The Bold Request

“Has the Second Miss not returned yet?”

“To answer Miss Yu, the Second Miss will only be back tomorrow.”

‘It seems I’ll be alone again today.’

Yu Lian watched the maids bustling about, clearing away the breakfast remnants, when a sudden thought prompted her to speak. “By the way, could you bring me some salt when you go out?”

‘Tomorrow marks the fifth day. If I don’t replenish my saltwater supply, the affliction will surely strike again.’

One maid paused, contemplating. “This matter requires the Second Miss’s or Housekeeper Bai’s approval, and neither of them is present…” She looked at Yu Lian with a troubled expression.

“I’m not planning anything malicious or contemplating suicide,” Yu Lian reassured her. “I simply wish to prepare some saltwater to drink occasionally. You can rest assured, nothing will happen that would hold you responsible.”

“Then… then for Miss Yu’s sake, I’ll be bold this once.”

“Hey, isn’t that against the rules?” The other maids gathered around her. “If something truly goes wrong, you could lose your life.”

The maid, however, firmly pushed them aside and resolutely stepped out of the room. The remaining maids’ faces were etched with conflict.

“Trust me, and please keep this secret for her, alright?” Yu Lian added. “If you don’t speak, and I don’t speak, then neither the Second Miss nor Lingyi will know. That way, nothing will go wrong.”

Upon hearing Yu Lian’s words, the maids’ expressions softened slightly. Before long, the maid who had left swiftly returned, clutching several bags of salt.

Yu Lian gazed at the salt on the table, her lips trembling. ‘Wait, you didn’t just steal all the salt from the kitchen, did you?’ She needed salt, yes, but certainly not this many bags.

“Miss Yu, I wasn’t sure if you would need more later… I-I just brought a bit extra. You can rest assured, the one in charge of the salt is a good friend of mine, and she promised to keep it a secret for me,” the maid explained, stuttering slightly.

“Thank you very much. If you ever encounter any trouble in the future, please don’t hesitate to come to me. I should be able to offer you a measure of assistance,” Yu Lian stated with earnestness.

The maids departed, carrying the bowls, chopsticks, and plates. Yu Lian watched them murmur as they left, then turned her attention back to the table. ‘Oh, what a headache. Where should I hide all this salt?’

Once the Second Miss returned, she would surely come to sleep beside her frequently. If she were to see it, Yu Lian would undoubtedly have a lot of explaining to do, and it might even implicate the maid who secretly brought her the salt. That would not do.

After much deliberation, with no better ideas coming to mind, Yu Lian decided to hide all the salt in the drawer. The Second Miss only came to sleep with her; her movements were usually confined to the soft bed, and she rarely touched anything else in the room.

After carefully stowing the salt, Yu Lian took out one bag, tore a small opening, poured out a little, then resealed the bag and returned it to the drawer.

Gurgle—

Although it wasn’t yet the fifth day for the affliction to strike, drinking it early wouldn’t cause any harm. Yu Lian felt a wave of relief and invigoration after consuming the cup of saltwater.

“Now I can rest easy. The next onset will be in five days. I must remember the timing carefully.”

She sat on the bed, swinging her legs back and forth. “I’m really not used to wearing this little black off-the-shoulder dress. I wonder what kind of taste Yixiya has to pick such a dress for me.”

Her shoulders felt perpetually cool. Yu Lian raised a hand to touch her collarbone. Recalling Yixiya’s joyful expression as she left after their bath last night, Yu Lian scoffed. ‘She profited, but I didn’t lose anything. In fact, I even managed to vex Yixiya a little by showing her the mark on my abdomen and explaining that the Second Miss herself had put it there.’

The scene at that moment had been truly amusing. Yixiya had sprawled on Yu Lian’s lap, drooling with envy, which brought immense satisfaction to Yu Lian’s heart, which had originally detested the mark. She had never imagined that this mark could bring her such comfort.

However, Yixiya’s gaze seemed to wander a few times, often drifting from her lower abdomen to an even lower region. Yu Lian patted her cheeks. ‘What am I thinking? She was only looking at my mark. She couldn’t possibly have any other strange thoughts about me.’

‘I wonder if Yixiya will come again today? Probably not. But she’ll definitely come tomorrow, because the Second Miss is returning. Then I’ll openly accept the feeding and thoroughly provoke the Second Miss. I wonder if Lingyi will look at me with suspicion? She’d better not misunderstand.’

Rising from the bed, Yu Lian settled at the table and picked up two booklets, slowly leafing through them. They were biographies detailing the experiences of fishermen at sea, containing insights from their voyages and encounters with strange phenomena.

What captivated Yu Lian most were two or three lines about sightings of Immortals. As the booklets were newly published, these events must have occurred recently. A fisherman in the coastal waters had witnessed an Immortal walking on air, moving with incredible speed, soaring through the clouds towards the deep sea.

“Were they looking for me?” Yu Lian rested her chin on her hand, her beautiful eyes blinking softly. “What a pity. I’ve already come ashore. You could search the deep sea until your heads burst, and still you wouldn’t find me.”

“Immortals… if I were still human, how I would wish to see one with my own eyes. Alas, now I must actively avoid them. It would be disastrous if they possessed some divine power that could discern my true identity. I wonder which wretched soul knew that merfolk still existed in this world and connected longevity to me. They’d better hope I don’t find out, otherwise… hmph hmph.”

Swish, swish went the pages. A soft murmur. Together, they formed a beautiful melody. Time flowed on imperceptibly.

****

Noon.

Knock, knock—

The door was rapped.

“Come in, I’m reading,” Yu Lian called out without lifting her head. Her chest was pressed against the table as she leaned over the book, creating an alluring sight.

“What are you reading?”

The booklet before her was suddenly snatched away. Yu Lian straightened her back, looking at the newcomer, and exclaimed in surprise, “Yixiya? Why are you here again?”

Indeed, the visitor was Yixiya, not the lunch-delivering maids. After glancing at the booklet in her hand, Yixiya unenthusiastically tossed it back onto the table.

“These words are truly headache-inducing and dull.” She turned to Yu Lian, donning a sweet smile. “What, am I not allowed to come? Or are you saying you don’t welcome me?”

Yu Lian chuckled evasively. “Of course not, I welcome you greatly.” Inwardly, however, she grumbled, ‘Coming for two consecutive days, and with the Second Miss absent… even for a simulated romance rehearsal, this is a bit too diligent.’

“Why do I feel like you don’t welcome me?”

“That’s just your misconception!”

Just then, lunch was finally served. After the serving maids departed, Yixiya eagerly sat in the other chair. She picked up the chopsticks and placed them in Yu Lian’s hand, looking very excited. She clamored, “It’s your turn to feed me today! Hurry, let’s continue our rehearsal.”

‘I wonder if you’re getting a little addicted?’ Yu Lian stared blankly at the chopsticks in her hand.