Chapter 23: The Palm Mirror

Mrs. Zhang, full of her own calculations, went home first, while the three of them stood in front of the private school. Located in a remote part of the city, it was a peaceful and quiet place—perfect for studying.

A young boy was sweeping at the entrance. Upon seeing them, he stepped forward to ask, “Are you the young lady from the Xiang family?”

“Yes.”

“The teacher is expecting you.”

Xiang He picked up the topmost basket and politely nodded to the boy. “Could you help keep an eye on this? Please make sure no one knocks it over.”

“No one causes trouble at a private school.”

Xiang He glanced around in slight surprise. The school grounds were quite expansive—so this whole place actually belonged to He Suian…

That guy must be incredibly wealthy.

The three of them walked inside. Fourth Aunt and Mrs. Su couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. The place wasn’t just large, it was also beautifully maintained—it truly felt like a place for scholars.

Past the large wooden screen in the front hall was a spacious corridor lined with ten study desks. He Suian, now wearing a clean set of robes, was helped out by someone.

“You’ve arrived. Please, have a seat.”

Xiang He carried the basket over and sat on a mat not far from him, placing the basket on the table. “This is from my mother—meat and vegetables. Think of it as a modest entrance gift.”

Mrs. Su nudged her gently. “It’s only proper. We shouldn’t be careless with such things.”

“I already told you I gave him something. Yet you still spent more silver just to buy all this…”

Mrs. Su quickly covered her daughter’s mouth. “Please don’t take offense, sir. He girl tends to speak her mind. I hope you’ll accept this and not reject a woman’s heartfelt gesture.”

She knew Xiang He had given He Suian some medicinal herbs, but that was far from enough. After all, the two children would be studying here in the future, and they would need He Suian’s care and attention. At the very least, the formalities needed to be properly observed.

He Suian waved his hand. “Just as Miss Xiang said, I have already received a token of thanks. Mrs. Xiang should take this back.”

“That won’t do! Sir, you must accept it!”

Mrs. Su suddenly became quite forceful, and Fourth Aunt teased from the side, “Sir, just take it. You can always give them less next month.”

They had already said too much, so He Suian had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Xiang He pouted and casually glanced down—suddenly, she felt something cold beneath her. It was the kind of chill that made one uncomfortable. She leaned over to check the drawer of the low table and unexpectedly discovered a small item inside, emitting a faint black smoke invisible to the naked eye.

She reached in and pulled it out. It was a small, palm-sized bronze mirror. The moment it touched her fingertips, she could feel a cool energy sinking into her body.

The corners of her lips lifted slightly into a faint smile as Xiang He raised the mirror high. Her own blurred reflection appeared on its surface.

“Sir, who sits here?”

The three others saw what was in her hand and couldn’t help but grow curious.

He Suian’s gentle smile deepened. “That is the seat of the student Xiang Fusheng.”

“Oh ho, what a coincidence,” Xiang He said.

Mrs. Su looked puzzled. “What’s the matter with that bronze mirror?”

She reached out to take a closer look, but Xiang He quickly pulled it away to dodge her touch. “Don’t touch it, Mom. It’s nothing special, just odd that he would have something like this.”

Hearing her say that, Mrs. Su immediately held back, not daring to get too close—after all…

But Fourth Aunt was full of curiosity and leaned in to take a look. “That’s true. A boy having something like that—could it be he’s got someone he likes?”

“I don’t think so. Big Brother may seem rigid, but he’s actually cunning. No one would be interested in him, let alone because he has such high standards.”

“How can you say that about Big Brother?”

Although what she said was true, saying it so openly, especially in front of outsiders, was inappropriate.

Xiang He placed the palm mirror on the table and lightly touched its surface. Ripples spread across the mirror like water, but no one else could see this magical scene.

She casually tucked the palm mirror into her clothes, smoothed her skirt, and stood up. “This little thing should be quite important to Big Brother. I’ll take it back to him. The sky is darkening, we should head back.”

“Um…”

Xiang He linked arms with Mrs. Su and turned back. “Sir doesn’t mind, does he?”

“No trouble. You’re siblings after all.”

“Thank you.”

The three said their goodbyes to He Suian, then walked straight out of the school gates, pushing the cart toward Huang Village.

He Suian, standing at the door to see them off, kept his gaze fixed on Xiang He’s figure until she faded into the distance and was no longer clear, then turned and went back inside.

The man supporting him remained calm. “Young master, it was that young lady who, last night at the place where you were injured, was speaking to herself.”

He Suian raised an eyebrow. “What was she saying?”

“It seemed as if… someone else was with her. She said things like ‘You know him’ and ‘He wants the thing on top.’ It struck me as strange, so I took note.”

The scene before He Suian slowly shifted. Without a word, he walked to his study. The gentle smile that often graced his face was gone, the straight line of his mouth radiated a faint chill.

Since waking, he had been closely watching Xiang He. Sometimes her behavior was inexplicable, sometimes her words were deeply puzzling. And just now, when she prevented Mrs. Xiang from touching that palm mirror—it all felt very suspicious no matter how he considered it.

Last night, he was the only one injured. If she was just talking to herself, that would be one thing, but if there were some unseen presence…

His calm eyes trembled slightly, then broke into a smile. “Could it be that she can see ghosts?”

—

—

After rushing as fast as they could, they finally arrived at the village after dark.

The sky had already darkened, but luckily they only had to walk a short distance in the dark.

Fourth Aunt ran ahead to the house—so late at night, the family was still waiting for her to come home for dinner.

Xiang He pushed the cart, which had a bamboo stick about a person’s height strapped on top. Mrs. Su was puzzled. “Why did you bring a bamboo stick?”

“Mother, you don’t understand—this is a dog-beating bamboo. It’ll come in handy soon!”

Once she said that, Mrs. Su immediately understood and playfully scolded her, but didn’t correct her. After all, in Mrs. Su’s current view, that family really were villains, and villains needed to be dealt with firmly.

“Don’t be too rough. Your grandmother can be quite loud. Don’t cause trouble for the village chief and bring shame on yourself.”

“Don’t worry.”

Seeing Mrs. Su’s temper had toughened, Xiang He was pleased and pushed the cart with even more force.

Near the edge of the village, someone hurriedly ran up. Seeing their worried faces, they brightened. “Xiang He, why did you come back so late? Your grandmother caused a scene at your house! She insisted on taking Yun girl away!”

Like thunder rolling through her mind, Mrs. Su grabbed the bamboo stick and ran home. Xiang He quickly thanked the messenger. “Thank you, Seventh Sister, for letting us know. I’ll hurry back.”

“Go quickly!”

Xiang He struggled to steady the cart as she ran home. Seventh Sister Xiang Huiying, the seventh among their peers, followed closely behind. “Fourth Grandma stayed at the door all night waiting but didn’t see you return. She must’ve lost patience and went to your house, insisting on taking Yun girl away to sell as a maid!”

“Where are Grandfather and Big Uncle?”

“Fourth Grandpa and Uncle haven’t been home all day. I saw them leave this morning toward the back mountain—probably to hunt wild game.”

“Tsk!” That old woman gets restless if she doesn’t make trouble every day!

Her whole good mood for the day was ruined by that old woman. Holding in her frustration and frowning coldly, she hurried home down the slope, the annoying sharp voice still ringing in her ears.

Xiang He hurriedly untied the hemp rope binding the large jar, took a deep breath, steadied her stance, then lifted the jar with all her strength—

Xiang Huiying’s eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn’t believe such a large jar could be lifted by such a frail little girl…

She stood dumbfounded, mouth open, looking up.

Others watching nearby also looked on in shock. That strength was more like a bull’s…