Chapter 18 Treatment (2)

Ziwan practiced relentlessly until her body was soaked with sweat. She then took a hot bath in the washroom, which made her feel refreshed. She had a good night's sleep without any dreams.

"Miss, are we going to eat lunch at the Madam's today?" Because Ziwan was unwell and exceptionally withdrawn, her small courtyard had a separate kitchen. She usually prepared her food on her own.

"My brothers are not here, and my mother is not well either, so let's go there in the evening. You go and inform them, so they won't worry," she instructed Xueyan. Xueyan immediately left to deliver the message.

Ziwan put down the book in her hand and contemplated a few thoughts. Seeing the paleness on her stepmother's face, her health was obviously not good. It was probably due to the ailments caused by her past negligence, coupled with the stress of handling the affairs of Mo Manor. She needed to find a way to improve her health. Also, staying mute was becoming unbearable. Last night, she secretly examined herself and found that there was nothing wrong with her throat or vocal cords. The original Mo Ziwan must have chosen not to speak mostly due to psychological reasons.

But if she suddenly started speaking, it would undoubtedly scare everyone.

How can she start speaking without startling everyone? Ziwan fell into deep thought.

"Miss, the Madam already knows. She has also sent some snacks for you." Xueyan put the food box she had brought back on the table and took out five to six exquisite small desserts.

The aromatic smell of snacks dispersed in the air immediately, eliciting extra saliva from Ziwan. She started eating a piece of dessert, savoring the sweet taste of honey and osmanthus as she closed her eyes halfway. She was utterly delighted.

"The snacks made by Nanny Zhu and Madam are the best," Xueyan was also enjoying the aroma.

"You all come and have some too. I can't finish all of them, and it would a pity to waste them," she called the three maids over.

This was made by the Madam for the mistress, Nuan Qi and the others didn't dare to have any. They waved their hands, "These were made for you by the Madam, we do not have such a fortune."

"I wanted to discuss something with you, but since you won't eat, I won't say anything," Ziwan half-jokingly and half-seriously gestured as she ate her snack.

Xueyuan and the other two were slightly embarrassed. Among the three, Xueyuan was the most stable one. She paused for a moment before picking up a piece of snack and ate it. Xueyan and Nuan Qi looked at each other before also picking up a snack to eat.

Unlike Ziwan, who was eating hungrily, they were eating slowly, carefully savoring each bite.

"Miss, we've finished eating. What did you want to talk about?" Xueyuan poured a cup of tea for Ziwan after finishing her snack and asked gently.

"How did you enter this manor? Were you born here?" Ziwan asked in detail.

"No, Xueyan and I were bought by the Mistress when our hometown was experiencing hardship. We were displaced and ended up in the capital city. If it wasn't for the kind-heartedness of the Mistress who bought us, who knows where we would be now?" Xueyuan expressed deep gratitude for Ziwan as she recalled the past. It was due to this indebtedness that no matter how withdrawn Ziwan behaved, no matter how much Nanny Xia and her daughter bullied her, she and Xueyan endured it all. They would protect Ziwan by all means.

"I haven't been in the manor long. But when I was bought, it was for life. My father back home is sick, and he needs money for medicine daily. I have many younger siblings, so I had to sell myself. It's better than ending up in a worse place," Nuan Qi's tone was calm as if she was talking about someone else's story. She is a person who accepts her circumstances, often such people are reliable.

"Now I ask you a question, and you must answer truthfully," Ziwan set down her snack, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, sat up straight, and asked them.

Seeing Ziwan's serious expression, Xueyan and the others realized the importance of the matter and that the mistress didn't want anyone else to know about it. They started taking it seriously.

"Who is more important to you, Mo Manor or me? If you were to choose between the two, who would you choose?"

Xueyan was confused by the question, wasn't the Mistress part of Mo Manor?

"My life is yours, Miss. So naturally, you are the most important," Xueyan answered Ziwan's question without hesitation though she didn't understand why Ziwan was asking. Ziwan smiled at her answer.

"Since I have followed the Mistress, my life is hers," Nuan Qi rarely spoke, but when she did, she didn't hesitate and seemed very honest.

"If I really had to choose, I would choose the Mistress," Xueyan wasn't struggling with the question of whom to choose but was wondering why Ziwan had to ask such a strange question.

"Alright then, what I'm about to discuss, including what I plan to do later, you must not tell anyone," she said to Xueyuan and the others in a coaxing manner like a wolf enticing Little Red Riding Hood.

"Okay," Xueyuan and the others agreed with curiosity, wondering what the Mistress was planning on doing so secretly.

"I've considered it, and I don't want to be mute anymore. So, I've decided to try to treat my muteness. Regardless of whether it is successful or not, you mustn't let others know," she finally revealed her intentions.

Self-treat her mute condition? Xueyuan and others couldn't believe their ears. Even the imperial physician was helpless with the Mistress's muteness. Would someone who just started learning medicine be able to cure muteness? "Why don't you want the Madam and others to know?" Xueyan asked, unable to hold back her confusion.

"You all think about it, as the legitimate daughter of Mo Manor, if I get better, wouldn't it draw a lot of attentions? But I don't like dealing with strangers, if my muteness never gets better, even if there are any mistakes, people can't easily trouble me. Also, once I get better, I want to go out and explore," Ziwan explained her plan.

Reflecting on it, it was indeed a fact that the young masters and mistresses of large households were all about intrigue and deception. Ziwan's plan seemed reasonable.

Xueyuan and the others were persuaded by Ziwan's apparent lies.

"Miss, how do you plan to cure your muteness?" Xueyan asked anxiously, she was more eager to hear Ziwan's voice compared to the rationale behind her decision.

"Strictly speaking, I do have a mentor in the dark. He just doesn't want to meet anyone. So, in the future, you will be responsible for standing guard when I study in the library, otherwise, my eccentric mentor would not be willing to teach or treat me," Ziwan kept feeding them lies.

Indeed, hermits were known to be quirky, so this explanation didn't arise any suspicion among the three maids. Instead, they were filled with gratitude and awe towards the mysterious mentor. "Miss, he's not a bad person, is he?" Xueyan leaned close to Ziwan's ear and asked softly.

"He may be a bit eccentric, but he's good to me. You mustn't talk about him like this from now on, or else he'll get angry," Ziwan purposely glanced around anxiously as if she was afraid her mentor would hear them.