Annuo sighed helplessly, stood up, and walked past: "You did wake me up, but it's okay. Come sit with me for a bit, and I'll get you medicine."
Ling Ruo timidly agreed.
She followed Annuo pitifully to a nearby seat and then revealed her scarred arms.
Annuo called for a maid: "Go and apply medicine for her."
The maid responded with a "yes" and quickly brought the medicine box.
Ling Ruo, however, was stunned by this action. She hurriedly grabbed Annuo, her voice filled with disbelief: "Auntie Annuo, aren't you going to apply the medicine yourself?"
After speaking, she seemed to realize her words were too abrupt and quickly tried to salvage the situation: "I, I've always felt that Auntie Annuo is very much like my mother..."
"We are all the same," Annuo replied with a gentle smile to Ling Ruo.
Ling Ruo said no more.
Annuo stood up: "Apply your medicine properly, and in the future, you need to return to your room quickly to rest, otherwise Lord Jin Yan will scold you again tomorrow morning."
This was something that could not be avoided at all.
Although she felt that child Jing Xiu was quite pitiful, she was not her mother, nor was this child from their South Sea. Even if she felt pity, there was nothing she could do.
If she wanted to hear someone speak, she could only do so from the perspective of an observer, and only hint at things.
Ling Ruo looked surprised, never expecting that after her elaborate performance, she would end up in such a predicament.
Annuo and Shaofeng were unyielding. How could she complete the task assigned by Xue Mosha?
Annuo had no idea what Ling Ruo was anxiously thinking about.
She felt she had done her best to care for Jing Xiu and had given her instructions, so she bid goodnight and returned to her room.
Seeing this, Ling Ruo's mind went blank. She quickly reached out and grabbed Annuo's sleeve: "Auntie Annuo, can, can I sleep with you tonight? I'm so afraid Lord Jin Yan will..."
Ling Ruo wanted to say she was afraid Jin Yan would beat her.
But halfway through her sentence, before she could finish, she heard a familiar and terrifying voice:
"Jing Xiu."
Ling Ruo turned around in terror.
It was Jin Yan, emerging from the shadows.
Ling Ruo was so afraid of him that her face ached at the sight of him, and her whole body trembled.
"Truly a beast that cannot be taught," Jin Yan coldly looked at Ling Ruo, who was cowering in Jing Xiu's body: "What were you about to say to Annuo?"
Ling Ruo recoiled, repeatedly saying "nothing."
Jin Yan narrowed his eyes and moved closer.
Ling Ruo finally broke down from fear, sat on the ground, and sobbed softly, tears streaming down her face like water.
Jin Yan made a shushing gesture and crouched in front of her: "Don't wake anyone else up. Aren't you coming back with me?"
Ling Ruo's face showed a look of horror, and she shouted "no," but before long, Jin Yan dragged her back.
Annuo's brow was furrowed tightly throughout the entire ordeal. After returning to her room, she took off her outer clothes and went back to bed. Burying her head in Shaofeng's embrace, she asked uneasily: "Shaofeng, do you think Lord Jin Yan will really beat that child Jing Xiu to the point of having problems?"
"Hmm, it's hard to say," Shaofeng shook his head: "Their West Sea is truly ruthless. I sometimes worry if Lord Jin Yan has entered the demonic path."
"Actually, that child Jing Xiu is quite strange too," Annuo hugged Shaofeng tighter, burying her head in his chest: "The last time I saw Jing Xiu in the West Sea, she wasn't a talkative girl, and her etiquette was impeccable, beyond reproach. But this time, it feels like the child has gone back in time, as if she knows nothing."
Annuo closed her eyes: "The difference is so great, anyone would think it was a different person."