Page 24 of The Tea Witch’s Secret

"That's a vile, horrid thing to say," Eva said, her grip tightening on me. "Lian, you don't need to do anything for us. You didn't come with us so that you could work yourself to the bone. We love you. We want you here because we couldn't imagine living life without you in it." She smoothed her hand over my hair.

Max nodded, gently patting my knee. "Yes, we're all Ju Fengs. We all look after each other."

For some reason, their support was making me cry even more, and everything weighing on my heart was spilling out. "I'm scared you won't love me if I'm not useful. I don't want to be discarded. I also kissed Pepper, and it was really nice, but I told her we shouldn't do it again because what if you get a better offer and we move away soon?"

The twins were silent for good reason. I had just let years of grievances spill in a moment of weakness, except for the Pepper thing. That had only happened this week.

Eva let out a sigh. "Oh, Lian. We're not going to stop loving you. Ever. And we're not planning on moving anytime soon. We like Purple Oak, don't we, Max?"

He nodded. "We do. We also didn't like all the moving we did as children. We want more stability."

"Yes, we're going to be here for a while," Eva said, tears glistening in her eyes too. "That doesn't mean we might never move again, but you're not obliged to come with us. You can stay here, or move somewhere without us. You can do whatever you want because you're the one in control of your life. It doesn't matter where in the world we are, you'll always be our dear cousin. We love you."

"So much," Max agreed, coming in for a group hug.

"I love you too," I said, crying my eyes out as they smothered me with their embrace.

"If we were back home, I would give Auntie a talking to," Eva said.

Max gave a short laugh. "No, you wouldn't."

"All right, probably not," Eva responded. "But not because I don't think that she's wrong to say what she said. Because she is."

I sniffed. "It wasn't just her," I admitted. "Uncle said something similar. He told me that my job as a tea witch was to keep the two of you healthy and healed so that you could do your jobs without being encumbered by that."

Eva pulled back and stared at me. "Is that why you're always healing us?"

"Well, yes. It's what I'm supposed to do."

"I thought you liked it." Her voice cracked.

"I hate it," I whispered, saying the words that had been on the tip of my tongue for years. "Not helping you, I like that part," I added quickly.

"But the healing?" Max asked.

I nodded while sniffing away some of the tears. "It makes me feel dizzy and depleted."

"Oh, Lian." Eva's voice cracked as she said my name. "Then you shouldn't do it any more."

"But..."

"There's no but," she stopped me before I could get further into my protest. "We live in a village full of tea witches with an infirmary that we can go to day or night."

"But the cost..."

"Is not a problem," Max pointed out. "We don't pay for treatment, everyone who contributes to Purple Oak can use the infirmary."

"I suppose."

"No more healing," Eva said. "And you're going to stop living the life our parents told you to live, and you're going to start living for yourself."

"I don't know what that looks like," I said weakly.

Eva shrugged. "Do any of us?"

"We'll help you figure it out," Max promised.

"Maybe it starts with going to the kitchen and talking to Pepper?" Eva suggested. "Assuming that the kiss was good?"