After a brief discussion on next month’s operational strategy, Xie Qingyan and Zhao Chengze, continued their back and forth exchange.
As for the matter of probing, Xie Qingyan thought to herself that there would still be plenty of time ahead. No need to alert the enemy too soon.
And so, their conversation for the day came to an end.
Under the night sky, moonlight flowed like water, spilling across the corridors of the Xie Residence’s inner courtyard.
Wang Shi sat by the window, holding a worn handkerchief in her hands, rubbing the corner over and over again, already soaked through with tears.
Xie Wenyuan pushed the door open. Seeing his wife in this state, the good mood he had carried home instantly faded.
“Madam… these past few days, every time I come home, you’ve been crying,” his voice carried fatigue. “Just what is wrong?”
“Master…” Wang Shi lifted her red, swollen eyes. “Don’t you think Yan’er has changed? That child used to be a little willful, but at least she was lively and adorable like a proper young girl. But now… now she’s so steady, it’s as if she became an adult overnight!”
She could not continue and broke into sobs.
Xie Wenyuan sat down in a chair and let out a long sigh. He waved his hand, dismissing the servants, before speaking in a low voice.
“Qingyan has grown up. As a mother, shouldn’t you be happy?”
He paused, his expression turning complicated, carrying both frustration and a hint of unwilling helplessness.
“Still, what you’re saying does feel… strange.”
“Back then, that child only liked reading some storybooks, running around the house, dreaming of becoming some wandering heroine. How could she have understood any of this?”
Xie Wenyuan lowered his voice further. “But now… she can write such refined business strategies, command someone like Thirteen until he obeys completely, and even someone like Shopkeeper Zhou treats her differently…”
Wang Shi’s face turned even paler after hearing this.
“Master, do you think… Yan’er might have been possessed by some evil spirit? Otherwise, how could she…”
“Shut your mouth!” Xie Wenyuan cut her off sharply. He glanced around to ensure no one was nearby before lowering his voice again. “Do not speak such nonsense! If word gets out, our entire family will be ruined!”
He stood and began pacing back and forth in the room.
“It is not as though I have not considered that possibility. But think about it. If she truly were possessed, why would it benefit our family so much? Why would it help us turn our fortunes around?”
He gave a bitter laugh. “And even if something strange were truly going on, what could we possibly do now?”
Wang Shi cried even harder. “But she is still my daughter, the child I carried for ten months! Master, tell me… is that child still our Yan’er or not?”
Xie Wenyuan fell silent for a long time.
How could he not have asked himself the same question?
The daughter who had once tried to hang herself and then awoke was different. Her gaze had changed, her way of speaking had changed, even her entire temperament had changed.
The weak, willful daughter who used to cry all night over storybooks seemed to have vanished overnight.
Replaced by someone unfamiliar, someone he could not see through, and someone he could not control.
“Whether she is or not,” Xie Wenyuan finally spoke, his voice filled with an indescribable helplessness, “as long as she can bring prosperity to the Xie family, that is enough.”
He turned his back so his wife would not see the flicker of guilt across his face.
“Master…” Wang Shi choked. “But if something has truly happened to her, as her mother…”
“What can you do?” Xie Wenyuan suddenly turned around, his tone sharp. “All you ever do is cry. What else are you capable of? Back when it came to the Wang family marriage arrangement, weren’t you the one urging her to submit? If she had not managed to break off that engagement herself, she would already be in the afterlife!”
Wang Shi froze as tears continued to fall.
Xie Wenyuan looked at her, the frustration in his heart growing even harder to suppress. These past days had left him increasingly unable to hold his position as a father in front of his daughter. He should have been the head of the household, the one his daughter relied upon, yet now…
“I know you care about her,” he softened his tone, though it still carried a hint of self-deception. “But think about it. Isn’t Yan’er doing well now? Not only is she alive and well, she has also secured such a great future for the family. Is that not a good thing?”
Wang Shi wiped her tears, her voice trembling. “But she has become so capable and sharp now, it feels like… like…”
“Like what?”
“Like an experienced merchant who has been in business for decades. She no longer resembles a fifteen or sixteen-year-old noble girl at all.” Wang Shi finally voiced what had long been buried in her heart. “Master, with such abilities… will she even be able to marry in the future?”
Xie Wenyuan fell silent.
This question had truly stumped him.
For a woman in this era, being too capable and sharp could become a curse rather than a blessing. Yet at this point, he was already riding a tiger and could not dismount.
“Let us take things one step at a time,” he finally sighed, sitting back down as his shoulders slumped. He looked several years older in an instant. “The matters of Curio Pavilion have already begun. I… I can only focus on what is in front of us for now, and worry about the future later.”
He looked at his wife and gave a bitter smile.
“Over these years in Leping County, what kind of life have we been living? If we can turn things around through this opportunity, then even if… even if in the future we are cursed as ungrateful people who exploited our daughter, I… I will accept it.”
The words came out with difficulty, yet they reflected his true feelings.
Wang Shi could say nothing more. She only covered her face and cried, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
Xie Wenyuan watched her, his heart filled with mixed emotions. How could he not know he was an incompetent father?
As a scholar, he had talent but never achieved success. While his former classmates rose through the ranks one after another, he remained trapped in this small seventh-rank county magistrate position for more than a decade.
“Ever since Yan’er began handling that business, she leaves early and returns late. She no longer comes to pay respects. Yan’er… does she still remember us as her parents at all…” Wang Shi’s voice was barely audible.
“She remembers,” Xie Wenyuan said, his voice slightly hoarse. “Didn’t you see? Every time you visit her courtyard, she may be cold, but she never turns you away. She is still your daughter. Perhaps… she is simply resentful toward us.”
As he said this, a sharp pain pierced his heart.
Perhaps it was indeed them, as parents, who had forced their daughter into what she had become.
The room fell into a long silence, broken only by Wang Shi’s suppressed sobs and the chirping of autumn insects outside the window, echoing through the night.
After a long while, Xie Wenyuan stood up and straightened his clothes.
“You should rest well. I still have to go to the county office tomorrow.”
He walked to the door, then suddenly stopped. Without turning around, he spoke softly.
“If you truly care for Yan’er, then visit her shop from time to time. As for the rest… do not think too much. Some things, the more you think about them, the less you can change anything.”
With that, he pushed the door open and left, leaving Wang Shi alone in the flickering candlelight.