Chapter 8

Chapter 8

That day, Wang Long practically forced the silver into my hands.

He truly treated me well.

So well that I had no idea how to repay him.

All I could do was warn myself over and over not to harbor any improper thoughts, and to take even better care of him until he fully recovered.

When that time came, I would ask for a favor and have him release me so I could return home.

As the weather warmed, I invited Wang Long to take a stroll through the garden.

He seemed hesitant. “Eldest Sister-in-law will worry.”

“Then we’ll go at night.”

Second Master always listened to me. He looked out the window and saw moonlight spilling over the stream, a breeze cool enough to rest one’s head upon, and anticipation appeared on his face as well.

“All right.”

One incense stick later.

I had tied a salt-and-pepper lamb tail to the end of a pole. I swung it once, then again, while Wang Long followed behind me, panting. “Jing’er, wait for me…”

“You little brat…”

“Hah… are you trying to run your master to death?”

The Plum Garden of the Marquis’s Residence was one of the Four Famous Gardens of the Capital. Its grounds were vast, its winding paths secluded and deep. An ordinary person could hardly make a full circuit of it, and it was said that even the imperial consorts from the palace had once gotten lost inside.

Before we had even completed half a loop, Wang Long was so exhausted he collapsed.

Now he lay panting with his head on my lap, a fine sheen of sweat on his brow that only made him look more like a jade tree in the wind.

I took out the dry cloth I had prepared and wiped his sweat, deliberately showing him the damp marks.

“Second Master, you’re sweating.”

“This is… sweat?” He stared blankly. “I haven’t sweated in years.”

I gently wiped his dark sideburns to comfort him.

“It’s all right. You’ll get better and better.”

“…Mm.”

On the way back, Wang Long insisted on holding my hand.

That night, he slept especially soundly.

A few days later, Wang Long felt his spirits had greatly improved. He actually abandoned his cane and walked to the ancestral hall in person to pay his respects to Eldest Madam.

The entire household was stunned.

After a year, I saw Eldest Madam once again.

This time, through the haze of incense smoke, I could not make out her benevolent expression. I could only hear her mild voice. “Since you have rendered such great service, I ought to reward you.”

“What reward do you want? Speak freely.”

What did I want?

Naturally… to buy back my freedom.

But just as the words reached my lips, I heard Eldest Madam above me say softly, “I know you were once a daughter of a decent family. Why don’t…”

“Why don’t I strike your name from the bondservant registry and let you return home?”

I knelt prostrate on the floor, my hands and feet trembling.

Eldest Madam truly had the heart of a bodhisattva!

But just as wild joy surged to my lips, I forced it back down.

For some reason, those eyes filled with anticipation suddenly appeared before me, along with that cool, large hand that would hold mine at night, and the way he had handed me chilled milk custard with his heart full of delight.

If I left, how would others treat him?

Would they understand that hidden resentment the way I did?

Would they notice his subtle inferiority the way I did?

I did not know how much time passed.

Still bowed to the floor, I opened my mouth.

“…No. This servant does not wish to return home.”