Kneel down and apologize
"A twitching left eye means good fortune, a twitching right eye means bad luck."
Wen Ruo covered her suddenly twitching eyelids and rushed home, only to find no one there.
She thought for a moment, then hurried to the Sun family's house. On the way, a woman with a flustered expression and disheveled hair emerged from the shadows. Without saying a word, she grabbed her hand and said, "Don't make a sound."
"mother!"
The hoarse voice and the rough yet familiar touch made Wen Ruo's heart tremble. She immediately looked over and saw that Shi Liu Niang's hair was a mess, her face was bruised, and her other hand was covered in blood.
The two hid in a corner, and Wen Ruo quickly took her hand and looked at her, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, it was a false alarm.
"How come your hands are covered in vermilion clay?"
"She forced me to sign your contract of servitude."
Wen Ruo stood there, stunned, silent for a long time, unsure of what to say. She licked her dry lower lip and squeezed out a few words, "You signed it?"
"I wasn't prepared at all. Several people came up and held me down."
Wen Ruo's heart sank. "Mother, who do you owe now? Me or Madam Yue?"
Pomegranate Girl lowered her head in shame, "It's all my fault."
Wen Ruo sneered, "What did you do wrong?"
"I've dragged you into this."
"Mother, you're such a contradiction. If you had just sold me off, I would have felt better. Now you're torturing both of us. How can I hate you if you can't live with yourself? This is so pointless."
Wen Ruo sat beside her and murmured. The street gradually became more crowded. Occasionally, a few men dressed as servants would look around with sharp eyes, their search for whom was self-evident.
Wen Ruo composed herself, clapped her hands, and said, "You can't hide this for long. I forgive you. You can go now. I will raise the money to redeem you."
"No." Hong Shiliu grabbed her hand and sobbed, "Don't go. I've thought it through. How about we leave the capital and start over?"
I don't believe it.
Wen Ruo looked at the street, her voice flat and even, "I watched you come here too."
"It's hard to forgive yourself."
Shiliu Niang gripped her hand tightly, tears streaming down her face. "I was wrong, really. I'm just a despicable and selfish mortal. Others can lay down their butcher's knives and become Buddhas on the spot, so why can't I? I was wrong. Let's go."
“I’m telling the truth.”
Wen Ruoxin felt a pang of sadness.
"Here!"
The servants immediately surrounded her, and Sun Yueyou slowly appeared, saying, "It's been a long time looking for me!"
Hong Shiliu stepped forward, blocking Wen Ruo with one hand, her eyes filled with malice, "You forced a woman into slavery, I'm going to report you to the authorities."
Sun Yueyou wasn't afraid at all. She took out two contracts of indenture with her handprint on them and said, "Then pay me back! I'll give you the money right away."
"Yes, I was bewitched back then and accepted fifty taels, but now, I've given her my life savings, a full four thousand taels. If she doesn't acknowledge it, there's nothing I can do. Wen Ruo would never become a slave in the mansion. I'm right here. If you have the guts, go ahead and sue me in the government. I'll accept even exile."
Sun Yueyou's face darkened.
"What do you mean by becoming a slave in the household?"
Fu Jingjiang suddenly appeared, and Sun Yueyou's eyes instantly turned red. She said sadly, "Her mother did something to wrong my mother, and she still refuses to repent. My mother just wanted an apology, but she took advantage of having someone backing her up and used money to insult her. My mother fell ill from the heartbreak."
Shi Liu Niang's face turned pale, but Wen Ruo smiled, walked up to her, snatched the two contracts of sale, and tore them to shreds. "I can see that Miss Sun wants me to be her slave."
"However, I am a very selfish person and I can't stand being wronged. I'll accept your mother's demand of ten thousand taels to express her forgiveness. I'm willing to go bankrupt for her. But don't even think about selling yourself. I'll gather the money tomorrow."
Sun Yueyou let her tear the contract to shreds. "Miss Wen, can't you kneel down and apologize on behalf of your mother?"
"Apologize? Can you forgive on behalf of your mother? Can you ask for the ten thousand taels? Can you return my gold and silver jewelry and precious medicinal herbs from your dowry?"
