14 Live play (4)

"It wasn't like that! Xuanmei was really gone from evening til now!" Second sister shouted.

"Yeah! Instead, she pushed the blame to us?" First sister cried, misery painted all over her oval shaped face.

"Huh? Sister, blame? It was obviously second sister that accused me first. Not only that, you reported that I was missing and ran out like a headless chicken, telling the whole world that I was missing when I was right beneath your noses! You're becoming more and more like that man you hang out with every day!"

"I didn't hang around a man!"

"Then what gives you the right to say that I do? Besides, what I say is true!"

"It isn't true!"

"Oh really?"

Xuanmei went to the gate and took a pair of men's shoes that was resting in front of first sister's courtyard.

First sister's heart was beating out in a rhythm from inside as her hand felt cold, like ice just froze because of her cold, harm intending heart. Her heart rate was at a steady beating, heart always pulsing four beats and never a beat per second, just because of that phrase.

"You... You liar! There is obviously nobody inside!"

Xuanmei rolled her eyes, "Of course there's nobody inside! He was in such a hurry to leave that he ran away without putting his shoes on!"

"No! That never happened! I'm being framed!"

Well, actually, no. First sister didn't actually invite a man over. What actually happened was:

"Hm? Why are you buying a pair of men's shoes and saying that it is for your husband? You don't have one, right?" Lan Helian asked.

"Ah, right. It's not for my husband, it's for my first sister's imaginary one."

Ming, as a white cat, already knew what was going to happen.

Taking the pair of shoes to a poor beggar, Xuanmei smiled and acted like a white lotus, attracting many people as she put the shoes down in front of the beggar whose shoes were worn out thanks to the current of time.

"Oh, who's that?"

"Isn't that the Xue clan's third miss of the main branch? They always said that she was a trash and was dimwitted. However, she seems kind! Buying the beggar a pair of shoes?"

Xuanmei lowered her head, seemingly disappointed, "I'm sorry, I don't have much money and this is all I can afford..."

However, on the contrary, the beggar looked like he just saw Bodhisattva, joy and mirth dancing in his eyes as they welled up, glassy eyes looking gratefully at Xuanmei as snot ran down his nose.

As he happily tried on the new shoes, Xuanmei looked at the crowd and seemed embarrassed, further gaining the crowd's favour, making her seem lovely and likable.

However, when nobody was watching and was congratulating the beggar for having such good luck, Xuanmei picked up the beggar's old shoes, storing it outside the Pagoda.

Covering her face in what seemed like embarrassment, she ran away after doing a 'good deed', and the crowd started speculating, spreading rumours of a Guan Yin- like girl who bought a pair of shoes for a beggar with her 'hard earned money', because nobody in their right mind would value a trash and give them allowance.