As Shen Weiwan gazed at that desolate land, there was not a trace of fear in her eyes—only burning determination.
A dead end?
No.
This was the starting point of her new life.
The place where, by her own strength, she would rebuild her family’s fortunes, carve out a livelihood, and change their destiny.
They stopped at the entrance to the estate.
Shen Weiwan was the first to step down and push open the gate, raising her head to look at the dilapidated manor.
The wind lifted the hem of her plain dress.
The ten-year-old girl stood in the cold wind, her back straight and her gaze calm.
Softly, she said,
“From today onward, this is where we make our home.”
“From now on, I will seek only a livelihood, not love.”
“I will protect my family and depend on no one.”
“I, Shen Weiwan, will surely create a bright future here for my family.”
As her words fell, the wind seemed to stop.
Sunlight broke through the clouds and shone upon her.
At the cold estate north of the city, a new life officially began.
The so-called estate before them was even more dilapidated than they had imagined.
The courtyard walls were made of rammed earth, many sections collapsed and leaning, barely held up by a few dead wooden poles.
The two wooden gates were worn and broken, their hinges rusted. The slightest touch made them creak harshly.
Inside the courtyard stood only three main rooms and two side rooms. More than half the roof tiles were missing, exposing blackened rafters. Moss climbed the corners of the walls, and the window paper was torn with several large holes that rattled whenever the wind blew.
There was no orderly courtyard, no usable furniture, no well house, no woodshed—there wasn’t even a dry place where one could comfortably settle down.
Outside the courtyard lay a few scattered plots of thin farmland. The soil was hard and barren, with weeds growing taller than crops. A glance was enough to tell that the fields had been abandoned for years and could grow almost nothing.
The moment Liu Shi stepped through the gate, tears welled up uncontrollably. She covered her mouth with one hand, her shoulders trembling.
“How… how can anyone live in a place like this?”
Though she had never been favored in the Marquis’s Manor, she had never lived in such a shabby place. Even the homes of ordinary farmers outside the city were several times better than this.
Standing in the middle of the courtyard, Shen Jingzhi looked around as the color slowly drained from his face, leaving only despair and helplessness.
He was the son of a marquis. Though he held no real power, he was still an official. Yet now he had fallen so low that he didn’t even have a proper place to shelter from the wind and rain.
“It’s all my fault… all because I’m useless…”
He clenched his fists and struck his own thigh, his voice full of self-blame and bitterness.
Shen Mingxuan also stood frozen, his youthful face filled with confusion.
He had read many books and knew of the hardships of poor families, but he had never faced such desperate circumstances himself. For a moment, he didn’t know what to do. All he could do was clutch his bundle of books tightly, his eyes slightly red.
The family stood in the empty, ruined courtyard as cold wind poured in from every direction, chilling both their bodies and their hearts.
Despair washed over the three of them like a flood.
Only Shen Weiwan remained calm, without the slightest panic or sorrow.
She slowly released her mother’s hand and began to walk around the courtyard by herself.
She first inspected the houses and determined that although the three main rooms were old, they were in no danger of collapsing. With repaired window paper and a reinforced roof, they could still be lived in.
Then she went to a corner of the courtyard and discovered a dry well hidden beneath weeds. Though it no longer produced water, it could be cleaned out and used for storage.
Finally, she walked to the fields outside the courtyard. Squatting down, she brushed aside the weeds, grabbed a handful of soil, and brought it to her nose.
The earth was poor and compacted, slightly acidic, and had poor water retention. If ordinary rice were planted here, the yield would probably not even reach one shi per mu.
But it wasn’t beyond saving.
She gently let the soil fall from her hand, not a hint of disgust in her eyes. Instead, there was certainty.
So what if the land was barren?
So what if it was desolate?
In her understanding, there was no such thing as useless land—only people who didn’t know how to cultivate it.
There was no such thing as an incurably poor family—only people who didn’t know how to plan.
Turning around, she walked toward her parents and brother, who were still immersed in despair. Her clear and resolute voice instantly broke the deathly silence in the courtyard.
“Father, Mother, Brother, don’t be sad anymore.”
“If the house is broken, we’ll repair it. If the fields are barren, we’ll reclaim them. If there’s no water, we’ll fetch it from the river. If there’s no food, we’ll find a way.”
“The house may be old, but our life is new. The land may be poor, but we’re alive. As long as our family is willing to work, there is no life we can’t live through.”
Shen Jingzhi raised his head and looked at his ten-year-old daughter. His lips moved, but he didn’t know what to say.
Wiping away her tears, Liu Shi choked out,
“Wan’er, you’re still young. You don’t understand how hard life is… We don’t even have a single coin. Your father’s salary is meager, and even putting food on the table is a problem. How can we repair the house? How can we farm the land?”
“Mother, we have money.”
Shen Weiwan’s single sentence stunned all three of them.
“Money?”
Shen Jingzhi froze.
“Where would we get money? The Marquis’s Manor didn’t give us a single coin. My monthly allowance was all spent on maintaining relationships. The family coffers are already empty.”
Without another word, Shen Weiwan reached into the front of her clothes and took out a small oilcloth bundle.
She slowly unfolded it.
Inside were neatly arranged pieces of silver and strings of copper coins.
Though the amount wasn’t large, at this moment it was the family’s only hope.
“This is what I’ve saved little by little over the years in the Marquis’s Manor. Altogether, it’s eighty-seven taels and eight qian of silver, and seven hundred and twenty copper coins.”
She handed the bundle to Liu Shi and said calmly,
“It isn’t much, but it’s enough for us to survive for now and get back on our feet.”
Looking at the money, Liu Shi’s eyes widened in shock, and tears streamed down her face.
“Wan’er… how… how did you save so much money at such a young age? Did you suffer in the manor? Did you go hungry to save this?”
She couldn’t imagine how cautious and careful an unloved, illegitimate little girl in the Marquis’s household would have had to be to save such a sum.
Shen Weiwan gently shook her head and held her mother’s hand.
“Mother, I didn’t suffer. This is simply what I ought to have done. From today onward, leave the family’s livelihood to me. Trust me, and we’ll get through this hardship.”
Her gaze was too firm and her manner too steady—nothing like that of a ten-year-old child.
For a moment, Shen Jingzhi and Liu Shi found themselves nodding unconsciously, instinctively willing to follow her arrangements.
Seeing this, Shen Weiwan immediately began assigning tasks, her thoughts orderly and methodical.
“Father, you’re a man and have strength. Today, go to the nearby hills and chop some dead wood. We’ll use it to repair the courtyard walls and gates and fix the broken tables and chairs inside.”
“You still hold an official post, so you can’t be absent from work for long. Return to your duties tomorrow. Remember: speak less and work more. Don’t mention our family’s difficulties, and don’t let others look down on us.”
“Mother, stay here and clean the house. Repair the window paper and air out the bedding we brought. First, let’s make this place livable and ensure we have somewhere sheltered from the wind tonight.”