Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

Liu Wenying and Pei Zeyu continued walking along the dirt road into the village.

The earthen houses on both sides are low, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys.

As they approached the courtyard at the east end of the village, Liu Wenying suddenly stopped and grabbed Pei Zeyu's sleeve.

"Second Master, let's not go any further."

Pei Zeyu glanced at her sideways. "Why?"

"That's the Chen family's place. I was kicked out by them, and I have nothing to do with them anymore. I don't want to see them again."

Although Chen Yindi went to the city to work, her mother Liu Erxia should still be alive.

Liu Wenying had nothing to say to her.

Unusually, Pei Zeyu didn't immediately agree. "Is it just because of this?"

"What else could it be?" Liu Wenying asked guiltily.

He grabbed her hand, which was hidden in her sleeve, and pulled it out. "Wenying, I've told you all my secrets."

He was referring to the bottom of the cliff, laying bare his darkest childhood memories before her.

Pei Zeyu stared intently into her downcast eyes. "I want you to be honest with me too."

Liu Wenying vehemently denied it, saying, "I have no secrets."

She regretted it after saying it; her denial was too quick, as if she was trying to cover it up.

"The things you've made since you came to the manor—walking aids, air cushions, feeding spoons, and your strange methods—are things that even the well-traveled Doctor Ye has never heard of or seen before."

"If others ask you, you should say that you saw it in your hometown, but I have sent people to Xinghua Village, and no one has ever seen or heard of those things."

Liu Wenying had nowhere to hide under his gaze.

"You're not from Xinghua Village at all. Where did you come from?"

Apricot blossoms fell on her shoulder, but Liu Wenying paid them no heed.

She was in turmoil. On one hand, he was investigating her, and on the other hand, she blamed herself for revealing too many flaws, which gave him leverage over her.

The secrets I thought I had hidden so well were no different from paper lanterns in front of him; they would burst at the slightest touch.

"Second Master, please don't ask anymore."

She couldn't be honest with herself, and she didn't know where to begin. How could she easily reveal something as shocking as time travel?

Won't they be burned at the stake as monsters?

Pei Zeyu saw the struggle in her eyes and tightened his grip on her hand.

"I won't do anything to you, I just want to understand you better."

Liu Wenying shook her head, withdrew her hand, and distanced herself from the other person.

"I can't do that. I can't be as unreserved as Second Master was towards me. I'm sorry."

She was about to push away again after finally closing the distance.

Pei Zeyu grabbed the back of her neck and pressed her against the tree trunk.

The apricot tree was hit, and the leaves fell in profusion, obscuring most of their figures.

But it's a village road after all, and people can pass by anytime in broad daylight.

Liu Wenying was out of breath and reached out to push him, but he grabbed her hand and pressed her against the tree trunk.

After a moment, Pei Zeyu released her lips and pressed his forehead against hers, their breathing slightly disordered.

"I won't ask anymore. Tell me when you're ready."

He feared her avoidance more than knowing all her secrets.

Liu Wenying understood a principle all too well: in a relationship, if one party conceals something, it will bring insecurity to the other.

But she really couldn't say it.

"Second Master, have you heard the story of Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian?"

Pei Zeyu was taken aback. After searching his memory, he found no recollection of it.

"Never."

"Bai Suzhen was a thousand-year-old snake spirit who transformed into human form and married Xu Xian. The two were originally very loving, but Xu Xian believed the rumors and, half-believing and half-doubting, persuaded her to drink realgar wine."

"Realgar can make the snake spirit reveal her true form. Bai Suzhen revealed her true form, and Xu Xian was so frightened that his soul left his body."

Pei Zeyu remained silent, tightening his grip on her arm.

"I am not a spirit, but if others knew my origins, they would probably treat me no differently than they would a spirit."

Sorry, that's all she could say.

Pei Zeyu didn't let go of her, but lowered his head and gently inhaled the fragrance of her hair.

He didn't want a fleeting moment of pleasure; he wanted her every day, every year, her whole being, her entire heart.

Her origins are a mystery; only by understanding the mystery can one truly enter her heart.

Pei Zeyu didn't press her further, but kissed her on the temple.

"I promise I won't ask anymore."

Liu Wenying's tense nerves suddenly relaxed.

After spending some time in Xinghua Village, the two returned hand in hand to the carriage.

Ah Fu and Ah Jin were already waiting, and when they saw them return, they quickly lifted the carriage curtain.

Just as Liu Wenying was about to get into the car, Pei Zeyu stopped her.

"Wenying, no matter where you come from, to me, you are simply Liu Wenying."

Liu Wenying's eyes welled up slightly.

Pei Zeyu and she held hands and boarded the carriage together.

In the afternoon, just before sunset, the carriage entered the capital.

Liu Wenying lifted the curtain, and a familiar scene came into view.

The vermilion pavilions stand side by side, pedestrians come and go, and the familiar hawking cries on the street corners are exactly the same as I remember.

A few indescribable emotions welled up in Liu Wenying's heart.

Since entering the Duke of Yu's mansion, she has experienced many twists and turns, from a widow who was kicked out of the house to someone who protects her and has a confidante to rely on. The streets and alleys of the capital have witnessed her growth.

It will continue to witness this in the future.

Pei Zeyu sat beside her and suddenly said, "After we get back, you should leave the Duke's mansion."

Liu Wenying was taken aback, turned her head, and met his clear eyes.

"I will arrange your way out of the manor, so you will no longer have to be servile and subservient to others."

"You can do whatever you want: open a shop, start a school, or... do nothing at all, just be yourself."

Liu Wenying's heart skipped a beat. She wondered where she had given herself away, allowing him to see through her desire to leave the Duke's mansion.

"Once you leave the manor, you will no longer be Ye'er's wet nurse, nor anyone's maid."

"You will be the owner of a shop on a bustling street in the capital, or some other law-abiding citizen, at which time..."

"At that time, there will be no more rumors about you and me."

He didn't speak very directly, but Liu Wenying understood him perfectly.

Rumors and gossip refer to maids climbing into the bed of their masters or servants seducing their masters.

If she leaves the manor and changes her identity, there will be far fewer unpleasant words spoken to her.

He actually thought of all this?

While Liu Wenying was surprised, she also thought he was right.

She did want to leave the manor. She had been weaned at the age of three, and Ye'er no longer needed her.

After the old lady's legs and feet recover, she may return to live in the other courtyard.

By then, Mingxi Hall will be empty, and she, the head maid, will be all alone, unless she goes to another courtyard with the old lady.

"Second Master..."

He was interrupted halfway through his sentence by a familiar, crisp sound coming from outside the car.

"Mother!"

Liu Wenying was startled. As soon as the carriage stopped, she couldn't wait to lift the curtain and get off.

In front of the vermilion gate of the Duke of Yu's mansion, Granny Tian waved to her while holding Luo Luo in her arms.

"Luo Luo!"

Liu Wenying opened her arms and hugged her daughter tightly.

The little girl was wearing a peach-colored jacket, had two little braids, and a round, chubby face.

A lump formed in her throat, and Liu Wenying smiled through her tears, asking, "Did you miss your mother?"

"I miss you! I miss Mommy every day!" Luo Luo hugged her neck, her voice still sweet and childish.

…………