Sun Yueyou's eyes darkened, and she hated her even more. She gritted her teeth and forced a smile, saying, "Yes."
"real?"
“I am her biological daughter.”
Okay, I apologize.
Wen Ruo immediately straightened up and bent her knees to kneel down, but Shi Liu Niang pushed her away and scolded, "You're an orphan, whose family do you manage, whose master do you think you are? You really think you're my own daughter."
Wen Ruo stood aside, bewildered and at a loss.
She tore off a corner of her dress and threw it at Wen Ruo, saying, "You've given me four thousand taels, you've healed my broken leg, the debt of saving my life is settled, and from now on we're estranged."
Everything was pitch black.
"I'm still alive, I don't need anyone to pay me back."
Hong Shiliu knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times, saying, "I'm sorry."
The stone slab caused her forehead to bleed profusely. Before Sun Yueyou could reply, Hong Shiliu stood up abruptly. "I've given you the money and apologized. Go back and tell your mother that she shouldn't even think about getting ten thousand taels. I don't owe her anything anymore."
"Your aunt's injury was also treated by Wen Ruozhi, it has nothing to do with me."
After speaking with Fu Jingjiang, she turned and left without looking back.
Passersby thought something had happened and stopped to watch. All sorts of tourists were attracted by the spectacle, and the bustling crowd even caught the attention of those on the city wall.
Fu Jingjiang: "Miss Wen? Are you alright?"
Wen Ruo opened her mouth slightly, but found that her voice had been taken away by Shi Liu Niang. The surroundings were silent, and the whispers that had just been going on disappeared instantly. She lowered her head, her feet seemed to be bound, and her reflection blended into the moonlight.
Sun Yueyou was so angry she almost ground her teeth to powder. She walked up to Fu Jingjiang and deliberately said, "Brother Jingjiang, Mother wants to discuss our marriage."
She looked at Wen Ruo with a wary expression. The old man had completely absolved Wen Ruo of any responsibility with just one sentence, even forfeiting his favor and letting Wen Ruo gain a good reputation.
Fu Jingjiang's expression was somewhat unpleasant. He had been hunting wild geese all day long, but he never expected to stumble on her. However, he had no support in the imperial examinations and could not afford to offend his father. "With such a big commotion today, Madam Yue must need you to accompany her right now. The imperial examinations are just around the corner, so it is inconvenient for me to go."
Sun Yueyou's expression changed repeatedly.
Wen Ruo had no idea what the two said or when they left. The tattered cloth was still covering her head. She stood there alone, helpless, for a long time before she regained consciousness.
She walked aimlessly down the road, her clothes obscuring her vision, but she didn't lift them up. Passersby, seeing this, all walked around her.
She became a burden that everyone disliked.
"Want to come home with me?"
A pair of silver-white boots appeared before my eyes.
“My mother likes you very much, my uncle and aunt like you very much, and my cousin is even more so.”
After he finished speaking, gasps filled the air. What was he saying? Was it true? The Prince's uncle was none other than His Majesty.
She didn't say a word, but tears fell to the ground.
Qi Guanlan felt a pang in his heart, and immediately placed his hand on her head, unusually serious for once, "I'm missing a younger sister."
Family is probably what she wants more.
"Young man, this is my apprentice. Are you trying to take him from me?"
Qi Guanlan turned around, crossed his arms, and slightly raised his chin, revealing a sharp jawline. "As far as I know, she didn't become a disciple, she has no official title or status, so what kind of disciple is she?"
"What does a title matter? I've taught her so much, how can she not be my apprentice?"
Wen Ruo burst into laughter through her tears.
"Have you figured it out?"
"Isn't this Wen Ruo? She's already at my shop's door. Today it's my treat, I have some new products." Zhao Heng leaned against a pillar, wearing a gorgeous brocade robe with seven or eight cat's-eye-sized gemstones inlaid on his jade belt, dazzling and making Qi Guanlan's hands itch to grab them.
Qi Guanlan: "Why don't you go to the west building?"
Zhao Heng glanced sideways. "Why did you come down?"
