Chapter 24: The Disgraced Lady Yao

At night, Wang Xing burrowed early into her elder sister’s quilt. Wang Ge had been away from home for too long, and the little one missed her terribly. She gently patted his back, intending to recount her experiences outside, but exhaustion overtook her; her voice grew indistinct and, before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

Boom...

Boom... boom...

The dream was terrifyingly dark, only the drumbeats pounding against her eardrums, each strike echoing for a long time. Why was she dreaming of drums again? Had her resilience diminished so much in this new life? To think that one exam could bring about a nightmare!

“I’m dreaming, I’m dreaming,” Wang Ge muttered, trying to encourage herself, yet fear was hard to suppress as she gingerly ventured forward.

Boom... boom...

Listening closely, there was more than one drum, sometimes sounding from the left, sometimes from ahead.

She chose to move forward. Sweat drenched her body as she walked, but at last, she saw a large drum. It hung suspended in the darkness, without even a stand beneath it.

Boom! A deafening sound erupted right behind her! The noise was immense, like thunder as much as a drum. She whirled around in terror, but saw nothing.

Suddenly! The drumhead ahead tore open, and a hand reached out, grabbing her, trying to pull her into the drum!

With a gasp, she escaped the nightmare.

“Don’t be afraid, elder sister, don’t be afraid,” little Xing was surprisingly awake, gently patting her arm in comfort. “Tell me about your nightmare, and it won’t come true.”

Wang Ge smiled with relief, words she once used to comfort him now returned by the child. “It’s nothing. I just dreamed about the rats in the relay inn.”

“Hmph, if I stand with my hands on my hips, they’ll run away in fright!”

Wang Ge laughed, then added, “I also dreamed of a huge spider.”

“I could stomp it dead with one kick!”

“But the spider was as big as a water vat.”

“Then... then let’s run. We’ll come back after it’s starved and shriveled.”

Wang Ge pressed her forehead against his, laughing. “So the little tiger is already so brave.”

“Mm... but you’re still braver than me, sister. I don’t like you being braver first. I want to grow up quickly and be brave before you. Then I’ll stand in front of you, so you can be brave if you want, and if you don’t, it won’t matter.”

Wang Ge was taken aback. The clear, shining light in her younger brother’s eyes was so bright, even the night couldn’t hide it.

At dawn, Wang Ge rose with the first crow of the rooster. Wang Xin