Luo Jinyu naturally did not know her true origins.
She had been raised by a brothel madam since childhood, learning music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—all cultivated in the manner of a captivating shouma.
But Luo Jinyu knew she was more beautiful than others, and her pride was naturally high.
Now, hearing this farm girl say that her fate-pattern was noble, she instinctively believed it!
Luo Jinyu’s heart pounded wildly!
She had always felt, ever since she was little, that she was different from everyone else!
So it was because her fate-pattern was noble!
This farm girl also said that her future home would be one of great wealth and honor.
In other words, her good days were not far off?
Even though the Song family trusted Song Yanyan, the story about a white-bearded immortal appearing in her dream to give guidance was still too far-fetched. Tian Denghua and the other two were half-convinced and half-doubting, looking at Song Yanyan with suspicion.
Song Yanyan spoke with utmost seriousness: “It’s true. Mother, you know me—how could I make up such a story to deceive people? If you don’t believe me, ask this little noble lady: isn’t her surname Luo?”
Luo Jinyu was so shocked her body swayed!
Then a flicker of excitement flashed in her eyes.
“I… I am indeed surnamed Luo…” Luo Jinyu forced herself to stay calm, but her slightly trembling voice betrayed her true emotions.
Seeing Luo Jinyu like this, how could Tian Denghua not believe it? She gasped sharply.
So there really was a white-bearded old immortal who appeared in her daughter’s dream to offer guidance?!
Qi Lian had initially been happy about rescuing a noble lady, but then she thought: just now, Yanyan had also said that this noble lady’s fate-pattern was too heavy for their family to bear, which was why Yanyan had fainted.
Then… now that the noble lady was sitting on their family’s kang, would something terrible happen to their family again?!
While Qi Lian was still anxiously worrying, Tian Denghua had already made a decision: “The snow outside has almost stopped. Eldest, tomorrow you take this Miss Luo into the city. Since she’s a noble lady with a fate-pattern of great wealth and honor, we mustn’t delay her future good days!”
Luo Jinyu was still somewhat uneasy. She opened her mouth as if to say something.
But as far as she could see, the Song family’s home was utterly destitute—the yellow mud on the walls still exposed straw, and even the table was missing a corner. It was the very definition of poverty.
Luo Jinyu swallowed back the words she had intended to say about asking the Song family to take her in for a few days.
Since childhood, she had been attended by maids to prevent her delicate hands from becoming rough. Her food, clothing, shelter, and daily life could all be described as refined—she had never lived in such a crude place.
Luo Jinyu lowered her eyes demurely and said in a soft, delicate voice, “I’ll listen to Auntie’s arrangements.”
She never mentioned anything about repaying them through hard labor again.
Tian Denghua also breathed a sigh of relief and instructed Song Risheng and Qi Lian to tidy up the small, low house on the west side of the courtyard belonging to Song Xingming, so Luo Jinyu could stay there for the night.
The Song family’s third son, Song Xingming, was currently studying in the county town and only returned once a month. The room was empty anyway.
Although Luo Jinyu felt some disdain, she had no other choice and followed Song Risheng and Qi Lian out.
As soon as Luo Jinyu left, Tian Denghua’s expression changed.
She wanted to pinch Song Yanyan’s ear.
But as soon as she reached out, she remembered how pitiful Song Yanyan had looked earlier when she had patted her, so she reluctantly withdrew her hand.
“Yanyan, Mother asks you,” Tian Denghua suppressed the urge to pinch her youngest daughter’s ear and lowered her voice, “Is that little Luo girl really some kind of noble lady?”
It could only be said that no one knows a daughter better than her mother. She had just noticed that the way her daughter looked at Luo Jinyu was off—there was a fierceness in her gaze that sent chills down her spine.
If Luo Jinyu were truly a noble person, would her daughter react like that?
Her daughter couldn’t possibly be at fault, so the problem must lie with that so-called noble person!
Song Yanyan threw herself into Tian Denghua’s arms, her small body trembling slightly, her pretty little face deathly pale.
Tian Denghua was utterly startled.
“Mother,” Song Yanyan’s voice was hoarse, “I lied. That Luo woman is no noble person—she’s a jinx! I saw it, I saw it all! If she stays in our home, she’ll bring ruin upon our family!”
