The shadow on the window was tall and long, swallowing her whole—
“Fire! The house is on fire—!”
Crimson flames roared, devouring the people who screamed.
Xie Wanning stood in the heart of the blaze. Flickering tongues of fire stopped at her feet, encircling her without so much as singeing her.
She quietly watched the people running in every direction. Their faces held more than fear of the inferno. There was an inexplicable terror in their eyes, as though wild beasts were pursuing them through the forest, and if they slowed even for a moment, they would be torn apart alive.
“Run for your life—!”
Another person dashed past her. The flames gradually climbed his body before knocking him to the ground.
Xie Wanning lowered her eyes.
A hand, blackened by the fire, clutched at the hem of her skirt, staining the pristine fabric dark. The person who had been roasted in the flames could barely be called human anymore. His entire body was charred like coal, leaving only a pair of wide, staring eyes fixed upon her.
“Please… save me…”
Those were the only words that came from the corpse’s opening and closing mouth.
Suddenly, a sharp sword descended from the sky and plunged straight through his heart.
Xie Wanning stared blankly at the body beneath her feet.
A hand suddenly appeared on the sword buried in the corpse. Its knuckles were sharply defined, its fingers long and slender.
The hand released the hilt and reached directly for her face.
She looked up.
A blurred face hovered before her. She couldn’t make out his features, only the movement of his mouth as he said something to her.
She leaned closer, trying to hear.
A clear child’s voice suddenly rang in her ears.
“Found you!”
Xie Wanning slowly opened her eyes.
A round, adorable little face filled her vision.
The haze of sleep gradually faded. She reached out and pinched the soft flesh of those little cheeks, then gave a quiet laugh.
“Miss, why are you up so early today?”
Yang Ruoxi hugged her arm and gave it a spoiled little shake.
“Because today’s the day I start school!”
She had turned three after the twelfth lunar month. Now that she was three, she could finally go to school and learn to read and write.
She wouldn’t have to envy that rotten little brat Su Qingyuan anymore.
He was only three years older than her, yet he was always telling her how wonderful and interesting school was. From today onward, she could go too. She wanted to see whether he’d still dare show off in front of her.
Yang Ruoxi’s round, chubby face was filled with triumph. She was unbearably cute.
Xie Wanning rubbed her cheeks and coaxed her softly.
“It’s still too early. Why don’t you go have breakfast with Master first?”
The woman’s gentle, soothing voice was as soft as smooth silk, instantly taming the restless little rabbit.
Yang Ruoxi pouted and reluctantly released her hand.
“Then you have to come quickly too, Ningning.”
“All right.”
Yang Ruoxi took two steps, then looked back twice before finally leaving Xie Wanning’s room.
Once again, Xie Wanning was alone.
A thin sheen of cold sweat covered her forehead, and even her slender neck felt clammy. The figure from her dream still seemed to linger before her eyes.
Her heart pounded heavily, like a drum.
She rubbed her aching chest. Every time she jolted awake from a nightmare, a stabbing pain would spread through her chest, as though someone had forcibly carved a piece of flesh out of her.
The nightmare had followed her for three years.
And she had been transported to this strange world for three years as well.
Three years ago, when she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a beautiful face streaked with tears.
Although she had no idea who the woman was, she only thought that such a pretty face was wasted when it was covered in tears.
She raised a hand and gently wiped them away, softly comforting her.
“What happened to you?”
Her question only made the woman cry harder, leaving Xie Wanning completely at a loss.
It was only later that she learned the woman’s name was Yang Yushu, her distant cousin.
Yang Yushu told her that she had fallen seriously ill and hadn’t opened her eyes for an entire month. Only now had she finally awakened.
Xie Wanning listened in silence, becoming increasingly certain that she had transmigrated.
Not only that, she had apparently taken over someone else’s younger sister’s body.
She felt guilty toward Yang Yushu. So when Yang Yushu told her that she wanted Xie Wanning to serve as her daughter’s maid, she readily agreed.
“A-Ning, being a maid is only a title. You don’t actually have to do anything. Just don’t leave the residence for these three years and stay here to recover.”
That was what Yang Yushu had told her back then.
Xie Wanning had no other plans, so she remained at the Yang residence for three whole years.
