Chapter 209 One should still try to live authentically during these short decades.
Inside the side room.
Shen Shuangyu's eyes were red, her throat was choked, and she couldn't utter a single word.
Yun Tao stared blankly at the woman in front of her.
So... it's Mu Ziyou?
Ye Qing had never met Mu Ziyou, the third young lady of the Nanyang Marquis's Mansion, who was once a well-bred young lady.
But this one in front of me is really...
Seeing the comments, Shen Shuangyu finally managed to speak: "Zi You".
Mu Ziyou's eyes also reddened slightly, but there was a smile in her eyes, the joy of seeing her sisters again.
Shen Shuangyu's gaze scrutinized the person in front of her inch by inch.
Dressed in coarse linen clothes, the attire of a laborer, his once fair and jade-like skin was now a withered, bronze color, rough and calloused. His muscles, with their distinct lines and textures, were even more muscular and taut than those of Yi Fuyun, who practiced martial arts.
Her once flowing black hair, though it has grown back after being shaved, has lost its luster and is simply styled with coarse cloth. Her once delicate hands are now only calloused and chapped.
What made Shen Shuangyu want to cry the most was the long scar that cut almost down from below her eyeballs all the way to her neck.
Even if it wasn't grotesque, it had completely ruined her once daffodil-like appearance.
Shen Shuangyu couldn't stop her tears from falling. She recalled how she and Yi Fuyun used to secretly play with bows and arrows under the pavilion. Mu Ziyou wasn't interested in that, so she sat quietly in the shade, engrossed in a book.
Although she had anticipated that her journey alone, without a new registered identity, would be fraught with difficulties, seeing Mu Ziyou in person still stirred up Shen Shuangyu's emotions.
How much suffering did they endure, and what kind of ordeal did they experience to leave such scars?
Mu Ziyou raised her hand and used her softest fingertips to wipe away Shen Shuangyu's tears.
He chuckled and said, "I haven't cried once since I left the capital. You'd better make up for my tears."
[Frosty Feather, don't be sad. Your friend seems quite happy. You didn't do anything wrong.]
Shen Shuangyu looked at Mu Ziyou. She was no longer adorned with gold, silver, or jade, but her eyes shone brighter and more lively than any jewels Shen Shuangyu had ever seen.
Yes, she seems to be having a very happy time.
Even when she was the third young lady of the Nanyang Marquis's mansion, she had never been so radiant.
"Tell me quickly, how have you been these past two years?" Shen Shuangyu asked hastily.
Mu Ziyou: "Well, ever since I went to the East China Sea with the caravan, and then..."
Mu Ziyou's description did not mention how she struggled to survive. If she encountered difficulties, they were all new things that she had never had the opportunity to experience before.
Novel foods, incomprehensible customs, never-before-seen landscapes, and entirely new lifestyles that require adaptation.
"Now, I'm a well-known fishing girl in our bay. I've formed a fleet with like-minded friends and we even help transport goods." Mu Ziyou's eyes shone brighter as she spoke, looking very proud.
After saying that, she patted Shen Shuangyu's hand and said, "You don't need to worry about me. My life is getting better and better now, and I owe it all to you."
Mu Ziyou's gratitude soothed Shen Shuangyu's unease.
"Then why did you come back?" Ye Qing asked, very curious.
Shen Shuangyu also asked, "The capital is not safe after all. Actually, I saw you yesterday and thought you looked like me. Others may also think you look familiar. Why are you here?"
"Your eyesight has always been good, so I'm not surprised that you recognized me. Don't worry, I have a legitimate new identity now, and in my current state, those noble ladies wouldn't even glance at me. Except here, I always conceal my appearance when I go out, so I'm very safe."
"What about inside the nunnery?"
“Although I became a nun here, I always acted alone and tried to escape. So apart from Master Mingxin, who was in charge of teaching me, no one else in the nunnery had ever really seen me properly more than a few times.”
Only after a while did Mu Ziyou sigh softly, "I have a reason for coming back. My nun Mingxin, who shaved my head, is dying, and I came back to accompany her on her final journey."
Shen Shuangyu had some impression of Master Mingxin; she was an elderly and very gentle nun. No wonder she hadn't seen her all day; it turned out she was bedridden with illness.
Mu Ziyou's eyes sparkled with gratitude. "Back then, I only nominally became his disciple. I was only focused on escaping Ci'an Hall and didn't have much affection for him. Yet, he took care of me all along. It wasn't until after you saw me off that I discovered Master Mingxin had secretly slipped a letter into my bag."
Shen Shuangyu was immediately shocked and said, "So, she knew about the escape plan."
Mu Ziyou nodded and said, "It should be."
"What kind of letter is it?" Shen Shuangyu asked curiously.
"It was a letter of introduction, introducing me as a disciple of Master Mingxin, and hoping that if I had nowhere else to go, there would be nunneries that could take me in, help me hide my tracks, and avoid trouble. It listed several nunneries that had a good relationship with Master Mingxin and were trustworthy."
As Mu Ziyou spoke, she subconsciously touched the scar on her face.
Because of this letter, Mu Ziyou sought refuge in nunneries several times when she was desperate.
The nun took her in out of kindness, which is why she was able to return alive.
So when she overheard that her master, Mingxin, was nearing the end of his life, she rushed back to bid him a final farewell.
Shen Shuangyu's expression shifted, and she suddenly said, "Perhaps, she not only knew you were going to run away that night, but she even helped you."
Mu Ziyou was taken aback.
"Because when I looked back and thought about what I had missed, I always felt that the coincidence of that night was too much of a coincidence. The Nanyang Marquis's Mansion clearly sent people to guard you outside the nunnery, but when I brought you out that night, there were no people watching you. At first, I thought it was because they were lax or during the handover of personnel. Now that I think about it, it may have been Master Mingxin who assisted you from the side. Otherwise, she would not have been sure that you could escape successfully and would have left you an envelope."
Mu Ziyou's eyes widened. "Master, she..."
In fact, after she returned, Master Mingxin never mentioned what happened back then. He only explained to outsiders that she was a distant relative of hers in the secular world, giving her the opportunity to stay in the nunnery openly and legitimately.
Ye Qing couldn't help but sigh with admiration. It was truly wonderful that they had joined forces to pave a path to the future for Mu Ziyou. May Buddha bestow upon them even greater merit!
Shen Shuangyu patted Mu Ziyou's shoulder and asked, "Is it still treatable?"
Mu Ziyou shook her head, "When the oil is used up, the lamp goes out." Then she said with relief, "Life has an end. Indeed, people should try their best to live the life they want in these short decades."
Wow, their level of awareness is ahead of us modern people!
Shen Shuangyu nodded in agreement.
Mu Ziyou suddenly said, "Actually, besides visiting Master Mingxin, I also came back for another purpose: to see how you are doing before I leave."
Shen Shuangyu was taken aback, "Before leaving?"
Mu Ziyou nodded, "Our fleet has recently saved enough money and plans to sail far away to open up new maritime trade routes. We don't know... what the future holds, or when we will be able to return, so we came to take a look before we leave."
Shen Shuangyu was startled upon hearing this, and looking at Mu Ziyou's smile, he found it to be somewhat unrestrained and carefree.
It perfectly resembled the satisfied look on her face after finishing a book.
Now imagine what she was holding in her hands... it seems to be a series of travelogues.
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