A New Beginning with FangFang and ShuangAi
A week had passed since TanTan's arrival at Li Mansion, and the next morning began rather quietly.
TanTan woke up feeling somewhat exhausted, even though she had slept for quite a long time.
Maybe I've been sleeping too much...
She stretched her body. Although she could still feel some pain from her wound, it seemed to have recovered considerably. Feeling that she was strong enough to move around, she decided to take a walk around the mansion.
However, before leaving her room, she noticed that something was missing from her usual morning routine.
She walked over to the table and poured herself a cup of tea.
Usually, XiaoRue comes to serve me at this time. Am I awake too early, or is she late today? Oh well, there's no need to wait for her. This mansion isn't so big that I could get lost. Let's explore a little, TanTan!
TanTan walked out of her room and looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful, clear morning.
Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, she couldn't help wondering how much longer she would have to remain in this ancient world.
She really missed her mother.
Just then, she noticed a familiar little shadow hiding behind a tree.
The little figure was holding a small pendant that TanTan could easily recognise.
"Come out, FangFang... I won't hurt you."
Li FangFang slowly emerged from behind the tree. She looked nervous and kept a cautious eye on TanTan, although her curious little eyes betrayed her.
"Do you want something from me?" TanTan asked with a gentle smile.
"I... I came to say thank you... Last time, you returned my pendant. YiFu always says that we should be polite to everyone, no matter who they are, and that we should thank anyone who helps us..."
FangFang tried very hard to hide her nervousness. Her serious little expression looked so adorable that TanTan couldn't help smiling.
"That's very good. You're such a polite little girl. I accept your thanks..."
TanTan genuinely wanted to become friends with FangFang. However, she knew that Hua MuTan's past actions had left the little girl traumatised. She didn't want to frighten her by approaching too quickly.
"Um... Are you feeling better? YiFu said you're sick and have forgotten many things. Is that why you've become good and aren't evil anymore?"
FangFang's innocent question made TanTan smile even wider.
What a pure-hearted little girl!
"You're concerned about me? Thank you. You're right. I'm sick, and I've forgotten many things. I can't remember my past very well. Was I really that evil before?"
"Yes, you were! You were always angry, just like a monster. You were so scary! You even almost burned me alive..."
FangFang shivered as she remembered what had happened.
TanTan's smile slowly faded. She looked at the little girl with regret.
"...But I can't remember those things anymore. Can you forgive me for everything bad I did?"
"Hmm... That's difficult. You did so many bad things. It's not something I can just forget. How do I know you're not lying?"
FangFang seemed to be struggling with her own thoughts.
"Hmm... You have to give me proof that you've changed!"
"Proof?"
Suddenly, TanTan remembered something.
"Wait a moment..."
She returned to her room for a little while and soon came back with a doll in her hands.
FangFang immediately became curious.
"What's that?"
"This is XiaoMei. She's been accompanying me since I was as little as you, all the way until now. Isn't she pretty?"
TanTan held the doll up so FangFang could see it clearly.
The little girl nodded. She seemed to like the doll very much.
"Then, from now on, she's yours."
FangFang looked at her in disbelief.
"She's very important to me, but I'm giving her to you because I want you to know that I'm truly sorry for what I did in the past. Besides, XiaoMei needs a little big sister to take care of her. Someone who might be better at looking after her than I am."
"You're... giving her to me?"
FangFang widened her eyes.
TanTan nodded and handed the doll to her.
FangFang happily hugged it.
"Hi, XiaoMei! From now on, I'm your big sister!"
Then she looked shyly at TanTan.
"Thank you..."
At least this way, Hua MuTan can make up for a little of what she did wrong...
TanTan smiled.
FangFang seemed to think about something for a moment before finally making up her mind. She looked at TanTan and spoke.
"You can play with us if you want..."
TanTan was delighted. The little girl had finally opened her heart to her!
FangFang really was a pure-hearted child. Despite everything that had happened, she was willing to give TanTan another chance.
"Is that all right? Didn't your YiFu warn you not to talk to me?"
"Mm... That's right. YiFu said that because you were evil before and wanted to hurt me. But now you're not evil anymore, so I think it's okay. Besides, YiFu isn't home right now, and I'm really bored..."
"Prince Li isn't home? Where did he go?"
TanTan couldn't help asking.
"YiFu took Sister XiaoRue and Uncle ManQi with him, but I don't know where they went."
