“Evil woman, you dare to show your face?” Old Master Liu’s thick eyebrows stood on end as he shouted sternly.
“I’m not like you, who can even harm your own flesh and blood. What’s there to be afraid of showing my face?” Qi Yue laughed, standing on the threshold looking down at him.
This statement made the surroundings even more lively, causing a buzz of discussion.
“Evil woman, stop talking nonsense!” Old Master Liu knew how sharp-tongued this woman was, shameless and full of schemes, so he hurriedly retorted loudly. “Your own household is unclean – don’t go talking about others.”
“So why are you talking about me?” Qi Yue nodded.
“The world is declining – naturally I must speak,” Old Master Liu snorted. “Marquis Dingxi is immoral, defying and resisting imperial orders. I have already submitted a letter to the authorities…”
Before he could finish, Qi Yue interrupted with hearty laughter.
“Hey, old master, are you saying Marquis Dingxi shouldn’t have divorced me, or that I deserved to be divorced?” she laughed. “Are you speaking for me or for the Marquis’s mansion? Think it through before speaking – at least let one of us owe you a favor. Don’t end up like Pig Bajie looking in a mirror – not being human inside or out.”
The crowd burst into laughter. Though they didn’t know what “Pig Bajie looking in a mirror” meant, it sounded very amusing. Laughter erupted everywhere, drowning out Old Master Liu’s remaining words.
When the laughter finally died down, Old Master Liu had to shout at the top of his voice.
“Should have been divorced long ago – never should have married in the first place!”
“Alright, old master, I’m very busy here. If you have nothing else, please go home and stop making trouble,” Qi Yue said, shaking her head with some impatience and waving her hand dismissively.
This childish dismissal finally made Old Master Liu lose control of his temper.
“How can such an inauspicious evil woman treat illness and save people? Beware that Heaven will not tolerate it,” he shouted tremblingly, pointing at the sky.
Qi Yue took a deep breath and stepped forward.
“Old Master Liu, can you please stop putting ‘inauspicious’ and ‘ominous’ on your lips all the time?” she said sternly. “There are no inauspicious or ominous things – only inauspicious and ominous human hearts! What kind of person sees what kind of things!”
At this point, she turned and called out for Yan’er.
Yan’er, who had been standing behind people by the door, immediately ran out.
“Yan’er, do you mind if everyone knows about your situation?” Qi Yue bent down and asked quietly.
Yan’er shook her head. Never mind telling about her situation – even if asked to die, this child wouldn’t hesitate.
Seeing Yan’er come out, Old Master Liu, who was about to say something, froze. If not for the name, he would hardly recognize her.
After all, he had never really seen what his granddaughter looked like, let alone now that she had changed appearance.
Changed appearance…
Old Master Liu looked at this little girl with some disbelief.
Large eyes, small nose, pointed cheeks, wearing the small nurse uniform that Qi Yue had specially made for her – she looked quite adorable, though the scar beside her mouth was somewhat regrettable.
Adorable…
Old Master Liu had never thought he would use this word for this child.
“This child originally had a cleft lip, what you commonly call a ‘rabbit mouth,'” Qi Yue said to the crowd, holding Yan’er’s hand.
At these words, the people on the street immediately turned pale with shock. Some wanted to avoid her while others crowded forward to look.
“Just because of this, when she was born, she was to be drowned by her own grandfather. Only through her mother’s desperate pleading was her life barely spared. Growing up under cold stares until now, she was again forced by her grandfather to be driven from home to a temple to die,” Qi Yue said.
Facing the surging crowd, Yan’er showed no retreat or fear. Instead, she stepped forward, straightening her back to let everyone see more clearly.
Look! She was no longer an ugly duckling – she was already a swan, though not yet beautiful enough, she would definitely become more beautiful.
“Inauspicious? Bad luck?” Qi Yue continued. “No, not at all. This is just a disease.”
Hearing this, the onlookers’ faces showed less fear and more curiosity, so even more people crowded forward, pushing Old Master Liu until he could barely stand.
“Since it’s a disease, it can be treated, so I treated her. Though she can’t be completely like a normal person, she’s no longer so frightening,” Qi Yue continued.
The onlookers looked at Yan’er seriously, pointing and exclaiming in amazement.
“You think sewing it up means she’s no longer rabbit-lipped?” Old Master Liu snorted. “No one can change the fact that she’s rabbit-lipped! Can’t change the fact that she’s inauspicious! Can’t change the fact that you’re both ominous!”
“Yes, that’s right, it can’t be changed – but it’s not us, it’s you!” Qi Yue raised her eyebrows and shouted. “Liu, this disease is hereditary. Marquis Dingxi’s mansion has never had this kind, so it must be from your family. I dare bet your family definitely has other rabbit-lipped children! If I lose this bet, I’ll kneel to you in the street!”
This Lady Qi loved betting with people most. Unfortunately, last time Wang Qingchun acted like a coward and ran away, so everyone didn’t get to see the kneeling spectacle. This time they should be able to see it, right?
For a moment, everyone’s attention shifted from Yan’er to Old Master Liu.
Earlier, as the focus of everyone’s attention, Old Master Liu had been pleased, but now he felt like he was on a grilling pan, uncomfortable all over.
“Liu, do you dare swear before your sage teacher whether I’ve lost or not! If you dare say it, I dare kneel!” Qi Yue stepped forward again, looking at Old Master Liu and shouting sternly.
Old Master Liu’s face turned pale, sweat beading on his forehead, his facial muscles twitching. Whether from sweat or the earlier crowding, his beard and clothes were somewhat disheveled – where was his earlier imposing manner?
“Say it quickly – what’s there to be afraid of?” the idle onlookers jeered.
At this moment, Qi Yue was actually no better off than Old Master Liu. Her palms were also sweating nervously – this was really a gamble…
“Yan’er,” came an old woman’s voice.
A short, fat old woman pushed through the crowd, looking at Yan’er with astonishment.
Yan’er also saw her, her expression hesitant, neither moving nor speaking.
“Are you Yan’er?” The old woman pushed away the person supporting her and rushed over in a few steps, looking at Yan’er with disbelief, grabbing her face and staring at her mouth and nose. “Your… your… how is it healed?”
“Grandmother,” Yan’er finally spoke.