moment and jumped out of the window.

Before Mammy Li could clear her mind, she heard that the door of the hut had been kicked open. Su Zipei, surrounded by four Mammies and Chun'er, came in with a look of disgust on her face.

"Mammy Li, do you know what mistake you have made?"

Su Zipei's faint words immediately frightened Mammy Li into a pale face. "I had no choice but to do so, Miss. If there is no charcoal, Second Miss will die! Please save Second Miss's life for the sake of consanguinity, Third Miss!"

"Hahaha..."

Su Zipei did not wait for Mammy Li to finish, but smiled briskly. Her smile made Mammy Li bitterly disappointed.

"Second Miss?"

Su Zipei stared at Su Li, who was in a coma on the bed, with her beautiful eyes. She went over and slapped Su Li in her face!

"Slap!"

"Mammy Li, did you miss something? My second sister has been kicked out of the Su family. I am the Second Miss of Su family."

Hearing this crisp sound, Su Qingtan, who was secretly observing outside the house, was shocked and lost his mind. He couldn't believe his eyes.

How could the gentle third sister act so rudely to her sister!

He was about to rush into the hut and asked her, but a pent-up cough stopped him.

Su Li, who had been pretending to be asleep, seemed to be awakened by the slap and opened her eyes at the right time. When she saw who was coming, her body could not help trembling slightly, and there was a look of fear in her pure eyes. She said in a trembling voice:

"Third sister, what...what are you doing here?"

Su Zipei's eyes narrowed slightly. She smiled and said, "Sister, you are not a good girl. How can you call yourself the Second Miss of Su family? Our father was not joking when he drove you out of the mansion. It seemed that my dear sister had forgotten the feeling of being beaten by a rattan whip...Mammy Zheng!"

"Yes, Miss!"

Mammy Zheng, who was standing behind Su Zipei, immediately took out a new and s.h.i.+ny rattan whip. She couldn't wait to use it.