The sound of something shattering echoed from within the room. Footsteps hurried from afar to near, and the door was thrown open. A silver-haired, energetic old woman poked her head out.
“Girl Yun! You’re back!”
Yun Juan ran over swiftly. Her eyes brimmed with red, and her lips trembled uncontrollably.
In her memories, Nanny Sun had already become a cold, lifeless memorial tablet in the ancestral hall. She had never expected that she would be able to see her alive again.
Nanny Sun chuckled warmly. “What is this? Married for only three days, and yet you return home crying like a baby. Come inside, quick.”
She pulled Yun Juan into the room. “Knowing you were returning home today, I prepared some treats. Take them back with you when you leave. By the way, how are you getting along with that young master of the Xiao family? You haven’t been bullied, have you?”
Nanny Sun pressed her down onto a round stool, dragged a charcoal brazier over, and poured her hot tea from the kettle on the stove to warm her hands.
Having no knowledge of the wedding swap, she was naturally unaware of how perilous Yun Juan’s wedding night had been. Not wanting to worry her, Yun Juan smiled and said, “We are doing very well. I want to live a good life with him.”
Even if it is only for a year.
“Nanny, how about I take you out of here to live with me?” Yun Juan asked, choking back a sob.
During her eighteen years in the Yun family, she had never received much warmth. It was only when she met Nanny Sun at the age of five that the void of a mother figure in her life was truly filled.
Nanny Sun had previously been one of the head female housekeepers of the Yun family and had also served as their accountant. Now that she was older and lacked the energy to manage the estate’s affairs, she spent her days peacefully in this modest courtyard.
Her daughter had passed away early, she had lost touch with all her relatives, and her indenture contract was held by the family, making it impossible for her to leave easily.
Yun Juan said, “If I ask Father for your contract now, he will give it to me. My dowry may not be grand, but it is more than enough to buy a residence for you.”
Nanny Sun’s head shook so fast it practically left afterimages.
She scolded huffily, “What residence are you buying! You finally managed to escape this house, and the money in your hands has finally been cleared. Why aren’t you quickly finding ways to make that money work for you and build up your own life! Why waste your silver on an old woman like me who already has one foot in the grave!”
She slammed her tea cup onto the table, speaking with immense vigor, “I’ve lived here for decades. Now, planting vegetables and watering flowers every day is quite comfortable; you don’t need to fret over me. And don’t go thinking I have no money—I have some private savings of my own, quite enough to see me to my grave…”
As the feisty old woman chattered on, the tears in Yun Juan’s eyes could barely be contained. She feigned drinking her tea, letting her teardrops splash silently into the cup.
In her past life, it was Yun Juan who had prepared Nanny Sun’s body for burial. This stubborn old woman had always put on a brave front, pretending she was living a comfortable life. Yet, when Yun Juan was sorting through her belongings after her passing, she discovered that the “private savings” the old woman spoke of consisted of nothing but a few cheap wooden hairpins not worth a single penny, alongside some relics left behind by her deceased daughter.
When Yun Juan married, Nanny Sun had even scraped together fifty taels of silver to add to her dowry. It was those fifty taels that laid the foundation for Yun Juan’s later business empire, which grew to worth hundreds of thousands, then millions.
Yun Juan’s greatest regret in her past life was her failure to notice Nanny Sun’s illness sooner, and her inability to accompany her on her final journey.
She took a deep breath. “Alright. If you don’t want to move yet, you can stay here for now. But once my business takes off, you must come with me.”
“We will talk about it when that day actually comes…”
“You must come with me. You were the one who taught me all my skills, but I have never actually run a business myself. I need you by my side to help me.”
Nanny Sun smiled warmly. “Very well. When that day comes, I shall go with you.”
Yun Juan talked with Nanny Sun for a long time. Only in this small, humble room could she feel truly relaxed and warm.
At that moment, the crunch of footsteps on snow echoed from outside. A magnetic, low voice drifted through the door: “Yun Juan, come out.”
