An entire breath was knocked out of Jiang Yuxue's body. She closed her eyes, helplessly waiting for the impact. Her breathing was ragged as she fell on something–to be exact, someone.
It was Jiang Tianyu.
"Get up," The man let out a groan and snapped at her.
Jiang Yuxue felt uncomfortable in some parts of her limbs. She took a deep breath, her face pale. Even if it had happened countless times, she would never get used to the feeling of pain.
Because of the strong fall, her elbow had now turned purple and bruised, just like some other parts of her feet. Jiang Tianyu also stood up, hissing loudly at some parts of his limbs that had gotten bruised.
"Elder brother, I am sorry." Jiang Yuxue apologized, attracting the man's attention.
"What are you thinking? Do you want to–" his words were caught in his throat and he could not continue when he saw his younger sister's watery eyes. He couldn't find it in himself to scold her further, especially when he saw her crumpled, small face full of remorse.
He originally thought that he was hallucinating, or she was pulling one of her malicious jokes again. Now, he wasn't sure. Was she pretending again? His gaze involuntarily went from her lowered head and bruised little frame to the frozen figure on top of the stair.
Jiang Meiling was standing there with wide eyes as her hand clutched something. Jiang Tianyu then remembered someone yelling. In reflex, he had thrown himself as a human mattress. Originally, he thought that the figure was Jiang Meiling. Turned out that it was his younger sister.
The commotion seemed to attract the attention of their parents. "What happened here?"
Su Wenxin's eyes fell on her daughter, who was clutching her bruised skin. Her fair skin made it seem obvious to every minor bruise. "Yu'er!"
In a few quick steps, she arrived at her daughter's standing spot and hugged her, checking her from head to toe. "What happened to Yu'er?"
She looked at Jiang Tianyu, who was clutching his waist, and then at the top of the stairs. Her eyebrows furrowed in disapproval and anger, shooting daggers through her eyes. "Is it you who pushed Yu'er from the stairs, Meiling?"
Jiang Feng also went to his youngest daughter first. Worry was apparent in his eyes. When she heard Su Wenxin's accusation and her finger pointing at the unmoving figure above, he looked up.
"What Yu'er did wrong that makes you push her like this?" Jiang Feng's eyebrows knitted in rage. His finger pointed to his eldest daughter. "Speak, is it you who pushed Yu'er?"
"I am sorry," Jiang Meiling choked out.
"Oh, it's really you!" Su Wenxin glared at her, then she turned to her husband. "She has to be punished."
"That's right." Jiang Feng suppressed his emotions. His face became stern. "No dinner for you tonight. You are also not allowed to step out of this house for a week."
Jiang Meiling's eyelashes trembled when she heard that. If she wasn't allowed to go out, it meant that she wouldn't be able to gather supplies outside or continue to earn money by becoming a waitress. Having lived a rough life outside, every little money mattered to her.
"Dad, isn't that too much?" Jiang Tianyu interjected when he saw his eldest sister's eyes. She always looked so strong, but this time, she looked so frustrated. "Eldest sister will lose her job if she can't go out for that long!"
Jiang Feng scoffed. "That will be the best. Serving any random people like that. She doesn't have the dignity of the Jiang family at all. It is also a lesson so that you can manage your funds. No matter how much pocket money I gave her, it was always gone the next morning!"
Of course, Jiang Feng definitely would sometimes monitor her bank account, too. However, Jiang Meiling was quite smart too, using that money to buy something expensive and then sell the items.
There will be slight loss, but that was acceptable as long as the Jiang family wasn't suspicious of her spending money on supplies.
"Can you change the punishment to something else?" Jiang Meiling suddenly opened her mouth. "Anything would work as long as I can go out."
"You are in the wrong. Do you think you are in the position to haggle about your punishment here?" Su Wenxin snorted. She rubbed her hand on her daughter's hair in an attempt to console her.
"Your mother is right." Jiang Feng nodded. "Just accept the punishment."
He took the bottle of oil from the housekeeper's hand and no longer paid attention to his eldest daughter. Showing her that the decision was final. He handed the oil bottle to his wife.
Su Wenxin led Jiang Yuxue to the nearest chair and began to treat her bruises. The girl was obedient, not protesting the slightest, even when her small face scrunched in pain.
"Mom," she suddenly tugged on Su Wenxin's sleeves. Everyone was still present, even Jiang Meiling.
"Does it hurt? Tell me if I apply too much force."
Jiang Yuxue shook her head. She bit her lips as her gaze briefly swept over Jiang Meiling, who was about to retreat from there. "It's not my eldest sister's fault. Can you retract her punishment?"
Jiang Meiling stopped. Her gaze shot toward her with an inscrutable emotion.
"What do you mean, Yu'er?" Su Wenxin glanced at Jiang Feng, who also looked at their daughter with concern in his eyes.
"I fell on my own…" Jiang Yuxue said in a serious tone. It was better for her parents to stay away from the female lead or going against her.
In the past, she was too apathetic. In the first three reincarnations, she was a spoiled brat, and after she woke up, she realized that she was too detached, even with her own parents.
She touched Su Wenxin's hands, as warm as a normal human. Not just a paper person…
It didn't matter. She had made a decision. In this reincarnation, or even her next ones, she will try her hardest to make them have a decent life in the apocalypse.
Moreover, how could she forget her master's teaching? She should be filial to her parents. In this human life, they were her parents.
After she realized it, it was as if an enormous stone had fallen off her chest. Her physique felt noticeably lighter. Like she had reached some kind of enlightenment.
"Can you just let my eldest sister go?" She gazed at both her parents with a hopeful look in her eyes. "Don't punish her."
The pair of husband and wife looked at each other, and then Jiang Feng relented. "Alright, since Yu'er has said so. I can retract Meiling's punishment. You can still go out, just don't embarrass the Jiang family outside."
Unknown emotions swirled in Jiang Meiling's eyes. She lowered her head and then shook it. Glancing at Jiang Yuxue briefly, she said in an emotionless tone, "It's alright. I am the one at fault, so I will receive my punishment."
After that, she excused herself and turned around, heading toward her bedroom. Jiang Yuxue caught a glimpse of the jade bracelet in Jiang Meiling's hand and it dawned on her. No wonder that she was so anxious. That jade bracelet was also some kind of artifact that can have space inside.
Just like her pair of rings.
Jiang Tianyu, the forgotten middle child, looked at everything with complex eyes.
The next day, Su Wenxin approached her daughter. "You should join Meiling to visit your grandma."
She was so immersed in her act as a loving mother that Jiang Yuxue almost forgot one aspect of Su Wenxin's personality. She was a person who loved to seek approval from others. And the grandma that she just mentioned, Jiang Feng's mother, has always disliked her.