Chapter 140

Chapter 140

Only two days later, Shopkeeper Ming sent word that he had found a fine residence and asked Ji Hanyi to take a look.

Ji Hanyi herself was eager to find a place and move out as soon as possible, so that afternoon, she arranged to meet Shopkeeper Ming and view the property with him.

Following the address in Shopkeeper Ming’s letter, she headed toward East City. Even then, she could not help wondering how such a stroke of good fortune had fallen into her lap.

There was a common saying in the capital: “East City houses the noble, West City the rich; Xuanwu is poor, and Chongwen run-down.”

East City was generally home to high-ranking officials, nobles, and members of the imperial family. The Shen Residence, for instance, occupied the finest part of East City, with the Shen Family alone taking up an entire alley.

The Xie Residence was also in East City. Ji Hanyi’s shop, meanwhile, stood where South Street began in front of Chongwen Gate. The area was filled with small merchants and street vendors. Shops there were not worth much, and they catered to ordinary folk.

At first, Ji Hanyi had only intended to find an ordinary residence in West City. After all, she would be staying for no more than a month or two. She had never expected Shopkeeper Ming to find her a place in East City.

Then she remembered that the Xie Residence was also in East City. East City was vast, with more than a hundred alleys, but if this residence happened to be near the Xie Residence, she would refuse to live there no matter how good it was.

The Xie Residence was not located in one of East City’s better areas, either, but among several alleys on the outskirts. Ji Hanyi was genuinely a little worried.

Her concern soon disappeared, however. Wanbao Alley was in the south of East City, while the Xie Residence was in the north. Though both were in East City, they were so far apart that there was virtually no chance of an encounter.

Shopkeeper Ming was waiting at the entrance to the alley. When he saw Ji Hanyi arrive, he hurried over to the carriage.

Ji Hanyi put on her veiled hat and stepped down, then asked Shopkeeper Ming how he had found this place.

As Shopkeeper Ming led her into the alley, he explained what had happened.

He had first asked around among his acquaintances before making a trip to a property broker. By sheer coincidence, he had met a man there who was anxious to rent out a residence. Upon learning that Shopkeeper Ming was looking for one, the man had offered to rent his place to him.

After the two talked for a while, Shopkeeper Ming found both the location and the price highly satisfactory. Better yet, the man had agreed to a lease of only one or two months.

According to him, the residence had stood empty for too long. He only wanted someone living there to bring it some life and keep the furniture and decorations from gathering dust.

In the end, he was essentially looking for someone to watch over the residence and keep it clean while still paying rent. It benefited both sides, so they had quickly reached an agreement.

Ji Hanyi had not expected such a good deal. The rent could not be considered expensive, either. A short-term lease cost twenty taels a month. Though that was hardly a small sum, it was already a very fair price for East City.

As they spoke, they soon arrived at the residence. The vermilion-lacquered front gates alone looked grand and imposing.

Shopkeeper Ming took out the key to unlock them. Ji Hanyi asked, “Is the owner really this trusting? We haven’t even paid him yet. Isn’t he coming over?”

Shopkeeper Ming lowered his voice. “Look over to the side, miss. He’s watching from not far away. If you don’t like the residence, he’ll come straight over and take back the key.”

Ji Hanyi could not help glancing in that direction. Sure enough, she could vaguely make out someone watching from nearby.

She asked again, “Why doesn’t he come over?”

Shopkeeper Ming smiled. “He said it would be inconvenient since you’re a woman, so he asked me to show you around instead.”

By then, the two of them had already entered the residence.

The moment Ji Hanyi stepped into the courtyard, she was captivated by its elegant, tranquil arrangement.

The residence truly was not very large, consisting of only two courtyards, but the rockery, flowers, and plants had all been arranged with meticulous care. There was even a small pond behind the rear courtyard, with a pavilion nestled in a bamboo grove beside it. Ji Hanyi could not help thinking how pleasant it would be to sit there and paint.

She fell in love with the residence at first sight.

She went on to inspect each room. There was indeed a stale, musty smell inside, as though the place had been vacant for a long time. It truly felt cold and deserted, without the slightest trace of human presence.

Shopkeeper Ming asked from beside her, “What do you think, miss?”