Yun Juan startled.
“Who is it?” Nanny Sun rose to open the door. “Oh! You, you are…”
Xiao Lanting took a step back and gave a polite, measured nod. “Good day. I am Yun Juan’s husband. My surname is Xiao—Xiao Lanting.”
“Oh, oh!” Nanny Sun took a step back, her heart fluttering with a trace of lingering fear. This man truly looked like a living King of Hell.
Yun Juan walked over. “Why are you here? Weren’t you speaking with Father?”
“He talks too much nonsense.”
“How did you find this place?”
“Naturally, I have my ways.”
Nanny Sun offered, “Since you are here, do come in and talk. It has just finished snowing outside, and it is freezing.”
Yun Juan opened her mouth but found herself at a loss for words. She looked toward Xiao Lanting, her eyes carrying a hint of pleading.
In her eyes, a man of Xiao Lanting’s stature would surely disdain setting foot in such a dilapidated, cramped little room. She hoped he would decline Nanny Sun’s invitation with a dignified excuse so as not to embarrass her.
Just as Yun Juan was fretting over how to drop him a hint, he casually gathered the hem of his robe with one hand and stepped over the threshold with complete ease.
In a light, relaxed tone, he said, “Very well. Then I shall trouble you.”
“I’ll fetch another tea cup! You two have a chat first.” Nanny Sun went to the kitchen with a bright smile.
Yun Juan’s expression was a complex mix of emotions. “Come and sit.”
She pulled out a chair.
The servants of the Yun family mostly used furniture cast off by their masters. The patterns on the chair had long since worn away, and the wood was slightly yellowed with age.
Seeing him standing there motionless, Yun Juan quickly explained, “Nanny is very fond of cleanliness. This chair only looks old because of its age; it is actually very clean.”
To prove her point, she quickly wiped the seat with her hand and showed her dust-free fingers to Xiao Lanting.
Xiao Lanting sat down. Nanny Sun returned at that moment and poured him a cup of hot water.
“Drink this to warm your body. An old woman like me has no fine tea leaves here, so I won’t brew any for you.”
Xiao Lanting glanced at the cups on the table. One of them bore a trace of lip rouge, matching the shade on Yun Juan’s lips.
“No matter. I would like to try it.”
Bypassing the cup in front of him, Xiao Lanting naturally picked up Yun Juan’s cup and took a sip.
“It is quite good.”
“Good, good, that’s wonderful.” Nanny Sun smiled radiantly.
Yun Juan’s face flushed crimson, and she lowered her head, rapidly twisting the handkerchief in her hands.
Xiao Lanting is truly shameless!
After finishing his tea, Xiao Lanting began to ask about the relationship between Nanny Sun and Yun Juan. Yun Juan recounted the past to him—to put it simply, Nanny Sun had rescued her when she had fainted from a high fever in her room.
At that time, Concubine Rong had taken her son, Yun Chuang, to play at the family’s country estate with Master Yun.
Nanny Sun sighed, “Fortunately, I happened to pass by and peer into the room. Concubine Rong didn’t even lock the door when she left. The child was only five years old then, burning so hot she was speaking in gibberish.”
“Then I truly must thank you.” Xiao Lanting’s tone was exceptionally sincere.
Spurred by his interest, Nanny Sun opened up and shared many stories of Yun Juan’s childhood with him.
Yun Juan herself could hardly bear to listen any longer, so she made an excuse to step outside for some fresh air.
The cold wind dissipated the heat from her face, and her racing heartbeat gradually steadied. She turned back to look at the little room, the image of Xiao Lanting listening intently to Nanny Sun playing vividly in her mind.
Why did Xiao Lanting want to ask about her past?
Did he also wish to… understand her better?
If they were merely partners in a marriage of convenience, there would be no need for him to be so earnest in learning about her past.
Yun Juan kicked at the snow on the ground, burying her face into her rabbit-fur collar. Unbeknownst to her, the tips of her ears had slowly bloomed into a deep red.