So that's why I haven't seen XiaoRue this morning... That's strange. Why did Prince Li take XiaoRue and ManQi with him? Where could they have gone?
"So, do you want to play or not?"
FangFang's question pulled TanTan out of her thoughts.
"Of course! Why not? Let's play!"
TanTan smiled.
"Hooray! Let's play at my place! I'll show you my other dolls!"
FangFang happily grabbed TanTan's hand and pulled her along the hallway.
She soon began running faster, but TanTan's body had only recently recovered. She was still weak and quickly ran out of breath.
"Wait... Wait, FangFang! Don't rush, okay? Let me catch my breath for a moment..."
TanTan stopped and sat down on a nearby bench.
"Are you all right?" FangFang asked worriedly.
"I'm sorry, but YangMu, you're so weak! I can even run faster than you without getting tired!"
YangMu? Adoptive mother?
TanTan felt a little strange hearing the title, but she didn't dislike it.
She looked at FangFang and smiled.
"Silly girl! I've only just recovered from being sick, of course I'm weak. But once I'm completely healed, I can run faster than you!"
She couldn't help gently pinching FangFang's cheek.
Suddenly, a harsh voice interrupted them.
"TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF HER!"
Someone rushed forward and pulled FangFang away from TanTan.
It was Aunt Tong.
She glared angrily at TanTan.
TanTan immediately recognised her from Hua MuTan's memories. She remembered how badly Hua MuTan had treated Aunt Tong and her husband, often insulting and humiliating them without the slightest courtesy.
Aunt Tong crouched beside FangFang and carefully checked her.
"FangEr, are you hurt?"
FangFang shook her head. Even so, she looked a little frightened by Aunt Tong's sudden shouting.
Aunt Tong stood up and turned toward TanTan. Her expression remained angry, although she still tried to maintain some politeness because of TanTan's position.
"Young Madam MuTan, I believe you have forgotten that Master Li has forbidden you from approaching FangFang XiaoJie."
TanTan could clearly hear the hatred in Aunt Tong's voice.
"I... I didn't mean to..."
"Don't think that just because Master Li isn't home, you can do whatever you please, just as you did before. I am not afraid to report this to Master Li when he returns!"
TanTan began to feel irritated. Aunt Tong wasn't even giving her a chance to explain.
"Listen here, Aunt Tong..."
Before she could finish, another voice interrupted them. This time, it was a beautiful, gentle voice.
"FangFang... Aunt Tong, what's going on here?"
FangFang immediately turned toward the owner of the voice.
"Pretty JieJie!"
"AiEr," Aunt Tong greeted her warmly.
TanTan also recognised the young woman from Hua MuTan's memories.
So this is ShuangAi...
She studied ShuangAi's appearance. The young woman wore a beautiful white dress with a sky-blue silk outer robe. Her graceful appearance and gentle expression made her look almost like an angel.
She's really beautiful. No wonder Prince Li is so fond of her...
"Aunt Tong, I heard you shouting just now. What happened?"
"Please forgive me, AiEr. I only shouted because I saw Young Madam MuTan trying to harm FangFang again."
"NO, I'M NOT!"
TanTan was becoming increasingly frustrated.
Enough with these accusations! I haven't done anything wrong!
ShuangAi carefully observed the situation. Then she crouched beside FangFang and spoke gently.
"FangFang, did your YangMu hurt you? Don't be afraid. You can tell me the truth."
"No! She didn't hurt me! She only pinched my cheeks, but it didn't hurt at all! It's just like when YiFu does it!"
Aunt Tong clearly didn't believe FangFang's answer. She thought the evil Hua MuTan must have threatened the little girl.
"Don't be afraid, FangEr. Aunt Tong and ShuangAi JieJie are here to protect you. This evil woman won't be able to hurt you anymore. You can tell us the truth."
FangFang was beginning to feel upset because nobody seemed to believe her.
"I'm telling the truth! Pretty JieJie, Aunt Tong, you don't understand! Evil JieJie has changed! She has forgotten her past and become a new JieJie! Look! She even gave me this doll!"
FangFang proudly showed XiaoMei to them.
Both ShuangAi and Aunt Tong looked surprised. They hadn't expected FangFang to defend Hua MuTan so strongly.
Aunt Tong moved closer to ShuangAi and whispered,
"AiEr, I think this evil woman is already trying to influence FangFang with that doll. Poor little girl... She's too young to recognise the evil scheme behind such a gift!"