Ji Hanyi nodded and said, “I’ll take this residence.”

Then she asked him, “Are you certain everything has been settled? I’ll most likely stay for no more than two months.”

“Don’t worry, miss,” Shopkeeper Ming replied. “I’ve already agreed on everything with him.”

Only then did Ji Hanyi put her mind at ease.

She had known Shopkeeper Ming for three years, and throughout that time, he had always handled matters properly and reliably. She trusted him.

Shopkeeper Ming then told Ji Hanyi about the two scoundrels who had thrown manure at the shop. After being identified last time, they had received another beating at the Military Patrol Office. As soon as they were released the previous night, they had gone to the shop and begged to be allowed to help.

After hearing this, Ji Hanyi said quietly, “If they can be put to work, then put them to work.”

Shopkeeper Ming nodded. “That’s exactly what I did. I made them kneel on the ground and scrub every brick clean with mugwort water. They aren’t allowed to stop until the smell is completely gone.”

Ji Hanyi smiled. “That works.”

High in the upper pavilion of the neighboring courtyard, Shen Si stood looking down at Ji Hanyi as she smiled and spoke with Shopkeeper Ming. A gentle breeze stirred the hem of her skirt and sent the slender sash at her waist fluttering. The ornaments in her dark hair glimmered faintly, and her lively, delicate expression made his gaze soften without him realizing it.

Ji Hanyi had once loved to smile. It was only in front of him that he had rarely ever seen her do so.

After settling on the residence, Ji Hanyi returned home, intending to tell her maternal grandmother that she planned to move out.

Her maternal grandmother was distressed, but after seeing the determination in Ji Hanyi’s eyes, she finally agreed, her own eyes reddening.

Then she took out the set of gemstone lotus jewelry and forcibly pressed the box into Ji Hanyi’s arms. In a hoarse voice, she said, “I saved this set for you in the first place. I gave a few pieces to your Third Younger Sister, but everything left is yours.”

“Don’t refuse it. You still have your mother to care for.”

Ji Hanyi lowered her eyes to the box and fell silent. When she looked up again and saw her maternal grandmother’s reddened eyes, she nestled into her embrace and nodded gently.

After leaving her maternal grandmother, Ji Hanyi went to see her mother.
When they reached the covered corridor, Chunju came out of the room to meet them. In a low voice, she said, “Miss, all of Madam’s belongings have been packed.”

She hesitated slightly, then gave Ji Hanyi a troubled look. “It’s just that Madam doesn’t seem willing to leave.”

Ji Hanyi was not surprised by her mother’s reaction. She nodded gently, stepped over the threshold, and lifted the curtain before entering the west room, where the air was heavy with the smell of medicine.

Madam Gu was already fully dressed. The pale woman had no color in her face, and her usually gentle eyes were now filled with anxiety and uncertainty.

The moment she saw Ji Hanyi, her eyes brightened as though she had finally found someone she could rely on. She hurriedly called out, “Hanyi, come here. Where are we going now?”

Ji Hanyi dismissed the maid in the room. She walked over and sat beside her mother, then looked at her mother’s uneasy expression and said softly, “Mother, we can’t stay here any longer.”

“I asked the shopkeeper to find us a residence. It’s on the east side of the city. The courtyard isn’t large, but it’s very peaceful. There are flowers planted in the back, as well as a small pond.”

Madam Gu stared blankly at Ji Hanyi. “How can you afford to rent a residence on the east side of the city? Besides, we won’t be staying in the capital much longer. Why waste so much money?”

“We’ll still have plenty of expenses when we travel to Wei County. Even if we’re going to seek refuge with your Second Uncle, we shouldn’t trouble his family too much.”

Ji Hanyi clasped her mother’s hand and reassured her, “The residence where Second Uncle lives now was bought by Father years ago. Father also bought the neighboring residence in his hometown so he would have somewhere to live after retiring and returning home. Although we’re going there to rely on Second Uncle, don’t worry, Mother. We won’t cause him any trouble. We’ll simply live next door to his family. I know what I’m doing, and I still have some savings on hand.”

“Besides, the real reason I want to move out this time is that I no longer wish to stay here. Mother, you’ve lived here for so many years. Surely you understand how Eldest Maternal Aunt has treated you?”

