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

The war between the Northern Di and the Great Wei had little impact on the capital, but it wasn't entirely without effect either.

As the number of refugees outside the village increased and the war in the north intensified, people flocked to the capital to escape the disaster.

Since there was not enough room in the city, many people were stopped outside the city and scattered in various parts of the outskirts of Beijing.

Granny Wang came to report with great concern: "Two bags of old rice are missing from the storeroom, and a bundle of firewood is also missing from the backyard. They must have been stolen."

Liu Wenying frowned. "Have you caught them?"

Granny Wang shook her head. "No, it was stolen at night. The old woman on night watch was fast asleep. Several households in Tanxi Village also said they had things stolen."

"Have you reported it to the authorities?"

"I reported it, and the constables came to check. They just said they would investigate."

Granny Wang sighed, "But there are so many refugees these days, how can we possibly investigate them all? It's possible that the refugees were the ones who did it."

Liu Wenying looked towards the grove of trees outside the manor.

As dusk fell, several ragged figures could be vaguely seen loitering at the edge of the woods.

"Have the villagers take turns keeping watch at night, add another lock to the storeroom, and don't leave anything outside. As for those refugees..."

"Cook a few pots of porridge tomorrow and leave them outside the estate. I'll cover the cost of the rice."

Liu Wenying went to bed early that night, before she was sleepy.

Suddenly hearing a rustling sound outside the door, Liu Wenying opened her eyes, gently moved her daughter away, put on her coat, and got out of bed.

Pushing open the door, I saw a dark figure squatting by the chicken coop, holding the two wings of a speckled hen in his hand.

The man was emaciated and dressed in rags, looking like a skeleton or ghost.

"Stop! Put your things down!"

Liu Wenying shouted and grabbed a broom from the side.

Driven by wickedness, the refugees rushed forward without a second thought.

Liu Wenying dodged his hand and hit his calf with the broom.

The refugee was already weak, and when she tripped him, he stumbled and fell to the ground.

Seeing that things were not going well, the refugee picked up another chicken from the ground and ran out of the village.

Liu Wenying chased after him with a broom. The refugee was so hungry that his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground as soon as he reached the door.

As Liu Wenying caught up, a shadow suddenly flashed out from the side, as fast as a cheetah, grabbed the refugee's wrist with one hand and twisted it, tying a pig's hoof knot with a hemp rope.

With two sharp cracks, the refugee screamed in agony as his arm went limp and dislocated.

The moonlight and starlight illuminated the face of the newcomer, revealing deep tan skin and heterochromatic black and gold eyes. Who else could it be but Lu Ye?

There were two plump wild rabbits at his feet, their fur still warm, freshly hunted.

The refugee writhed on the ground in pain, pleading incoherently, "Please, have mercy on me..."

Liu Wenying frowned. She wasn't unaware of the hardships faced by refugees, but she had already distributed porridge, and yet someone still dared to steal from her. She shouldn't blame her for being ruthless.

He grabbed a handful of dry grass from the ground, rolled it up, and stuffed it into his mouth.

The screams abruptly stopped, leaving only mournful whimpers.

Liu Wenying then looked at Lu Ye, still catching her breath: "What are you doing here?"

When Lu Ye mentioned the two rabbits, his rough voice sounded strained in the night: "I just hunted these rabbits and wanted to bring them over to thank you."

Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, Liu Wenying waved her hand and said, "Really, there's no need. What happened before is nothing. Hunting in the mountains is not easy. You can keep it for yourself."

But Lu Ye was stubborn and inflexible. "No, Grandma taught me that I must repay the life-saving grace. I don't have anything valuable, so please accept it."

The two went back and forth, each trying to shirk responsibility. Liu Wenying couldn't stand him any longer and was about to agree to accept it.

Suddenly, a noise came from beside me.

The two looked over at the same time and saw that the refugee who had been pinned to the ground and gagged had broken free of the ropes and escaped.

The pig's hoof knot was something Lu Ye casually made. It gets tighter the more a wild animal struggles, but it's not so practical when tied to a person.

Lu Ye realized what was happening and was about to give chase.

