Chapter 15: This is Absolutely Ridiculous!

Over there, Xie Rui walked quite a distance before suddenly turning to look at his attendant. "Baisong, did my cousin use to smile when she saw me?"

Baisong shook his head with brutal honesty. "No, sir. In the past, whenever the young miss saw you, she wouldn't even dare to lift her head, let alone smile."

"You find it strange too, don't you?" Xie Rui smiled with profound meaning. "My little cousin seems to have changed a great deal after not seeing her for so many days..."

*

"Daughter, do you think that Young Master Xie suspects us? How was my performance?"

Xin Nian glanced at her mother and gave an objective answer. "Average, I suppose. Xie Rui is quite sharp. Judging by the look on his face when he left, tsk tsk, he definitely suspects us."

Xin Nian crossed her arms and shrugged. "But suspicion is useless. We didn't use disguise or swap bodies; from head to toe, we are still the same as before. Who could possibly know about a change in the soul?"

"It’s all that deadbeat father of the original owner's fault for beating your mother to death. Otherwise, we wouldn't have ended up here..." Xie Ninglan paused. "Oh, right, daughter, how did your original body kick the bucket?"

This question truly stumped Xin Nian. She hadn't really thought about it since she arrived. The original owner's parents had fainted after a brawl on the day their home was raided, which provided the opportunity for Xie Ninglan and her husband to take over.

So how did she arrive?

Her original body must have fainted too, because she clearly remembered opening her eyes in a prison cell, followed by a series of disasters like the broken engagement and the long journey.

Wait, a broken engagement?

Xin Nian turned to look at her mother, her intelligent eyes flashing. "Could it be that this original body died of anger because she was dumped by that... whatever young master from the Marquis of Lin'an's estate?"

"What?" Xie Ninglan was shocked.

Seeing her daughter’s serious expression, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure?"

"It should be. Or maybe she was scared to death by the home raid and exile?" Xin Nian also felt this was absurd.

"But I feel like dying of anger is more likely. I remember Xin Ruoyu comforting me yesterday, telling me to keep my spirits up and all that. That young girl must have been so ashamed and indignant over the broken engagement that she died of anger."

Xie Ninglan’s mouth hung open for a long time. "Daughter, you can't be like that. We women shouldn't get so worked up..."

"I know, of course. If others get angry, I won't; there's no one to replace me if I die of rage."

"Yes, exactly, exactly." Xie Ninglan hugged her daughter’s arm and nodded repeatedly. "That’s the right mindset. Learn from those villains; they never suffer from internal friction. Even their farts smell like roses. Villains usually drain others!"

Xin Nian couldn't help but laugh. Her mother’s expression was so funny when she said that, she looked just like a villain possessed.

"Sigh, the original girl was also pitiful. She was so young and hadn't experienced much, locked away in her boudoir day after day, only to be suddenly exiled and dumped. It’s understandable that she couldn't get over it."

Xie Ninglan sighed along with her. As she looked up, she saw the old guard rubbing his hands and walking over with a grin. "Fourth Madam, Sixth Miss, is everything settled?"

Xie Ninglan politely cupped her hands in a salute. "Many thanks for your care, Guard Zhang."

"It’s only right, only right." The old guard glanced at the basket on Xin Nian’s back, his smile hiding needles. "Just this little bit of stuff? Was it really worth the young master of the Ministry of Rites coming all this way?"

Xin Nian’s smile was bright, and her voice was soft and delicate, making people completely let their guard down.

"There was quite a lot, but our cart is full, and we couldn't fit any more. So we had to beg my cousin to take most of it back."

"Cousin said that when we reach Heng County ahead, he’ll have someone send us more supplies for emergencies." The young girl gave the old guard a shy smile. "We’ll have to trouble you again then, Guard Zhang."

"Oh, no trouble at all, no trouble at all. It’s just a small favor. If Young Master Xie comes by, just give us a heads-up." The old guard smiled, revealing a mouthful of yellowed teeth.

This wasn't trouble; this was a walking money tree. Every time the Xie estate sent things, they included a good amount of silver. The head guard and his men all got a cut, so they were happy to have them come; why would they ever find it annoying?

Xin Nian pursed her lips and smiled. "Then we’ll be heading off now."

"Alright, alright." The old guard watched them leave with a smile, then rubbed his chin and clicked his tongue. "I’ll be damned, these noble ladies from the Duke’s estate really are delicate and pretty."

Xie Ninglan caught a glimpse of the old lecher still staring at them and felt disgusted. She couldn't help but mutter, "Daughter, why were you smiling so sweetly at that old pervert? A scoundrel with a dog’s head and a pig’s face, and he dares to look at you like that? I wish I could whip him with a vine."

"It’s fine. In a couple of days, once we’re out of the capital and further away, we’ll find a way to finish them off one by one." The young girl’s voice was sweet, but her words were more ruthless than any beast.

"Right. Daring to squeeze silver out of us—killing them eight hundred times wouldn't be enough."

As they were talking, Dali ran over in a hurry. Seeing they were unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Madam, Young Miss, you were gone for so long, the Fourth Master was worried something had happened."

"We were stopped and questioned by that guard named Zhang just now. It was a bit scary; my heart is still pounding." Xin Nian tapped her chest with a few fingers, putting on a frail and delicate act.

Dali hurried over to support her, his eyes full of worry. "Young Miss, from now on, you must call me whenever you go anywhere. Don't wander off."

"Mm, mm." The young girl nodded her head obediently.

Xie Ninglan’s mouth twitched; she really couldn't bear to watch her daughter.

"Let’s go back. The group is getting ready to depart."

Seeing his wife and daughter return safely, Xin Wenyuan squeezed over to them and whispered, "Starting from lunch today, let’s set aside a portion for my mother. My third brother has been glaring at me the whole way, as if I’ve committed some heinous crime."

"Sigh, people in this ancient era value filial piety. Yesterday, the way we were eating and drinking without a care probably looked like extreme unfilial behavior to the others! We don't have to care about them, but not caring about my mother... that’s a bit hard to justify..."

Xie Ninglan nodded. "Fine, but you have a whole family of old and young. What if your mother gives her share to the others? We don't have much food ourselves; we can't support that many people."

Xin Wenyuan waved a hand. "Just give my mother one portion. As for how she distributes it, that’s her own business. If she wants to go hungry to play the saint for others, that’s not our concern."

The group left the small post station as the sky began to brighten.

The crowd, dragging their shackles and chains, groaned and wept, annoying the guards. A few impatient lashes of the whip silenced the crying, and they immediately quieted down.

"Move it! We need to reach Huaishu Slope, thirty miles away, by noon today. If we do, we can walk less and suffer less this afternoon."

"The days are getting hotter. If we cover more ground in the morning, we can take it easier in the afternoon. This is for your own good! Get your spirits up!"