Chapter 35

Du Shaoxuan and his party didn’t let this slow them down; they left early as planned.
Mu Wanqing merely sighed softly and pushed the man out of her thoughts.
He was destined to be a passerby.
They lingered in town for a few days, made a good sum of money, and even swapped for six new carriages, quite a haul.
The Mu family’s third branch got the carriage they wanted. Mu Rongxue picked up a brush pen in high spirits, ready to sign her name on the contract.
The Madam Yao, however, grew worried and gripped her hand. “Rongxue, your father should sign this.”
The head of the household is present, there’s no way a young girl ought to be the one signing it.
Third Master Mu snorted. “If you ask me, we shouldn’t have taken the carriage. A hundred taels of silver, when will we ever pay that off?”
He had never earned a penny himself; he lived comfortably off his parents and elder brothers.
A flash of anger crossed Mu Rongxue’s eyes. Of course he didn’t care, he got to squeeze into the donkey cart with his young son, sheltered from wind and rain.
The donkey cart was Old Madam Mu’s special place; she doted on her youngest son, so everyone else could just squeeze in.
The grandson was small and didn’t take up much room; the granddaughters were left to fend for themselves, their hardships went unseen.
“Mother, I’ll find a way to pay the debt.”
Her father couldn’t be relied on, so she had to stand up and protect her mother and sister herself.
This was a rare chance; she wasn’t going to let it slip away.
The Third Madam’s mouth went bitter, her husband couldn’t shoulder responsibilities and had put the burden on their daughter.
It was her failing that she had no sons; she had no standing, and her two daughters suffered for it.
Third Master Mu was a muddleheaded man who looked after his own comfort. “Whoever signs is responsible.”
“Fine.” Mu Rongxue signed her name without hesitation and got the carriage she wanted.
It was only sixty percent new, but it had horses and a carriage body, it would keep out wind and rain.
She blinked back tears of excitement and called to her mother and sister, “Quick, get on, we have a carriage now. I’ve already learned how to drive it.”
With a little more supplies they could get through the winter safely.
Seven-year-old Mu Rongshuang cheered and clambered aboard, touching this and that in giddy delight.
The Third Madam was relieved too; the three of them finally had a roof over their heads.
Then Third Master Mu added, “Oh, have Concubine Mei and Concubine Hong sit in the carriage as well.”
Those two concubines were his favorites; Concubine Hong had been the great contributor by bearing him a son, so he naturally favored them.
The Third Madam’s expression stiffened as she glanced over. The two concubines had each wrapped an arm around his, smiling coyly at his side.
There he went again, fawning and playing favorites.
Mu Rongxue’s face nearly cracked. She’d worked so hard to get that carriage and taken on debt, how could she let others ride in it?
The carriage could seat four or five people, but why should it be for them?
Her hot temper wanted to explode, but she’d learned a little restraint recently and had watched Mu Wanqing handle matters with composed ease, she’d picked up some of that calm.
She frowned in difficulty. “There isn’t room. I still need to buy provisions, rice, flour, oil, bedding, a stove, so Father can have hot tea and porridge without needing to ask anyone.”
She wasn’t refusing outright; she’d aimed straight at Third Master Mu’s soft spot.
It hit the mark. Third Master Mu loved himself most of all and wavered without hesitation. “You’re the dutiful one. Fine, we’ll do as you say.”
Concubine Mei grew anxious, she didn’t want to walk anymore; her feet were blistered and every step ached.
“Master, what are we to do? We can’t keep going like this. The carriage is so big, surely we can squeeze in. Isn’t Fourth Miss the one who objects?”
“Master, I’m exhausted every day and have hardly the energy to tend my child. If anything happens, won’t you feel sorry for me? He’s my only son.”
Concubine Hong wasn’t as pretty or delicate as Concubine Mei, nor as alluring as some of the others, but she could give birth.
The third branch had this one precious child; naturally a mother’s status rose with her son and she dared to spar with the main wife.