Liu Wenying pulled him back, "Forget it, even if we catch them and send them to the yamen, no one will care. There are tens of thousands of refugees now, and the government is too busy to take care of itself."

Moonlight filtered through the clouds, illuminating her clean-cut face.

There was weariness in her eyes and a kind of worldly-wise indifference.

"But what if he comes again..."

"I will have the villagers patrol more often at night and set up some anti-theft measures."

Liu Wenying breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much for today. If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have had so much confidence."

Lu Ye felt a little embarrassed by the praise, "Then, I'll take you back."

Seeing his earnestness and exhaustion, Liu Wenying no longer refused.

The two entered the village one after the other.

Upon arriving at the door of Liu Wenying's residence, the first thing she did was to tiptoe to the bedside in the inner room.

Luo Luo was sleeping soundly.

The little girl lay on her side, clutching the corner of the blanket with one small hand, her cheeks flushed.

I had a great time playing at Mr. Xue's place during the day and was exhausted, so I didn't wake up even with all this noise.

Liu Wenying stood by the bed and the corners of her lips unconsciously curved into a smile. Children who know no sorrow are the greatest blessing in this world.

She tucked Luo Luo in before returning to the outer room.

Lu Ye was still standing at the door, holding the wild rabbit in his hand, looking somewhat helpless.

The rabbit was dead, and dark red blood was congealed at its neck.

He looked at his rough hands, then at the clean and tidy room, and suddenly felt uneasy.

Liu Wenying said gently, "Just put it outside the door. Luoluo used to raise rabbits, and she'll probably be heartbroken if she sees this tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ye's eyes dimmed.

He looked down at the calluses on his palms, worn from years of drawing bows and wielding knives.

The profession of hunter is ultimately a business of killing.

He hadn't felt it while on the mountain, but standing in this house filled with the gentle warmth of a young woman, he suddenly felt like an intruder, his bloody aura defiling the purity.

"I'm sorry."

Liu Wenying was taken aback, but then she understood what he meant, and her heart softened for no reason.

"What do you mean by sorry? You worked hard to hunt this rabbit; I should be thanking you."

Lu Ye didn't respond, but silently placed the rabbit outside the door on the porch and covered it with grass.

After doing all that, he turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," Liu Wenying called out to him.

She walked to the table, picked up the teapot, and poured herself a cup of cold tea.

She handed him the cup, smiling, and said, "It's late. Have some tea before you go. Even though it's cold, it'll quench your thirst."

Lu Ye stood there, stunned, a look of bewilderment flashing in his dark gold eyes.

He was the one who brought her back, so how did it become that she was the one entertaining him?

He took it; the glass was ice-cold.

"Drink up! What are you standing there for?"

Urged by Liu Wenying, he tilted his head back and drank the tea in one gulp.

He drank too quickly, and a few drops slid down his chin, rolled over his prominent Adam's apple, and disappeared into his collar.

The tea was refreshing and thirst-quenching as it went down my throat.

After finishing his tea, Lu Ye suddenly remembered something, and his expression changed.

He hurriedly put down the cup, reached into his pocket, and rummaged through his sleeves, his movements becoming increasingly frantic, until a fine sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Liu Wenying asked, puzzled.

"The handkerchief... the silk handkerchief you lent me to bandage my wound last time, I've kept it all this time, I was going to return it to you today, but... but I think I've lost it."

He said this with a furrowed brow, filled with self-reproach.

"If it's lost, it's lost. It's no big deal."

"It's just a handkerchief, nothing special. You helped me catch the thief today and brought me a rabbit, so I've already repaid that favor."

Lu Ye shook his head, his tone as stubborn and unyielding as a rock in the mountains.

"That's different. Kindness is kindness, and courtesy is courtesy. I will definitely return the handkerchief."

After he finished speaking, he turned and left as if afraid that Liu Wenying would refuse again.

He walked quickly, and even tripped on the threshold when he reached the door. After regaining his balance, he plunged into the night without looking back.

Liu Wenying watched him disappear into the darkness, then shook her head and smiled helplessly.

After closing the door and bolting it, Liu Wenying held Luo Luo and fell asleep.

…………