Now that's too much!
TanTan could no longer tolerate the accusations.
"Listen, Aunt Tong! Whether you believe me or not, I have no evil plan to hurt FangFang. Just as FangFang said, I've forgotten my past, and I want to change. I don't want to hurt her anymore!"
"But that's impossible! People can't change so easily!"
ShuangAi gently stopped Aunt Tong from arguing further.
"It's all right, Aunt Tong. I'll take care of things from here. Could you do me a favour? Please prepare some tea for us in the garden. I would love to drink it there."
She gestured toward a small garden beside the hallway.
"But... Is it safe to leave you alone with that evil woman?"
"I'm fine. MuTan Jie has only just recovered from her illness, remember? She won't be able to harm me or FangFang."
"Very well... If you say so."
Aunt Tong finally agreed to leave, although she gave TanTan one last warning glare before walking away.
TanTan was still a little annoyed with Aunt Tong, but she soon realised there was no point in remaining angry.
Her attention shifted to ShuangAi, who was now looking at her with a cautious expression.
"I hope you can forgive Aunt Tong, MuTan Jie. She didn't really mean to be rude. She's just... worried."
TanTan knew very well that Aunt Tong's words had been full of hostility. It was obvious that the older woman still hated Hua MuTan deeply. However, TanTan didn't want to argue about it.
What interested her more was ShuangAi.
Did this young woman also hate Hua MuTan? Would she seek revenge for everything Hua MuTan had done to her?
TanTan felt that she needed to prepare herself for every possibility.
Just like in Chinese dramas, there is always some conflict between the female characters, right? The antagonist versus the heroine!
"Shall we sit for a while?" ShuangAi suggested.
She led FangFang toward some stone seats in the garden. TanTan followed them.
Soon, the three of them settled down. FangFang, however, couldn't stay still for long. She soon ran toward her favourite wooden swing nearby, happily playing with her new doll.
TanTan and ShuangAi sat quietly.
They both seemed a little awkward around each other.
Finally, ShuangAi was the first to break the silence.
"MuTan Jie, how is your wound? I'm glad you can already walk around. It means you've recovered quite a lot."
TanTan was surprised.
ShuangAi had not only helped calm Aunt Tong earlier, but she also hadn't questioned TanTan further about FangFang. Instead, she was asking about her health.
This ShuangAi seems genuinely concerned about me. Is she really sincere, or is she just being polite?
TanTan decided to observe her a little longer.
"MuTan Jie... Are you all right?"
ShuangAi began to feel nervous when TanTan didn't immediately answer.
"Ah... I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, ShuangAi Mei."
TanTan was also nervous. She still didn't know how to behave around ShuangAi.
Nevertheless, her simple words were enough to surprise the other woman.
ShuangAi stared at her with a confused and slightly worried expression.
"Did I say something strange? You look so surprised..."
"It's just that... you're different, MuTan Jie. You've never called me by my name so politely before. Are you really all right?"
ShuangAi was beginning to worry that Hua MuTan's condition might be worse than she had thought. The usual Hua MuTan would either call her name angrily or mock her. She had almost expected to be insulted just now.
"I'm fine... Really, I'm fine."
ShuangAi remembered that FangFang had mentioned Hua MuTan's memory loss.
"MuTan Jie, is it true that you've forgotten your past? May I check your pulse?"
"You can check my pulse?"
"MuTan Jie, have you really forgotten that I'm my father's best student? I'm a physician too, you know. I can assure you that my medical skills are almost as good as my father's."
TanTan hesitated at first, but seeing ShuangAi's confidence, she finally offered her hand.
ShuangAi carefully placed her fingers against TanTan's right wrist and began checking her pulse like a professional physician.
All right... This woman isn't just pretty and kind. She's talented enough to become a physician, too? Are you kidding me? She's practically perfect! No wonder Hua MuTan couldn't compete with her. This is so unfair!
While TanTan was busy with her thoughts, ShuangAi finished examining her and gently released her wrist.
"Well, what did you find?" TanTan asked curiously.
"Your pulse doesn't indicate any serious problem with your internal organs. You're simply still weak. Your memory loss may be a temporary effect of the trauma you've experienced. You need plenty of rest to help your body recover, MuTan Jie."
"Oh, please! No more resting! I've had enough rest for days! I'm so bored. Do you know that nobody has visited me while I've been resting?"
