Chapter 30: Uncle is a pseudo-gentleman. No, that's not right... He's a pseudo-scholar. After crossing over, he became the beautiful older sister of Cinderella. Tian Xia Bookstore

  Charlotte and Emily couldn't find the hiding tree hole, so they had to camp in the woods by the roadside. Before dawn, a grayish-white mist descended rapidly, covering the ground with a layer of white frost. Charlotte stirred uncomfortably, rubbed her face with her hand, opened her sleepy eyes, and suddenly felt delighted.

  "Emily! Wake up and come see!"

  Charlotte shook Emily vigorously awake, eager to let someone know she had discovered something new.

  "What? Isn't it just frost? Miss, you usually get up too late, early risers often see,"

  White frost doesn't like staying in the palm of your hand, it melts very quickly.

  "Emily, where are you in such a hurry to go? Why don't you wait for those who haven't gotten out of bed yet?"

  "Maybe he's in a hurry to go home."

  Charlotte, who had just been asking innocent questions, suddenly became sullen. Emily pitied her and hugged Charlotte, coaxing her.

  "Miss, it's the same at your uncle's house. Considering your mother's face, they will also treat you well. Why don't we hurry back home?"

  Charlotte had no recollection of this uncle at all, if it weren't for Emily following her, she would have been homeless by now and fallen to the point of wandering the streets! Charlotte gratefully hugged Emily tightly.

  When it got light, Emily carried Lydia on her back and they continued their journey.

  "Miss, the lady is badly hurt. I think it's best if we hire a carriage in the next town and head to the library as soon as possible. If we hurry, we can make it in three days."

  Charlotte was somewhat embarrassed by this, as she had no money with which to hire a carriage.

  "Emily, how did we make money?"

  Emily smiled mysteriously.

  "Don't worry about money, Miss; Emily will manage."

  Charlotte pestered Emily all the way, asking her how she made a living, but Emily just smiled and wouldn't say. As the sun set, they arrived at an inn, where the lights were already lit, and there were few passersby. Emily and Charlotte decided to rest for the night by the back door of the inn, a place with stone steps. Emily put Lydia on a woolen blanket and hugged Charlotte as they lay down to sleep.

  "Miss, get some rest early, tomorrow we'll have to walk for half a day to reach town."

  "Emily, I couldn't sleep, tell me something interesting."

  Emily told a story of Thumbelina, heard Charlotte's even breathing, and confirmed that she had fallen asleep. Emily carefully got up and tiptoed away for over ten meters before running quickly to the entrance of the station. The middle-aged man guarding the gate seemed to know her, and after greeting her, he didn't care what Emily did anymore.

  Charlotte, pretending to be asleep, secretly followed Emily and saw her standing at the entrance of the station, looking around. Who was she waiting for? Emily shivered in the cold wind, and Charlotte became more and more puzzled about what she was doing.

  The sound of Dada's horse hooves echoed far away in the quiet mountain forest, and after a while, the small tangerine lamp on the carriage came into view. Emily also saw it, she walked back and forth excitedly, stretching her neck to stare at the slowly approaching carriage.

  The carriage finally stopped at the entrance of the station, Emily rushed to kneel under the car door, a pair of red high-heeled leather boots stepped on, Emily's thin back trembled, waiting for the last person to get off the carriage. The coachman took out three copper coins from his pocket and threw them to Emily, one copper coin fell into the grass, Emily hurriedly bent down to find it.

  "Ah!"

  Accompanied by a shrill scream, the coachman's stern shout startled Emily, who looked up to see Charlotte standing not far away, her face covered in tears. The two locked eyes, and Emily saw Charlotte's growth.

  The old station was surrounded by a gust of wind, and the red-eyed black-robed female ghost stared straight ahead, making people's hair stand on end. The older lady ordered the coachman to drive Charlotte away, and they retreated in a hurry. The coachman did not dare disobey his master's orders, and with a stiff upper lip, he approached Charlotte, only to discover that she was not a ghost - she could cry! So ugly, yet still trying to scare people! The coachman's evil fire raged, his courage boosted, and with the wooden stick he had grabbed in the chaos, he struck Charlotte on the head.

