It was probably the increasingly cold weather. After all, Ming town had their first snow that morning, much earlier than normal. Yet, it might also be the guilt. After all, for a little girl like Ji LanBai who had only known just the goodness of the world, and had not seen the ugly, dirty parts of life, she felt deeply responsible and remorseful for her reckless action.
The gloomy weather, the remorse, everything amounted to pent-up stress that caused Ji LanBai to fall sick the very day Mia woke up with her face wrapped like a dumpling. The next morning, which was also Ji LanBai's birthday, the normally chirpy and spoiled Young Miss was bedridden with high fever.
Yet, Ji LanBai seemed awfully energetic despite being very sick. She was throwing all things she could grab to all corners of her bedroom. Cushions, blankets, broken wares were on the floor. Two older maids had to constantly clean the sharp pieces of pottery off the floor, lest they could hurt someone.
Her little face was red and she was constantly coughing. She pushed away everyone that got close to her on the bed, including her mother.
The floor was wet with spilled herbal medicine that was supposed to help her get better. Wu JianRui obviously knew her daughter's stubbornness, thus there were more bowls of medicine lined up on the table in the center of the room. When she broke one, they would just present another. Both she and Hai FenChu had tried different methods to get her to drink the dark-colored medicine. From coaxing, promise of presents, threats... .
Ji LanBai pushed Hai FenChu away, causing the seventh bowl of medicine to fall on the floor, spilling its content. The rest of them could only watch numbly.
"Young Miss has fallen sick because of her worry and guilt for you," Meng-momo whispered to Mia, "Such a kind little girl."
Mia's eyebrows quirked up and thought, "Throwing tantrum is a form a kindness?"
"LANBAI DOESN'T WANT!!" Ji Lan Bai cried again, "IT'S BITTER!!!"
"Ah. So it's bitter," Mia's lips curled lightly in amusement, "A child is just a child after all."
"Can you think of a way to get Young Miss to drink her medicine?" Meng-momo asked nervously. The little maid was observant and smart, maybe she could think of something everyone else had not tried.
"Honey?" Mia suggested. Having served in the residence's kitchen as part of her maid training, she certainly had noticed the abundance of honey in the household. Although the golden sweet delicacy was a luxury for commoners, their residence definitely was not lacking of it.
Meng-momo shook her head, "Mixing it with honey will reduce the effectiveness substantially."
Ji LanBai was very upset. First of all, she caused her new maid to get hurt. She was already feeling bad because of it. Then her father had also reprimanded her harshly, something he definitely had not done to this extent before. Apparently, her actions had caused the Ji clan to lose face in front of the Imperial Princes. More over, one of them was her fiance.
Ji LanBai did not even know what 'fiance' mean, she felt utterly wronged.
Ultimately, on her birthday, she got very sick. She was venting up all the energy she could muster to channel her discomfort, but all her expressed vigor only made her sickness worse.
Sighing inwardly, Mia took a bowl from the table and walked towards Ji LanBai's bed. Her jaw hurt like hell and there was no painkiller like in her previous life. She could also only barely speak their accents, so she spoke slowly,
"Miss, please drink the medicine, and you will get better. Young Miss can open your birthday presents as soon as your fever goes down just a little bit."
Ji LanBai recognized the maid in front of her. She knew she was the cause of the maid's wound, but at the same time she was reminded that she got sick because of worry and guilt she felt for the latter. Looking at the outstretched thin arms with a bowl of the bitter medicine she was holding, Ji LanBai slapped the other's hands, causing the bowl to fall and also accidentally causing the other's hands to smack her gauze-covered jaw. Then Ji LanBai immediately noticed the painful expression of the maid. She suddenly felt wretched again and started wailing louder than ever.
The other people in the room and the newly arrived princes and the two generals' sons could not help but be silent. The little maid was covering her face with her hands, the earlier impact had clearly caused pain to her.
Mia was very vexed and irritated. She did not dislike children at all. As an adult, she was usually patient towards little kids. She had a nephew she loved dearly after all. However, the thing she loved the most was peace and quiet.
She disliked crying babies, loud children, and most of all, children throwing tantrums.
How many times did she have to discipline her own nephew because her older sister could not bear to 'be too hard on him'? She believed in setting things straight since young age, and children should not be overly spoiled just because they could act cute. In the end, it actually caused her nephew to look up to her more than his own mother.
Adding to that, with her increasingly pain and now-throbbing chin, her patience had practically reached zilch at the moment. She uncovered her face slowly, her small fingers balled into fists by her side. Looking into the Ji LanBai's eyes, she growled, her voice clear and low, her eyes squinted into narrowed slits,
"Ji. Lan. Bai!"
The wailing suddenly ceased, sending the room to also be silent. It was so quiet, no one could hear even the faintest of breathing. If one dropped a pin, the sound would definitely echo inside the room that somehow had turned a few degrees colder.
"Meng-momo!" Mia coldly called, one of her hands reaching behind her back. Her own gaze was never removed from the now softly-sniffling, clearly scared wide-eyed young miss, "A bowl!"
