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

The sun was about to sink behind the western mountains, leaving only a faint red glow on the horizon.

Wen Jingshu gazed in the direction Lu Ye had disappeared, "Because he interrupted me, I forgot what I was going to say earlier."

Liu Wenying smiled and reminded her, "The First Madam just said she needs to think about it some more."

"Yes."

Wen Jingshu turned around and looked at Liu Wenying.

In the twilight, her eyes softened. "I've made up my mind."

Liu Wenying's heart was in turmoil.

"I grant you permission to leave the manor, but you did not bring the employment contract with you. I will find it and return it to you when I return to the manor."

Liu Wenying was stunned, then her eyes welled up with tears, and she bent down to curtsy, but was stopped by Wen Jingshu.

"No need to thank me." Wen Jingshu squeezed her hand.

"You chose this path yourself, and you'll have to bear the consequences, whether it's bitter or sweet, yourself."

"If you regret it, remember to come find me."

Liu Wenying's voice choked with emotion, but she still spoke clearly.

"This servant has no regrets, thank you for your kindness, Madam."

As the frost intensified, a thin layer of frost covered the mulberry fields of Zhiyun Manor, and in the early morning, specks of white frost appeared on the window frames.

Liu Wenying continued to diligently manage the estate, and two days later, a letter arrived from the Duke's manor.

Liu Wenying sat by the window and opened the envelope. There was no employment contract inside, only a letter written by Wen Jingshu himself.

In her letter, Wen Jingshu said that her employment contract could not be found for the time being, perhaps hidden deep in some chest by her maid. She would need to search carefully for some time and would send it over as soon as it was found.

After reading it, Liu Wenying smiled with relief. It was alright; she could just wait a few more days.

She carefully put the letter away, without a trace of suspicion.

She knew perfectly well how the First Madam treated her.

If it weren't for the First Madam's care over the years, she and Luo Luo would have suffered so much more.

Evening, in the tent.

Xue Bi sat opposite Liu Wenying, fiddling with the abacus beads, which clicked and clattered.

He looked up at Liu Wenying several times, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Liu Wenying noticed and put down her pen: "Does Xue Bi have something to say?"

Xue Bi's finger paused, stopping in mid-air.

He was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I heard... you're leaving?"

The question was abrupt, and Liu Wenying was taken aback for a moment, but then she understood.

The news of her departure was not kept secret; it must have spread throughout the village.

She nodded gently: "Yes."

"Isn't Zhiyun Manor good enough?"

Xue Bi's voice was somewhat hurried, and he realized his rudeness after speaking, so he quickly lowered his eyes.

"What I mean is that Zhuangzi was just starting to show promise, and then you left..."

"Zhiyun Manor is very nice, but I was going to leave anyway."

Xue Bi raised her head.

Liu Wenying twirled the pen in her hand, "I came to Zhiyun Manor because I owed the First Madam a debt of gratitude."

"The First Madam fell ill due to the affairs of the estate and asked me if I would like to come and give it a try. I thought that I should repay the kindness of protecting my mother and me, so I came."

"Now that Zhuangzi has returned to the right path, it's time for me to leave as well."

The accounting room fell silent.

Xue Bi looked at Liu Wenying, who was wearing a light blue jacket today, which made her skin look even whiter.

A wooden hairpin adorned her temple, with no other ornaments.

Yet, even in such a simple attire, she was more captivating than those women adorned with jewels.

His Adam's apple bobbed: "What about Luo Luo? She and Xiao Huangmei are so close. Now that you're gone, what will happen to them..."

Xiao Huangmei is the villager's daughter, and she is the same age as Luoluo.

The two little girls were inseparable, learning to read and playing together, as close as sisters.

Her smile faded: "I'll talk to her."

When Liu Wenying came out of the accounting office, she felt depressed and strolled towards the manor.

After going around the corridor, you can see Lu Ye squatting in the corner, feeding something with a small wooden bowl.

Hearing footsteps, Lu Ye turned around and saw that she had stood up: "Head of Liu Village".

As Liu Wenying approached, she realized he was feeding Shan Qing: "It's eating now?"