The more Song Yanyan spoke, the more she felt like crying.
The experiences from her dream life were vivid in her mind—her mother shielding her, yet both of them still pierced through by that cold, sharp sword!
Her mother’s blood soaked her clothes, and the pain was unbearable, unbearable!
Tian Denghua was so terrified her hands and feet turned icy cold. Her daughter’s small body trembled violently in her arms, and Tian Denghua didn’t doubt a single word of it!
Her daughter was this frightened—it must be true!
Tian Denghua’s gaze fell on a sickle placed in the corner of the room. For a moment, she felt an impulse to go and kill that Luo girl!
But—
Tian Denghua regained her senses and shuddered.
No, no, how could she be so impulsive? If that Luo woman died in their home, and the truth came out, it would be fine if she were caught, but how would her children live afterward?!
Moreover, her Yanyan had said that if Luo Jinyu stayed, it would bring ruin upon their family—
Then, wouldn’t it be enough to just send Luo Jinyu away?
Judging by her Yanyan’s actions, it seemed she was aiming for exactly that!
Tian Denghua’s expression shifted repeatedly, and finally, with a pale face, she asked Song Yanyan, “…If we send that Luo woman away, will our family be able to avoid this calamity?”
Song Yanyan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Luo Jinyu was like the true daughter protagonist in the stories of switched identities she had read in her past life—blessed with innate fortune and many opportunities, always able to turn misfortune into luck.
Logically, as long as she prevented her family from taking Luo Jinyu in, when Luo Jinyu later regained her identity as the daughter of the princess, she wouldn’t be able to accuse their family of mistreating or bullying her, right?!
This way, the tragedy from her dream would surely not happen again!
Song Yanyan’s gaze gradually grew resolute.
She must protect her family well! She would never let the tragedy from her dream happen in reality!
Tian Denghua looked at her young daughter, who had stopped trembling in her arms, and made up her mind.
She must send that Luo woman far away as soon as possible!
The next day, the snow had completely stopped.
Qi Lian fetched a heavy straw raincoat for Luo Jinyu to wear against the cold, while Song Risheng put on his thickest cotton-padded jacket and took a pack of pancakes made by Tian Denghua. Step by step, he led Luo Jinyu toward the county town.
Qi Lian was still worried, leaning against the door as she watched Song Risheng’s figure gradually disappear at the village entrance.
A villager nearby came over to tease her, “Oh, Mrs. Song, you and your husband are so close… It’s just that your belly really isn’t cooperating. It’s been years since you married into the family—why haven’t you given the Song family a grandson yet?”
These words struck a nerve with Qi Lian.
She had been married to Song Risheng, the eldest son of the Song family, for three years, but her belly had remained silent.
During her previous visit back to her parents' home, she had secretly gone to see a doctor. The doctor said there was nothing wrong with her body—perhaps it was just a matter of waiting for the right timing.
Qi Lian could only suppress her anxious feelings.
Tian Denghua herself had three sons and one daughter, and the two younger sons were still unmarried, so she wasn’t in a hurry and had never pressured Qi Lian.
But she couldn’t escape the gossip of many long-tongued women who secretly mocked her as a hen that couldn’t lay eggs. Qi Lian felt immense pressure!
Now, hearing others laugh at her for not showing any signs of pregnancy, Qi Lian’s eyes welled up with tears.
"I heard someone speaking harshly from a distance and wondered who it was!" Song Yanyan came out wearing a thick cotton coat, its collar trimmed with a circle of rabbit fur—gray and fluffy, looking incredibly warm. It made the young girl Song Yanyan appear even more charming.
Standing beside Qi Lian, Song Yanyan pursed her lips disdainfully. "…Only after coming out did I realize it was Aunt Ge. Auntie, it’s not that I’m trying to be rude, but instead of worrying about my sister-in-law’s belly, why not worry about your own dear son? Has the leg he broke last time while climbing the high wall of the young bride’s house in the neighboring village healed yet?"
The woman addressed as "Aunt Ge" flushed with anger and muttered resentfully, "Song Yanyan, that mouth of yours… really!"
But before she could finish her sentence, she saw Tian Denghua also step out of the small courtyard. Aunt Ge immediately fell silent!