Chapter 013: Guidance

The two rough women, seeing that the person had woken up, couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Only then did they realize that they had broken out in a sweat despite the cool weather, and they raised their sleeves to wipe their foreheads.

But no one expected that just as You Fangyin woke up, a fierce look flashed in her eyes.

She struggled to break free from the two women and shouted at the top of her lungs, “Help, help—”

The old women were startled and quickly reached out to cover her mouth. “What are you shouting for?!”

But it was too late.

Although You Fangyin was weak, she had used all her strength to shout, and her voice echoed in the relatively quiet and empty place.

Although the surroundings were quiet, there were still maids taking shortcuts nearby.

Hearing the sound, they came over to see You Fangyin lying on the ground, soaking wet. They misunderstood the situation and, without waiting for the women to stop them, shouted loudly, “Something’s wrong, something’s wrong, someone fell into the water!”

Those women were almost livid with anger.

At this time, people in the garden had already started admiring the chrysanthemums, and it wasn’t far from here. In no time, a large crowd gathered, including maids from the mansion and guests attending the banquet today.

Yan Lin was talking to Shen Jie when he heard someone had fallen into the water and didn’t pay much attention at first.

But when he heard it was a girl who had fallen into the lotus pond and recalled the direction Jiang Xuening had gone, he was startled. In his panic, he didn’t have time to ask for details and rushed over with the others.

Fortunately, when he arrived, he saw Jiang Xuening standing safely by the lotus pond, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he thought he had overreacted. But the next moment, he was puzzled again.

The shout just now had almost exhausted all of You Fangyin’s strength, and she fell to the ground after taking only a few steps. Having fallen into the water earlier, her clothes were soaked and clung to her body.

Many people in the pavilion across the way were looking over, pointing and whispering.

Jiang Xuening’s mind wandered for a while, but when she came back to her senses, she understood the reason behind You Fangyin’s actions—

If she didn’t make a big fuss, who knew what might happen in the future?

She might be killed secretly without anyone knowing.

The person had already been saved.

It was too late to regret.

Today, she was wearing a moon-white dress with a gold-embroidered outer garment. She took it off and gently draped it over You Fangyin, then turned to the crowd across the pond with a cold, expressionless face and said, “What are you all standing around for? Haven’t you seen old women punishing a girl, or servants bullying their master?”

“Wow!”

Everyone was stunned by these words.

The two old women standing nearby looked at Jiang Xuening as if they had seen a ghost.

Even You Fangyin was taken aback.

The still-warm outer robe was draped over her, and the young girl in front of her, having removed the loose outer garment, stood tall and straight in a moon-white long dress, cinched at the waist, with a hint of coldness in her eyes.

She was as beautiful as plum blossoms in the snow, as cold as the moon in a cold pond.

Even the best words used to describe beauties in the operas she had heard could not capture her beauty. In that moment, her nose tingled, and large tears rolled down her cheeks. She was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t even utter a word of thanks, only staring, unable to look away.

Yan Lin, standing across the pond, immediately understood what was happening. His gaze swept over Jiang Xuening’s slender figure and then to the noble young men standing beside him, realizing they were not looking at the “drowned” girl but at his Ning Ning.

His brows furrowed deeply.

Yan Lin’s face darkened, and he immediately said, “Yes, a girl fell into the water, and a bunch of men standing around watching is inappropriate. Move along, move along.”

After all, this was the inner courtyard of the Qingyuan Marquis’s mansion, and the identity of the girl who fell into the water was unknown, so it was indeed inappropriate to linger.

Although the crowd was somewhat dissatisfied with Yan Lin’s words, they still muttered and left.

Only Yan Lin lagged behind a few steps.

Shen Jie looked at him.

Yan Lin thought for a moment, then took off his outer robe and handed it to Qing Feng beside him, saying impatiently, “Give it to her. It’s getting cold, and we don’t want her to catch a cold for some unknown girl.”

Qing Feng thought that giving this robe to the second young lady might not be appropriate, but knowing his master’s temper, he dared not say more. He took the exquisitely embroidered robe and headed towards the lotus pond.

When he arrived, he handed the robe over.

Tang’er looked at Jiang Xuening, unsure whether to take it or not.

Qing Feng sighed inwardly and said softly, “If the second young lady doesn’t take it, I’ll have to take it back, and it won’t be easy to explain…”

Jiang Xuening glanced at him and then said to Tang’er, “Take it.”

Qing Feng breathed a sigh of relief, “Thank you, second young lady, for your kindness.”

Tang’er took the sky-blue robe and hung it over her arm. Qing Feng bowed to Jiang Xuening and retreated.

The onlookers dispersed. Only the servants of the Qingyuan Marquis’s mansion remained nearby.

Jiang Xuening saw that You Fangyin was soaked to the skin, and the wind outside was strong, making her shiver and her face pale. She looked at the three old women and said, “Although it’s not my place to interfere in the affairs of your Marquis’s mansion, if you handle things so harshly that you end up taking a life, aren’t you afraid of losing your virtue?”

The old women were initially furious at Jiang Xuening’s audacity to speak such nonsense about “old women punishing a girl, servants bullying their master.” But when they saw someone from Yan Xiaohouye’s side bringing her clothes, they were relieved they hadn’t impulsively scolded Jiang Xuening, as offending the wrong person could have serious consequences.

At this moment, hearing Jiang Xuening’s reprimand, they all lowered their heads and smiled awkwardly, not daring to retort.

Jiang Xuening didn’t want to meddle too much in the affairs of the Qingyuan Marquis’s mansion and simply said, “Take her back to her room first.”

“Yes, yes.”

The other masters in the mansion might not yet know what had happened here. The old women’s actions had been witnessed by Jiang Xuening, making them both guilty and afraid. They quickly responded, helped You Fangyin up, and walked towards the northeast courtyard.

