Mo Qing led the two into the side hall and brewed a pot of hot tea.
“Please have a seat, the two of you. This servant will go inform them now.”
Xie Miao’er was feeling uneasy, so much so that she couldn’t even hold the teacup steadily and decided to simply put it down.
Among the Lu family, the Old Madam was the only one who had ever met the “Xie Miao’er.”
The talk of strange and supernatural matters always evoked fear. Although Xie Miao’er didn’t think of herself as an evil spirit or ghost, the fact that a perfectly normal person suddenly had their soul replaced was the kind of thing that, if discovered, could undoubtedly lead to trouble.
So, while Xie Miao’er stared at the tips of her shoes in a daze, she combed through her memory of the encounter between her predecessor and the Old Madam, fearing that she might have overlooked some detail that could make the Old Madam notice something amiss.
When she was deep in thought, she had a habit of twisting the corner of her sleeve into circles. Lu Huaihai, standing beside her, noticed this small habit and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Xie Miao’er opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, a hand emerged from behind the inner door’s curtain.
“Come, walk slowly.”
Mo Qing stepped forward, lifting the curtain slightly with her body angled.
An elegant elderly woman slowly walked out from inside. Her hair was neatly combed without a strand out of place, her eye sockets were slightly sunken, and her chin was somewhat square. It was evident she was advanced in age, but her movements were steady, and she walked with a deliberate confidence—not at all resembling someone who might be unwell.
In her younger years, she had been someone who carried a spear and stood guard at the city gates.
When Lu Huaihai saw her, he stepped forward to support her.
“Go away. Do you think I’m seventy or eighty years old? What’s the point of helping me?” the Old Madam said, swatting his hand away from her forearm.
Mo Qing stifled a laugh, pulled out a chair for the Old Madam, and said, “Old Madam, the young master was worried about you. Look, today he even brought the Xie family’s daughter-in-law to pay her respects to you.”
When Lu Huaihai stood up, Xie Miao’er had already followed suit. Seeing that all three people in the room were looking at her, she stepped forward graciously and curtsied to the Old Madam.
“Thank you for saving my life. I came today to express my gratitude.”
The Old Madam seemed to have poor eyesight. She squinted slightly and waved Xie Miao’er closer. “Come closer so I can have a look.”
Xie Miao’er walked up to the Old Madam.
The Old Madam’s gaze lingered on her for a long while before she finally took her hand and patted the back of it.
“Living well is the best way to honor your father.”
The emotions tied to this body inevitably affected Xie Miao’er. Her eyes reddened slightly, and she replied, “Yes, Old Madam.”
The Old Madam released her hand and reached for Lu Huaihai’s instead. She said, “At first, I worried that I might have matched you two poorly. But now that I see you standing together, I find you quite compatible.”
Seeing this, Mo Qing stepped to Xie Miao’er’s side, signaling her to leave together.
It was only natural for grandparents and grandchildren to have private conversations; having others present would be inconvenient.
Xie Miao’er obediently followed Mo Qing out.
Mo Qing was a lively and approachable person with a kind demeanor. She asked Xie Miao’er, “Mistress Xie, have your injuries gotten better?”
At that time, during an argument, the original “Xie Miao’er” had injured her knee in a tussle.
Xie Miao’er instinctively touched her kneecap and said, “Much better. The bruising has almost faded.”
Mo Qing smiled and said, “That’s good. I’ll have someone send you some safflower oil later.”
One was the head maid by the Old Madam’s side, and the other was a concubine in the young master’s household. When it came to their statuses, it wasn’t clear who was more comfortable or free. Xie Miao’er understood this perfectly.
She could sense the goodwill radiating from Mo Qing and smiled as she thanked her.
The two chatted idly for a while, and then Lu Huaihai came out of the side hall.
He said to Mo Qing, “Grandmother needs to take her medicine.”
Mo Qing nodded, curtsied slightly to the two of them, and turned to leave.
Each day, the Old Madam was only lucid for this brief period after waking up. When she wasn’t clear-headed, it was already fortunate if she didn’t knock over the medicine bowl, let alone drink the medicine properly.
Lu Huaihai planned to escort Xie Miao’er back home.
Of course, he didn’t want to leave through the main entrance of the Lu family estate. At this hour, he might run right into his father, who was heading off to his official duties.
Having climbed the walls so many times, walking out through the front door now felt like an unusual occurrence.
It was rare for grandchildren to spend so much time chatting with their grandmother. At least, in Xie Miao’er’s memories, whether it was her or her siblings, their interactions with their grandparents were usually limited to brief greetings and formal pleasantries.
She couldn’t help but feel curious. As she stumbled slightly while following behind Lu Huaihai, she carefully asked, “Shaoye, what were you and Grandmother talking about just now?”
This time, Lu Huaihai finally realized he was walking too fast and slowed his steps so she could keep up.
As for what they talked about…
The Old Madam had said, “This matter is my fault. I inexplicably gave you a concubine.”
When she was having her spells, she lost clear control over her actions. However, when she wasn’t afflicted, she could remember everything she had done.
There were few grandmothers in the world who would admit fault to their grandchildren, especially regarding something like assigning someone to their household, which traditionally wasn’t even considered a mistake.
So Lu Huaihai replied, “It’s fine. Just think of it as giving her a place to stay for now.”
The Old Madam nodded. After exchanging a few casual words with her grandson, that familiar, fog-like sensation began to cloud her mind again.
Her throat tightened—it was a precursor to her condition flaring up. The Old Madam gripped the redwood armrest firmly to steady herself.
She closed her eyes, which no longer held the clarity of her youth, and said, “During this time, don’t let that Xie woman interact with the family. Don’t let anyone know about her, and don’t tell her either.”