Meng-momo was stunned for a second before she realized the girl was asking for another bowl of medicine. She cautiously handed the bowl to the little maid and prayed to the deities that this time the young miss would drink it. Any lecture about conducts and insolence need to come later. She had to admonish the little maid later for addressing her master directly by the name.
To everyone's surprise, the little maid lifted the bowl to her own lips. She then decisively drank the content in gulps, some of the medicine trickled down her lips onto the gauze on her chin.
Mia kept her silence, but she was cursing inside, "Holyf*ck!! Bitter? This is not just bitter! This thing tastes like bleach! No, scrap that, worse than bleach!"
Of course how she knew what bleach tasted like in the first place was a mystery... .
The dark brown liquid did not smell at all, hence the reason why Mia previously thought, "It can't be so bad." Now she had to try all her might to not spurt the medicine out of her mouth. Restraining her disgust, she threw her head back further and poured the whole bowl down her throat, trying not to let her tongue tasted it too much. She then hold the bowl upside down, showing that it was now empty, while still maintaining her stern poker face,
"There. I could drink it," she lifted her chin slightly at Ji LanBai, looking mightily superior, "Don't be a baby and cause trouble! Meng-momo, one more bowl!!"
Everyone sweated. Who was the master and who was the servant here?
Ji LanBai suddenly looked very docile at the moment with her puffy eyes unblinkingly staring at Mia. She looked like a puppy that had just been told off by her master. However at least, her sniffling hiccups had stopped. Mia offered her a new bowl of medicine Meng-momo just handed over, and to everyone's surprise, she accepted it in her little hands.
Maybe it was the soft smile that bloomed on the maid's little face when Ji LanBai accepted the bowl. That smile was full of confidence, certainty, and genuine kindness. At the moment Ji LanBai was full of reverence of the maid, she began to slowly but unhesitatingly drink the medicine she hated the most. When the first taste of the liquid hit her, Ji LanBai's left hand nervously reached forward while still holding the bowl with her right. To her relief, the maid softly enveloped her reaching hand with her fingers, giving her assurance.
Ji LanBai finally finished her medicine, her little face in grimace from the bitter after-taste.
Taking the bowl from Ji LanBai's hand and after handed it over to Meng-momo, who was still staring with her mouth slightly opened, Mia sat besides Ji LanBai.
The maid just helped herself to sit on Young Miss' bed. Meng-momo looked very conflicted.
With her fingers, Mia slowly rubbed off traces of tears from Ji LanBai's red face and softly brushed some loose fly-away hair away from her feverish forehead.
"There. It was not too bad, was it?" She softly whispered, patting the girl's hands softly.
"She actually did much better than me," Mia thought to herself. If this was the only medicine for fever or cold in this era, she had to make sure to always stay healthy. There was no way she would ever consume it again.
Everyone present noticed the little maid's more blooming beautiful soft smile at Ji LanBai. Her doting expression and her genuine care for her was clear, even everyone's hearts felt warm.
Was she really only seven years old and not a grandmother?
Ji LanBai, feeling relaxed, safe, and with the medicine kicking in, suddenly felt very sleepy. Still refusing to remove her hands from Mia's, she let out a small yawn and laid her head on Mia's lap, her breaths getting soft and steady in succumbing slumber.
Mia asked Meng-momo to fetch her a fresh blanket. Meng-momo hurriedly comply. Wu JianRui herself took over and draped the blanket over her daughter's sleeping form on the bed, before putting on a cloak on the maid's still sitting posture. After all, Mia's hands were still being held by Ji LanBai and with the way the girl was sleeping very soundly in her lap, she could only endure.
Not a single person had any objection. After all, the suffering maid did not look troubled as well. If anything, her smile just became softer. Her eyes were partly hidden by her soft long eyelashes, but no one could miss the tenderness of her gaze. Her fingers were still around Ji LanBai's hands, patting them softly. Everyone could not help but feel relief and grateful.
Some figures, observing from a small distance, felt tiny flutters forming in their young hearts looking at that beautiful calm smile.
Wu JianRui waited on her daughter to wake up for half a day. The little maid had fallen asleep as well, both girls holding each others' hands laying down on the bed. Soon, Ji LanBai shifted and groaned weakly, lifting herself up. She rubbed her eyes drowsily.
Her small movement also caused the little maid to be aroused from sleep.
Feeling her daughter's forehead with the back of her hand, Wu JianRui noticed that the fever had gone down considerably. In fact, her complexion was much rosier, not resembling the color of blood like in the morning.
Still noticing her hands being held by her new maid, Ji LanBai softly blushed. Then she looked at her mother, "Mother, you once said that LanBai can name my own personal maids, right?"
Wu JianRui nodded with a smile.
Her daughter was silent for a few seconds, her dainty eyebrows knitting in frown. She seemed to be thinking hard. Then she broke into a satisfied smile, seemingly pleased with whatever she just thought of. Turning her head then removing her fingers from her grip to squeeze the little maid's fingers in turn, Ji Lan Bai shyly but clearly spoke,
"From now on, I will call you Bai YuLan."
At the age of thirty, she could hardly be called a grandmother. But I guess having nephews played a part in her care for children.
Uh huh. Thanks for reading!