Jiang Xuening hesitated for a moment but followed them.

Tang’er, watching from behind, was puzzled.

Jiang Xuening herself found it hard to describe her thoughts at that moment: Was she trying to save someone to the end? No, she wasn’t that kind-hearted. Was she waiting for a miracle? She had already experienced enough miracles, being reborn was one, and the heavens wouldn’t be so kind to her.

Maybe, she just wanted to take a look.

To see where You Fangyin used to live.

The northeast courtyard was where the less favored concubines and illegitimate daughters lived, and it was quite simple compared to the rest of the mansion. Even the servants with some status in the Jiang family lived in better conditions.

Upon entering, the furnishings were very simple.

A bed, a wooden screen, tables and chairs, and an embroidery basket on the kang table with unfinished needlework. The surroundings were clean and neatly arranged. There was only a young maid in the room, who seemed unsure of how to react to the sudden influx of people.

It wasn’t until the leading old woman scolded her that she knew to serve tea, water, and towels.

Jiang Xuening glanced at her without speaking, unable to resist looking around the room.

But You Fangyin had never been here.

The room had no idle books, no luxurious silks, no newfangled items, and no Western clocks…

The surreal feeling she had when saving someone gradually dissipated, replaced by a solid reality, leaving no room for hope or fantasy.

For the first time, she truly looked at this life’s You Fangyin.

With guests present, You Fangyin couldn’t change clothes and was perhaps too scared. She carefully removed the robe Jiang Xuening had draped over her and asked the young maid to bring a thin quilt to wrap around herself, looking at Jiang Xuening with a pale face.

Her features were only considered delicate.

Willow eyebrows, almond eyes, and cherry lips were originally beautiful, but her eyes lacked spirit, like a wooden figure carved by an unskilled craftsman, dull and lifeless.

There was a tear mole under her left eye.

This was often said by the elderly to be a sign of a hard life.

Jiang Xuening tried to find a trace of the other You Fangyin in this face but realized after looking closely: there was nothing, really nothing. The You Fangyin from the previous life was gone…

You Fangyin had never seen such an expression.

The benefactor who saved her seemed to be looking for another person in her. There was a bit of sorrow and acceptance of reality, yet it shattered the dream. She couldn’t help but clench her fingers, feeling she should say something, but couldn’t utter a word.

Jiang Xuening stood for a while, blinked, and said to the bewildered old women, “You all go out.”

The old women exchanged glances.

They were puzzled but didn’t dare to argue; even the young maid, though not understanding the situation, didn’t dare to stay and followed them out.

Only Jiang Xuening and You Fangyin were left in the room.

You Fangyin finally spoke hesitantly, “Thank you, thank you for saving my life…”

Jiang Xuening, however, was staring at her, raising a finger to gently brush aside a strand of hair from You Fangyin’s face, a face she should have been very familiar with but now felt strange. She murmured dreamily, “You should thank me. To save you, I gave up the greatest support of my life…”

You Fangyin was stunned.

Jiang Xuening then laughed self-deprecatingly and said to her, “I see you don’t want to die. Now that you’ve been to the gates of hell and back, what else is there to fear? Just endure it and live a decent life, so as not to disgrace this body.”

Clearly, this was her body, and she shouldn’t say such biased words.

But how could she suppress the disappointment in her heart?

She considered herself an ordinary person.

You Fangyin probably didn’t understand what she was saying, only staring at her with wide eyes.

The more Jiang Xuening looked, the more disappointed she felt.

The difference was too great.

She originally wanted to say a lot but suddenly couldn’t. With countless thoughts in her mind, she didn’t know who to confide in, and they all fell back into her stomach.

“Tang’er,” Jiang Xuening called, summoning Tang’er inside. “Did you bring money? Give it to me.”

Tang’er took out a pouch filled with silver notes, three of a hundred taels, five of ten taels, and some silver ingots.

This was for buying things on the way back to the mansion.

She glanced at Jiang Xuening, hesitated for a moment, and handed it over.

Jiang Xuening opened it, looked inside, and placed it on the table, saying, “We are fated to meet. Take this money and prepare a good coffin for your aunt and bury her properly. As for the rest, keep it for yourself and live well.”

You Fangyin didn’t know how she knew about her aunt, and her eyes reddened instantly, tears streaming down her face.

But she cried silently.

Like a fish out of water, opening her mouth wide but making no sound, which made it even more heartbreaking. She didn’t dare to cry out loud. After all, it was just an aunt who died in the mansion, and she hanged herself…

Jiang Xuening felt the oppressive atmosphere and had nothing more to say to this You Fangyin. After sitting for a while, she got up to leave.

But just as she reached the door, she stopped.

She held the door frame with one hand, looked back at You Fangyin, and said calmly, “Three days from now, in the morning, a merchant named Xu Wenyi will be selling a batch of raw silk outside the Jiangzhe Guild Hall in the East Market. If you have some money and are not content with your current situation, you can negotiate to buy some. In half a month, you can sell it for three times the price. If you save it, it should be enough for your expenses for a while.”

You Fangyin’s first fortune was hard-earned, even borrowing money from outside. But she dared to take risks and succeeded. This You Fangyin, however, seemed like a block of wood, timid and narrow-minded, not quick-witted. The skills and vision of the previous You Fangyin were beyond even Jiang Xuening’s reach, let alone this one.

Jiang Xuening’s guidance was just to ease her conscience.

She didn’t believe she could achieve anything.

After speaking, she lowered her eyes, turned around, and left the courtyard with Tang’er.

Only You Fangyin was left in the room, looking at her retreating figure through tear-filled eyes. Then she lowered her head, looking at the pouch in her hand, and slowly clenched it.