Lu Huaihai didn’t understand and didn’t have time to ask before the Old Madam lowered her voice and sharply commanded, “Leave!”
The Old Madam was a proud person. She didn’t want to lose control in front of the younger generation who shared her blood.
After stepping out, Lu Huaihai’s expression remained tense. When Xie Miao’er suddenly asked him a question, it brought his thoughts back to his grandmother’s last words.
Why couldn’t she meet the family?
And why couldn’t she know?
Xie Miao’er was completely unaware. Seeing that Lu Huaihai didn’t answer her, she thought she had overstepped and quickly said, “I’ve been presumptuous.”
Lu Huaihai gave a barely perceptible shake of his head and replied, “It’s nothing, just some casual conversation.”
Xie Miao’er sighed with emotion. “Shaoye, your relationship with your grandmother is truly wonderful.”
Her envy was written all over her face. When Lu Huaihai saw her expression, he assumed she was feeling emotional because it reminded her of her late father.
He didn’t know how to comfort others, so he stiffly changed the subject. “Today is the second day of the month.”
“Oh, the second day of the month.”
What about the second day?
Xie Miao’er blinked her confused eyes at Lu Huaihai.
He had no choice but to continue improvising. “The second day…”
Was there something special about the second day?
Just as he was running out of ideas, Lu Huaihai caught sight of a fork in the garden path. There, servants from the second branch were cheerfully carrying freshly distributed silk fabrics.
“It’s time for you to collect your monthly allowance,” he said stiffly.
Allowance! Xie Miao’er’s eyes lit up. She asked, “Shaoye, how much monthly silver does a concubine in your household receive?”
The first and second branches of the family both supported concubines, but how would Lu Huaihai know how much they received? He had only mentioned it casually. He replied vaguely, “Just have the maids collect it for you, and you’ll find out.”
The two continued chatting idly until they arrived back at the small courtyard.
When Lu Huaihai appeared ready to climb over the wall to leave, Xie Miao’er stopped him and asked, “Young Master, will you be coming back tonight?”
Her question was so straightforward that it completely dissipated any hint of romantic thoughts Lu Huaihai might have had. Without a second thought, he answered, “Yes.”
—
Xie Miao’er quickly ate a bowl of thin porridge and then called Yue Chuang and Yue Lian, instructing them to find the steward and collect the monthly allowance.
For Xie Miao’er, the experience of receiving a monthly allowance was completely novel.
As the pampered daughter of Grand Tutor Xie’s family, she had never needed to collect a monthly allowance before. Her parents doted on her, so why would she need to? She had always had as much as she wanted.
When she had still been in good health, before illness had worn her down to the point of wishing for a quick death, she had even helped her mother with accounting and bookkeeping.
“Ten years as a clean-handed magistrate yields a hundred thousand taels of silver,” as the saying went. How much more wealth could a central official in the capital amass? Grand Tutor Xie wasn’t corrupt, but being in his position naturally meant the Xie family’s businesses were extensive. Madam Xie, born into a family of equal standing, brought a dowry that was already considerable on its own.
Back then, when Xie Miao’er moved the beads of an abacus, calculating sums in the hundreds and thousands, her heart remained calm and unbothered.
Now, however, when she saw Yue Chuang presenting five taels of silver as though it were a treasure, she let out a small gasp of surprise.
Seeing her expression, Yue Chuang chuckled softly and said, “Mistress, your family does business, but it seems like you’ve never seen silver before.”
Xie Miao’er adjusted her expression and covered her reaction with a light cough. “Indeed, I haven’t.”
Back in her old life, she used to reward maids with silver ingots or beautifully crafted ornaments. Such plain, unadorned silver was something she truly hadn’t encountered before.
However, Yue Chuang misunderstood her meaning. Her tone was filled with admiration as she said, “Mistress, you must have been truly cherished at home, never even needing to help with the family business. Not like us maids—we were sold off by our families and still have to send silver back home every month.”
Yue Lian, who was rubbing the silver coins in her palm, nodded in agreement. “Exactly, exactly.”
Xie Miao’er asked, “You must send money back?”
Yue Chuang sighed. “My mother has to take medicine every day, my father is useless, and there’s a string of younger siblings at home.”
Xie Miao’er fell silent. If their family situation hadn’t been so difficult, they wouldn’t have been sold in the first place.
The mistress and her maids chatted for a while longer before Xie Miao’er suddenly asked, “I remember your family isn’t in Taizhou City. How do you send the silver back?”
Yue Chuang replied, “It’s simple. That stewardess Liu, the old woman who guards the gate, her son oversees the Lu family’s estates outside. The other maids who need to send money or items back home all go through her. She takes a small cut, and she’s made quite a bit doing that.”
Xie Miao’er’s mind stirred.
“Her” stepmother was still living in the countryside with “her” younger siblings.
Although Xie Miao’er currently had no means to make the villain who caused “her” and “her” father’s deaths pay for their crimes, at the very least, she had to fulfill her responsibility as an elder sister.
The Xie family’s cloth workshop was gone, and her stepmother, a widowed woman, must be struggling to raise her children alone.
So, Xie Miao’er said, “Yue Chuang, could I trouble you to make a trip for me? I’d like to send some silver back home as well.”
In the fragments of the original body’s memories, the moments spent with her family were always warm and harmonious. Even the younger sister born to her stepmother later was affectionate and close to her.
Perhaps, when circumstances allowed in the future, she might see them again, Xie Miao’er thought.
She had to make sure they were doing well—that was the only way to bring some solace to the soul of the girl who had died unjustly.