Chapter 8: A Life of Utter Humiliation

  Shui Lian Yue didn't bother with Hong Ying, but instead walked slowly towards the gate, stopping a few steps in front of the house servant who had just chased them away. She lightly opened her cherry lips and said: "Please inform Fourth Madam that Lian Yue has returned."

  Her words were indifferent, and her face in the white veil was icy cold, like a winter plum blossom, unhurried and unflustered, standing proudly in the world.

  Jia Ding was taken aback for a moment, and then a middle-aged man walked out of the gate. He wore a light gray shirt, looked flustered, and his steps seemed to be in a hurry. He walked straight to Shui Lian Yue's face, first sizing her up, then asked in confusion: "Miss, are you really Fourth Miss...?"

  The moonlit water did not speak, but only pointed to the white gauze hat with a light touch, revealing that exquisite face, "Is it fake"?

  The middle-aged man took one glance, and immediately knelt down on the ground, wailing: "Fourth Miss, Fourth Miss, you've finally come back... where have you been all these years? The old master and mistress searched for half a year but couldn't find you, they were worried to death."

  Shui Lianyue merely cast a faint glance at the middle-aged man, with a hint of disdain flashing across her face, but she didn't respond to him. Instead, she walked around him and entered the main gate of the Shui Manor with an air of confidence. The guards standing outside the gate had just heard Wu Chang's words and didn't dare block her way.

  Wu Guanjia saw this and finally lifted his head, but those extremely ordinary eyes were even more frightened and uneasy, and he quickly got up and chased after him.

  Along the way, Wu Guan led the way, passing through the corridor, around the fake mountain, and across the garden lake, to arrive at the courtyard of the fourth wife.

  It's obviously too deserted here, and the withered branches and leaves on the bluestone slab are all over the ground. Few people come to sweep, it can be seen that Mother has been even more unhappy in recent years.

  Wu Guanjia saw Shui Lianyue lingering outside the door, not moving forward. He couldn't help but explain: "Fourth Miss returned in a hurry, and I didn't have time to inform Fourth Madam." After finishing speaking, he turned around and walked to the front of the door, knocking loudly.

  Shui Lianyue gazed at the door, its paint peeling off, covered in spider webs and dust. With Wu Guan's knocking, even more dust fell down. She let out a soft sigh, thinking that if she had gone missing, her father would take better care of her mother, but instead, things were even more miserable.

  She's back now, although she doesn't have much affection for her mother, after all, this is the body of her mother, and in this world, the only one who truly treats her with kindness. From now on, as long as she's here, she absolutely won't let anyone bully her mother again.

  After a long time, the broken gate finally opened. The person inside first saw Wu Guanjia and seemed to be very surprised. "Wu Guanjia... is there something?"

  Shui Lianyue listened to the cautious voice, and her heart felt a little stuffy. She took a step forward, pushed aside Wu Guanjia, and only then did she see clearly the person who opened the door - Qiao Cui, an old servant who had always followed her mother's side with dedication, serving her wholeheartedly. Only she, never leaving her mother's side, was willing to endure humiliation from others without ever complaining a single word.

  "Green Aunt...", Shui Lian Yue called out softly, a change from her usual cold demeanor, her words extremely gentle.

  Cui saw the woman in white in front of her, and she was stunned. The old face that had become somewhat thin and haggard due to grief was suddenly filled with tears. She rushed forward and hugged Shui Lianyue, wailing: "Miss, my fourth miss, is it really you? Is it really you? Where did you go, Fourth Miss? Old slave and Madame almost died of anxiety."

  Shui Lianyue had always disliked others getting close to her, but at this moment, she was willing to be hugged by Cui Yun, and even Hong Xiang, who was standing beside them, was moved to tears by the scene.

  After a long time, Shui Lian Yue gently patted the back of Qiao Cui and softly said: "Alright, Aunt Cui, I'm back now. You should be happy."

  Qiao Cui suddenly realized her mistake and smiled awkwardly: "Right, right, Fourth Miss is back, we should be happy instead. Come on, let's go see Fourth Madam quickly, she's lost several pounds worrying about Fourth Miss."

  As soon as the words fell, Cui Cui pulled Shui Lian Yue into the courtyard and walked away, directly ignoring Wu Guan Jia. Hong Ying saw this and followed them in, before Wu Guan Jia could speak, she casually closed the broken gate with a clang.

  Wu Guan's face turned red with rage, and he clenched his teeth in anger. As the steward of the manor, he was far superior to the Fourth Madam in status, but he couldn't vent his anger because two servants were still following him, so he turned around and stormed off with a flick of his sleeve.

  Hong Yu, who had been peeking through the door crack all along, burst out laughing. With her keen eyesight, she could see that Miss was not someone to be trifled with. After all, Miss was a young lady of noble birth, and even if Mother Wu scolded her, she didn't have to take it seriously. Moreover, Miss's identity as the young mistress of the wealthy family was evident, yet she was now living in such a dilapidated courtyard, showing that she had indeed suffered much at the hands of the Wu family.

  As she walked into the dilapidated house, Shui Lian Yue's heart was like a quiet lake surface, rippling with wave after wave of ripples. What kind of place was this for people to live in? The yard was overgrown with weeds, and the roof was so broken that you could see the sky. There were also several sparrows chirping and flying back and forth inside the house, and the ground was covered with all sorts of bird droppings, emitting a foul smell.

  Look again at the decorations in the house, thick dust has accumulated, and they are also some worthless trinkets. Only that red sandalwood carved eight immortal table looks a bit worn out, two chairs are missing arms and legs.

  Hong Ying could no longer bear it, her brow furrowed, anger soaring to the sky, "The fourth mistress of the Water Mansion actually lives in a place like this, it's really too much, I'm going to go and teach them a lesson".

  "Red Tassel, come back."

  "Miss...", Hong Ying had just taken a step forward when she was called back by Shui Lian Yue, her small face full of discontent.

  Qiao Cui also noticed Hong Ying, and slowly walked to her side. This little girl was born with a lovely appearance, and the more she looked at her, the more she liked her. "I suppose this is the Hong Ying mentioned in Miss's letter? She's indeed lovely, Fourth Miss has great taste."

  Shui Lian Yue nodded slightly and smiled faintly: "Hong Ying is a straightforward person, don't blame her, Aunt Cui."

  "How could that be? The more I look at this girl, the more I like her," he said, pulling Hong Yu's hand. His smile gradually faded, and he looked at Hong Yu with a serious expression: "Girl, don't rush, this situation isn't something that happened overnight. Even Master doesn't ask or know about it. If you go in such a rash manner, you'll only cause trouble for Fourth Miss and Madame."

  "This house is not like the outside, etiquette and propriety are everywhere, if you're slightly careless, you'll be gossiped about and get into trouble. Since you're following Fourth Miss, it's different from others, I'm afraid it might be hard on you."

  Hongying also likes to listen to Cui's words, no one has ever spoken to her with such sincerity and depth, not even her own parents, how can she not be moved?

  "Cui Yi, Hong Ying doesn't mind being wronged, it's just that I'm afraid Fourth Miss and the madam will be wronged," after saying this, Hong Ying's eyes became red again, she hugged Cui Yun tightly, and tears burst out of her eyes.