“I remember when the Second Miss returned to her parents’ home, her status plummeted. At that time, your situation in the Jiang family was no better than ours as servants. Yingxiang saw it all and remembered it. Yet, even so, you still generously gave me money so that I could return home. You told me that day that I should live well after I returned home, and I have kept that in mind and have never forgotten it.”
"After returning home, I diligently helped my brother and sister-in-law with their livelihood and took care of the children, hoping to meet a good man to marry, so as not to betray the girl's kindness to me. But I never expected that my brother and sister-in-law would be so shameless as to sell me into being a concubine!"
Tears streamed down her cheeks again, but her expression remained defiant.
“My freedom was won for me by you, young lady. You want me to go back so I can live a better life. How can I let them trample on my dignity? Therefore, all these days, I have outwardly obeyed, but in reality, I have been planning to escape the capital. When I learned that you were in Yuqian Lane, I mustered up my courage and dared to come and beg you to take me away. Wherever you go, I, Yingxiang, am willing to follow you until death!” After saying this, she kowtowed heavily to the ground again.
"Yingxiang, please get up first."
Jiang Huaiyu gently helped her up, sighed, and said with regret, "I never expected that your family would be so cold-hearted, disregarding the bond of blood ties."
A deep despair filled Yingxiang's eyes, and she said in a trembling voice, "When they planned to sell me to that widower as a concubine, they were no longer my family!"
Jiang Huaiyu gently patted her shoulder, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly asked, "Yingxiang, are you really willing to follow me?"
Yingxiang's gaze was firm, and she nodded without hesitation: "If you do not despise me, I am willing to serve you for life to repay your kindness!"
Yingxiang's loyalty and sincerity deeply moved Jiang Huaiyu.
"In that case, I will take you with me on my return journey."
Upon hearing this, Yingxiang was so moved that tears streamed down her face, her voice choked with emotion: "It is truly a blessing that Yingxiang can return to your side, Miss!"
Jiang Huaiyu asked with concern, "How much silver did your brother and sister-in-law sell you for?"
"Fifty taels of silver." A hint of humiliation flashed in Yingxiang's eyes.
Jiang Huaiyu nodded slightly and said firmly, "Okay, after I leave the capital, I will send someone to deliver this fifty taels of silver to your home and tell them that it now belongs to me. From now on, you will no longer be at the mercy of your brother and sister-in-law."
Yingxiang was surprised that the young lady had resolved her worries so quickly. Overjoyed and moved to tears, she wiped away her tears and said, "Yingxiang is grateful for your deep kindness. I will do my best to serve you from now on. Whether in the next life or the next, I am willing to be your slave for life and obey your commands!"
Jiang Huaiyu smiled and replied, "You have already left the mansion. Now that you have been freed from slavery, you no longer need to consider yourself a slave. From now on, you only need to follow me and lend me a hand."
Having been together since childhood, the two shared an incredibly deep bond, like siblings. Yingxiang's loyalty to her was unwavering, therefore, the so-called slave contract held no weight in her heart.
Yingxiang stood there, stunned, tears falling like pearls from a broken string. Her lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a sound.
"girl……"
Seeing that she was about to kneel down again, Jiang Huaiyu quickly helped her up, his words full of helplessness: "There's no need to kneel. Our luggage is ready, and we're about to set off. Let's save some energy for the journey."
After saying that, she stepped out of the house to check on Deng Shen's preparations.
Yingxiang stared blankly at her retreating figure, tears streaming down her face.
After a long while, she seemed to wake up from her daze, raised her sleeve to wipe away her tears, and a resolute look flashed in her eyes.
She absolutely could not let the girl down.
With everything prepared, Jiang Huaiyu embarked on her journey. Bai Yujing personally escorted her to the outskirts of the city, watching the carriage slowly drive into the distance until it disappeared from sight before returning alone.
Jiang Huaiyu looked at his retreating figure through the car window, her heart filled with reluctance and melancholy.
Although the couple had experienced the pain of separation many times before, this time, she was also overwhelmed with sorrow and unable to express her feelings...
Yingxiang noticed her melancholy and tried to dispel her sadness with words, asking gently, "Miss, the young master must dote on you, right?"
Jiang Huaiyu nodded gently, a tender smile unconsciously spreading across her lips. "Indeed, he is very caring towards me."
"I see that our son-in-law is very handsome and will surely excel in the imperial examination this spring. He will definitely win you the honor of being the top scholar and make you the wife of a top scholar!"
Jiang Huaiyu pictured Bai Yujing's handsome face in her mind, her eyes filled with deep affection and longing.
"I have complete faith in him."
She turned to look at Yingxiang and said gently, "We have already left the Jiang family. From now on, please still call me Madam."
"Yes, Yingxiang will keep it in mind."
Yingxiang knew about the old story of the arranged marriage and had always been uneasy, but now seeing the young lady and the young master so affectionate, she felt sincerely gratified.
The weather was bitterly cold and the roads were slippery. The carriage bumped along for three days on the long journey before finally arriving at the Bai family's residence.
Having been away from home for so long, Jiang Huaiyu had expected that Bai Qi would treat her coldly. However, to her surprise, when she returned, Bai Qi only said indifferently, "Oh, you're finally willing to come back?" and then said nothing more.
She couldn't help but be surprised; when had her mother-in-law become so kind and gentle?
I had prepared a response, but now it seems I've saved myself a lot of trouble.
Bai Jinxiao and Madam Yang were both busy outside, and no one was home except for the two children. When they saw Jiang Huaiyu return, they surrounded her tightly and did not want to leave.
Huiyi asked slyly, "Auntie, do you also feel that Grandma's attitude has changed?"
Why do you say that?
Huiyi replied, "You don't know, when my uncle wrote back, my grandmother found out that you weren't coming home. She was depressed for several days and said a lot of bad things about you!"
"What happened next?" Jiang Huaiyu pressed.
"Ahem!" At this moment, Feng Yun gave Huiyi a wink.
But Huiyi didn't notice and pouted, saying, "Brother, why are you scaring me? I'm on Aunt's side. She hasn't been back for a long time, so of course I have to tell her about everything that's going on at home."
Jiang Huaiyu smiled and said softly, "Okay, go on."
"Later, my father and mother went into business in the city and made a fortune. They bought many treasures for my grandmother and told her that if it weren't for my aunt, the family wouldn't be living such a wealthy life. They advised my grandmother not to blame my aunt, because if she displeased her and refused to take care of the family anymore, then our family would fall back into poverty. There was also Aunt Liu, who advised my grandmother in the same way every day. Holding the treasures that my father and mother gave me, my grandmother's resentment towards my aunt gradually dissipated."
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