Over those three years, she watched the young lady grow up and kept her company as they played together. Although she wasn’t allowed to leave the residence, her days were peaceful enough.
Once she had finished getting ready, Xie Wanning slowly walked outside.
Yang Ruoxi had already finished breakfast and was waiting for her beside the carriage.
The moment she saw Xie Wanning approaching, the little girl—barely half a meter tall—bounced twice where she stood and waved.
“Ningning, you’re here!”
Hearing that bright, sweet voice, Xie Wanning unconsciously quickened her pace, a smile curling at the corners of her lips.
“Miss, have you packed everything?”
“Of course!”
Yang Ruoxi spun around, showing off the book bag on her back.
“I packed it all yesterday.”
The little pink book bag was delicate and dainty, embroidered with a chubby rabbit whose round eyes seemed to be staring straight at her.
Xie Wanning smiled and draped the shawl in her hands around the girl’s neck.
“It’s spring already, but the weather is still cold. You should take a shawl with you whenever you go outside, Miss.”
“You always think of everything, A-Ning.”
A richly dressed man stood beside the carriage.
He was Han Ziyi, Master of the Yang residence. He had married into the Yang family and, together with Yang Yushu, had a daughter, Yang Ruoxi.
Xie Wanning merely smiled without saying anything.
Although Master and Madam treated her like a younger sister, there were still certain boundaries she had to observe in public.
Han Ziyi rubbed his hands together, looking somewhat embarrassed.
“Yushu has gone to the neighboring county to do business this time. You’ve had a hard time looking after her.”
Yang Yushu was not only the mistress of the Yang residence but also the most famous merchant in Yangzhou City. The shops and businesses under her command could be found throughout nearly the entire city.
Some time ago, she had suddenly received an urgent message and rushed off to the neighboring county. She still hadn’t returned.
This sort of thing happened often, though. Yang Yushu was accustomed to traveling for business, and whenever she was away, the responsibility of caring for Yang Ruoxi fell to Han Ziyi.
But he was a man, after all, and not as attentive to such details as a woman.
So Xie Wanning also kept a close eye on Yang Ruoxi.
“Papa, let’s go!” Yang Ruoxi tugged at Han Ziyi’s robe, urging him on.
“All right, all right. We’re leaving now.”
Han Ziyi was completely obedient to his daughter. He picked up the tiny bundle of a girl and carried her into the carriage.
“Ningning, I’m leaving—!”
Yang Ruoxi poked her head out of the carriage window. The two little buns of hair on top of her head bobbed as she waved goodbye, dragging out her childish voice.
Xie Wanning stood at the entrance of the residence, watching the carriage disappear into the distance.
She remained there until it was completely gone from sight.
Then she once again looked around at her surroundings.
It was something she did every time she came to the front gate.
The two stone beasts that had stood guard there for years remained unchanged. The poplar trees outside the gate were still lush with leaves, and several sparrows chirped noisily among the branches.
She seemed to remember seeing those same birds three years ago.
She had not left the Yang residence in three years.
The front gate was the furthest she was permitted to go.
She was quiet by nature and disliked noisy places. Even after spending years in one place, she didn’t find it particularly difficult.
But, ultimately, she was living under someone else’s identity.
And the Yang residence was not her home.
The wind of early spring still carried a chill. It wasn’t as biting as the winter wind, which could sting one’s face raw, but it was cold enough to send shivers through the body.
It was time to go back.
The vermilion gates closed once more, and Xie Wanning returned to the young lady’s courtyard.
The moment her front foot crossed the courtyard gate, a sharp, grating voice came from inside.
“Well, well. If it isn’t our Miss Xie, who never has to lift a finger. What brings you out here today? Did you suddenly have time to see the young lady off?”
A maid dressed in pink stood leaning against the swing in the courtyard, arms folded across her chest. The sarcasm in her voice was unmistakable.
Xie Wanning had long since grown accustomed to Feicui’s shrill remarks.
She maintained the same gentle smile and calmly replied,
“The young lady’s swing couldn’t possibly bear your weight.”
“You—! Are you calling me fat?”
Feicui flushed with anger.
Before she could fire off another retort, Xie Wanning had already swept gracefully back into the room.
