Chapter Sixty-Two: Farewell, My Poor Sixth Sister! May You Rest in Peace!

Lowering her voice, Shen Fuyu murmured her request and placed a silver ingot in the little maid's palm, smiling sweetly. “Do this well. When I wake up tomorrow, I must see the thing. If you fail to get it, I’ll take your little life instead.”

Having bullied the maid a little, Shen Fuyu was in high spirits. Staying at the Shen family for a few days, she was determined to put on a good show! Go, Shen Fuyu! Stir up chaos so not even the chickens and dogs know peace!

With money in hand, the little maid worked with remarkable efficiency. Early the next morning, the item was already on the table. By the time Shen Fuyu lazily woke, the other young ladies had already paid their respects to the Old Madam.

Except for Shen Fuyu and Shen Moyu.

“My lady, there’s such a commotion over at the third branch today!” Bailian said as she styled Shen Fuyu’s hair. “The Sixth Miss is making a scene in her room, threatening to end her life. Even the medicine prescribed by the physician hasn’t stopped her diarrhea. No one knows what she ate, but she was up all night. Now, even the maids don’t want to set foot in her courtyard—everything reeks!”

“Hm, has no one gone to see her?”

“Who would go?” Bailian’s eyes flashed with sarcasm as her tongue grew more outrageous. “The stink is overpowering. Madam Third went once this morning but couldn’t bear it—she only offered a few words of comfort before fleeing. The other young ladies tried as well, but most turned back before reaching the door. The Old Madam didn’t even mention her.”

“The Sixth Miss has made a disgrace of herself, and now the stench has driven everyone away. She’s lost all her dignity and is threatening to hang herself!”

“Then let’s go visit our Sixth Sister,” Shen Fuyu said, glancing at the cloth-wrapped item on the table. She opened it for a look—everything was as it should be. “Dress me in something plain, and bring a brazier. We’ll go see her.”

At that moment, Shen Moyu’s eyes were red with tears as she clutched a length of white silk, trying to tie it to a beam. The two maids clung to her tightly, yet their faces betrayed their reluctance. Shen Moyu sobbed bitterly, “Let go! Just let me die!”

“Even you’re mocking me! Am I really that foul? Wretched maids! Wretches!” In her anger, Shen Moyu kicked at her maids, but a sharp pain in her belly forced her to drop the silk and cry out, “I need the chamber pot! Quickly!”

From midnight until dawn, Shen Moyu had done nothing but alternate between attempting to hang herself and running for the chamber pot. Though the household physician prescribed antidiarrheal medicine, it did no good. If anything, her stench grew worse with each bout. Even the physician was dumbfounded—he’d never seen a laxative so effective!

But the physician’s curiosity only wounded Shen Moyu’s pride further. After cursing him as a quack and driving him out, she resumed her suicide attempts. In the beginning, Madam Yue would come to comfort her, being her own daughter after all. But now, Shen Moyu’s room was a veritable weapon of mass destruction. When Madam Yue came, she nearly vomited up her breakfast; she forced herself to hold Shen Moyu and offer a few soothing words, then left her to the maids.

Shen Fuyu took a few peach blossoms from her space and tucked them into her sachet—the everlasting fragrance from her space’s peach blossoms made her immune to Shen Moyu’s toxic fumes. She also swallowed a pill that temporarily dulled her sense of smell, rendering the stench powerless. With Bailian in tow, she strode boldly into Shen Moyu’s quarters.

Truly, there was nothing her space didn’t have! Wonderful!

But unlike Shen Fuyu, Bailian, who followed behind, had turned pale from the smell and couldn’t help retching, struggling to keep it together. “My lady… I really can’t take it much longer…”

“If I can bear it, why can’t you?” Shen Fuyu took the cloth bag from her hands. “Useless.”

Bailian, caring nothing for decorum, dashed off to vomit where the odor didn’t reach. Even Lucha, who had brought the brazier, was no better—she set down the brazier and ran out to retch as well. Really! Why did Shen Fuyu insist on visiting the Sixth Miss? Didn’t she mind the stench?

Shen Fuyu paid them no heed. With the dose she’d given, Shen Moyu would probably recover by the end of the day. Until then, however…

She carried the brazier into the room, where Shen Moyu was trying to slip the white silk around her neck. Unhurriedly, Shen Fuyu set the brazier down, opened the cloth bundle, and tossed a handful of paper money onto the flames, wailing in a grief-stricken voice, “Oh, my poor Sixth Sister… Why are you so desperate? As foul as you are, you’re still my own sister… Oh, oh…”

“Sixth Sister, may you have a safe journey! As your elder sister, I have little to offer but to burn you some paper money for the road. Be careful on your way, spend wisely, and don’t let your stench offend King Yama in the underworld—I fear he’ll send you to be reborn as a beast… Oh, my poor sister, what a tragic death…”

“Sixth Sister…”

Shen Moyu and her two trusted maids were caught completely off guard by this sudden performance. Only after several rounds of Shen Fuyu’s wailing did Shen Moyu snap out of it, fury making her leap to her feet. “You wretch, you—mmph!…”

In her agitation, Shen Moyu accidentally kicked a stool, and the white silk twisted around her, making her eyes roll back as she struggled. The two maids screamed, and amidst Shen Fuyu’s loud lamentations and their shrieks, the flustered girls finally managed to untangle Shen Moyu, who was nearly strangled.

“Miss…” the two maids stammered, terrified and shaken.

Meanwhile, Shen Fuyu continued her premature mourning, her cries so heart-wrenching and loud that anyone passing by might think she’d lost her parents instead of a sister.

Coughing violently, Shen Moyu’s rage blazed anew. She staggered up, intent on striking Shen Fuyu, “You wretch! Shen Fuyu, you vile wretch! I’m not dead yet and you’re burning paper money for me! You’re a jinx! I’ll beat you to death—!”

But her voice weakened. Just as she reached Shen Fuyu, her stomach rumbled fiercely, and all her bluster evaporated. “Chamber pot… I need the chamber pot… Hurry…”

“Oh, my poor Sixth Sister, the smell is killing me… What a tragedy…”

“You—wretch—just wait until I tear your mouth—oof…” Shen Moyu was beside herself with fury. If she had the strength to stand, she’d strangle Shen Fuyu with the very silk she’d meant for herself! How dare she humiliate her like this, cursing her to die!

Seeing their mistress overwhelmed by humiliation and in poor condition, while Shen Fuyu continued to burn paper money and fill the air with an even more acrid stench, the two maids exchanged a glance. One of them dashed out of the room in a panic.