Chapter 7: As expected of a family that could still survive after losing seven or eight members!

As soon as the words fell, the expressions of everyone present shifted.

Even the Marquis of Dingxi couldn't help but cast a few extra glances at the porcelain jar.

Lu Jun didn't know whether to believe it or not, muttering, "Don't be an alarmist. My niece is standing right here, perfectly fine..."

"Uncle," A-Wei interrupted Lu Jun, "it is precisely because of that jar that I am standing here, perfectly fine."

The Marquis of Dingxi asked, "What do you mean by that?"

A-Wei pressed her palms together, bowed to the porcelain jar, and then gently patted Lu Nian’s shoulder to tell her not to be agitated or anxious, before beginning her story.

It was, of course, a fabricated story.

"I was born frail and spent many years recuperating at the villa. It was precisely because of that that I barely managed to escape the catastrophe at the manor."

"Among the masters invited to dispel the ill omens in the manor, there was one immortal master. He was helpless regarding the affairs of the Yu family, but he saw that my soul was unstable. He said that without a method to anchor the soul, I would last at most a year or two..."

"He gave us this porcelain jar and taught me how to anchor my soul, which allowed me to slowly recover."

Lu Jun gasped, "Is there really such a miraculous person and event? What is inside it?"

"How could we, as mere mortals, pry into the ways of the immortals?" When A-Wei spoke of this, her attitude was extremely respectful. "That is how I got better, so how could I not believe it? Besides, it only requires offering some fruits and pastries daily; it doesn't cost much effort or money."

Lu Jun wanted to ask more, but was stopped by Madam Sang.

Madam Sang smiled at A-Wei and said, "Since it concerns your life, one certainly cannot be careless. Are there any specific requirements for the fruits and pastries? A-Wei, write them down and give them to me later, and I will have someone deliver them on time and according to the rules."

A-Wei couldn't help but size up this aunt-in-law.

Previously, Lu Nian had no contact with Madam Sang, so A-Wei couldn't learn about her temperament from her mother. Dealing with her briefly today, she had left an impression of being "easy to get along with."

As for whether this impression was reliable, that remained to be seen.

Thinking of this, A-Wei returned the gesture: "I will trouble you then."

To the side, Nanny Li, who had been standing properly and had not spoken a word, kept her thoughts fixed on the porcelain jar, unaware that her pensive expression had long since been caught by A-Wei.

A-Wei remembered her.

Earlier, during the memorial rites, this nanny had been supporting Madam Cen the entire time.

"Come to think of it, it’s not as if no one has been curious about that porcelain jar before," A-Wei’s tone deepened as she spoke to Lu Jun. "Uncle, do you know what happened later?"

Lu Jun answered instinctively, "What happened?"

A-Wei let out a soft laugh. "Before their hands even touched the jar, the person would stumble, hit their head on the corner of the table, and bleed all over the floor. They were carried back to recover, but breathed their last after half a month."

"She was a servant born into the household, with her whole family in the Yu manor. We watched as all five members of her family perished within half a year."

"Even the masters and stewards who ordered her to touch the jar lost their lives. The coroner examined them and said they were scared to death."

Madam Sang felt a chill run down the back of her neck.

She had interrupted her husband earlier precisely because she didn't want to hear these strange tales, but she hadn't expected that avoiding it once would lead to a second time.

The Heir is truly something; these kinds of eerie matters are the last things one should be curious about!

Lu Jun also felt a toothache, but he insisted on keeping up appearances. "Perhaps it was the evil spirits in the Yu manor that took them; it has nothing to do with your jar."

"Some thought so too. Half a year later, someone tried again, and since then, everyone has been completely well-behaved," A-Wei said, her expression unchanging. "The Marquis’s manor is not the Yu manor. If you don't believe me, Uncle, feel free to try. In any case, it protects my life, and it causes no harm to Mother or Nanny Wen."

Lu Jun:...

How could he possibly try?

Not only would he not try, he would have to be extremely careful.

"Why not change to a wider desk? To avoid accidentally bumping or knocking it," Lu Jun suggested. "And the people working in the room..."

