Little Pink Starfish

Nanny Wang’s Realization

Nanny Wang was urged by Yu Xiaoxiao to go fetch water, which wasn’t hard—there was snow right outside the cave, so a few buckets melted down would do.

Xiao Wei carefully laid Gu Xinglang on a fur pad by the fire and used the warm water brought by Xiao Zhuang to clean his face and hands.

Xiao Zhuang glanced at Yu Xiaoxiao, who was staring at Gu Xinglang in a daze, and whispered to Xiao Wei, “Is the Prince Consort seriously injured?”

Xiao Wei shook his head. “Just hit his head a bit. He’ll be fine once he wakes up.”

“You’re lying,” Xiao Zhuang said.

“Why would I lie?” Xiao Wei mumbled.

Xiao Zhuang tugged at the outer robe wrapped around Gu Xinglang. “All this blood, and you say it’s nothing?”

“It’s not Xiao Gu’s blood,” Yu Xiaoxiao murmured.

Xiao Zhuang looked at her.

“Got anything to eat?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked. “I’m hungry.”

“Oh! Yes! Just wait, Princess, I’ll get something right away,” Xiao Zhuang said and rushed off.

Elsewhere in the cave, Miss Qian glanced at a group of Jiang clan women wailing in front of Jiang Zhuojun and said worriedly to Nanny Wang, “Are they going to try to lash out at the general again?”

Nanny Wang didn’t even look that way. “They wouldn’t dare.”

“Why not?” asked Miss Zhao, who was helping boil water.

“They’ve lost their sons,” Nanny Wang said. “From now on, they’ll have to rely on Young General Jiang to survive. Who bites the hand that feeds them?”

Miss Zhao said softly, “So pitiful.”

Nanny Wang glanced at her. “You should stop pitying others and worry about bearing a son early yourself.”

Miss Zhao and Li Wan both flushed red at that.

Miss Qian snorted, “I’m not worried about that.”

“You’re the only daughter of Boss Qian, so of course you’re not worried,” Nanny Wang replied pointedly.

That stung. Miss Qian muttered, “It’s not my fault my father never had a son.”

Nanny Wang just shook her head. “How many children one has is heaven’s will. Miss Qian, it’s still best for a young woman to find an honest man to live her life with. Someone who won’t covet the Qian family fortune. Once Boss Qian is old, a reliable son-in-law could help out—he might even enjoy his golden years.”

Miss Qian stomped her foot. “Why are you telling me this?”

As she stormed off, Miss Zhao and Li Wan exchanged glances and shook their heads.

Nanny Wang sighed. “With a temper like that, what’s Xiao Zhuang supposed to do?”

The other two girls didn’t respond. Xiao Zhuang hadn’t even figured out how he felt about her yet—what was the point of them worrying?

After drinking a bowl of hot soup, Jiang Zhuojun didn’t rest. Instead, he went to hold the four deceased children one by one. He touched their cold little faces and said quietly to the grieving families, “We’ll remember this grudge. One day, it will be avenged.”

The women cried harder, their eyes already swollen red.

Jiang Zhuojun continued, “They didn’t suffer before they died. I’m the one who failed. I’m sorry.”

The third uncle wiped his eyes and said, “Enough. It’s our Jiang clan’s rule—not to keep the children overnight. We’ll bury them in this mountain.”

Jiang Yueniang, holding her son Xiaobao, let her tears fall silently onto the boy’s face.

Xiaobao, still very young but incredibly sensible, nestled in his mother’s arms, watching as the adults wrapped the four little cousins in cloth. He didn’t speak, just stared with wide eyes.

“Xiaobao,” Jiang Yueniang whispered to her son, “You must stay safe.”

“Mm,” Xiaobao squirmed and looked up at her. “Xiaobao will always stay with Mama.”

Jiang Zhuojun carried his second brother’s only son, glanced at his tearful sister, and walked out of the cave.

“Let’s not go,” Nanny Wang said to her group. “This is a family matter—we shouldn’t intrude. After the children are buried, we can go pay respects at the graves.”

Li Wan hesitated. “Nanny, shouldn’t we go send them off?”

The old Taoist cut in, “Children who die young are considered to have weak fortune. If too many people attend the funeral, their little souls won’t be able to bear it.”

Silence fell over the cave.

Outside, the Jiang clan’s wails echoed far into the snowy night.

Yu Xiaoxiao pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes as cold as the snow.

Nanny Wang walked over with a bowl of freshly made meat soup and handed it to her without a word. She simply sat beside her, keeping her company. She knew that although her princess always acted rough and carefree, she had the softest heart of all. Right now, she must be feeling terrible.

Yu Xiaoxiao quietly drank the soup.

Nanny Wang took the empty bowl, stuffed a pouch of dried meat into her hands, and only after watching her chew slowly, said, “Life and death are up to fate, Princess. We did everything we could.”

Yu Xiaoxiao murmured, “I should’ve gone from the start.”

Nanny Wang gently patted her head. “Even if you went, would you have gotten the antidote? That abbot took our red jade phoenix and still didn’t give anything. I don’t think he had the antidote at all.”

“What?” Yu Xiaoxiao blinked. He didn’t even have the antidote, and he still caused all this?

Not only her, but the former pirates nearby had all perked their ears to listen in.

“I’ve thought it over all night,” Nanny Wang said. “That abbot knew General Jiang and the others were fugitives and couldn’t possibly offer a red jade phoenix. So why ask for it?”

“What for?” asked the First Boss.

“A Living Buddha who can’t even cure his own temple’s poison? What a joke,” Nanny Wang snorted. “It looked like he was putting General Jiang in a tough spot, but in truth, he didn’t want to embarrass himself.”

Yu Xiaoxiao asked, “Then why capture Xiao Jiang? Why send him to Yongsheng Temple?”

“If Jiang handed over the phoenix and the abbot couldn’t give the antidote, he’d be humiliated. But if he claimed Yongsheng Temple wanted Jiang and he was just following orders, then he saves face,” Nanny Wang said coldly.

“Really?” the old Taoist asked. “Just a few hours, and everyone believed him when he said Yongsheng wanted the man?”

Nanny Wang shot him a glare. “This was a subsidiary temple of Yongsheng. Of course they had contact. If he claimed he just received the message, who’d dare accuse him of lying?”

Yu Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened. “You can do that?!”

“Cheap trick, that’s all,” Nanny Wang shook her head. “After this, I’ve decided—this Yongsheng Temple isn’t worth my worship. Disgusting.”