This room had been specially built for her by Yang Yushu. It stood next to Yang Ruoxi’s bedroom. It wasn’t particularly large, but it was more than spacious enough for one person.
Originally, Yang Yushu had intended to build two identical rooms, one for Xie Wanning and one for Yang Ruoxi. She had only abandoned the idea after Xie Wanning strongly objected.
The room was clean and orderly, with little clutter.
Beneath the carved wooden window stood a broad writing desk that occupied nearly half the room. A set of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone rested on its surface. Though the owner had clearly used them before, they looked as good as new.
Xie Wanning sat down at the desk.
Her pale hand picked up a stick of ink and began slowly grinding it in circles. Before long, a dark pool of ink spread across the fine inkstone.
Inside the room, all was tranquil.
Outside the window, however, the chatter continued.
“Sister Feicui, don’t be angry. You’re not fat at all!”
“Exactly. Don’t listen to her nonsense.”
Several young maids gathered around Feicui, soothing her wounded pride.
Surrounded by their flattery, Feicui’s mood improved considerably.
She glanced toward Xie Wanning’s room.
The windows and door were tightly shut, as though their occupant had completely shut herself off from the outside world.
Feicui deliberately raised her voice.
“I certainly don’t have the good fortune of certain people. With Madam’s favor, even a half-blind person can serve right beside the young lady. She isn’t even afraid of getting in the young lady’s way.”
Her words pierced through the window and into Xie Wanning’s ears.
Her hand stilled.
Slowly, she raised it to touch her face.
Her porcelain-white face was framed by a pair of beautiful almond-shaped eyes. The dark pupils were clear and lustrous, as though they held pools of pure spring water.
But her left eye was strikingly different from the right.
It was an extremely pale shade of brown, yellowed and faded like a flower on the verge of withering. Against her otherwise beautiful face, the unusual color was painfully conspicuous.
Xie Wanning lowered her eyes, her long lashes trembling slightly.
Feicui was telling the truth.
She had been unable to see clearly out of her left eye since birth.
At first, it had merely been somewhat difficult for her to see with it. But as she grew older, her vision in that eye gradually deteriorated.
Now, she could barely see anything at all.
After all these years, she had grown accustomed to it.
It was only the unusual color of the eye that was troublesome. One glance was enough to make people feel as though she were some kind of monster.
Outside the window, the cutting remarks continued.
“Some people don’t have to do a single thing all day. Not only do they get a room of their own, they even have the favor of the masters of the residence. Truly, some people are just born lucky.”
If Feicui’s earlier mockery had merely been an outlet for her own frustration, these words stirred up the resentment of every maid present.
“Exactly. She’s a maid just like us. Why does she get to do nothing?”
The argument outside continued on the same subject.
Xie Wanning had heard it so many times over the past three years that she could practically recite every word.
This sort of thing happened all the time.
On the surface, she was a maid. But because of Yang Yushu’s orders, she didn’t have to do any work.
The other people in the residence didn’t know the reason. All they saw was someone taking advantage of Madam’s favor to laze around.
At first, Xie Wanning had tried gently mentioning the matter to Yang Yushu.
Yang Yushu’s response had been to have the maids who had been spreading gossip beaten, give each of them ten taels of silver, and throw them all out of the Yang residence.
That was the first time Xie Wanning had realized just how utterly devoid of humanity this era could be.
A servant had no opportunity even to resist.
If their master was displeased, their very life was no longer their own.
After that, Xie Wanning simply ignored the rude maids in the courtyard.
She gave an almost inaudible sigh.
She had no intention of paying attention to their idle gossip.
Feicui and the others knew perfectly well how formidable Madam was. They only dared to provoke her from time to time when no one from the household was around.
And even then, they had only a handful of insults, repeating the same few lines over and over.
The noise outside suddenly stopped.
Xie Wanning couldn’t help thinking that Feicui had gone quiet unusually quickly today.
She picked up her brush, dipped it into the ink, and was just about to write something when a dark patch suddenly fell across the paper.
Someone knocked on the wooden lattice of the window.
Xie Wanning followed the sound and looked up.
A black silhouette stood outside her window, backlit by the sun.
The shadow was tall and long, enveloping her entire body.
A slender hand knocked against the window lattice once more.
“Miss Xie, are you there?”