ShuangAi looked at her apologetically.
"I'm so sorry, MuTan Jie. Actually, I've tried to visit you several times, but Li Ge wouldn't allow me to see you. Today, I deliberately came when I heard that Li Ge had been summoned to the palace by the Queen Mother. I just wanted to check how much progress you'd made in your recovery."
So she really came here to see me. At first, I thought she was looking for Prince Li...
But wait! The palace? Did Prince Li take XiaoRue and ManQi with him? Why?
TanTan decided not to think too much about it. She could always ask Prince Li or XiaoRue later.
There was something else that occupied her attention.
The more I listen to ShuangAi, the more sincere she seems toward Hua MuTan. But how is that possible? She should be the heroine of this love story! After everything Hua MuTan did to her, how can she possibly not hate her?
TanTan could no longer contain her curiosity. Since there was nobody else around, perhaps this was the right opportunity to ask.
"Why are you so kind to me?"
ShuangAi looked surprised. She seemed unsure how to answer.
TanTan rephrased her question.
"I heard that I did many terrible things to you in the past. Don't you hate me?"
"No... No, I don't hate you. I've never hated you. If you could remember everything, you'd know that I've always tried my best to get close to you as a sister-in-law."
She's telling the truth. From Hua MuTan's memories, I remember that ShuangAi often tried to make peace with her. But Hua MuTan was so blinded by jealousy that she always thought ShuangAi was pretending to be kind and trying to steal Prince Li's attention.
"But... I did terrible things to you."
"I know. I can't say that I'm completely fine with what happened. But I also understand why you behaved that way. Besides, I don't think it was entirely your fault. You loved him too deeply... Actually, I think Li Ge is partly to blame."
"And you don't love him?"
"What? Me? No! Everyone may think we're very close, but that's only because we grew up together. My relationship with Li Ge is just like that of a brother and sister. Please don't misunderstand it."
And that's why she doesn't hold a grudge against Hua MuTan... So Prince Li is actually in a one-sided love? What a pity! They look so perfect together.
TanTan continued,
"ShuangAi Mei... As you know, I've forgotten many things about my past. But I still want to apologise for everything I've done to you. From now on, I promise that I won't hurt you again. And... if possible, could we become friends?"
ShuangAi was genuinely surprised to hear those words coming from Hua MuTan.
Usually, she had been the one asking for a chance to make peace.
"...Of course, MuTan Jie. I'd be happy to."
Although ShuangAi wasn't sure how long Hua MuTan's memory loss would last, or whether she was simply pretending to be a different person, she felt there was nothing to lose by accepting this opportunity to repair their relationship.
"Thank you, ShuangAi Mei."
Suddenly, FangFang came running toward them.
"I remember! Pretty JieJie, can we go to the city and play? Yesterday, Aunt Tong said there would be a Moon Festival tonight! Can we go again, just like last year? Pleeease!"
"Moon Festival?"
TanTan became interested immediately.
That sounds exciting! I love modern Moon Festivals. I wonder what they're like in ancient times!
"Be patient, FangFang. Actually, I've already planned to ask your YiFu for permission later."
ShuangAi noticed that TanTan also seemed interested.
"Would you like to come with us, MuTan Jie?"
"Can I?"
"...Bang!"
Before ShuangAi could answer, Aunt Tong returned and placed a tea set on the table rather forcefully.
"Prince Li has given clear instructions that you must rest in your room, Young Madam. It would be troublesome if your condition worsened and you became a burden to everyone else."
TanTan could clearly hear the mockery in Aunt Tong's voice.
"Come on, Aunt Tong. Don't be like that. Don't worry, MuTan Jie. I'll ask Li Ge for permission later. For now, why don't we try the special tea Aunt Tong has prepared? It's delicious. I'm sure you'll like it."
ShuangAi poured the tea and offered a cup to TanTan.
"I doubt it, Miss ShuangAi. As far as I remember, Young Madam once complained that my tea was either too cold or too hot. She couldn't drink it at all. Isn't that right?"
Well, that was Hua MuTan, not me...
Of course, TanTan couldn't say that aloud. She simply remained silent and took a sip.
To her surprise, the tea really was delicious.
"It's very good! May I have another cup?"
Aunt Tong's eyebrows twitched.
What a hypocritical woman...
Although she clearly wasn't pleased, she still poured another cup for TanTan.