The next day, Hua MuTan feels exhausted from the sleep, "Maybe I got too much sleep..."
She stretches her body and although she still can feel pain, but the wound seems has recovered a lot. So she decided to have a walk around the mansion. But before she goes out, she feels something missing in this morning, she walks to the table and then drink the tea by herself.
"Usually XiaoRue comes to serve me at this time…am I waking too early or she is late this time? Oh well, no need to wait for her….this mansion is not too big for me. Let"s explore it, TanTan"
TanTan walks out the room and she looks at the sky, it is a clear sky today and she wonders how long she need to stay in this ancient time. She is really missing her Mom. Then TanTan once again notices a little shadow behind the tree, the shadow has a small pendant which TanTan can easily recognizes,
"Come out, FangFang…. I won"t hurt you…"
LiFangFang comes out and act nervously. She is being aware to TanTan but her eyes are showing curiosity.
"Do you want something from me?" TanTan smiles and asks her in soft tone.
"I…I come to say thank you…. Last time you return my pendant…..YiFu always say that we have to be polite no matter to who and saying thank you to everyone who has helping you…" FangFang tries so hard not to show her nervous and it looks so cute in TanTan"s eyes.
"Its very good. You are so nice. I accept your thank…" TanTan is really want to make friend with this little FangFang, but she knows the past HuaMuTan had given a traumatic for FangFang, so she doesn"t try to come closer to FangFang.
"mmm…are you okay?... YiFu said you are sick, you are forgetting many things…is it because of that, you become good, not evil anymore?" The innocence question of FangFang makes TanTan smile wider. She is really a good and pure kid.
"You are concern about me? Thank you…. You are right, I am sick and forgetting many things, I can"t remember my past. Am I so evil in the past?"
"Yes ,you are....you usually angry like a monster, and so scary, you even almost burn me alive..." FangFang shivered remembering all those things.
TanTan then giving regretful look and it makes FangFang ease a little bit,
"...But I can"t remember it anymore so can you forgive me for all evil I did?"
"mmm…its hard. You did so evil, its hard to be forgotten….how do I know if you are not lying…" FangFang seems having a difficult struggle inside her mind, "mmm...you must give me a proof that you has changed…"
"A proof?" Suddenly Tantan remembers something, "wait a moment…" TanTan enters the room for a while and then comes back with a doll in her hand. FangFang is attracted to the doll,
"What is that?" she asks curiously.
"This is XiaoMei. She already accompany me since I was little like you until now….Is she pretty?" TanTan shows the doll clearly. It makes FangFang forgetting her fear and coming closer to her. FangFang likes the doll, she nods as she agrees that the doll is pretty.
"Then from now she is yours. She is so important to me but I am giving her because I want you know that I am really sorry for the past of me and this xiaomei need a big sister to take care of her, better than me."
"You"ll giving her to me…?" FangFang widens her eyes, unbelievable. TanTan nods and then hands the doll to FangFang.
FangFang looks so happy, she hugs the doll, " Hi xiaomei…from now I am your big sister…" FangFang looks to TanTan shyly, "Thank you…."
"Thanks for the doll, at least with this, Hua MuTan is paying her mistakes a little bit…" TanTan smiles.
Then FangFang seems thinking and finally deciding something, she glares at TanTan,
"You can play with us if you want…" she offers. TanTan is so glad that finally FangFang opens her heart to her. This little girl is really pure for opening her heart so quickly to her after what happened in the past.
"Is it alright? Doesn"t your YiFu warn you not to talk to me actually?"
"Ng…that"s right, YiFu said that because you were evil before and wanted to hurt me…. but now you are not evil anymore…so I think its okay. Beside YiFu is not at home right now….and I am so bore…"
"Prince Li is not at home? Where is he going?" as her surprise, TanTan speaks out her mind.
"YiFu took Sister XiaoRue and Uncle ManQi go but I don"t know to where…"
"That"s explaining why I don"t see XiaoRue till now… Its odd, why he took XiaoRue and go where?"
