Wu Caiwei knew this couldn't go on, but she hadn't figured out how to live her life yet, so she stayed.
One morning, she went out to buy food as usual. As soon as she entered the dilapidated courtyard gate, she noticed something different. This was a haunted house, and no one ever came near it. Even if people had to pass by the entrance, they would avoid it from a distance. Therefore, she never put up any guards and never closed the door. But as she walked into the gate today, she found the main house's door closed.
Clearly, someone had been inside. She didn't know if they had left or were still in the room. With her current martial arts skills, she wasn't afraid of anyone, but on the principle of avoiding trouble, she quietly hid in the room she usually lived in. Just then, the main house door suddenly opened.
A woman with an unfriendly face walked out. The moment they saw each other, Wu Caiwei knew she was sent by Madam Zhu. The woman was a trusted attendant of Madam Zhu. She looked around the environment with some regret. Although the place was rundown and not fit for living, it was still her refuge during her most impoverished times, and she felt some attachment to it. It seemed her whereabouts had reached Madam Zhu's ears, and someone was sent today to drive her away.
As expected, the woman looked her up and down with disdain and sneered, "Life must be quite difficult for you after leaving the Zhu family. With the clothes you're wearing, even the servants of our Zhu family wouldn't wear them. But don't think that just because you're not in the brothel now, you can make people forget what you've done. Madam says you are to leave Lancheng immediately, or you won't even be allowed to stay in this broken place, becoming a rat crossing the street that everyone wants to beat."
Wu Caiwei raised an eyebrow in surprise. This hadn't happened in the original owner's past life. Could it be that in her previous life, the original owner had fallen back into the brothel by this time, trampled into the dust and never to rise again, and the other party couldn't be bothered to trouble her anymore?
In this life, she hadn't resumed her old profession as expected and was instead living in this dilapidated courtyard. Madam Zhu was unhappy and took it out on her? Thinking about it, it was quite possible.
Seeing Wu Caiwei silent for a long time, the woman's anger flared up. She felt that Wu Caiwei wasn't taking her seriously at all. Living here alone, she wasn't afraid. What's more, because they got news of her, they were all reprimanded. Madam felt they weren't paying enough attention and hadn't kept track of her whereabouts, allowing her to stay in the city for so long and live freely.
Seeing that Wu Caiwei ignored her from beginning to end, the old woman's eyes darted, and she thought of her daughter left behind in the manor. She said with a smile, "When you left, Miss Yu cried incessantly, wanting to find her aunt. You are living freely outside the manor, but our Madam has to raise your child. When she reaches marriageable age, she will have to find her a suitable match. This will take over ten years, who knows what might happen? Don't you think so?" Soudan Novel Network
Wu Caiwei looked at the woman's meaningful expression and understood that she was threatening her. If the original owner were here, she would be trembling with fear and begging them to treat her daughter well.
But it was Wu Caiwei standing here. She was contemplating what to do next. Should she force her way into the Zhu family, take her daughter, and get some compensation, or should she leave on her own?
After a moment of hesitation, she chose the latter. It wasn't that she was afraid of the Zhu family, but because the other party was an official family, and her daughter living there was beneficial to her. The key was that she knew Madam, even if she didn't like her daughter, had no intention of harming her, so she was safe for the time being. Moreover, the original owner wanted her to help investigate the truth of her mother's death, and she also wanted to go to Yangcheng. If she brought her daughter, they would definitely become wanted criminals. Not only would she be unable to investigate matters in Yangcheng, but she wouldn't even dare to stay there.
The old woman watched her turn and leave without a word, looking at the people she brought with a confused expression. They all shook their heads, not understanding her intention at all. Although the old woman didn't want to deal with her, thinking of the unfinished task assigned by Madam and the consequences, she had no choice but to brace herself and block her path.
"What do you mean by this?"
"Didn't you tell me to leave? I'm leaving now. Do you have any other business?" Wu Caiwei asked knowingly, not unaware of why she was angry. Seeing her furious look, she felt a sense of relief.
The old woman was stunned, momentarily speechless, and didn't know how to respond.
Wu Caiwei, on the other hand, openly bypassed her and continued walking towards the outskirts of the city. The old woman stamped her feet in frustration. When she turned around and saw everyone lowering their heads, her anger surged even more. She shouted, "Does she really mean to leave just because she says so? Hurry up and follow her to see if she really leaves!"
The servants finally came to their senses. The old woman angrily flicked her sleeves, preparing to report to Madam and add fuel to the fire.
Wu Caiwei, having practiced martial arts for so long, had sharp hearing and keen sight. She knew there were tails behind her and didn't care. This time, she was truly prepared to leave.
So the servants followed her all the way to a ferry crossing in the suburbs. They hid in a concealed spot and watched her board a boat heading for another land before leaving with peace of mind.
Wu Caiwei admired the scenery along the way. When she came here that year, the original owner was immersed in grief and didn't notice her surroundings at all. Later, in countless dreams, she recalled every blade of grass and every tree in Yangcheng from her childhood, wanting to return to the place where she, her maternal grandparents, and her mother had lived, but she dared not.
Her father had instructed a maid to sell her to a pleasure boat. Being young, she couldn't escape. Others didn't know her identity, but her father knew it thoroughly. As long as he revealed her identity, the world wouldn't care how tragic her circumstances were or how helpless she was. They would only know that her status was low and she was unworthy of being a Liu family member.
They might even take his side and drive her out of Yangcheng, and then criticize her maternal grandparents and mother for poor upbringing, allowing her to end up on this path. She didn't want them to suffer insults and abuse even after their deaths.
They drifted on the boat for three days and three nights before reaching the legendary Yangcheng. As soon as they arrived at the dock, they heard shouts. In her memory, Liu Baishi often went to other places to procure goods, so there might be Liu family members guarding the ferry. Therefore, she put on her veiled hat early, afraid of being recognized.
Since she planned to stay here for a while, she directly found an intermediary and rented a small courtyard to settle down.
Fortunately, she had the foresight to have her husband arrange a new household registration for her when he was alive. In fact, she hadn't considered such long-term prospects at all. Her initial goal was to stay away from the brothel and erase everything from her past, but she couldn't bear to leave the Li family. So, she changed her name to Li Shiqin and was born in a village on the outskirts of Lancheng.