Qin Wenjun hadn't expected her to pull this stunt; the scars couldn't be faked, and she couldn't deny it.

However, she didn't necessarily have to deny it; the temple staff said that simply because they didn't want Meng Qi to be satisfied.

Now that he's been exposed, he hasn't openly admitted it.

She pushed Cui'er away, lowered her sleeves, and said calmly, "You came here not to persuade me to go back to the manor, but to do so?"

Cui'er shook her head: "After the old lady found out about your situation, she removed you from the family genealogy. Even if you wanted to go back, you couldn't. How could I possibly persuade you to return to the manor?"

Qin Wenjun raised an eyebrow.

Such a good thing?

She changed her identity because she didn't want to have anything to do with the Meng family. Once the Meng family removed her name, she would truly sever all ties with the past and could live peacefully as Qin Wenjun.

In high spirits, she asked with a smile, "If that's the case, why did you come to see me?"

Cui'er said resentfully, "Miss, your words have hurt me deeply. Of course, I came to find you because I missed you!"

She tilted her head slightly toward the chair next to her, where a small bundle lay.

“I have brought all my belongings with me. I will follow you wherever you are from now on.”

Qin Wenjun asked in surprise, "You just ran away like that? Aren't you afraid the manor will take your place as a runaway slave and report you to the authorities?"

Cui'er took out a document from her bosom and unfolded it triumphantly.

"I used the money I've saved over the years to redeem myself."

Qin Wenjun glanced at the contract of sale and laughed, "Now that you are free, why are you still following me? Is it appropriate for you to be so eager to become someone's slave?"

Xiao Qingyin: You yourself are no better than anyone else, yet you have the nerve to criticize others.

Cui'er looked hurt.

"Miss, you have no conscience! I came to you for help, and you actually laugh at me."

Qin Wenjun smiled and said, "Even if you want to come to me, I can't keep you here. I'm still a servant girl myself."

Cui'er exclaimed in surprise, "Miss, what did you say? You're going to be someone's servant? How is that possible!"

Qin Wenjun showed her his hands, whose scabs had not yet completely fallen off.

"See this? This is from working so hard every day."

Cui'er was unaware that she had been subjected to finger torture, and was horrified to see that none of her ten fingers were intact.

"Miss, who are you serving? How did you manage to get your hands in such a state? Even the laundry maids in our household don't have hands this rough."

Qin Wenjun sighed.

"It's not good to speak ill of my former master behind his back. Anyway, you know I haven't had a good life these past few years. I even suffered a great calamity before. If it weren't for my good luck in meeting this girl, you wouldn't be here today."

Cui'er sighed.

“I never imagined that you, Miss, had suffered so much all these years. If I had known this would happen, you shouldn’t have run away from home in the first place. I heard that you have a child. Who is your husband? How could he bear to let you be a slave and suffer like this?”

A trace of sadness appeared on Qin Wenjun's face.

“My husband died long ago. My son and I were driven out and have nowhere to go. How can we survive if we don’t work as servants?”

After listening, Cui'er gained a general understanding of what Cui'er had experienced over the years.

She ran away from home, married a short-lived man, raised her child alone, and worked as a maid.

They're having a really tough time.

She's not even as good as him.

But on the surface, she still feigned concern, saying, "With me helping you from now on, you won't have to work so hard."

"Really?" Qin Wenjun asked in surprise. "You're willing to help empty chamber pots, clean latrines, sweep stables, and wash clothes?"

Cui'er: "!!!"

They actually did such dirty work!

No wonder all ten of her fingers are rotten.

Her face was full of disbelief: "Isn't Miss Xiao a famous philanthropist? How could she let you do this kind of work?"

Qin Wenjun retorted, "Does a great philanthropist not need to empty chamber pots? These things always need to be done by someone. If I hadn't performed well, I wouldn't have had the chance to do these tasks."

She said this with a tone full of pride.

Cui'er almost lost her composure.

The former master was actually proud that he could do such dirty and tiring work.

They've been tortured so badly.

Does she really want to stay by the young lady's side as she says?

Cui'er looked down at her hands, which had taken a long time to heal all the calluses, and silently made a decision.

“Miss, you have really had a tough time,” she said with emotion. “In that case, I won’t bother you any longer, otherwise I’m afraid I’ll delay your work and cause you to be punished.”

Qin Wenjun defended her, saying, "Our young lady would never punish anyone. She's so good to us; she even made ointment for my hands herself."

If she truly cared for you, she wouldn't make you do heavy, rough work.

Cui'er thought to herself.

What a complete idiot.

They've been sold out and they're still helping the seller count the money.

She was afraid that if she stayed too long she would catch her silliness, so she quickly said goodbye after chatting for a few minutes.

After seeing her off, Qin Wenjun turned around and rubbed her face.

"Acting is really tiring."

She sighed.

"Meng Qi heard that, probably because she would forget about me."

Her elder sister, who has always enjoyed finding a sense of superiority in her own setbacks, will probably be happy for quite a while after hearing Cui'er's report.

As she expected, Meng Qi was both surprised and delighted after hearing Cui'er's account.

"Is she really living such a miserable life?"

"Yes! Miss, you didn't see her hands. They looked like they had been branded. It was terrifying. I'm afraid I'll have nightmares tonight."

Meng Qi felt extremely satisfied.

"Serves you right."

She said that Meng Ke's reason for winning Xiao Qingyin's protection was that he did the dirty work.

Xiao Qingyin really knows how to have fun.

She made such a pretty girl clean her chamber pot.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!