Lu Ye laughed and said, "He agreed! He wasn't very willing to drink goat milk before, but today he's licking it happily."

Liu Wenying squatted down. The little wolf cub was a bit bigger than it had been two days ago, and its eyes were open, amber in color and sparkling.

It was engrossed in licking the milk in the bowl, its tail wagging back and forth.

She reached out and patted Shan Qing's head: "Good boy/girl."

Shan Qing raised her head, her wet nose rubbing against her fingers, and continued licking her breast.

Lu Ye, watching from the side, said, "It recognizes you."

"Um?"

"Wild animals also recognize people, especially wolves; they know who treats them well."

"Is that so? Then Shanqing has to pay off the milk she's drinking now, and she'll have to do it on credit when she grows up and guards the house."

Liu Wenying smiled and teased Shan Qing for a while longer.

After the little guy finished eating, he curled up on the nest that Lu Ye had built and kept yawning.

Lu Ye watched her profile as she played with the wolf cubs: "Boss, don't you want to see Shanqing grow up?"

Liu Wenying answered casually, "Yes, I do."

His words concealed a selfish motive: he hoped to use the wolf cub to keep her there.

"It would be so interesting to watch this adorable little creature grow up."

Lu Ye was overjoyed and thought of letting her stay in the village and watch Shan Qing grow up.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back.

He was tongue-tied and didn't know how to ask her to stay, which made him extremely anxious.

He also heard the news that Liu Wenying was leaving Zhiyun Manor, and remembered his grandmother's instructions to treat her well.

But when he looked at Liu Wenying, he suddenly realized that she had many people who cared for her, Master Xue's offer to stay, and everyone in the village respected her. She didn't seem to lack his clumsy kindness.

His intentions seemed so insignificant.

As night deepened, the lights in Zhiyun Manor were extinguished one by one, leaving only a single candle burning in Liu Wenying's room.

Luo Luo had already taken a bath, her little face was flushed from the steam, and she nestled in Liu Wenying's arms with bright, sparkling eyes, still unwilling to sleep.

Liu Wenying leaned against the headboard, holding her daughter with one arm and gently patting her with the other.

"Luo Luo, when Mother takes you back to the capital, shall we live in a big house?"

Luo Luo looked up at her, her eyelashes fluttering.

"Mother has saved some money. We'll open a shop and start a small business. Mother will be the boss, and Luo Luo will be the boss's daughter. We can live a peaceful life together and won't have to run around anymore."

As Liu Wenying spoke, a faint light appeared in her eyes, and a tender feeling rose in her heart.

A grand mansion bestowed by the emperor in the capital, his own shop, a business that made a fortune every day.

Those dreams unfolded before my eyes like a painting: a peaceful, stable life where I no longer had to worry about what others thought.

Luo Luo was quiet for a moment, then looked up and asked in a clear, bright voice, "Mommy, can I still play with Xiao Huangmei when we go back?"

Liu Wenying's hand paused.

She looked down into her daughter's clear, watery eyes and ultimately couldn't bear to lie to her.

"Luo Luo, the capital and Tanxi Village are quite far apart. In the future... I'm afraid we won't have many chances to meet again."

Luo Luo's little face changed instantly.

Her lips twitched down, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

She buried her face in Liu Wenying's arms and said sullenly, "Then I won't go to the capital."

"Luo Luo—"

"The capital city has no Xiaohuangmei (a type of plum blossom), no Big Yellow (a guard dog), no egg-laying chickens—nothing at all! It's no fun!"

Liu Wenying reached out and cupped her daughter's face, gently wiping her reddened eyes with her fingertips, her tone becoming a little harsher.

"Luo Luo, Mother is taking you to the capital not for fun."

Luo Luo sniffed, tilted her head up, and looked at her earnestly: "Then why?"

"To eat, to make a living, there are more opportunities in the capital, and Mother can earn more money so that we can have a better life."

Luo Luo tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said seriously, "But I can eat in Tanxi Village too. The food the aunties in the village make is so delicious, even better than what my mother makes."

Liu Wenying was speechless and couldn't say a word for a moment.

…………