"There is no need for others to work in this room; I will tidy it myself," Lu Nian spoke up. "If you are afraid, don't come in. A-Jun, the same goes for you; if you are afraid, then leave."

The corner of Lu Jun’s mouth twitched violently.

If he weren't worried about Lu Nian making things difficult for others, he wouldn't have come at all!

Lu Nian leaned against the bolster, her voice ghostly, each word like fingernails scratching across a wooden board: "That is my child—my child’s life. I must protect it, protect it every single day."

A-Wei gripped her hand, her thumb applying slight pressure as she stroked the back of Lu Nian’s hand.

Glancing out of the corner of her eye at Nanny Li, she saw that the old woman’s face had already turned deathly pale.

It seemed that she and her mistress, Madam Cen, would not dare to touch the porcelain jar lightly.

A-Wei looked at the porcelain jar again.

It was small, the white porcelain smooth and lustrous, adorned with a white-viola pattern. It was one she and Lu Nian had picked out together.

It was Yu Ruwei’s final resting place.

Lu Nian had been determined to return to the capital and would not leave her daughter in Shu. After a fire burned everything to ash, all that remained of the teenage girl was this tiny jar.

A-Wei remembered the heat of that kiln fire, which had made it hard for them to even breathe.

After gathering the ashes, Lu Nian had fallen ill. A-Wei and Nanny Wen had to tie her down and stuff a handkerchief in her mouth to keep her from hurting herself or others, feeding her medicinal soup for days and carefully preventing her from biting her tongue while swallowing...

That was the worst of Lu Nian’s illness; a person who was already thin had been whittled down to nothing.

Fortunately, they had all pulled through.

Madam Sang steadied her nerves and steered the conversation back from the topic of the porcelain jar: "Since you don't need others in the room, you will still need hands for the courtyard. I fear one nanny alone won't be enough to serve you both."

"Tomorrow, I will bring some people over for you to choose from. If they aren't suitable, we can change them. I suspect you don't have many clothes with you, and it gets cold quickly in the capital after autumn begins, so we will need to have some autumn and winter garments made."

"Chunhui Garden hasn't been lived in for a long time. Although it was renovated at the beginning of the year, it was only superficial. We should test the heated brick beds another day to ensure they can be warmed when needed."

"There are quite a few things to attend to these next few days, and it will be noisy with people coming and going; please bear with it for a few days."

"From now on, you will be living here permanently. If you lack anything or find anything inconvenient, just tell me or Nanny Yao."

As she finished speaking, a round-faced nanny who had been standing dutifully to the side stepped forward: "This servant’s surname is Yao. Greetings to the Aunt and the Young Miss."

A-Wei acknowledged her, adding the impression of being "thorough in handling affairs" to the previous one of being "easy to get along with."

At the very least, it sounded very thorough.

As they were talking, Nanny Wen came out of the east side room carrying a small wooden box.

She had been inside tidying up the trunks, so she greeted everyone first before asking A-Wei: "Everything else is settled. Shall I have this wooden box taken to the west room for you?"

A-Wei nodded and asked, "It wasn't bumped or damaged, was it?"

Nanny Wen shook her head: "I did not open it."

"Then I will take a look now."

At A-Wei’s signal, Nanny Wen placed the small wooden box on the table and opened the lid.

Lu Jun glanced inside and saw only cloth wrappings. A-Wei took out the top one, and the box was filled with the same fabric, appearing to be layered one after another.

He just didn't know what was wrapped inside.

Soon, he knew the answer.

The thick cotton cloth was unfolded, revealing a sharp, silvery glint.

It was a kitchen knife.

A-Wei picked up the knife and examined it from both sides: "It wasn't damaged."

The oil lamp popped, and the room grew a bit dimmer.

Nanny Li’s heart skipped a beat along with it.

She looked at the Young Miss holding the knife. In the dim light, the silver blade reflected off her features, exuding a chill that made her seem like a ghost or a spirit.

She couldn't help but think of the story about the porcelain jar just now...

It wasn't until Nanny Wen turned up the lamp that Nanny Li came back to her senses, her forehead already covered in a layer of sweat.

As expected of someone who could survive even after seven or eight people in her family had died!

The Young Miss is too strange!