The Lin family was poor, and when Lin Han first entered the officialdom, he could only be a county magistrate in a remote area, so he would have to spend money to bribe many places.
These three to five thousand taels of silver were nothing to the Xie family. The wealth of a noble family was something that ordinary people would never be able to achieve in their entire lives.
䀴This money is everything she and Ajin rely on, so they have to calculate and plan carefully.
After leaving Yanjing City, she had to take care of so many things, but Wanruo felt that it was much more promising than staying in the Xie family as a concubine.
Wanruo collected the silver, money, and deeds, then opened her dressing box, which contained many jewelries, almost all of which were gifts from Xie Xianyu. When he returned from Jiangnan this time, he brought her a pair of warm jade bracelets that felt warm to the touch.
There was also an ancient zither, an antique from the previous dynasty. Although she didn't know much about zithers, she knew it must be worth a lot of money.
She pursed her lips, but her bottom remained unchanged, placed there as it was.
When it got dark, Ding Dong knocked on the door again.
"Girl, it's time for dinner."
"Come in."
Ding Dong pushed the door open and saw Wan Ruo sitting by the bed. He was stunned for a moment: "Miss, are you awake? Why didn't you tell me? I should have prepared dinner earlier."
"I just woke up too. I tried on my wedding dress and found that it's a little small at the waist. Send it to Caidiexuan right now and have them alter it as soon as possible."
Ding Dong was surprised: "You think a girl with such a thin waist is too small?"
"Anyway, it doesn't fit me. Have it altered as soon as possible. The concubine ceremony is only six days away. Do you really want me to make a fool of myself in an ill-fitting wedding dress?"
Wanruo was rarely so angry, and Dingdong didn't dare to say anything more. He quickly picked up the tray and said, "I understand. I'll send it to them for them to correct."
Then he hurried out with the tray.
Wanruo looked at Ding Dong's distant figure and let out a sigh.
Su Yue came in: "Miss, the eldest lady's people have arrived."
Wanruo nodded, picked up a small bag and got up to go out. She only took the silver bills and a coarse cloth dress, nothing else.
Su Yue couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to take those jewellery? It would be a shame to just leave them there. If you pawn them, it would fetch a huge sum of money..."
"It would be too obvious if he took it. Besides, you know who sent them. I'm afraid he'll find out about me the moment I pawn them off."
Su Yue shrank her neck in fear. That was too scary: "The girl is really thoughtful."
Nanny Zhuqing was busy and was assigning two capable maids to spread scented oil everywhere in the courtyard.
"Girl, follow me."
Wanruo nodded, put on the hood of her cloak, hiding most of her face in the night, followed Zhuqing's steps, and walked out of Qiu Shui Courtyard.
Zhuqing took Wanruo through the corridor and hurried to the western corner gate in the night. This small door was usually closed and was only opened occasionally when maids and old women wanted to go in or out.
There was a dark alley outside the door, and a blue-gray carriage was already waiting outside.
Suddenly, a cry rang out: "No more water! No more water!"
Wanruo paused and looked back. A raging fire had already started in the direction of Qiu Shui Courtyard, burning half the sky red.
Zhu Qing whispered, "Don't worry, young lady. The Madam will take care of everything else. She has even prepared the body, so there won't be any mistakes."
Wanruo bit her lip, but finally lowered her head and hurried out of the corner gate of Xie Mansion and got on the carriage.
The driver whipped his whip, and the coachman rode away in a cloud of dust. He came out of the dark alley and passed by the main gate of the Xie family. It was a majestic and magnificent mansion with a golden plaque with the words "Xie Mansion" hanging high.
Wanruo lifted the car curtain, looked back at the mansion again, and her heartbeat gradually quickened.
A year ago, she brought Ajin to beg the Xie family and tried her best to stay here. Today, a year later, she finally got out after trying so hard.
This place allowed her to survive from a desperate situation, but it also made her feel anxious and uneasy as if she was walking on thin ice. She couldn't explain what her feelings were towards this place, just like she couldn't explain her feelings towards Xie Xianyu.
But so what? Leaving is all over, and there is no need to worry about too many things.
Wanruo took a deep breath, lowered the car window curtain, and stopped looking back.
At this time, the Xie Mansion was in chaos. The servants were running around shouting, "There's no water! Put out the fire!"
"The Qiushui Courtyard is filled with fragrant oil, and the fire cannot be extinguished!"
The noise was so loud that even the Songhe Garden in the East Courtyard was alarmed. Cuizhu suddenly heard the words "Qiu Shui Yuan" and hurried out to see what was going on.
The blazing fire that had burned half the sky red reflected on her frightened face. Her hands trembled and she dropped the tray on the ground. The brand new white jade tea set shattered beyond recognition.
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