  Seeing Charlotte at a disadvantage, Emily threw all her complicated feelings to the back of her mind and pulled Charlotte into the dark woods. They secretly observed that group of people lying low before daring to sneak back through the back door.

  Emily was going to give Charlotte a check-up for the stick injury, but Charlotte refused. She came up behind Emily and gently patted her back, and Emily's eyes moistened instantly. She knew Miss was helping her brush off the dust on her body.

  No one slept well in the pain and excitement of the night, got up before dawn to rush on the road, arrived at a small town where they hired an ordinary horse-drawn carriage, the speed of the two people doubled, and in just three days they arrived at Charlotte's uncle's house.

  The old lady was Lydia's mother, and seeing her daughter so badly hurt, after hearing Emily's statement, she couldn't help but hold Lydia and cry again and again, sighing at her daughter's bitter fate. Charlotte's uncle and aunt arranged for their accommodation with a look of impatience and disappeared, only the old lady would occasionally come to see Lydia's recovery situation.

  After the old lady found out that the girl wearing a veil was blind, she felt a pang of sympathy for her. The girl's disability and her devotion to Lydia made the old lady's heart melt. Charlotte sat quietly by Lydia's bedside, looking peaceful and gentle. The old lady couldn't help but like her more and more, even though she couldn't see her face under the veil. She thought that Charlotte must be very ugly, otherwise she would have had the courage to show her true self. Poor child, blind and probably ugly too, the old lady shook her head in pity. Charlotte didn't notice or understand the old lady's thoughts, but Emily, who was standing by, couldn't help but think that this was what it meant to be related by blood - even a grandmother and granddaughter who had never seen each other could feel affection for each other.

  As life stabilized, Lydia's condition gradually improved. Her one awakening brought Charlotte and Emily immense joy, although Lydia only stayed awake for a few minutes before falling asleep again. This already gave Charlotte and the others infinite confidence and praise. From then on, Charlotte didn't dare to leave her mother's side, fearing that if she woke up, she wouldn't be able to see her. Emily took care of her even more meticulously.

  The first snow of the north fluttered and danced, opening the curtain of winter. Emily got up at five o'clock as usual today, she had to go get medicine, decoct it, and then go to the kitchen to work. The task of serving Lydia her medicine was snatched away by Charlotte. After a night of snowfall, the dim light of dawn was refracted by the continuous white snow, making it dazzling. Emily walked to the pharmacy with her eyes closed all the way, there was no one in the pharmacy, Emily skillfully pulled out a brick from the outer wall of the pharmacy, if the person in charge of the pharmacy was too lazy to come, they would put the medicine here, and took out a paper package. Emily weighed it, furrowed her brow, it had been three days already, she originally thought it was just a mistake on the part of the pharmacy staff, but it seemed that things were not so simple!

  Charlotte had just finished washing up and was sitting on Lydia's bed, wiping her face with warm water. Emily saw this warm scene and felt warmth in her heart, putting aside the unpleasantness from earlier. Her mistress was really filial.

  "Miss, your medicine is ready, I'll feed it to you today."

  Charlotte looked at the medicine bowl and asked Emily,

  "How can it still be so little today?"

  Emily suddenly became sorrowful, but she didn't want Charlotte to worry, so she explained.

  "It suddenly turned cold these days, and the pharmacist's hands were frozen, so maybe he couldn't measure accurately. I'll go talk to him today."

  Charlotte wasn't quite convinced of this, after all her uncle's family was also a local prestigious family, how could they use such an unreliable doctor, but Emily said so, and she didn't want to argue with her, so she went along with it.

  "We're living under their roof, I knew they looked down on us, but don't be afraid of them, at worst tell grandma and let her deal with them!"

  "Oh dear! Miss, lower your voice a bit, don't let others know your identity!"

  Charlotte's words made Emily feel much more at ease, indeed the old lady's fondness for Miss was evident to all, and besides, Mrs. was the old lady's only daughter, which clearly showed where her affections lay.

