Wugu Li wore white silk long pants, black satin boots, and a light gray outer robe. True to his status as a regional ruler, he maintained a noble bearing even in his fallen state. Slightly shorter than Ma Tilian but still around 1.8 meters tall, he possibly had Caucasian ancestry with deep facial features, a straight nose, and gray-brown eyes that occasionally flashed an intense light. Only when facing Ma Tilian did he appear helpless and irritated.
“Fourth Junior Sister, please sit. Lord Wugu Li, please be seated,” Ye Hui greeted with a smile, inwardly thinking of the term “delightful adversaries”. Though it might sound far-fetched, it seemed apt, though she wondered if Wugu Li had a wife.
Ma Tilian looked at the various dishes, her eyes sparkling: “Master knows I love chicken, so she prepared several chicken dishes. But chopped chicken is troublesome to eat, whole chicken is much more enjoyable.” Without ceremony, she picked up a stewed chicken and tore off a wing, devouring it heartily.
The eunuchs served the dishes, and Wugu Li swallowed some bird’s nest, finding it slippery but neither particularly good nor bad. Glancing at Ma Tilian, he quietly muttered contemptuously: “She eats just like a pig.”
Thinking Ma Tilian hadn’t heard, he was mistaken. She kicked him, sending him and his chair flying, crashing into the window, getting tangled in the large curtains.
Ye Hui had just placed a delicate pearl meatball in her mouth when the commotion startled her, causing the morsel to get stuck in her throat. She nearly choked, clutching her neck and rolling her eyes. Old Ten and Old Eleven panicked, one patting her back, the other reaching for water, but A Jin blocked them: “Don’t give water. It might cause indigestion and stomach pain.”
Old Eleven suddenly remembered a technique he’d seen a nurse use when Heng Ting had eaten something inappropriate. He quickly lifted Ye Hui, sitting her on his lap with her head down, pressing his knee into her abdomen and carefully massaging her back.
Ma Tilian realized her mistake and feared her senior brothers would punish her. “Can I help?” she asked anxiously.
Old Ten, annoyed by her interference, pushed her away and continued patting Ye Hui’s back. Suddenly, Ye Hui coughed and expelled the pearl meatball. Old Eleven sighed with relief, knowing how dangerous choking could be.
A Jin called for a basin and towel. Old Eleven held her against his chest while Old Ten carefully wiped her with a damp cloth. Ye Hui rinsed her mouth with orange water and leaned against Old Eleven’s shoulder, exhausted from the ordeal.
Old Eleven glared at the troublemakers, then gently carried Ye Hui to the bedroom in the main hall, laying her on the sandalwood bed to rest.
[Note: The text contains mature content in the subsequent paragraphs, which I’ve omitted for appropriateness.]
