In a small courtyard, a plump woman with a kind smile was holding a man in blue, while a tall man behind her looked both helpless and surprised.
"Miss Wuyou, it's been so many years! I never imagined you'd grown so much. You're getting more and more beautiful. I thought I'd never see you again in this lifetime." Granny Qin was Zhang Wuyou's wet nurse, an old woman who had raised her single-handedly. If the Zhang family hadn't fallen into ruin, she would have stayed with Zhang Wuyou for the rest of her life.
Before Zhang's parents passed away, they returned the indenture to all the servants and dismissed them. Granny Qin was very reluctant to let them go and wanted to leave with Wuyou, but her family was stuck there and didn't know what to do. It was Granny Qin who helped with the funeral arrangements for Zhang's parents.
Wuyou smiled slightly, feeling the rough texture of her wrists, and looked around at the simple, even dilapidated, surroundings. She sighed inwardly, thinking that it seemed Granny Qin hadn't had a good life these past few years.
"How could that be? You raised me with your own hands, and I've always remembered your kindness. I came to Jinling this time to find you all." Wuyou smiled and patted Granny Qin's arm. The three of them sat in the courtyard chatting casually.
As the sun began to set and darkness fell, Wuyou couldn't help but feel her eyes well up with tears. She wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes and said in a gentle, tender voice, "Granny Qin, you are so good to me. I should have come to find you sooner."
"Miss, what's wrong? Why are you crying all of a sudden? Has the Kong family treated you badly?" Granny Qin sensed Wuyou's sadness and couldn't help but panic. As she spoke, Granny Qin's eyes changed, and she slammed her hand on the table, as if she wanted to fight the Kong family.
"It's nothing. Uncle Kong and the others have been very good to me. But you know Uncle Kong's personality; he's charitable and generous, so the Kong family isn't exactly well-off. I'd be a burden if I stayed there." Wuyou held Qin Mama's hands tightly, lowered her head, and spoke in a low voice, revealing a hint of disappointment and self-blame.
"My dear lady, how could you possibly be a burden?" Granny Qin sat up straight, pulled Wuyou into her arms, and gently patted her. "Back then, when Master and Madam entrusted you to the Kong family, they gave them more than half of their wealth! Otherwise, do you think the Kong family, with their poverty, could have lived such a comfortable life for so many years?"
Wuyou was unaware of this matter. She only knew that the Zhang family had entrusted their daughter to someone else and given them a considerable amount of their assets, but she hadn't expected that the Zhang couple would give so much. Zhang's father came from a merchant family, and Zhang's wife was the only daughter in the family. After marrying into the Zhang family, she managed the household skillfully, so the Zhang family's assets were considerable.
The Zhang family's assets, if converted into cash, would amount to at least tens of thousands of taels of silver. That's more than enough to support ten Zhang Wuyous, let alone one. As for the other half, it's likely used to dismiss their servants.
"Is...is that really how it is?" Wuyou stammered, head down, clearly at a loss.
At this moment, she was dressed as a man, and her pitiful appearance did not seem pretentious, but rather added a touch of gentleness.
"Of course, the master and mistress entrusted the property in front of everyone, and even wrote a document. The Kong family can't possibly renege on their debt. Using our Zhang family's money to do good deeds, they really have no shame!" Granny Qin spoke bluntly, her tone full of resentment, clearly very dissatisfied with the Kong family's behavior.
Unexpectedly, the Zhang couple were so shrewd, leaving behind evidence. This will make things much easier later. Wuyou's eyes darted around, and she understood.
"That puts my mind at ease. Granny Qin, I came here to sweep my parents' graves. Can you take me there?" Wuyou grabbed Granny Qin's hand, her eyes filled with expectation.
This was nothing, of course. Granny Qin readily agreed and instructed her son, Li Chong, to prepare incense, candles, and paper money for their departure the next day.
Nanjing is a rainy city, and as Qingming Festival approaches, it is drizzling continuously. The fine rain is like silk, as if it were a thousand sorrows, but when it brushes against you, it strangely brings a bit of coolness and soothes some of the sorrow.
The graves of the Zhang couple were very clean, without a single weed, indicating that people often came to pay their respects and sweep the tombs. There were also a few offerings placed in front of the graves. Wuyou could tell at a glance that it was the work of Granny Qin, after all, she truly respected the Zhang couple from the bottom of her heart and was very skilled at performing the rituals.
A sense of shame welled up within her; as a biological daughter, she was less worthy than a servant. Granny Qin came from a poor family; her son was already 18 and still unmarried. Even in such circumstances, she still remembered to burn incense and offer sacrifices for the late master, demonstrating her filial piety and benevolence.
"Granny Qin, you should go back first! I want to stay with my parents a little longer." Wuyou lit incense and candles, placed offerings, knelt in front of the grave and burned paper money, as a way to express the original owner's filial piety and fulfill her wish.
The oil-paper umbrella in his hand was thrown aside. Wuyou gazed at the graves of Zhang Wuyou and his wife with a heart full of piety. These were Zhang Wuyou's parents, which were also his own parents. Parents who love their children will surely plan far ahead for them. Presumably, the original owner also understood the deep love of his parents, which is why he had such profound emotions.
Because of the continuous rain, it got dark exceptionally early, and the mountains were shrouded in a gray haze. By the time we got back to Granny Qin's house, it was already dark.
"Miss, you're finally back! If you hadn't come back, I would have gone back to look for you." Hearing the commotion, Granny Qin hurriedly went forward to greet you. She truly cared for and loved Wuyou.
"It's nothing, I just spent a little more time with my parents." Wuyou smiled and patted Qin Mama's arm to comfort her.
"Then let's go eat quickly." Without saying much, Granny Qin pulled Wuyou into the dining room.
As night fell, the room was dimly lit. Wuyou pushed open Qin Mama's door and saw an old woman squinting as she threaded a needle under the lamplight. Wuyou sat down next to Qin Momo, silently took out a money pouch from her bosom, and pushed it in front of Qin Mama.
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