“This is where you live,” Feng Qishi said, looking at the dilapidated room with surprise.
Mu Anxiao did not want to play the victim and remained silent. With a trace of apprehension in her heart, she walked into the open doorway without looking at Feng Qishi and the others.
It was different from what she had imagined.
Little Mu Anxiao stood before the table, arranging the food she had cunningly obtained from servant number two. She then turned to look at the clean bed beside her and smiled, saying, “Sister should be back soon, right?”
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao was stunned.
Feng Qishi stood behind Mu Anxiao, looking at the oblivious little Mu Anxiao, his eyes darkening. “…” He lowered his head and looked at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao said, “I can’t remember many of my past memories.” As she spoke, tears began to well up in her eyes.
Little Mu Anxiao smiled.
Thus, she watched herself for a full fifteen minutes.
After fifteen minutes, the female housekeeper entered with two maids.
“Who bought this for you?” the female housekeeper asked.
Both little Mu Anxiao and Mu Anxiao looked towards the housekeeper as she entered the room.
Little Mu Anxiao glared at the smiling housekeeper with displeasure and asked, “What are you here for?”
Female housekeeper: “Miss, congratulations.”
“What are you congratulating me for?” little Mu Anxiao asked, confused.
Mu Anxiao frowned, looking at the housekeeper’s solicitous expression towards little Mu Anxiao.
Wolf demon: “This woman, you can tell she’s up to no good.”
“Indeed,” Lin Yan agreed.
Mu Anxiao glanced at the righteous wolf demon and Lin Yan, then looked back at little Mu Anxiao, who was not pleased with the housekeeper. She swallowed. “…”
Female housekeeper: “Your servant asks, who bought these for you?” She pointed to the food on the table.
Little Mu Anxiao: “It’s none of your business.”
“It is none of my business, but…” the female housekeeper continued to smile falsely, walking opposite little Mu Anxiao. “But I just want to help you.”
“You help me?”
From childhood to adulthood, this housekeeper had never looked properly at little Mu Anxiao. When her paternal aunt was alive, she constantly bullied her, and her paternal aunt had argued with this housekeeper many times because of little Mu Anxiao.
After that, the housekeeper did not dare to bully little Mu Anxiao anymore.
But after her paternal aunt died, everything changed. The housekeeper began to bully little Mu Anxiao, making her do everything, even men’s work, which she assigned to the frail girl.
Each time, she told herself that since she was the least likable child, she had no choice but to endure it.
Mu Anxiao could no longer recall these events, perhaps because life outside was even harder than here? Or perhaps, no matter how bitter it was here, it was still home. Precisely because it was home, she never complained, nor did she ever feel sorry for herself.
But now, seeing little Mu Anxiao’s life, she realized that life here was much harder than outside. Her past was truly pathetic.
At this moment, she realized… sometimes the harm inflicted by family can be even more severe than the harm inflicted by outsiders.
“…” She felt pity for herself, and tears slid down the corners of her eyes.
Female housekeeper: “Tell me, who is it.”
“How will you help me?” Little Mu Anxiao’s mind was very clear.
Female housekeeper: “I will help you escape punishment.”
“Punishment?” Little Mu Anxiao frowned. “You’re going to hit me?”
“Did your paternal aunt not teach you the rules of the manor?” the female housekeeper retorted.
Little Mu Anxiao froze and suddenly remembered that her paternal aunt had said that things from outside were not to be brought into the manor, and discovery would lead to punishment. That was why she always entered through the back door.
Gradually, she had forgotten this rule.
At this moment, the instant the housekeeper mentioned the rule, she suddenly felt guilty. “She did.”
“She did, so why did you still bring these things in?” The housekeeper was no longer solicitous; instead, she asked in an aggressive tone, “Don’t you have a brain?”
“I do have a brain.”
“Oh?” the female housekeeper smiled. “Then it seems someone is framing you.”
“…” Little Mu Anxiao could no longer understand what the housekeeper was trying to do.
Mu Anxiao also couldn’t understand.
“Didn’t you understand what I said?” the female housekeeper asked again.
Little Mu Anxiao’s eyes darted away. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Very good.” The female housekeeper nodded slightly, turned to the two maids standing by, and said, “Take the young lady away, and take these things with you.”
“Yes.” They both said in unison and stepped forward to grab little Mu Anxiao.
Minutes later.
After struggling, little Mu Anxiao was captured.
Mu Anxiao was powerless and could only watch herself, fuming in vain.
Feng Qishi said, “This is too much.” He looked at little Mu Anxiao, who was glaring at the housekeeper, and felt a pang of heartache.
“Let’s go.” The female housekeeper curved her lips, as if anticipating a good show, and turned to leave first.
A moment later.
The female housekeeper and the others, along with little Mu Anxiao, took a shortcut to the front of the reception hall.
Everyone from the manor was there, including the woman from the cultivation sect.
As for the man who bought the things for little Mu Anxiao, he was being restrained by two burly men by a tree.
In Mu Anxiao’s eyes, everything here seemed meticulously planned.
“You never spoke ill of your parents before, and they treated you like this,” Feng Qishi said, glancing at the couple sitting in the grand chairs, his heart sinking. “You’re quite capable of enduring.”
Mu Anxiao had completely forgotten what her parents looked like. At this moment, seeing them, she felt an uncontrollable pain. Clenching her fists, she wanted to know what her biological parents were thinking.
“Mu Anxiao, do you know your mistake?” Mu Father said sternly.
Little Mu Anxiao stood before her parents, glanced at servant number two, who was beaten black and blue, and retorted, “Father, what… what mistake have I made?” She wanted to save servant number two but didn’t know how.
“You’re talking back, and I can have them beat you,” Mu Father shouted sternly.
Little Mu Anxiao’s small body stiffened. “Father, your child just wants to eat something, what mistake have I made?”
“You…” Mu Father glared at little Mu Anxiao in anger and said, “You useless thing, you’ve forgotten the rules of our Mu family. We also have excellent cooks. If you want to eat, just ask them to make it. Why must you eat outside things? How embarrassing.”
“Father, you never let me come here before, I don’t even know where the kitchen is, you…”
“Slap her,” Mu Father interrupted suddenly.
Little Mu Anxiao was stunned.
Mu Mother looked at little Mu Anxiao with a cold expression and said, “You wretched girl, you useless thing, you dare to talk back. Hit her.” She looked at the maids holding little Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao looked at the scene before her, utterly bewildered, her heart beginning to race.