"So do you want to play or not…?" FangFang wakes her up from her thinking,
"Sure…why not? Lets play…" TanTan smiles,
"Horray, lets play at my place…I"ll show you my other dolls…." FangFang pulls TanTan"s hand naturally so TanTan doesn"t have any choice to follow this little girl through the hallway.
Then FangFang starts to run faster, as TanTan"s body just recover, she still feel weak and easily lost the breath, so she stops,
"wait...wait...FangFang...do not in rush, okay...let me take a breathe for a while..." She sit on the side of hallway
"Are you okay?" FangFang feels worry
"I am sorry...but *YangMu, you are so weak...I even can runner faster than you and not losing breathe soon."
"YangMu? adoptive mother?" TanTan feels weird to be called like that. But she doesn"t hate it, she looks to FangFang smiling,
"Silly girl....I just recover from sick, of course I am weak now, but if I already completely healed, I can defeat you in running..." She can"t help to pinch FangFang"s cheek gently.
But suddenly a harsh voice scolded her and then someone comes and takes FangFang away from her.
"TAKE YOUR HAND OFF FROM HER!!!"
It is Aunt Tong, she glares angrily to TanTan. TanTan remembers her and her husband in HuaMuTan"s memories, how HuaMuTan degraded them and treated them harsh and impolitely.
Aunt Tong squats near FangFang to checks and talks to FangFang,
"FangEr, are you hurt?"
FangFang shook her head. In one point, she feels scare to Aunt Tong"s shout just now.
Then Aunt Tong stands and faces TanTan angrily but still trying to be polite, regarding to her position.
"Madam MuTan, I think you has forgotten that Master Li has forbid you to be around FangFang XiaoCie anymore...."
TanTan can feels the hatred in Aunt Tong"s tone toward her.
"I...I don"t mean..."
"Don"t you think coz Master Li is not at home right now so you can do what ever you want like before. I am not afraid to report about this to Master Li when he returns later..."
TanTan becomes a little upset, coz she doesn"t given any chance to explain,
"Listen here, Aunt Tong...."
At that time, there is another voice calls, but this time it is a beautiful voice
"FangFang…Aunt Tong, what is going on here?"
FangFang turns to the voice owner and responds excited,
"Pretty Cie Cie…"
"Ai Er" Aunt Tong also greets the voice owner kindly.
TanTan also recognizes her as ShuangAi in HuaMuTan"s memory.
"So this is Shuang Ai…" She examines ShuangAi"s appearance, ShuangAi looks so pretty with her white long clothes with blue sky silk coat, " She is so beautiful like an angel, no wonder Prince Ai is so fond to her…"
"Aunt Tong, I heard you were shouting just now, what happens?"
"Please forgive me, AiEr. But I shouted because I saw Mrs MuTan was trying to harm FangFang again.."
"NO, I"M NOT!!" TanTan is getting more upset, "Enough with this accusation! I didn"t do anything..."
ShuangAi examines the situation, then she squats near FangFang and talks to her.
"FangFang, is that true that your YangMu hurted you? Don"t worry, you can tell me..."
"No, she doesn"t hurt me...She just pinches my cheeks...but its not hurt! It same like YiFu ever did to me..."
Aunt Tong didn"t believe what FangFang said, she thought the evil HuaMuTan had threaten FangFang,
"Don"t be scared, FangEr... Aunt Tong and ShuangAi CieCie here to protect you. This evil woman can"t harm you anymore...You can tell the truth..."
FangFang is also getting upset for not being believed,
"I am telling the truth! Pretty CieCie…Aunt Tong, you don"t know!! That Evil Cie Cie has change, she has forgetting the past and become a new CieCie… look! She even gives me this doll!" FangFang shows the doll to anyone.
ShuangAi and Aunt Tong seems also surprise to find FangFang is so defending HuaMuTan, Aunt Tong comes closer to ShuangAi and whispers,
"Ai Er, I think this evil woman is already trying to influence FangFang with the doll, poor little girl...She is too little to see the evil plan behind that doll!"
"Now that is already too much!" TanTan can"t accept accusation anymore than that...
"Listen aunt Tong, either you believe or not, I don"t have any evil plan to harm FangFang. Like FangFang did say, I have forgetting the past and change...I don"t want to hurt her anymore..."
