Chapter 2 I'm Home
When Ye Wanning opened her eyes again, she was awakened by pain.
She thought she had returned to the terrible days before her death, but when she opened her eyes, all she saw was an ordinary gray curtain, a rough wooden bed frame without any carvings, and tightly closed window frames.
The tattered cloth covering her, which could hardly be called clothing, remained unchanged from before.
But this was clearly an inn, and Xue Lin'an had indeed saved her.
"You, you're awake?"
As soon as Ye Wanning moved, Xue Lin'an, who was sitting on a wooden stool next to the table, stood up awkwardly.
Faced with that breathtakingly beautiful face, he became even more nervous.
She had just fainted, and she couldn't resist whatever he wanted to do, yet he didn't have the guts to do it.
Ye Wanning stared at him blankly, and after a moment, her eyelashes drooped.
When I looked up again, my eyes were full of tears.
In her past life, she was sold back and forth in brothels. If she hadn't had some skill in dealing with people, she probably would have been tortured to death long ago.
She can charm most men so much that they won't make things difficult for her, or even touch her; they'll just listen to her talk.
It's not that she can't act, but after returning home, she foolishly felt that she couldn't put on that fake face for her real family.
Looking back now, it was incredibly stupid.
She had to wear that mask at all times to protect herself.
"Thank you so much for saving me, young master. I will never forget your kindness..."
With great difficulty, Ye Wanning got up from the bed and was about to bow to Xue Lin'an in gratitude.
"No need, no need!" Xue Lin'an quickly reached out to help her, his eyes fixed on her face without blinking.
She looked pale and haggard, and her lips weren't as red, but her bright eyes were so captivating that he was almost completely mesmerized.
Ye Wanning immediately saw what he was thinking and sobbed twice, "Young master, could you lend me an outer garment?"
“Of course!” Xue Lin’an immediately took out a thick cloak from his trunk and carefully draped it over Ye Wanning’s shoulders.
She thanked him gratefully, but felt quite emotional inside.
Xue Lin'an wasn't bad from the very beginning.
Or perhaps, he only dared to reveal his wicked intentions after he achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examination.
At this time, he still hid his true thoughts very well. Ordinary people only thought he was an average-looking but very elegant gentleman, and they couldn't see his cunning at all.
Weakly wrapping herself in her cloak, Ye Wanning's slender body and small face appeared even more frail: "Young master, could you do me another favor?"
"Girl, please speak!"
"Actually, I, I..."
Before she could even speak, Ye Wanning began to sob pitifully, "I am the second young lady of the Minister's mansion! I was accidentally kidnapped by villains, and then sold to a village by slave traders to be abused. I finally managed to escape..."
The more she spoke, the more fiercely she cried, like beads from a broken string, falling onto Xue Lin'an's dark cloak.
"This is... so it is!"
Seeing the beauty shed tears, Xue Lin'an felt an overwhelming pang of heartache, finding it hard to even breathe. "I really didn't expect this..."
"Is the young master going to the capital to take the imperial examination?" Ye Wanning asked after crying for a while.
“Yes!” Xue Lin’an nodded, then said, “This is my second time going to the capital. I failed the last time, so I had to go back again…”
"You'll definitely win this time." Ye Wanning stared at him intently, sniffing.
"Thank you, thank you for your kind words, young lady... Oh! How should I address you?"
Ye Wanning shook her head: "I haven't returned to the Minister's residence yet. My given name is Wanning, you can just call me Ningning."
Xue Lin'an immediately said his name with great joy, overjoyed at the prospect of being close to the beauty.
"Would you be so kind as to give me a ride to the capital?" Ye Wanning finally revealed her true request. "I will never forget your great kindness..."
While speaking, one must also bow.
As expected, Xue Lin'an helped her up again: "No need for formalities! Since we've met, it means we were destined to meet in our past lives. I will make sure you get home safely!"
"We're not far from the capital now. I'll hire a carriage tomorrow, and we can get to the Minister's residence in a day!"
The last bit of silver Xue Lin'an had was originally intended for expenses before the imperial examination in the capital, and for returning home in case he failed again.
Therefore, he didn't have enough money to hire a carriage and had to walk to the capital.
But now that he has met a beautiful woman, he has already put all his worries behind him.
Besides, Ye Wanning is the daughter of the Minister's family!
If he sends her back, wouldn't that be a great achievement for the Minister's Mansion?
With the Minister's support, there will be no need to worry about money or official career anymore!
"Young master, you are so kind! I'm so glad I met such a good person, so glad I met you..."
Ye Wanning was so moved by his words that she lowered her head and shed tears again.
Xue Lin'an had long been flattered and confused by Ye Wanning's words. He didn't feel anything was wrong at all when Ye Wanning told him not to sleep in the same room as her but to sleep in the stables instead.
The next day, he indeed hired a carriage, and before noon, Ye Wanning was sent to the gate of the Minister's residence.
Xue Lin'an also thoughtfully bought her new clothes and shoes, and even two jade hairpins.
This also made her look less like a crazy peasant woman and more like an ordinary countrywoman.
"Excuse me, is the Minister at home?"
Stepping down from the carriage, Ye Wanning gracefully arrived at the main gate of the Minister's residence and asked in a gentle voice.
The guards at the door, who had been staring at her, softened their tone upon seeing her delicate and beautiful appearance: "The Minister is not here. What brings you here, young lady?"
"I..." Ye Wanning smiled, but the smile was rather bleak, making people feel very sorry for her. "I am the Minister's biological daughter."
The guard gasped, his eyes widening instantly.
"If you would be so kind as to inform him..." Before Ye Wanning could finish speaking, the guard told her to wait a moment and then turned and ran away!
The guard was young, but the steward of the manor had served him for decades. Upon seeing Ye Wanning's face, which was almost identical to that of the deceased lady, his expression immediately changed.
Soon, the head of the Minister's residence rushed out.
Since Minister Ye was not present, the person who came was Zhou, the concubine whom he had elevated to the rank of wife.
Zhou and her daughter Ye Jingshu naturally remembered the face of Ye Wanning's birth mother.
Upon seeing this, everyone was utterly shocked!
"Miss!"
After a moment of stunned silence, Zhou suddenly raised her voice, and tears streamed down her face!
She strode forward and hugged Ye Wanning tightly!
"Miss, you're finally back! You were only five years old when you went missing, and now... you're all grown up now..."
In her previous life, Ye Wanning forgot all her memories before the age of five. At that time, she was held by Zhou Shi and was very uneasy and stiff.
But at this moment, she cried even more bitterly than Zhou.
Having been given a second chance at life, or perhaps the cold pool water cleared her mind, she finally remembered everything!
Before becoming a concubine, Zhou was clearly a maidservant by her mother's side!
He was even a slave!
However, she was eloquent and gained her mother's trust. She then took Ye Wanning out for a stroll on her own, and then deliberately got separated from her, causing her to be taken away by human traffickers!
Seeing the malice hidden in the eyes of Zhou Shi and Ye Jingshu, Ye Wanning also kept her own thoughts tightly hidden.
Overwhelmed with joy, she cried out, "I...I'm home..."
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