Ye Yunniang wrapped her clothes back up, slung them over her shoulder, and walked out past the constables’ line with a few others who had been cleared.
“Hey, girl, have you seen my eldest daughter?”
“What’s going on inside? What did the Jiang Family do wrong?”
Outside the line, people kept asking, desperate to know what was happening inside.
“Move aside, don’t block my daughter’s way.” Cai Damei pushed through the crowd ahead and grabbed Ye Yunniang’s hand. “Yunniang, don’t be afraid. I’m taking you home.”
Cai Damei comforted Ye Yunniang gently.
Ye Yunniang gave a soft nod and followed Cai Damei step by step toward home.
They returned to Sunset Lane and pushed open the gate to enter the courtyard.
Cai Xiaomei, Zhang Cai’er, and Granny Zhang were all there.
Granny Zhang had come to inquire about Granny Tian’s condition and also wanted to find out what had happened to the Jiang Family.
Ye Yunniang didn’t know much herself. She relayed what she had overheard from the servants—that the Jiang Family’s bonded servants had signed death contracts and would be sold off in three days—and told Granny Zhang.
After hearing this, Granny Zhang hurried away with Zhang Cai’er.
Cai Xiaomei stayed behind for a few words before leaving.
Once the outsiders had all gone, Ye Yunniang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Go inside and rest for a while. I’ll go fetch Pan’er,” Cai Damei said. Hearing about the trouble at the Jiang estate, she had left Pan’er with a neighbor and rushed back to the Jiang residence, waiting outside all this time.
“Okay.” Ye Yunniang entered the side room—her room.
After buying the house, Cai Damei had made some renovations.
Originally, there were two main rooms: one served as the main hall for dining, receiving guests, and chatting; the other was the bedroom where Cai Damei and Pan’er lived.
The side room, previously unused, had been cleaned up by Cai Damei. She bought a bed, cabinet, table, chairs, and stools, arranging them neatly to serve as Ye Yunniang’s bedroom.
The bedding inside was all new, and Cai Damei took it out to air every few days.
If you got close enough, you could still smell the fresh scent of sunlight on the blankets.
Ye Yunniang didn’t lie down to rest but took a jade finger guard from her bosom.
It was given to her by Jiang Mingzhe when he had helped her up. She didn’t understand why Jiang Mingzhe had handed it to her, but she kept it safe, waiting for him to come and claim it.
She then opened her bundle, took out the silver and jewelry sewn into her cotton jacket, and placed them carefully into a box on the dressing table.
She mended the cotton jacket again. The constables had rifled through her other clothes, which made her feel uneasy. Holding the clothes, she went out to the backyard.
There was a well in both the front and back yards. The front well was mainly for drinking water.
The backyard well was used for washing and watering the garden.
She washed the clothes. Soon, Cai Damei returned with Pan’er.
“Pan’er, your mother’s back. From now on, the three of us can be together forever.” Cai Damei wiped away tears as she spoke—she had longed for this day for over a year.
Ye Yunniang’s eyes reddened slightly as she reached out, wanting to hold her son.
But Pan’er hid behind Cai Damei. After months apart, he was a stranger to Ye Yunniang now.
“Yunniang, play with Pan’er for a bit. I’ll go make dinner,” Cai Damei said, gently nudging Pan’er toward Ye Yunniang.
“Mother, I’ll cook.” Ye Yunniang headed toward the kitchen. Now that she was home, she wouldn’t let Cai Damei do all the work.
“You just got back today—you can’t go into the kitchen yet,” Cai Damei stopped her.
After some back and forth between mother and daughter, the three of them ended up together in the kitchen.
Ye Yunniang helped light the fire while Pan’er played nearby, and Cai Damei busied herself at the stove.
By bedtime, Pan'er was finally willing to call Ye Yunniang "mother." Yet at night, he still insisted on sleeping with Grandma.
Ye Yunniang lay alone in bed, reflecting on the events of the day. Her thoughts wandered to Li'er, Chunyao, Nanny Shi, and the others. She felt grateful for the help they had given her, which had allowed her to live relatively well in the Jiang family’s mansion.
She couldn’t bear the thought of them being sold off like mere goods. But buying them herself was impossible—she had no money.
Moreover, even if she bought them, without a way to earn a living, she wouldn’t be able to support them.
Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, Ye Yunniang watched as dawn broke outside. She got up and began preparing breakfast.
She cooked rice porridge, made some flatbreads, and fried an egg.
Cai Damei opened her eyes, glanced first at her grandson, then got up to head to the kitchen and help with breakfast.
Ye Yunniang had already finished preparing the meal and had boiled water for washing up.
“You’re up so early—why not rest a little longer?” Cai Damei asked.
“I usually get up at this time,” Ye Yunniang replied, ladling water for Cai Damei to wash her face.
Cai Damei washed her hands and face, then took the towel to dry herself.
“Should I wake Pan'er?” Cai Damei asked.
“No need. He still needs to sleep for another half hour,” Ye Yunniang said.
“All right, then I’ll go wash the clothes,” Cai Damei said, picking up the dirty laundry to head to the backyard.
“You sit down. You’ve been busy all morning. I’ll do the washing,” Ye Yunniang urged, but Cai Damei gently pulled her back.
“No, I’ll wash. You rest a bit,” Cai Damei insisted, taking the laundry to the backyard herself.
“I’ll join you soon,” Ye Yunniang said, following her outside. She carried water while Cai Damei scrubbed the clothes.
Together, mother and daughter-in-law finished washing the laundry.
Afterward, they swept the courtyard clean.
Pan'er had woken up by then. Ye Yunniang went inside to dress him.
Pan'er still felt somewhat unfamiliar with Ye Yunniang and tried to avoid her.
“I want Grandma, Grandma,” Pan'er called out toward the door.
“Grandma’s busy serving the meal. Let me dress you. Once you’re dressed, we’ll eat breakfast—you’ll have your favorite fried egg,” Ye Yunniang coaxed him.
Hearing “fried egg,” Pan'er hesitated no longer and let Ye Yunniang dress him.
Once dressed, Ye Yunniang took his hand and led him outside to wash his hands and face, then into the main hall.
Cai Damei had already set the table.
The three of them—mother, son, and grandmother—sat down for breakfast together for the first time in over a year.
After the meal, Ye Yunniang stayed home to care for Pan'er while Cai Damei went out to gather information about the Jiang family.
Ye Yunniang wanted to go herself, but Cai Damei disagreed.
“You just arrived in Jiangcheng and don’t know anyone besides the Jiang family. I’ve been here over a year—I know many people. I can find out more,” Cai Damei reasoned before leaving.
She returned around noon.
Upon her return, she shared the news she had uncovered.
The reason for the Jiang family’s downfall had already spread throughout Jiangcheng.
The Jiang family had been implicated.
The Zhuang family had angered the emperor and was completely wiped out.
Jiang Mingde had pleaded for mercy but only earned the emperor’s wrath. The Jiang family was exiled to the frontier.
Because the Jiang family was divided, the main branch was sent to the frontier. The other branches were spared exile but still suffered the confiscation of their properties.
The main branch members were not present—they had already been escorted to the frontier.
The Jiang family members had been driven out of their mansion, wearing coarse hemp garments as they left.
All their property was confiscated.
No one dared to take them in; they had to temporarily shelter in a dilapidated temple.
Hearing this, Ye Yunniang thought of Jiang Tingjun, her heart heavy with sorrow.
"Mother, I want to go and see them. When I was at the Jiang Family’s residence, Fourth Madam treated me quite well. She gave me many pieces of jewelry, clothes, and silver. Although it was because I nursed the young mistress for money, I still cared for her all the same during that year." Ye Yunniang looked at Pan'er, unable to finish her sentence.
"One must never forget where they came from. The Jiang Family has been good to us. It’s only right to repay their kindness. The Jiang Family is now living in a rundown temple. If you want to visit, then go ahead. Help them however you can," Cai Damei said as she stood up and went to a cabinet, pulling out a pouch of silver coins and a few valuable pieces of jewelry.
"I have some on me," Ye Yunniang declined.
"Take it. Without the Jiang Family, who knows when our family would be able to settle down in Jiangcheng?" Cai Damei said, pressing a fragrant sachet—one Ye Yunniang had given her back at the temple—into her hand.
"Mother, you’re so kind." Ye Yunniang clasped the sachet tightly.
Following Cai Damei’s advice, Ye Yunniang made her way to the dilapidated temple. From a distance, she could hear the sound of arguing.