Third Master Mu’s resolve softened and he began to waver. Mu Rongxue saw this and let out a light laugh.
“What’s so hard about it? Talk it out, pool your resources and borrow together to buy a carriage. No one says concubines can’t buy one.”
She didn’t want to confront her father, after all, Third Master Mu was fond of her.
But what were those concubines? Each wanted to reap the benefits without lifting a finger, in their dreams.
A concubine lives off her looks and seeks to rely on a man for a glorious life. Concubine Hong didn’t want to work at all, sighing in misery.
“There’s only a limited number of spots. Who knows when we’ll ever get one, Master, think of our handsome boy. He hasn’t been properly cared for; his face has gotten so thin.”
As long as a woman has a man’s favor and a son to lean on, what’s there to worry about? Why sweat and slave away?
Third Master Mu softened a little. “Rongxue, why not let Concubine Hong take a seat too? She’s so thin…”
Mu Rongxue was annoyed with her father’s cluelessness, then her eyes lit up. “Third Sister, could the concubines borrow the money to buy a carriage too?”
Mu Wanqing had been passing with her bundle when she heard this and stopped in her tracks.
“Sure, just register early. If there’s a spot you’ll get your turn.”
Unless someone had made an extraordinary contribution, nobody got special treatment.
Concubine Hong frowned. “Third Miss, we simply can’t raise that kind of money. You don’t know how hard it is for women…”
Mu Wanqing looked puzzled. “Aren’t I a woman too? If I can do it and Mu Rongxue can do it, why can’t you? What, are you… eunuchs?”
The concubines: …You’re insulting us, and we have witnesses!
Mu Wanqing made it clear: there was no place for slackers in her sight, everyone would pull their weight.
“Even if you’re missing a hand or a leg, you still work to feed yourself. No exceptions. Third Uncle, if you’re caught slacking again I’ll let you starve for three days, how’s that?”
Third Master Mu went pale with anger but didn’t dare argue.
All the food and supplies were under her control now; anything anyone wanted to buy had to be cleared with her first.
Damn, how is she so capable?
Mu Wanqing didn’t mind helping Mu Rongxue; she genuinely worked hard to survive and to shield her family, and that was admirable.
“By the way, whoever signs the contract will be the owner of the carriage and will have absolute control. If I hear any bickering, don’t blame me when you don’t get fed.”
Leaving that warning hanging, she turned and walked away. The household of the Mu third branch gaped after her, while Mu Rongxue and her mother and daughter exchanged secret, relieved looks.
Mu Wanqing looked left and right. Huh, where had her parents run off to?
“Oh.” Someone bumped into her and she stumbled, barely catching herself with her hands.
She looked up and found Mu Jinyao, dazed and wandering. “Are you all right?”
Since waking, Mu Jinyao had been out of it, as if she’d lost her soul; her gaze was blank.
At the sound of Mu Wanqing’s voice she blinked and lifted her head like someone waking from a fog. “It’s you, Mu Wanqing.”
Her tone was odd, half-foreignity, half-confusion.
Mu Wanqing narrowed her eyes slightly. “Yes, I’m Mu Wanqing. And you, who are you?”
Without hesitation Mu Jinyao answered, “I’m Mu Jinyao.”
So she wasn’t a time-traveler. Mu Wanqing’s eyes rolled subtly; she’d already noticed something off and was probing without showing it.
“Why did you say that day what you did? What did you mean by ‘you’re still alive’?”
When that remark was made earlier the second madam had been furious and dragged her daughter away.
Who talks like that? Who would say something so blunt?
Mu Jinyao stared at the lively girl before her in stunned silence. In her memory, Third Sister had been quiet, stiff, and reserved, a pale shadow, barely there.
And worse, the real Third Sister had died the day their house was ransacked.
The other members of the second branch had met misfortune on the road to exile; none of them had a good ending.
