“But that estate in the north of the city… I heard it’s completely barren. Even getting water is difficult, and the fields can’t grow anything…”
“If nothing grows, then we’ll find a way to make something grow.” Shen Weiwan’s voice was calm. “If there’s no food, we’ll find food. If there’s no money, we’ll earn it with our own hands. As long as we’re alive, willing to use our minds and put in the effort, we won’t starve.”
Liu Shi looked at her daughter, who was only ten years old, and her heart ached.
Children of this age in other families were still acting spoiled, doted on and cherished by their parents.
But her Wan’er had to shoulder the burden of the family so early and think about their future.
The threshold before them was high, like a dividing line.
Inside the gate was the Marquis’s residence, where strict hierarchy reigned and people devoured one another without mercy.
Outside lay a vast, unknown world—yet also one of freedom.
Once she stepped through this gate, she would no longer be the illegitimate daughter of the Marquis’s household.
From this day forward, she was simply Shen Weiwan.
A Shen Weiwan who lived only to make a living, to protect her family, and to rely on no one but herself.
The great doors slowly closed behind them, cutting off all the prosperity and cold indifference within.
As expected, a shabby carriage covered with blue cloth was waiting by the back gate.
There was no coachman, only an old servant guarding the rear entrance. He impatiently waved his hand.
“Get on already. Don’t block the gate. The Old Madam said we’d only take you to the city gate—not one step farther.”
With no servants to help, the family loaded their few shabby trunks onto the carriage themselves.
Shen Weiwan turned back one last time and looked at the imposing gates of the residence.
The Marquis of Yongning’s Manor.
Today, you cast me aside like dust.
One day, I will rise so high that you’ll never be able to catch up to me.
Without the slightest trace of reluctance, she turned around, bent down, and climbed into the carriage.
The carriage slowly set off, its wheels rumbling over the stone-paved road.
The capital’s main streets were already bustling with traffic and crowded with people.
Magnificent mansions stretched endlessly; the fragrance of food drifted from wine shops and teahouses. Noble young masters and elegant ladies rode in sedan chairs or on horseback. It was a scene of flourishing prosperity.
But as they left the prosperous district where the Marquis’s Manor stood, the roads grew increasingly remote.
The streets became narrower, the houses lower and more dilapidated, and the number of people gradually dwindled.
The refined scent of incense from the Marquis’s residence disappeared, replaced by the smells of dust, grass, and the ordinary smoke and bustle of common life.
Looking at the increasingly desolate scenery outside the carriage window, Liu Shi could no longer hold back her tears.
“We… we’ve really been cast out just like this…”
Shen Jingzhi sighed, his heart full of confusion.
“We’re out now. From now on, we’ll have to rely on ourselves.”
Shen Mingxuan clenched his fists, his gaze resolute.
“I’ll study hard. One day, I’ll support this family.”
Sitting beside her mother, Shen Weiwan gently took her hand.
Her little hand was cool, yet strangely steady.
“Mother, Father, Brother, look.” Her voice was soft but carried strength. “Our whole family is together. No one mistreats us anymore, no one looks down on us, and no one scorns us. From now on, what we say goes. We can live however we want.”
“The estate in the north may be remote, but it’s our home.”
“The fields are barren? Then we’ll reclaim them. There’s no grain? Then we’ll grow it. There’s no money? Then we’ll earn it.”
“As long as our family is united, there’s no hardship in this world that we can’t overcome.”
Her words were like a ray of light shining into the gloom in their hearts.
Looking at her young daughter, so calm and responsible despite her age, Liu Shi’s tears gradually stopped.
As Shen Jingzhi gazed out the window, a glimmer of hope slowly appeared in his confused eyes.
Watching his little sister, the youthful spirit in Shen Mingxuan’s heart was gradually ignited.
When they reached the northern city gate, the carriage indeed came to a halt.
The old servant said expressionlessly, “We’re here. Get out.”
The family of four climbed down from the carriage, carrying pitifully little luggage.
The shabby carriage turned around and drove away without a hint of reluctance, abandoning them in the dusty city gate.
Shen Jingzhi looked toward the unfamiliar northern outskirts, utterly at a loss.
Liu Shi’s eyes were red, and she didn’t know what to do.
Shen Mingxuan tightly held his sister’s hand. There was only one thought in his heart:
No matter how hard life became, he would protect his parents and sister.
Standing under the sunlight, Shen Weiwan took a deep breath.
The air no longer carried the oppressive sandalwood fragrance of the Marquis’s residence, nor the chilling atmosphere of schemes and intrigues. There was only the ordinary, comforting scent of everyday life.
She raised her hand and pointed at the dirt road leading toward the outskirts.
Her voice was clear and reassuring as she said, word by word, to her bewildered family:
“Father, Mother, Brother—let’s keep moving forward.”
“Ahead lies our estate, our home.”
“Starting today, we won’t rely on heaven, on fate, on our ancestors, or on the Marquis’s Manor.”
“We’ll rely on ourselves.”
“As long as our family stands united, even the most broken-down estate can become a good life.”
The wind lifted the hem of her small robe.
The ten-year-old girl’s eyes shone brightly, and her back was straight and proud.
Though the road ahead was poor and difficult, hope had already taken root.
From this moment on, her journey to build a livelihood had officially begun.
“Wan’er… do you think… we can really survive from now on?”
Breathing heavily, Liu Shi slowed her pace and took her daughter’s little hand, her voice trembling.
She had been born into a modest family and had never left the Marquis’s residence in her life. Now, suddenly thrown into the vast capital, the future seemed utterly dark, and even breathing felt frightening.
Shen Jingzhi also stopped, wiping the sweat from his brow.
“It’s all because I’m useless. I’ve made all of you suffer with me.”
Biting his lip, Shen Mingxuan’s young face was filled with helplessness.
“Father, Mother, don’t be sad. I can work. I can copy books. I can earn money to support our family.”
His words made Liu Shi’s heart ache even more, and her tears flowed harder.
Shen Weiwan gently squeezed her mother’s hand.
Though her palm was small, it carried a calming strength.
She looked at her father and brother and said in a clear, gentle, yet unwavering voice:
“Father, Mother, Brother, trust me. As long as we’re alive and willing to work, there’s no reason we can’t survive. No matter how remote the north side of the city is, it’s still a place where we can put down roots. No matter how poor the land is, it can still grow crops. With our own hands, we’ll eventually build a good life.”
Her tone was too calm, too steady—nothing like the words of a ten-year-old child.
The three of them looked at her tiny figure and the fearless light in her eyes, and somehow the turmoil in their hearts eased.
Yes.
Things had already come to this.
Crying was useless.
Hatred was useless.
There was no choice but to keep moving forward.
Shen Jingzhi took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and picked up the wooden chest again.
“Wan’er is right. Let’s go! No matter how hard it is, we’ll make our lives work!”
The four of them said nothing more and continued northward.
The farther north they went, the quieter the roads became.
After nearly an hour of walking, a cluster of low, dilapidated farmhouses gradually appeared in the distance.
The houses were rundown, the courtyard walls crooked, the fields barren, and few people lived there.
In everyone’s eyes, it was a dead end—a symbol of ruin and the miserable fate of those who had been abandoned.