"Respect is not as good as obedience."
Mr. Yi led Wen Ruo into the shop. Zhao Heng specially chose a private room facing the street, where the street view was within easy reach. He slowly sipped his hot tea, while Wen Ruo placed her hands on the inside of the cup, smiled shyly, and said with a slight redness around her eyes, "I'm sorry to have worried you, sir."
"I knew you'd turn out this way."
When did you recognize her?
The tea lid swayed on the table like a spinning top for a while. Qi Guanlan lay casually on the couch, one finger resting on his temple, looking on with curiosity.
"Lunar New Year's eve."
Qi Guanlan fell silent. No wonder he wasn't happy no matter how she tried to coax him that night. "I specially instructed the royal court painter to paint the reunion banquet for the Sun family, but who knew you had already seen it. All my efforts were in vain."
He pulled a scroll from behind his back and threw it on the other side of the couch. Wen Ruo reacted for a moment, then slowly unfurled it, her expression and demeanor perfectly captured.
Madam Yue maintained a dignified demeanor, yet her eyes held a sharp glint. Miss Yue possessed a graceful yet alluring charm, while the Sun father and son became mere foils. In the eyes of this family, she seemed like a piece of meat on the table, ready to be slaughtered.
At eighteen, she became an orphan again, but who would be the prey and who would be the prey was anyone's guess.
She suddenly raised her head and stared straight at Qi Guanlan, lingering on him for a long time. Regardless of whether what Qi Guanlan said was true or not, things were probably not going to be peaceful in the future.
If the family persisted, Wen Ruo slowly closed the scroll, a cold smile on her face.
As she lowered her head, Qi Guanlan quietly shifted her ankles, changed her posture, and leaned back with her eyes vacant, her whole body suddenly relaxing.
Ah, the sandalwood chandelier on the roof beam is as stable as Mount Tai, and even the red tassels below it are unmoved, much better than him.
"You're about to become my sister, what are you so nervous about? Can't you be a little more mature?" Qi Guanlan swallowed hard, inwardly berating himself.
Wen Ruo: "I'm going out for a walk to clear my head."
"Where to?" Qi Guanlan asked subconsciously, then immediately pursed her lower lip, hating her own mouth for being so disobedient.
"Old man, you go with her."
Mr. Yi smiled broadly, "Wen Ruo is going to meet the young master and scholar, why should I go and join in the fun? You shouldn't go either."
"What encounter? Look at her like this."
Mr. Yi thought for a moment and followed behind her. “Don’t you like Gu Yu? I happen to be staying at his house these days. He has a nephew named Gu Dongxuan. How about I introduce you to him?”
"Can't you talk about something serious?"
Out with the old, in with the new!
"Dongxuan is still too young." Qi Guanlan kicked the ground, picked up a teacup to shut that nonsensical mouth, and spat twice, "What do you know? A woman three years older than her husband is a golden brick."
The commotion behind her made Wen Ruo frown slightly. Then another familiar voice came from the doorway, "May I have the honor of inviting Miss Wen out to admire the lanterns?"
The two people arguing behind her, their faces flushed, immediately fell silent. Mr. Yi chuckled and pushed her to the door, saying, "Go ahead, I happen to have something to do and need to go out for a bit."
After Wen Ruo left, Mr. Yi plopped down on a stool. He had said he would leave, but he didn't make a sound. He counted on his fingers, "Zhao Heng, the young prince, his mother is a merchant, so she obviously doesn't care about social status. She's rich and powerful, even better than a scholar. I always said that the little girl's face is like a peach blossom."
Qi Guanlan gritted his teeth, "Aren't you a doctor? When did you learn to read faces?"
"Wen Ruo actually left with my mortal enemy right in front of me. She doesn't respect me at all."
Mr. Yi shushed and sneered, "Wen Ruo was right to say you're naive."
"What else did she say?"
Mr. Yi turned around. "Go ask her yourself."
"Fine, I'll go. I don't want to stay in this fancy, flashy place."
Qi Guanlan turned to leave, while Mr. Yi grinned widely, "Spring has arrived, but I wonder what kind of fruit it will bear?"
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