"But, its impossible...People can"t change that easily"
ShuangAi stops Aunt Tong to debate furthermore...She has examine the situation and decides,
"Its okay Aunt Tong, I will take care it from here...Why don"t you help me a favor...prepare us your tea in the garden, I love to drink it there.". ShuangAi mentioning a small garden beside the hallway where they are right now.
"But...is it safe to leave you with that evil woman?"
"I"m fine. She just recover from her sick, remember? She won"t able to do any harm to me and FangFang...."
"Very well....if you say so..."
Then Aunt Tong leaves after giving a warning look to TanTan.
TanTan still a little upset to this Aunt Tong, but then she realizes there is no point to stay upset. She is now focusing to this ShuangAi, who glared to TanTan in aware.
"I hope you can forgive Aunt Tong...She didn"t really mean it. She just...worry"
TanTan knows that Aunt Tong was really mean for every her words, its so clear that Aunt Tong still angry and hate HuaMuTan so much but TanTan didn"t want to debate about it. More important is, she is curious about this ShuangAi...does she also hate HuaMuTan, willing to take revenge on her for anything had happened in the past? TanTan feels she must prepare for every possibility that happens like in chinese drama... every drama always has conflict between main female characters, antagonist vs protagonist right?
"May we sit for a while?" ShuangAi is taking FangFang to sit at the garden rocky chairs. She gestures TanTan to follow and sits with her. Finally TanTan and ShuangAi have settle themselves on the garden seats, while FangFang plays around garden, running forward her favourite wooden swings chair.
Both of TanTan and ShuangAi are being silent, they actually feel awkward to each another. ShuangAi looks to TanTan, she is first opening the conversation.
"MuTan Cie, how"s your wound? I am glad that you already can walk…that means you have recover a lot"
TanTan is surprise that not only ShuangAi helps her to calm Aunt Tong before and now she doesn"t questioning about hurting FangFang furthermore. In state, she is asking her condition?
"This ShuangAi looks sincere concerning my condition. Is she just being polite or pretending?" TanTan decided to observes it more.
"MuTan Cie,...are you okay?" ShuangAi feels nervous when TanTan is not immediately replies her words.
"Ah…I"m fine…..thank you for your concern...ShuangAi Mei?" TanTan is also feeling nervous, she doesn"t know yet what to say in front of ShuangAi.
Nevertheless, her words are enough to surprise Shuang Ai more. She glares confused and worry to TanTan,
"Am I saying something odd? You looks so surprise..." TanTan knows that HuaMuTan must be never be kind to ShuangAi before, but she doesn"t want to acts like HuaMutan did in the past. No more evil actions.
"It just you…are different, MuTanCie You never call my name properly before….are you really okay…?" ShuangAi feels worried, she thinks maybe the condition of Hua MuTan is worse than she thought. The usual HuaMuTan would call her name in anger tone or mocking tone, or she supposed had been rejected just now.
"I am fine….I am really fine…."
ShuangAi remembered that FangFang mentioned about forgetting things,
"MuTanCie, are you really forgetting the past? May I check your pulse?"
"You can check my pulse?"
"MuTanCie, it seems you are really has forgotten that I am the best student of my father, Physician Huang? I am ensuring you that my skill is as good as my father."
At first, TanTan hesitated but seeing ShuangAi"s confident, she finally gives her hand. ShuangAi then acts like a professional physician. She touches TanTan"s right wrist and then presses the pulse.
"Okay, this woman is not only pretty and kind but she is also has talent to be a physician. Are you kidding? She is so perfect, no wonder HuaMuTan lose to her. It is a little bit unfair."
While TanTan busy with her mind, ShuangAi finishes checking her. She releases TanTan"s hand.
"Well, what do you get?"
"The pulse indicates nothing wrong with your inner body, it just weaker. Forgetting past maybe just a temporary effect of the traumatic condition. You need a lot of rest to calm your body MuTanCie .."
"Oh please no more resting....I have enough resting for days. I am so bore...do you know there were no one who visited me when I rested!"
