Nanny.
She had been his wife for three years, and now their three-month-old Xiaobao was still in swaddling clothes.
She had given all the savings her parents had accumulated over their lives to him and his son for their studies.
She had practically torn out her own heart and handed it to them.
But now Zhou Peifang had made a name for himself and entered the Capital City, and she had become a nanny to him and his son.
Poor Xiaobao had lost her father and become an illegitimate child of unknown parentage.
Even to survive in the Zhou Residence, she had to rely on the Commandery Princess’s mercy.
She had nothing to her name and had come to the Capital City alone with Zhou Peifang.
She had no family or friends in the Capital City, no money, and not even a place to stay.
Nanny had said that Xiaobao could not be brought into the prince’s residence while she served there.
After all, her breast milk was meant for the Master. If she brought Xiaobao along, what would the Master drink?
Besides, the prince’s residence had strict rules, and outsiders were not allowed inside.
But Xiaobao was still so little. In the Zhou Residence, her status was already improper, and even her own father wanted nothing to do with her.
If she wasn’t home, who would take care of her?
Shi Fu was thinking when, suddenly, the blue sky above her seemed to darken.
A black gloom pressed down on her, squeezing the breath from her lungs, as if condemning her to a life from which she could never rise.
She stumbled, and Zheng Shifu fell before she could catch herself.
She felt no pain. Slowly, she got up from the ground and quietly continued walking.
It seemed as though raindrops were falling from the sky, one by one.
Shi Fu reached out bewilderedly to catch them, only to realize they were her own tears.
Looking at the tears on her fingertips, she started laughing again.
In this vast Capital City, there was no place for her and Xiaobao.
After walking for a while, she could only return to the Zhou Residence.
Shi Fu stood in front of the Zhou Residence.
The residence gifted by the Commandery Princess was magnificent.
It had three courtyards and three sets of halls, all gilded and splendid, with attendants coming and going, bustling about.
Back in the countryside, at night, the two of them would lie on bamboo chairs in the courtyard. She would rest her head against Zhou Peifang’s chest and gaze at the stars filling the sky.
Zhou Peifang had promised her:
With her ear pressed to his chest, Shi Fu could hear his muffled voice, accompanied by the steady thump of his heartbeat.
“Fu-niang, I’ll give you a grand home with three courtyards and three sets of halls, carved railings and jade furnishings, and countless attendants.”
“I’ll make you a Madam with an Imperial Honorific Title.”
The residence from her dreams now stood before her, but none of it had anything to do with Zheng Shifu.
Zheng Shifu slowly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
In the courtyard, Zhou Peifang noticed her.
Shi Fu was very slender, but after giving birth, her figure had taken on a pleasing fullness.
With her dewy face and translucent skin glowing in the sunlight, she was like a plump flower bud.
Fresh and lovely.
At that moment, her gaze was lost, like a wilting bud.
Before it could bloom, someone had plucked it from the branch.
It had withered, leaning askew in barren soil.
The winter sun seemed about to melt her away.
Zhou Peifang paused, then walked out with an unchanged expression, a faint smile still on his face.
“Fu-niang… You’re home. Why didn’t you come in?”
Shi Fu looked up at the sound of his voice and saw that familiar face.
He was refined and impeccably dressed, wearing an ivory round-collared robe. He walked toward her step by step, coming into the sunlight.
A gentleman of noble bearing—he had been the man in Shi Fu’s dreams countless nights.
Zhou Peifang naturally took her hand and led her toward the courtyard.
“Where have you been? Why are your hands so cold?”
He spoke gently, then furrowed his brow. His warm, broad palm covered her cold hand as he rubbed it again and again.
Zhou Peifang acted as though nothing had happened, as though everything were still as it had been.
Zheng Shifu looked up at him, then slowly slipped her hand from his.
Her voice was soft. “Lord Zhou, this isn’t how you should treat a nanny.”
Zhou Peifang froze.
Seeing the tear tracks still on her cheeks, he furrowed his brow even more deeply.
“Fu-niang, are you still angry about that?”
He took her hand again, gripping it tightly so she could not pull away.
“Being called a nanny is only temporary. I’ll explain things to the Commandery Princess later and take you as a concubine. Xiaobao will still be registered under your name.”
He emphasized, “She’ll still be your daughter.”
The early winter wind cut coldly across her face.
Zheng Shifu didn’t know whether Zhou Peifang had forgotten something.
Had he forgotten how they once swore before Heaven and Earth, or that they had obtained a marriage contract from the government office?
Perhaps Zhou Peifang had forgotten how, on his deathbed, her father had gripped his hand tightly.
“Better to be a poor man’s wife than a rich man’s concubine… Shifu is fragile. She couldn’t bear it.”
But she hadn’t forgotten.
Zheng Shifu looked up at him and tried to pull her hand away again. “Lord Zhou…”
“Zhou Lang…”
Two voices rang out at the same time.
Before Zheng Shifu could pull free, Zhou Peifang immediately let go of her hand.
The scorching warmth vanished, and with it, her heart turned cold.
Zheng Shifu slowly turned around and saw a woman approaching, holding up her skirt.
Large Begonia blossoms were embroidered all over her dress.
The luxurious skirt billowed around her, and her bright red clothes fluttered like butterflies in the sunlight.
It was the dowry Shi Fu’s mother had embroidered for her.
Su embroidery, impossible to buy even in the Capital City.
Now it was being worn by her.
The woman had ordinary features, but carried herself with an unmistakable air of distinction.
Two tall, burly Nannies followed behind her.
The Commandery Princess.
The great benefactor Zhou Peifang had spoken of.
At that moment, her eyes appraised Shi Fu critically.
Then she looked up at Zhou Peifang and smiled brightly.
“Nanny Zheng wasn’t on duty today. Perhaps something came up at home, so you needn’t blame her.”
“If you have to concern yourself with a nanny’s affairs, Zhou Lang, how will you manage all the other servants in the residence?”
Hearing the Commandery Princess’s voice and seeing the look on Zheng Shifu’s face, Zhou Peifang said nothing.
But the Commandery Princess insisted on an answer. “Zhou Lang, isn’t that so?”
Zhou Peifang’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Then he slowly nodded. “Yes.”
The Commandery Princess smiled, her expression growing ever more radiant.
She lifted her skirt and twirled before Zhou Peifang. The gold hairpin at her temple glittered in the sunlight.
“I accidentally got my clothes wet just now, so I found this to wear in the residence.”
Zhou Peifang looked at the lifelike Begonia blossoms along her skirt.
He knew Shi Fu’s mother had embroidered this by candlelight, and in the end, she had even gone blind.
Zheng Shifu had treasured it. She had worn it only once, on her wedding night.
The Commandery Princess’s crisp voice continued to ring in his ears.
“It looked lovely at first, but now that I’ve put it on, I can see the stitching is rough and the cut is misshapen.”
“I suppose it’s some rustic thing Zhou Lang brought from the countryside, embroidered by a seamstress who’s never seen the world.”
“Before… I wonder who used to wear it.”