“How did you get through that day…? You bled so badly then.”
There was a probing tone in her question; Mu Wanqing caught it immediately. Fine, if we’re testing each other, let’s see who’s better at it.
“I was lucky,” she said. “After dancing on death’s edge I finally saw things clearly. Life is short, there’s no use holding back. Say what you want, do what you want. Live wildly and carve out your own brilliance.”
Her conviction struck Mu Jinyao. “Even if you won’t live long?”
Mu Wanqing’s confidence flashed, almost radiant. “Even if only for a moment, I’ll live loudly so everyone remembers my name.”
She paused. “That way, if I die I’ll have no regrets. I’ll have loved, hated, and truly lived, no wasted lifetime.”
Her words were half bravado, half truth, but they were intoxicating. Mu Jinyao believed her; her expression grew more tangled. “You’ve changed.”
Mu Wanqing arched an eyebrow. If she’d guessed correctly, Mu Jinyao had been reborn.
Her canned responses had given her away, and the weary sorrow that slipped free in a moment of carelessness was a dead giveaway.
It wasn’t that Mu Jinyao lacked skill, she was simply unlucky to run into Mu Wanqing.
Mu Wanqing was a prodigy who dared to defy fate.
Casually she pushed back, “Who can stay the same after facing life and death? Your father had dignity once, what is he now? Just eating and waiting to die.”
“Your mother used to pretend to be a proper gentlewoman. Now she’s lost all shame, ordered to kneel, she kneels…”
The best defense is a strong offense.
Mu Jinyao closed her eyes in pain, unwilling to recall that night. “Don’t say any more.”
Mu Wanqing sighed softly, regret flickering across her face. “You’ve changed too. You used to be proud, as special as a winter plum, resilient to frost and snow, giving off a presence we could only admire. Now…you should look in a mirror.”
Each remark stabbed at Mu Jinyao, making her chest ache. “Please stop.”
Mu Wanqing had the answer she wanted and didn’t press further. “Fine, do as you please.”
As for what had happened in Mu Jinyao’s past life, what had unfolded on that road, Mu Wanqing didn’t want to pry.
What would she gain from knowing? From the moment she had crossed over, everything had already changed.
With a mere flutter of her butterfly wing, the world had been reshaped.
Mu Jinyao watched her walk away and felt a sudden pang. “Wait, why did you risk your life to save me that day? You clearly didn’t like me.”
She had been at her most lost, most bewildered, sent back to sixteen, reborn on the road to exile.
This was all too incredible; it felt like a dream, utterly unreal.
So many things had changed; some people were still alive.
And she, she hadn't been taken by the Fifth Prince after all. Was this a dream or an illusion?
Mu Wanqing was momentarily stunned. Why press her about it? What was the root of the grudge?
Her mind raced. "First, I was dragged into this too. Saving someone was also saving myself, so I don't expect anyone to be grateful."
Her tone was earnest: "Second, I'm a woman, you're a woman, it's not easy for women to survive in this world. Why can't we help each other, extend a hand to one another?"
For some reason, Mu Jinyao's nose tingled; the emotions she'd been suppressing seemed to find an outlet.
"Where did you find the courage?"
If in her past life someone had stood up like that, she wouldn't have been abducted and ended up in the hands of the Fifth Prince...
Mu Wanqing smiled faintly, a deadly calm in the curve of her lips. "If anyone tries to take my life, I'll send them on ahead. People in desperate straits can still summon boundless courage."
Looking at the girl who seemed to shine, Mu Jinyao felt her heart burn. "Third Sister, thank you for what you said today, and for your bravery that day. I will never forget it."
From now on, no matter what happens, she would not harm the girl before her.
Because she was light, she brought brightness and warmth to those around her, illuminating countless lives.
The seriousness in her words startled Mu Wanqing. She was about to reply when a commotion broke out nearby, was something wrong?
Mu Wanqing turned and saw, her parents were in the center of the disturbance...