“Mother doesn’t want to be a burden to anyone, and neither do I.”

Madam Gu’s face grew even paler at Ji Hanyi’s words. With a single sentence, her daughter had shattered the lies she had told herself all these years. The relatives she had always considered the closest and most loving had, in truth, grown distant from her long ago.

She was the one who had refused to admit it.

She was the one who had continued living in the past, clinging to the days when her elder brother and sister-in-law had taken such good care of her.

But everything had changed long ago. She had become a burden-a burden to the Gu Family – and she had even dragged her own daughter down with her.

Madam Gu began crying again, tears spilling endlessly from her eyes. Ji Hanyi froze at the sight, then pressed her lips together, lowered her head, and leaned into her mother’s arms. She whispered, “Mother, Father once said that life is unpredictable, with both rises and falls. I’ve never felt that our life was too difficult. A temporary hardship doesn’t matter. All I want is for you and me to live out the rest of our days well together.”

Madam Gu listened numbly to Ji Hanyi’s comforting words, but her tears only flowed more heavily, and she broke down in a long bout of weeping.

It took Ji Hanyi a long time to finally soothe her mother. She then rose and told Rongchun to have the maids carry their packed belongings out to the carriage.

They did not have much to begin with. Madam Gu had few clothes or pieces of jewelry. When mother and daughter had first left the Ji Residence, they had walked out wearing only plain, unadorned clothes.

By the time they reached the front gate, it was already late afternoon, between three and five.

When Madam Liu heard that Ji Hanyi was leaving without a word, she hurried to the front gate and said, “Why are you leaving before your mother has recovered? Stay a few more days.”

She then moved closer to Ji Hanyi and lowered her voice. “Don’t take Eldest Maternal Aunt’s words to heart. She truly went too far. Don’t worry. I’m on your side.”

Ji Hanyi looked at Second Maternal Aunt, and a rare hint of a smile appeared on her face.

In truth, Second Maternal Aunt had not treated her as well as Eldest Maternal Aunt had in the past. Ji Hanyi had indeed once been closer to Eldest Maternal Aunt. It was only after everything she had experienced that she realized someone with Second Maternal Aunt’s straightforward nature was the most genuine of all.

When she was younger, she had known too little about human nature and the ways of the world. Only after living through a major upheaval could she clearly see the true character of everyone around her.

After exchanging a few more words of farewell, Ji Hanyi was just about to board the carriage when a sudden clatter of urgent hoofbeats rang out. Her steps paused. She turned her head and saw Gu Yan galloping back on horseback.

As soon as Gu Yan spotted Ji Hanyi, he hurriedly dismounted and strode toward her.

Madam Liu watched from the side. From the moment Gu Yan rode back, his gaze had remained fixed on Ji Hanyi, his urgency obvious. She quietly observed him for a moment. She had never thought much of it before, but the longer she watched now, the more she sensed there was something between them.

Her elder sister-in-law was such a shrewd, calculating, and petty woman, yet the son she had raised seemed to harbor a different sort of feeling for Ji Hanyi. Madam Liu clicked her tongue to herself. It seemed her clever sister-in-law still had quite a few headaches waiting for her.

For some reason, Madam Liu even found herself hoping that Ji Hanyi and Gu Yan really would end up together. For one thing, she considered Gu Yan a good man and a suitable match. It wasn’t that she wished Ji Hanyi any harm – she simply wanted to make her elder sister-in-law miserable.

She glanced once more at Gu Yan, whose body was unconsciously leaning toward Ji Hanyi, then withdrew her gaze with a smile and walked back inside with her maid.

Meanwhile, Gu Yan lowered his head and stared intently at Ji Hanyi. “Cousin Yi, are you leaving?”

Ji Hanyi told him of her plans.

Gu Yan gazed into Ji Hanyi’s eyes. Those dark pupils now reflected his somber face. His heart tightened, pounding wildly in his chest as his thoughts spiraled into chaos.

The instant he saw Ji Hanyi about to board the carriage and leave, he even wanted to lock her away in his room forever – to keep her beneath his wings for the rest of her life, unable to go anywhere and forever dependent on him alone.