Chapter 17: To Leave or to Stay

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  "Xiao Ya, my dear Xiao Ya, you've suffered so much, it's all Mother's fault, Mother owes you an apology!"

  "...Sū shì, jiàn rén, dú fù, nǐ jū rán gǎn zhè me le wǒ jiā bǎo bēi ér, wǒ——"

  Translation:

  "...You Sū family, lowly person, poisonous woman, how dare you treat my precious child like this, I——"

  "Nanny, nanny, I was wrong, I really was wrong, I shouldn't have given up, nanny!"

  Aunt Zhao was in a daze, and seemed to hear the sound of crying from the next room. She suddenly opened her eyes, listened carefully, and thought, "Oh no, it seems like Qiuniang is crying! Did she have a nightmare?!"

  Thinking of this, Zhao's nanny hastily got up, hastily put on her clothes, ran through the small door between the two rooms, and rushed to Wang Qifang's bedroom.

  Rushing into the room, as expected, intermittent cries of Wang Qifang's wailing voice came from the closed mosquito net.

  Mrs. Zhao saw the situation, hurriedly ran to the round table, lit a candle with a lighter, one hand holding the candlestick, and the other hand carefully covering the flame around it, came to the bedside in the flickering candlelight.

  Lifting the bed curtain, only to see Wang Qifang's hands constantly grasping at something in mid-air, her long black hair spread out on the pillow, and her pale face covered with tears of excitement. As she cried out in anguish, her head shook back and forth.

  "Second Master, how can you be so heartless? Xiaoyu is also your daughter, how can you treat her like this?"

  "Madam, it's all my fault, a thousand mistakes and ten thousand wrongs are mine. Please treat Xiaoyu well, she is an understanding and good child!"

  "Nanny, nanny, don't bother with me anymore, hurry back and take care of Xiaoyu, she's being bullied to death, nanny——"

  "Seventh daughter, seventh daughter, I'm here, have you had a nightmare?"

  Madam Zhao saw Wang Qifang struggling in her dream, and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. She put the candle holder on the small stool beside the bed, and with both hands shook Wang Qifang's body hard, waking her up from the nightmare.

  "Mother! Mother!"

  Wang Qifang was vaguely supported by the wet nurse, and she didn't know what had happened. She stared blankly as Zhao's nanny helped her lean against the upright pillow, and then fed her another cup of cool water.

  "Seventh girl, it's all because of nanny being too harsh with her words during the day, causing you to have nightmares at night!"

  The wet nurse put the empty cup aside, and gently wrapped her frail body in her arms, one hand lightly stroking her tearful eyes, the other slowly patting her trembling body, softly comforting her.

  Nightmare? Yes, it must be a nightmare! After drinking a glass of cool water, Wang Qifang's disordered heart slowly calmed down. She buried herself in Zhao's warm and spacious arms, listening to her murmuring comfort and the steady heartbeat, which was very strange, her heart that had been disturbed by the nightmare was gradually recovering its calmness.

  "Seventh girl, it's good that you know to care for Xiao Ya. This matter can't be rushed," Zhao Ayi said, resting her chin on Wang Qifang's head and gently stroking her hair. Feeling the body in her arms slowly calm down, she began to softly comfort her, "Good child, don't worry, everything will be alright with Nai Nai here. Nai Nai will definitely think of a way to help Seventh girl return to the Zhao family. Good child, you can rest assured, our Xiao Ya is clever and won't be easily harmed by that little slut..."

  The warm embrace and gentle whispers soothed Wang Qifang's out-of-control emotions, and gradually, she fell asleep in the nanny's gentle voice.

  The next day, Zhao's mother got up early. She had arrived a bit late the day before and was in a hurry to have a heart-to-heart talk with Qiuniang, so many of her luggage were not yet sorted out.

  In addition, although she has been encouraging Wang Qifang all along, saying that she will think of a way to help Qiuniang return to the Zhao family, how easy is it to return to the Zhao family as soon as possible under the current circumstances? !

  If she can't go back early, then she should tidy up this small courtyard properly. After all, she will still live in this yard with Seventh Girl in the future.

  As for Wang Qifang, she took advantage of Zhao's outing to find Feng Tiezhu and his wife, and slipped into the space. First, she used the warm spring water in the space to wash herself clean, and then she watered the plants in the yard and around it. While watering, she found that the unknown seeds she had planted yesterday had already sprouted and quickly grew into green plants over a foot tall, but they hadn't bloomed or borne fruit yet, so agricultural novice Wang Qifang still didn't know what they were. Moreover, the tomatoes she had picked clean yesterday had all grown new fruits, with the same quantity as before.

  Wang Qifang first did some farm work, then picked two tomatoes and put the things in the room in order. When she came out, she was holding the fabric and lace that Mrs. Feng had entrusted her to sew.

  Although the arrival of the wet nurse temporarily alleviated Wang Qifang's embarrassment of having no money, with her character, she would definitely do well what she had promised to others.

  Besides, the dream last night still haunted Wang Qifang. Although she had woken up now, the heartache in her heart still existed, and she needed to do something to adjust her mood.

  It was either the lingering impression of her predecessor Wang Qifang or her own "dream" of Xiao Yan's situation that made Wang Qifang fall into a contradictory dilemma.

  Empathy? Yes, when Wang Qifang "dreamed" of Xiao Yan, she saw that at a young age, Xiao Yan was forced to mature early, not only taking care of herself but also working hard to protect her mother. The bitterness of having no parental protection, the isolation and helplessness, made her feel as if she had seen her past self.

  The same father who doesn't care, the same mother who is weak, the same self-reliance, makes Wang Qifang heartache at the same time, and yet there's a desire to stay and protect Xiao Yan.

  Stay?

  Wang Qifang held the cut fabric, chose silk threads of matching colors, and used her old method to calm the annoyance in her heart.

  Joking, she's so easy to get a chance at rebirth, and that Zhao family is definitely not some five-good household, how could she still throw herself into the net?

  Besides, Xiaoyao is pitiful, but what does she have to do with me? Oh, of course, the flesh she occupies has an inseparable blood relationship with Xiaoyao. However, the tempering of her past life and the ruthlessness and shamelessness of her birth father made Wang Qifang's personality somewhat cold-blooded. She doesn't believe in blood ties; otherwise, she wouldn't have left a trick behind when she was about to die, dragging Wang Ailin down to hell with her.

  But why is it that when I think of myself walking away with a slap on the butt, there's a faint sense of guilt and a thread of heartache deep down inside?

  However, upon careful consideration, it seems that staying behind isn't such a bad thing after all. Over the past two days, through constant probing and inquiry, she gradually came to understand the world she now found herself in. This was an era where the system had inherited the style of the Tang Dynasty but also developed its own unique aspects; while the social norms did not place overly strict restrictions on women, they also did not support a single woman venturing out into the world alone.

  Without the support of her father or brothers, without the backing of her husband's family, a woman who has been divorced by her husband's family can hardly live comfortably in this era. Even if she finds a way to make a living and gets rich, if there is no powerful backer behind her, the resources in her hands not only cannot be exchanged for wealth but also may bring disaster!

  Alas, there are advantages to leaving and reasons for staying, but where will she go in the end?!