  In the afternoon, Emily found the doctor who was in charge of her medication and explained the situation. To her surprise, the doctor started yelling at her as if he had been greatly insulted. Emily was stunned on the spot, while the doctor became increasingly rude and eventually started cursing. A crowd of onlookers gathered around the pharmacy, making Emily feel embarrassed despite her thick skin. The doctor continued to scold her, and when Emily retorted with a few words, he slapped her in the face. The onlookers dispersed as they saw the situation escalating. A woman who was familiar with Emily intervened by pulling her away.

  "Emily, come on, don't dawdle! This doctor is Charles' brother."

  Charles? The major-domo who was always by Charlotte's uncle's side? It seemed that the medicine for Lydia was also related to him, Emily figured it out and no longer insisted on arguing with the doctor. She wanted to leave but the doctor wouldn't let her go. The woman who had pulled her looked at the doctor in fear and left Emily alone, abandoning her.

  As soon as he left, the doctor stopped talking nonsense and said directly

  "Emily, I had no choice just now, please forgive me!"

  Emily had originally made preparations for a fierce battle, but unexpectedly the enemy surrendered first!

  "Emily, my brother has done many evil things by the master's side. I once advised him to leave here and return to our hometown with me, but my brother said that he owed the master a great favor and had not yet repaid it. He couldn't leave and had to do things for the master instead,"

  It dawned on Emily that the mastermind behind everything was the owner of this house. Emily was outraged, how could her husband's own brother be so cruel and heartless?!

  "Are you still following your wicked master to do evil and yet expecting forgiveness? Tell Charles that if tomorrow's medicine is not enough, I won't be able to keep my mouth shut from speaking nonsense. Don't blame me, it's because he has a good younger brother."

  Emily was furious and didn't want to forgive anyone, to hell with magnanimity! She's just a narrow-minded woman who bullied her mistress, now she'll have to face her revenge.

  The only new-fashioned house in the whole old-fashioned courtyard is where my uncle's family lives. They might think that such a house can show off the owner's superior status, but unfortunately it just stands out awkwardly and looks ridiculous in its incongruous surroundings.

  Charles was strongly opposed to the master's approach, and after listening to his brother's words yesterday, he even more opposed the plan to drive away Miss Lydia. However, as a servant, he couldn't directly criticize, so Charles chose an opportunity when the master was in a good mood to speak tactfully.

  "Sir, tonight the old lady went to see Miss Lydia, their mother-daughter relationship is really good!"

  Uncle's face turned gloomy and dark when he heard Lydia's name.

  "Yes, mother has always been partial to sister, don't know what's good about a little girl, leaving for so long, and as soon as she comes home, she takes away mother's attention."

  You're not just afraid of taking away your mother's attention, but also worried about taking away her inheritance! Charles only dared to mutter these words in his heart, if he said them out loud, this fake gentleman would definitely be furious.

  "To be honest, Miss Lydia's body won't last much longer even if she recovers. It's better to stop the medicine. If outsiders find out, it will be a loss of face for our Martia family."

  What Mr. Collins said was so very true, every word of it; and he had put everything in such a manner that nothing could be more clear or more convincing. His uncle's displeasure was evident, and his own feelings were extremely irritated by the mention of Lydia, whose behaviour seemed to him as unaccountable as it was disagreeable.

  "This thing will never change, Lydia can never be Martius' master."

  The master's stubbornness is giving Charles a headache, everyone knows that Lydia is just an outsider, why bother to drive her away? Is it because they are afraid that their reputation is not bad enough?!

  For several days, Lydia's medicine was not only insufficient in quantity but also decreasing, almost to the point of discontinuation. The old lady had not visited Lydia for several days due to various reasons, which must be her uncle's scheme! Charlotte and the others could no longer sit still, waiting until nightfall when people were scarce, Charlotte followed Emily into her uncle's dining hall. As soon as they reached a place with people, Charlotte began pretending to be blind again. Emily led her towards the old lady, while the servant who had blocked their way earlier did not dare to come in and could only let them pass. Her uncle glared viciously at Charles, who turned his head away with a guilty conscience. Indeed, it was thanks to him that Emily and the others were able to reach the old lady's presence.

