She had merely dropped a few sunflower seed shells to make things a little difficult for Wu Weiwei; why would the Heir stand up for her?
Once she collected her wits, Xiangju hurriedly begged for mercy. "Heir, I... I only accidentally dropped a few shells. I didn’t mean to make things difficult for Wu Weiwei!"
"Xiangju, I have been cleaning since the hour of the Rabbit. The Qingsong Courtyard is so large that it took me two full hours of labor just to get the water pavilion and the halls in order. You arrive, and in a single moment, you ruin everything I have just achieved. You claim it wasn't intentional, but how do you explain the sunflower seed shells scattered all over the outer courtyard?"
"This..."
Xiangju’s face turned pale. The sunflower seeds still clutched in her hand felt like a hot potato, searingly painful. She had never imagined the Heir would step out of his quarters, and even less that he would concern himself with the petty squabbles of mere maidservants.
Following the direction of Wu Weiwei’s slender finger, Lu Hanting truly did see the scattered shells, tracing a path from the outer courtyard all the way into the inner grounds. The Heir’s expression instantly turned formidable and intimidating.
"Liuyun, drag this wicked servant away. Deduct one month’s wages and administer fifty strokes of the cane as a punishment."
"Heir, please, no! I know I was wrong! I won't dare to do it again..."
Fifty strokes—even if she didn't die, she would be crippled. She didn't want to die! Xiangju wailed as she begged.
Standing to the side, Wu Weiwei was stunned by Lu Hanting’s actions. She had seen scenes of corporal punishment in television dramas where stunt doubles had thick pads hidden under their clothes, so the canes never truly hurt. But these canes in the ancient world were the real thing. If fifty strokes were delivered, would the girl even survive?
However, the slight trace of sympathy she felt for Xiangju vanished in an instant. A person who harbors malice toward you will inevitably turn their blade against you the moment they gain the upper hand; pity is the most unwise of luxuries. The pitiful must have something hateful about them. If Xiangju hadn't provoked her, she wouldn't have brought this fate upon herself. It could only be said that she deserved it.
In an ancient world where human life was as cheap as grass, she wouldn't spare anyone who turned against her, not even those close to her. Her life experiences had taught her that everything she wanted, she had to earn with her own two hands—just like her career as a flight attendant in her past life.
In her distraction, Wu Weiwei felt a sharp, piercing gaze fixed upon her. The man’s stare made her flinch. Could it be that her personality had changed so drastically that it aroused his suspicion?
*Let him suspect what he wants!* The original owner had already been scared to death by him; surely he couldn't begrudge her a change in personality? If she had continued to survive in the Marquis's Estate with the original owner’s timid, cowering nature, she would have been bullied to death!
When the Heir’s eyes met hers again, Wu Weiwei lifted her head and locked gazes with him. She was calm and composed. She had changed, yet in some ways, it felt as though nothing had changed at all. Today, she had only intervened because she couldn't bear to see someone who resembled "her" being bullied by a wicked servant—as if she truly were her.
But it had to be said, she did share a similarity with the deceased "her": an equal desperation to survive.
It was just a pity...
By the time Xiangju was beaten with fifty strokes and carried out of the Qingsong Courtyard, she was barely breathing. Watching her bloodied and mangled form being carted away, Wu Weiwei couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
Because of the incident with Xiangju, when Wu Weiwei finally finished her work at the end of the hour of the Dog and asked Aunt Mei for leave to go out, it was quickly approved. Aunt Mei only granted her one hour, however.
Her younger brother had been entrusted by the original owner to a small merchant family on the outskirts of the Capital. They rented two rooms. The man, surnamed He, was of medium build with a glib tongue, working as a peddler. His wife, Madam Li, had two sons and a daughter; the eldest son was sixteen and nearly ready to be betrothed. Madam Li would embroider handkerchiefs and pouches while watching the children during the day, which the peddler would then carry around the streets to sell.
Life in the Capital was arduous, but they managed to scrape by. With the addition of the little brother, the original owner had been giving the bulk of her monthly wages to this family, simply praying that they would treat him well. She wanted nothing else; she only wished for her brother to grow up safely to fulfill her deceased parents' last wishes.
After walking for over thirty minutes, Wu Weiwei finally reached the peddler’s home. Before she even reached the alley entrance, she heard the screeching voice of a woman.
"You stupid, useless brat! I only told you to wash some clothes... Oh, for heaven’s sake, the soap I just bought isn't enough for you to ruin! You wasteful little wretch! Don't think I won't beat you for this..."
The neighbors were long used to the nightly clamor; the He family to the west was like this every day. It was either the older ones hitting the younger ones. It was just a pity for that small, delicate-looking boy.
When Wu Weiwei pushed the door open, she saw the woman beating and berating the original owner’s brother. The tiny child stood there, enduring the pain and pinching without making a single sound.
Seeing this, Wu Weiwei felt a surge of immense grief and anger. She knew this had to be the residual emotions of the original owner lingering within her body—the one thing she couldn't let go of when she passed was her brother.
*Don't worry. As long as I am alive, I will take good care of your brother.* It was, in a way, her repayment for taking over this body. After making this internal vow, Wu Weiwei felt the throbbing pain in her head ease significantly. Was the original owner finally gone?
"Stop!"
Wu Weiwei strode forward, shoved Madam Li aside, and gathered her brother into her arms.
"Wei, Wei girl, it's the middle of the night. Why didn't you make a sound when you came back?" Madam Li said with a forced, ingratiating smile.
"Madam Li, if I hadn't come back today, were you planning to beat my brother to death?"
"What kind of talk is that? I only asked him to wash a few clothes. She—I mean he—wasted half the soap I bought just two days ago! I don't even like to use it much myself. I was just giving him a little lesson in my anger! Look at you..." Madam Li tried to play the victim first.
Seeing Wu Weiwei’s dark, silent expression, Madam Li became disgruntled. "If you think I’m mistreating your brother, then take him away! It would save me from being the villain when I was just trying to do a good deed and getting complained about for my trouble..."
Madam Li was certain that if she used this line, Wu Weiwei would surely back down. In the past, whenever she said this, Wu Weiwei would let it slide. After all, the girl had sold herself into service at the Marquis's Estate and was no longer a free woman. Her brother was too young to look after himself; if she quit, where else would she find someone to care for him?
Looking at the wooden bucket filled to the brim with clothes on the floor, it was clear this wasn't just a "few" items—it was the entire family's pile of dirty laundry. The original owner had given most of her two-tael monthly salary to the He family for the sole purpose of caring for her brother. And now, when little Ranran was already sick and the spring air was still biting, this vicious woman had forced the boy to wash the whole family's filth.
Touching the boy’s feverish forehead, Wu Weiwei felt a cold, sharp anger. Even someone as icy as she was truly incensed. Did they really think she was the original Wu Weiwei, someone who would yield to their threats?
She glared at Madam Li with such ferocity that it felt as if she might devour her whole.
*This little brat, how has she become so different?* Though intimidated by Wu Weiwei’s aura, Madam Li refused to yield. Putting on a brave front, she snapped, "If you have the ability, then take him! I’d like to see where you can find someone else to watch your brother for you."