My Villainess Is Definitely Not a Black Lotus - Chapter 42

Fu Jianxu’s eyes rimmed with red. Always deeply emotional, she listened to Fu Chunhao’s story as if witnessing young Fu Zhixiao’s small, dark face set in determination as she faced the mountain’s wild beasts.

Ji Xiaoyu felt a pang of sympathy for Fu Chunhao and her daughter’s arduous past. But when she looked up, she noticed Fu Jianxu’s gaze remained fixed on Fu Zhixiao.

The intensity of that gaze, filled with an unreadable emotion, made Ji Xiaoyu’s heart skip a beat.

That look—it was pity, the same pity Fu Jianxu had shown her countless times.

Ji Xiaoyu lowered her eyes and took another sip of fruit wine. Is Fu Jianxu Mo Jing? she wondered. Then is the lonely soul inhabiting this familiar body Mo Jing too?

She had never even considered such a possibility before!

Her heart pounded.

No! That kind of look should only be for me…

Ji Xiaoyu clenched her hands, her mind racing. Her heart felt like a battlefield. She tilted her head back and drained the fruit wine in one gulp.

Even if this lonely soul wasn’t Mo Jing, she would still claim her…

Sister can only be mine.

Fu Zhixiao, who had been immersed in her own sorrowful thoughts, took a deep breath. She and her mother were both strong-willed women who rarely showed vulnerability in public. Just as she was about to comfort her mother and promise to give her a better life, she unexpectedly met Fu Jianxu’s tear-filled eyes.

What are you crying for? Fu Zhixiao’s face darkened.

Fu Jianxu hastily wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, the tip of her nose flushed faintly red. Who’s… who’s crying? I’m just a little sleepy… she mumbled, her voice thick with emotion.

Seeing this, Fu Chunhao assumed Fu Jianxu was drunk and chuckled. A’Xu’s tolerance for alcohol is terrible these days. Just one cup and she’s already flushed.

She picked up her chopsticks again and filled everyone’s bowl with a generous portion of food. Today is a day for celebration. No crying allowed. Children, eat well. The days ahead will only get better and better.

I’m not drunk! I… I can still drink more, Fu Jianxu insisted, wiping her eyes. A radiant smile bloomed on her face, her cheeks flushed with excitement or perhaps the lingering warmth of the wine. Come on, let’s toast! To the bitter days we’ve endured, and even more to the brighter days ahead!

Ji Xiaoyu forced herself to calm down, forcing a smile onto her face.

The others raised their glasses in agreement, except for Fu Zhixiao, who awkwardly turned away. Fu Chunhao nudged her with her elbow, leaving her no choice but to blush and lift her glass.

The glasses clinked together, producing a crisp, clear sound.

Fu Jianxu was indeed not drunk. Though a faint blush tinged her cheeks from the wine, she remained composed and measured in her words.

Ji Xiaoyu, however, seemed quite intoxicated.

Her face showed no outward signs of drunkenness. But when the young woman stood up, she moved as if walking on cotton, her steps unsteady and swaying, like a newborn duckling learning to walk.

Alarmed, Fu Jianxu quickly reached out to steady the teetering girl. She remembered to call out to Fu Chunhao, Aunt Chunhao, Xiaoyu’s drunk. I’ll take her home now.

The young woman leaned limply against her, her warm breath brushing Fu Jianxu’s neck, carrying the faint scent of fruit wine.

Ji Xiaoyu was, after all, a petite girl, not heavy at all. But Fu Jianxu’s conscience pricked her, reminding her that she shouldn’t take advantage of someone in this state. Her grip faltered, making it difficult to move even an inch.

Aiyo, did you drink too much? Fu Chunhao set down the plate she was holding and hurried over to help Ji Xiaoyu.

Aunt Chunhao, you go ahead and finish up. I can manage on my own, Fu Jianxu said, scooping the girl into her arms and striding toward the door.

The young woman was even lighter than she’d expected. Her slender frame pressed against Fu Jianxu’s arm, her bony hips digging into her. Fu Jianxu instinctively shifted her weight, realizing that even the rice sacks she used to carry at the docks had been heavier.

You can’t drink so fast next time, she couldn’t help but scold the girl. You’ll have a terrible headache tomorrow.

Drunk and oblivious, Ji Xiaoyu paid no attention to Fu Jianxu’s scolding. She lowered her small face and pressed it close to Fu Jianxu’s. Her fox-like eyes, glistening with tears, stared intently at Fu Jianxu, the corners flushed a delicate red from the alcohol, shimmering brilliantly under the moonlight.

X-Xiaoyu? Fu Jianxu stammered, flustered by the girl’s direct gaze. Her cheeks burned, and her steps faltered. She stopped, trying to calm her racing heart. Did you… did you hear what I said earlier?

Ji Xiaoyu suddenly broke into a radiant smile and nodded vigorously.

The smile was so dazzling that Fu Jianxu hastily averted her gaze, lowering her head as if concentrating on the path ahead. She hurried forward, her ears burning crimson.

Why won’t Elder Sister look at me? the girl pouted, her voice tinged with hurt. She reached out and began toying with Fu Jianxu’s intensely red earlobe, kneading and pinching it erratically, as if too drunk to speak clearly.

The unfamiliar sensation of being touched in such a sensitive spot sent a jolt through Fu Jianxu’s body. Her arms, which had been holding the girl, began to weaken.

