Over there, Xie Rui had walked quite a distance when he suddenly turned to his attendant beside him. “Bai Song, did my cousin used to smile when she saw me before?”
Bai Song shook his head with utmost honesty. “No, Miss Cousin never dared to lift her head in your presence before, let alone smile.”
“You find it strange too, don’t you?” Xie Rui smiled meaningfully. “My little cousin seems to have changed quite a bit after not seeing her for so long…”
“Darling, do you think that young master Xie suspects us? How was your mom’s performance?”
Xin Nian glanced at her mother and gave an honest assessment. “Just average. Xie Rui is clever – judging by that little expression he had when leaving, tsk tsk, he definitely suspects us.”
Xin Nian crossed her arms and shrugged. “But suspicion is useless anyway. We haven’t changed our appearances or switched bodies – we’re still the same people from head to toe. Who could possibly know about changes in the soul?”
“It’s all that deadbeat father of the original host’s fault, actually beating your mom to death. Otherwise we wouldn’t have happened to cross over…” Xie Ninglan paused. “Oh right, darling, how did your original body die?”
This question truly stumped Xin Nian. She hadn’t really thought about it since crossing over. The original host’s parents had fought each other until they both passed out during the house confiscation, giving Xie Ninglan and her husband the opportunity to come over.
So how did she get here?
Her original body must have passed out too, because she clearly remembered opening her eyes already in prison, followed by that series of troubles – the broken engagement, the journey, etc.
Wait, broken engagement?
Xin Nian turned to look at her mother, her intelligent eyes sparkling. “Could it be that this original host died from anger after being rejected by that young master from Lin’an Marquis Manor?”
“What?” Xie Ninglan was shocked.
Seeing her daughter’s serious expression, she couldn’t help but press further. “Are you sure?”
“Probably. Or maybe she died from fright because of the house confiscation and exile?” Xin Nian also found the matter utterly absurd.
“But I think death from anger is more likely. I remember Xin Ruoyu comforted me yesterday, telling me to take it easy and all. That young girl probably died from shame and anger over the broken engagement.”
Xie Ninglan stared with her mouth open for a long moment. “Darling, you can’t be like that. We women shouldn’t have such explosive tempers…”
“Of course I know. Let others get angry, not me – if I die from anger, no one will replace me.”
“Exactly, exactly, exactly.” Xie Ninglan hugged her daughter’s arm and nodded repeatedly. “That’s the right attitude. Learn from those villains – they never internalize conflicts, even their farts and shit smell good to them. Villains usually make others suffer!”
Xin Nian couldn’t help but laugh, feeling her mother looked particularly funny when saying this, as if possessed by a villain’s spirit.
“Ah, the original young girl was pitiful too. So young and inexperienced, locked away in her chambers every day, suddenly exiled and rejected – it’s understandable that she couldn’t take it.”
Xie Ninglan sighed along with her daughter. Looking up, she saw the old escort approaching while rubbing his hands and smiling. “Fourth Madam, Sixth Young Miss, all settled?”
Xie Ninglan politely clasped her hands in salute. “Thank you for your consideration, Escort Zhang.”
“Of course, of course.” The old escort glanced at the basket on Xin Nian’s back, his smile hiding needles in cotton. “Just these few things? Hardly worth the young master from the Minister’s residence making a special trip.”
Xin Nian smiled brightly, her voice soft and sweet enough to disarm anyone completely.
“There are indeed many things, but our flatbed cart is already full, we can’t fit any more. So we had to ask cousin to take most of the items back with him.”
“Cousin said that when we reach Heng County up ahead, he’ll have someone deliver more supplies to us for emergencies.” The young girl gave the old escort a shy smile. “We’ll have to trouble Escort Zhang again when the time comes.”
“Ah, no trouble at all, it’s just a small favor, really no trouble. If Young Master Xie comes, just let us know anytime.” The old escort grinned, revealing a set of yellowed teeth.
This was no trouble at all – it was practically a wealth-bringing messenger! Every time the Xie family came to deliver goods, they included substantial silver payments. Both Liang Tou and the escorts received their share, so they were delighted rather than annoyed.
Xin Nian smiled faintly. “Then we’ll be going ahead now.”
“Alright, alright.” The old escort watched the two depart with a smile, rubbing his chin and clicking his tongue. “I must say, this noble young lady from the Duke Manor is quite the beauty.”
Xie Ninglan noticed from the corner of her eye that the old creep was still staring at them, feeling utterly disgusted. She couldn’t help but complain, “Sweetheart, why did you smile so sweetly at that old lecher? That old ruffian, with his dog-headed, pig-faced appearance, how dare he look at you like that? I’d love to whip him with a cane.”
“It’s fine. In a couple of days when we’re further from the capital, we’ll find a way to deal with them one by one.” The young girl’s voice was sweet, but her words were more vicious than any wild beast.
“Right, daring to extort money from us – I wouldn’t mind killing them eight hundred times over.”
As they were talking, Dali came rushing over. Seeing them unharmed, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. “Madam, Young Miss, you’ve been gone so long, Fourth Master was worried something might have happened.”
“That Escort Zhang just stopped us and questioned us for quite a while. It was rather frightening – my heart is still pounding.” Xin Nian patted her chest with her fingers, putting on a delicate, vulnerable act.
Dali hurried forward to support her, his eyes full of concern. “Young Miss, from now on wherever you go, you must call me to accompany you. Please don’t wander off too far.”
“Mm, mm.” The young girl nodded obediently.
Xie Ninglan drooped the corners of her mouth, finding it hard to watch her daughter’s act.
“Let’s go back. The convoy is preparing to depart.”
When Xin Wenyuan saw his wife and daughter return safely, he quickly squeezed close to them and whispered, “Starting from today’s lunch, let’s set aside a portion of food for mother. My third brother has been glaring at me the whole way, nose out of joint, as if I’ve committed some unforgivable crime.”
“Ah, these ancient people emphasize filial piety so much. The way we ate and drank without regard for others yesterday probably seemed terribly unfilial to everyone else! We can ignore others, but ignoring mother is a bit too much…”
Xie Ninglan nodded. “Alright, but what about your large family with all their elders and children? What if mother distributes the food to others? We don’t have much food ourselves – we can’t provide for so many people.”
Xin Wenyuan waved his hand. “Just give mother her portion. How she distributes it is her business. If she prefers to go hungry playing the benefactor to others, that’s not our concern.”
The convoy departed from the small post station as dawn was breaking.
The group dragged along in their handcuffs and shackles, moaning, groaning, and weeping, annoying the accompanying escorts so much that they lashed out impatiently with their whips. The crying stopped immediately, and everyone became quiet.
“Everyone, move it! We need to reach Locust Tree Slope thirty li away by noon today, so we can take it easier and suffer less in the afternoon.”
“As the days get hotter from now on, pushing harder in the morning means more comfort later. This is for your own good! All of you, perk up!”