ShuangAi shows a regretful face to HuaMuTan,
"I am so sorry MuTanCie. Actually I had come to visit you couple of times before but LiGe never allow me to meet you. Today I purposely to visit you when I heard that LiGe is called by the *Queen Mother Li to enter the palace. I just want to check the improvement in your healing..."
"So she comes purposely for me. At first, I thought she was looking for Prince Li.....But wait, the palace? Did Prince Li take XiaoRue to the palace? For what?" TanTan feels its useless to think about it, she just need to wait and asks Prince Li or XiaoRue later. There is something more seizing her attention,
"This ShuangAi...the more I hear the way she talks, I can feel her sincerity to HuaMuTan....But how come? coz she can see that ShuangAi is the main female character in this love story. After all HuaMuTan did to her, how can she not hate HuaMuTan?". TanTan cannot hold her curiosity any longer, beside there is no other people around them. It may the right time to ask.
"Why are you so caring to me?"
ShuangAi surprises, but confuses with the question or more about confuse to answering it precisely. TanTan repeats in another way.
"I heard that I did many worse things to you in the past. Don"t you hate me?"
"No....no...I don"t hate you. I never hate you...If you can remember, you will know since beginning, I try my best to be close with you as my sister in law. "
"She is telling the truth. In HuaMuTan memories, I could see everytime ShuangAi tried to make peace with HuaMuTan, but HuaMuTan just too blinded with jealousy and always thought that ShuangAi was pretending and stealing Prince Li"s attention."
"But...I did evil to you..."
"I know...I can"t say I am fine with that. But I also understand why you did that...beside this is not really your fault..You did it because you love him too deep... its LiGe"s fault actually."
"And you don"t love him?"
"What? Me? No... everyone may see us close to each other, but it just because we have been growing together. My relationship with LiGe just between a sister and a brother...Please don"t misunderstood it..."
"And...that"s why she doesn"t have any grudge and jealousy toward HuaMuTan... So, Prince Li in fact is having an one-sided love, what a pity...They looks perfect to each other." TanTan continues,
"ShuangAi Mei...as you know now I have forgetting things in the past but still I am sorry for everything I"ve done to you. From now I promise with my life that I won"t harm you anymore. If...If possible, can we be friends?"
ShuangAi so surprised to hear that words come from HuaMuTan. Usually she was the one who ask.
"....sure, MuTanCie. I love to..." Although ShuangAi is not sure for how long this forgetting effect will last or HuaMuTan just pretending or not, she feels nothing to lose taking this chance to fix their relationship.
"Thanks ShuangAiMei..."
FangFang sudden comes close to them,
"I rememberr....Pretty CieCie, can we play in the city? Yesterday Aunt Tong said there will be a moon festival tonight....can we go again like last year....pleaseeee"
"Moon Festival?" Well, it sounds interesting...TanTan likes the modern moon festival so she curious how it held in ancient time.
"Be patience FangFang, actually CieCie already has a plan to ask your YiFu"s permission later..." She notices HuaMuTan is also extracted,
"Would you come too, MuTanCie?"
"Can I?"
"...bak!!"
TanTan"s word is interrupted by Aunt Tong who put the set of tea pot and little cups harshly on the table.
"Prince Li has given clear instruction that you have to rest in your room, Madam...it can be bad if you relapse and be a burden to others..." Clearly TanTan can see the mocking tone in Aunt Tong"s words.
"Come on Aunt Tong...don"t be like that, don"t worry MuTanCie, I"ll ask LiGe later. Now why don"t we try this special tea made by Aunt Tong. Its very good, you"ll like it .." ShuangAi pours the tea and serves it to TanTan.
"I doubt it, Ms ShuangAi. As I can remember, Madam ever said that my tea is either too cold or too hot, can"t even be drank at all...isn"t it?"
"Well, its HuaMuTan who said it, not me..." But of course TanTan can"t speak it out so she just silent and drink it. Like ShuangAi said, the tea indeed very tasty.
"Its really good...may I have another one?"
Aunt Tong just frowned her eyelashes,
"What a hypocrite woman..." she thought but still she pours another one to TanTan.
*YangMu: adoptive mother, a proper calling.
*Queen Mother Li: the t.i.tle for the mother of current King.