  Just a few steps away from Mrs. Old, Emily burst into loud sobs, and Charlotte next to her was startled, and after reacting, she also silently wiped away tears. Seeing this in the eyes of the old lady was heart-wrenching, she got up and hugged Charlotte, softly comforting her.

  "Who are you angry with? Grandma has scolded him for you! Don't cry yet."

  As she spoke, she took the handkerchief handed over by the maid to wipe Charlotte's eyes, Charlotte hadn't enjoyed such doting from family for a long time. Although they hadn't recognized each other yet, although Emily was also very caring towards her, but blood ties were just so peculiar, a grandmother's concern was different from others'. Charlotte felt a sourness in her heart and tears fell even more happily.

  Emily wailed for a while. With the old lady present, Uncle and Aunt couldn't make a big or small sound. Emily took a breath and said,

  "We have come to ask about Miss's younger brother,"

  As she spoke, her gaze turned to the male host, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The old lady looked at her son with a puzzled expression, wondering what he had done to provoke someone into coming here to complain.

  "Miss has been injured so severely, have you ever visited her? She is your own sister, and although the old lady is advanced in age and not feeling well, she still braves the wind and snow to work from 9 to 5 without fail, never forgetting to care for Miss. Even if you don't care about Miss, you should at least consider the old lady!"

  Not even using honorifics, Emily didn't give the master any face, she didn't mention the medicine thing that made Charles wonder for a moment, after understanding it he couldn't help but raise his thumb to praise these two maids, playing the family card to awaken the old lady's maternal love, and reporting the master's situation also left people with no way to refute, truly clever!

  The old lady was indeed dissatisfied with her son, and her eyes had turned cold by seven or eight degrees.

  "Don't just focus on money in the future, also care about Lydia's affairs. Don't wait until I'm dead, then you'll get the property and drive my beloved daughter away."

  As people age, they become more astute. The old lady naturally saw through her son's guilty conscience and suspected that the two maids' visit to cry and complain was definitely something her son had done. She didn't want to think about it any further, but this matter couldn't be ignored.

  "Second brother, from now on Lydia's recovery is up to you. If she has any problems, don't blame me for being a biased mother. I can only find someone else to take care of us two useless people for the rest of our lives! People's hearts are all biased, aren't they?"

  The old lady's words were completely unexpected, and no one thought that the normally calm old lady would be so powerful at a critical moment. The faces of several people present were like overturned paint palettes, Charlotte and Emily secretly delighted, Charles struggled to hold back his laughter, and Aunt's face was black enough to write with.

  Uncle felt sad, since he was a child, his mother had been openly biased towards his sister. He was the younger one and the pillar of the family, but after his sister left for so long, he thought that his mother would slightly favor him more. Unexpectedly, nothing changed. He wasn't a kid anymore, how could he blame his mother's partiality? Uncle thought painfully.

  Heart aching but still having to put on a submissive appearance, uncle smiled and supported the old lady with a sunny disposition.

  "Mother! Don't say such things, don't scold yourself even if you're angry with me! Alas! It's all my fault! Weren't I busy building the Musutown estate last time? Now that there's nothing important to do, I'll definitely go take good care of sister!"

  The aunt helped her husband to smooth things over.

  "Yes, sir was so tired when he came back that he fell asleep as soon as he lay down, all for the sake of his mother being able to move into the new estate before Christmas."

  Saying that, she wiped away non-existent tears.

  "I feel at ease leaving Lydia with you because I know you're filial. You've never disappointed your mother, and you're a good child. Mother was too harsh on you just now, but it's all for your own good."

  Charlotte could tell that the old lady was delighted, actually grandmother wasn't biased at all, she just had higher expectations for her son.

  Who can surpass his master in disguise? Anticipating a storm in the study, Charles volunteered to send Charlotte back, waiting for the master's anger to subside tomorrow, after all, he had grasped so many of his master's dark secrets. Charles sneered inwardly.