Her breathing deepened.

I-I’ll go boil some water… Finally reaching their courtyard after the agonizingly short walk from next door, Fu Jianxu clumsily set Ji Xiaoyu down on the kang bed and turned to flee the scene that was making her heart race uncontrollably.

Before Fu Jianxu could take a step, a small hand tugged at the hem of her robe.

Sister… Ji Xiaoyu, lying on the bed, tilted her face upward, her eyes shimmering with a hazy, watery light. I… I want to take a bath…

Her voice was soft, with a coquettish lilt at the end, causing Fu Jianxu’s heart, which she had finally managed to calm, to race again.

Y-yes, of course, she stammered.

At the little girl’s request, Fu Jianxu immediately sprang into action.

First, she stoked the fire in her own stove until it blazed brightly. Then, she hurried over to Aunt Chunhao’s house to borrow her stove as well. With both stoves heating water simultaneously, the iron pots bubbled and steamed. While the water heated, she squatted in the courtyard, scrubbing the newly purchased cypress bath barrel inside and out with a loofah sponge until it was spotless.

By the time the last pot of hot water was ready, Fu Jianxu suddenly realized a serious problem drunk people shouldn’t take baths.

She stood at the kitchen door, gazing at the steaming barrel of water she had spent hours heating, and pressed a hand to her forehead.

If she told the little girl now that she couldn’t bathe…

Sister, can I really not bathe? Ji Xiaoyu choked out, her wet, fox-like eyes drooping slightly, her lips pressed into a thin line, and large tears rolling down her cheeks.

Fu Jianxu shook her head, banishing the image that even imagining it made her unbearable. She closed her eyes and sighed in resignation.

Fine, let the little girl soak for a while, she muttered to herself. I’ll keep an eye on her. Nothing should go wrong.

Having made up her mind, Fu Jianxu dried her hands and returned to the room, scooping up the little girl who was sitting obediently on the edge of the bed, waiting.

The kitchen was warm and cozy, the lingering heat from the stove making the entire space feel snug. Fu Jianxu carefully placed the little girl on a low stool and turned to adjust the water temperature.

Remembering the girl’s drunken state, she deliberately added less water, filling only about a third of the tub.

Even so, it took five pots of hot water to fill it. A spare pot simmered on the stove, ready to replenish the water if it cooled down during the girl’s soak.

Alright, Xiaoyu can… Fu Jianxu turned back, her words catching in her throat.

Where was the clothed figure on the stool? Ji Xiaoyu had somehow stripped herself completely naked, her fair skin glowing like pearls in the firelight. She sat there hugging her knees, looking like a newborn animal—pure, innocent, and utterly defenseless.

Fu Jianxu hastily turned away, her ears burning hot. C-can you wash yourself?

Won’t Sister bathe with me? Ji Xiaoyu tilted her head, her wet eyes shimmering like jewels in the steamy air. Didn’t Sister buy this tub… so we could bathe together?

Fu Jianxu was stunned. When did I ever say I bought this tub for us to bathe together?!

Hurry, get in! The water’s getting cold. She kept her back to the tub, her voice strained, even her earlobes flushed crimson. A faint splash came from the tub’s edge as Ji Xiaoyu seemed to finally give up teasing her and obediently stepped into the water.

The water rippled gently, lapping against the wooden sides. Fu Jianxu exhaled in relief, yet a strange sense of melancholy lingered.

Sister doesn’t want to bathe with me? The little girl’s soft voice came from behind, trembling slightly.

Fu Jianxu didn’t need to turn around to picture the scene Ji Xiaoyu biting her lower lip, lashes lowered, tears welling in her eyes, threatening to spill.

N-no! That’s not true! Fu Jianxu whirled around in panic, only to be confronted by the little girl’s bare body. She hastily averted her gaze again.

Thump-thump… thump-thump…

Her heart pounded like a drum.

Then why won’t Sister join me?

She couldn’t understand how things had escalated to this point.

Fu Jianxu stumbled into the bathtub in a daze. As the warm water reached her waist, she curled up at the far end of the tub like a cooked shrimp, her arms wrapped tightly around her scantily clad body.

How did a bath for the little girl turn into a shared soak?

Fu Jianxu closed her eyes in frustration, as if shutting out reality. But she couldn’t block out the sound of water splashing behind her.

Ji Xiaoyu, like a playful kitten, was stirring the water with her hands. The gentle ripples brushed against Fu Jianxu’s skin, both soothing and ticklish.

Ticklish in my heart.

Sister, is this what a bath feels like? Ji Xiaoyu’s voice sounded delighted.

Fu Jianxu didn’t answer. Her eyes remained closed, but her mind uncontrollably conjured blush-inducing images.

Sister? A pair of warm hands suddenly landed on her shoulders. Fu Jianxu jolted violently, nearly leaping out of the water in shock.

She frantically opened her eyes and found Ji Xiaoyu’s face inches from hers, droplets of water clinging to the girl’s cheeks.

I can’t reach my back, Ji Xiaoyu pouted, tugging gently on Fu Jianxu’s sleeve. Sister, could you help me, please?

As she spoke, she turned around, revealing a broad expanse of her snow-white back. Water droplets trickled slowly down her graceful spine, disappearing into the water below.