Shi Huai clasped Qinghe’s fingers tightly, wearing the most earnest expression he could muster as he looked at her.
Qinghe froze for a moment, then burst into laughter through her tears. “You little thing. How can you look as though you actually understand what I’m saying?”
Shi Huai thought, I don’t just understand. I’ve thought much farther ahead than you have.
Just then, Nanny Zhou pushed open the door and walked in, her expression grim. “Qinghe, Grand Madam wants you to bring the young master to the main hall.”
Qinghe’s heart tightened, and her hands trembled, but she still managed to lift Shi Huai steadily into her arms and follow Nanny Zhou toward the main hall.
Grand Madam was seated on a couch inside. A letter lay before her, the bold, powerful handwriting on the envelope unmistakably that of Shi Yuanping.
Qinghe set Shi Huai down beside Grand Madam, then retreated to one side, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes between her fingers.
Grand Madam picked up the letter and glanced at Shi Huai. Her voice was hoarse, as if she had been crying.
“Your Second Uncle sent someone with a letter first thing this morning. He says the estate he has outside the capital is ready, and he can come collect you at any time.”
Shi Huai looked at the letter, unable to say what he felt.
“He also says he’s already arranged for a wet nurse and some maids. The estate isn’t very large, but it’s quiet. No one there will look down on you, and no one will hurt you.” Grand Madam’s voice trembled, and so did her hands.
Qinghe could hold back no longer. She dropped to her knees with a thud, tears streaming down her face.
“Grand Madam, please, don’t send the young master away. This servant will take good care of him. I’ll do anything you ask!”
Grand Madam glanced at her. “Get up. Who told you to kneel?”
Qinghe didn’t dare rise. She stayed on the floor, knocking her forehead against it again and again. “Grand Madam, the young master is still so little. He can’t be without someone to care for him. If you send him away, he… he…”
“I said, get up.” Grand Madam’s voice sharpened.
Only then did Qinghe shakily stand, though the tears continued to fall.
Grand Madam set the letter aside and reached out to lift Shi Huai into her arms. She held him up before her and examined him from head to toe.
Shi Huai met her gaze. He neither cried nor fussed, simply looking at her in silence.
“You poor child,” Grand Madam murmured, her eyes reddening. “Your life has been hard.”
“Your birth mother tried to strangle you the moment you were born, and your own father abandoned you. Now they want to send you away to a place you don’t even know.”
Shi Huai’s nose stung as he listened, and he nearly lost control of himself.
“But I have no other choice.” Grand Madam’s voice was as soft as a passing breeze. “I know Madam Liu too well. She won’t let this go. What happened the other day was only a test. There will be worse to come. I’m old now. I won’t be able to protect you for many more years.”
“Rather than have you live here in fear every day, it’s better to send you somewhere safe.”
At those words, Qinghe could no longer restrain herself. She covered her face and began to sob.
Grand Madam glanced at her and sighed. “Stop crying. If you’re willing, you can go with him.”
Qinghe jerked her head up. Tears still clung to her lashes, but her eyes were filled with stunned delight. “Really? Grand Madam, do you truly mean it?”
Grand Madam nodded.
“You’ve served him for so long and taken such good care of him. I’ve seen all of it. If you’re willing to go, I’ll tell your Second Master to take you along.”
“Of course I’m willing! I’m willing!” Qinghe nodded frantically, tears and smiles mingling across her face, leaving her looking utterly disheveled.
Watching this, Shi Huai felt both a pang of sadness and a rush of warmth.
That silly girl. She was going to follow him to an unfamiliar place without knowing what awaited her, yet she was already this happy.
Grand Madam placed Shi Huai back on the couch, picked up a brush, and wrote several words on a blank sheet of paper. She folded it, put it into an envelope, and handed it to Qinghe.
“Qinghe, give this to your Second Master.”
Qinghe nodded vigorously and carefully tucked the envelope into her robes.
Grand Madam glanced at Shi Huai again and reached out to stroke his cheek. Her hands were old but strong, carrying a tenderness that was difficult to put into words.
“Go on. Pack your things. Your Second Uncle will come for you first thing tomorrow morning.”
Qinghe carried Shi Huai back to the warm chamber, tears flowing the entire way.
Shi Huai rested against her chest, listening to her quiet sobs. He thought, Once we leave, who knows when we’ll ever return to this marquis’s residence?
Early the next morning, before dawn had even broken, Qinghe began packing.
There wasn’t much to pack. Shi Huai had very few possessions to begin with.
A few changes of clothes, a cloth tiger, a small quilt…
Everything fit into a single bundle.
Qinghe stuffed her own things inside as well. Then, carrying a large bundle on her back and Shi Huai in her arms, she stood outside Shou’an Hall and waited.
Grand Madam did not come out to see them off. She merely sent Nanny Zhou with a message: “Be careful on the road.”
Nanny Zhou’s eyes were red as well. She took a small cloth pouch from her sleeve and pressed it into Qinghe’s hand.
“Grand Madam gave this to the young master. It’s two hundred taels of silver. Keep it for emergencies.”
Qinghe accepted it, and tears spilled down her cheeks once more. “Nanny, please thank Grand Madam for me. I… I’ll take good care of the young master.”
Nanny Zhou nodded and patted Qinghe on the shoulder before turning away. She walked quickly, as though trying to escape from something.
Nestled in Qinghe’s arms, Shi Huai watched the vermilion doors of Shou’an Hall slowly close. He couldn’t explain how he felt.
His feelings toward the old lady were complicated. He couldn’t say they ran especially deep.
But she had indeed saved his life, and she had indeed given him the only protection he had found in the marquis’s residence.
Just then, a carriage entered through the manor gates and stopped outside Shou’an Hall.
The curtain was lifted, and Shi Yuanping leaned out from inside. His face wore that familiar, gentle smile.
“Are you ready?”
Qinghe nodded and climbed into the carriage with Shi Huai in her arms.
The carriage was spacious, with thick cushions spread across the seats and a small brazier warming a pot of water. The air inside was cozy and warm.
Shi Yuanping sat across from them, his gaze settling on Shi Huai. The smile at the corners of his mouth deepened slightly.
“Little fellow, from today onward, you’re with me.”
Shi Huai looked at him without crying or fussing, meeting his gaze in silence.
That look made Shi Yuanping pause. Then he smiled. “Those eyes of yours really don’t look like a child’s.”
Qinghe hurriedly pulled Shi Huai closer, frightened into a trembling voice. “Second Master, the young master… he doesn’t understand anything.”
Shi Yuanping smiled but said nothing more. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
The carriage swayed gently as it left the marquis’s residence, passed through the bustling streets and out the city gates, and headed toward the outskirts of the capital.
Through a gap in the curtain, Shi Huai watched the scenery outside change from prosperous streets to desolate fields.
He thought, The road ahead is unknown, but at least I’ll be safe for now.
At least I won’t have to worry about Madam Liu poisoning my food every day.
