A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

The light inside grew increasingly dim, making it almost impossible to discern the outlines of objects.

Just then, the door was pushed open a crack very gently, and Amber, holding a small oil lamp, quietly peeked in to see if Chen Wanxing was still asleep.

The dim light streamed in, illuminating the bed. Amber immediately saw that Chen Wanxing was awake, her eyes open, leaning quietly against the bedpost. She didn't know how long she had been awake.

"You're awake?"

Amber spoke softly as she entered, placed the oil lamp on the table, and then lit the other two lamps in the room. The warm glow gradually dispelled the gloom in the room.

"Mmm," Chen Wanxing responded softly, her voice slightly hoarse from just waking up.

Amber walked to the bedside, not rushing to ask questions, but simply looking at her with concern:

"Are you hungry? There's been some porridge and side dishes keeping warm on the stove. I even made your favorite jujube, yam, and osmanthus cake. Get up and have some. You haven't eaten much all day."

In the soft light, Chen Wanxing's complexion seemed better than when she returned in the afternoon. As she listened to Amber's rambling words, her gaze fell on the other's worried face, and her heart warmed slightly.

The people in the Marquis's mansion probably never imagined that the two of them would actually get back together.

"it is good."

Seeing that she was willing to eat, Amber's face immediately relaxed a little, and she hurriedly said, "Then I'll go and bring the food into the room. You can eat here; it's warm."

Chen Wanxing did not object. Watching Amber turn and leave, she slowly lifted the blanket and prepared to get out of bed.

I still feel a bit weak, but what weighs heavier is the sense of belonging that I've just confirmed and don't know how to place.

The flickering light cast her long shadow on the wall.

The food was quickly brought in; simple congee and side dishes, exuding a warm, comforting aroma.

Chen Wanxing sat at the table, eating in small bites, her movements somewhat mechanical. Amber sat opposite her, quietly keeping her company.

The only sound inside was the soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks.

After a long pause, Chen Wanxing put down her spoon, looked up at the flickering lamplight, and spoke softly, breaking the silence: "Amber, if your family had been searching for you for many years and never given up, what would you do?"

Amber paused, her hand holding the chopsticks faltering. She lowered her eyelashes, concealing a hint of bitterness, her voice calm yet carrying a resigned indifference:

"My family? From the moment I left the Marquis's mansion, they considered me, their daughter, dead. No, perhaps even earlier, when they came to ask for their monthly allowance and rewards time and time again, they had already abandoned this daughter in their hearts."

She gave a self-deprecating smile. "They're probably worried about their own futures now, how could they possibly remember me? Wanxing, why are you suddenly asking this?"

Chen Wanxing didn't look at Amber; she remained silent.

Just when Amber thought she wouldn't answer, she suddenly changed the subject, her voice ethereal: "Amber, have you never thought about it? Why am I here, in Kaifeng?"

Amber paused for a moment, then subconsciously replied, "Weren't you released by the madam just like me...?"

"Yes, release them." Chen Wanxing interrupted her, her tone carrying an indescribable meaning. "You went back to Henan because of your people, your roots are here. What about me?"

Amber was taken aback by her question.

In the Marquis's mansion, besides the servants born into the household, there were also some maids who were bought from outside. They all had their own backgrounds, but unless they were close friends, they rarely inquired about each other's origins in detail.

All she knew was that Chen Wanxing had been sold into the household when she was a child, but she seemed never to have heard her mention where she was from. Now, being suddenly asked about it, a vague idea flashed into her mind like lightning.

Wanxing was also from Henan? She vaguely remembered that when Wanxing first entered the mansion, she was all wrinkled and as thin as a chopstick, not at all like the beautiful woman she is now.

She even asked the lady where she had picked up a beggar.

Once this thought arose, everything that had happened today instantly connected: Wanxing's unusual behavior after seeing the father and son, her urgent trip to the brokerage to verify, and her current strange problem.

And what the father and son were looking for was a girl from Henan who, twelve years ago, was about eight years old, and had sold herself in Kaifeng.

Amber's breath hitched. She looked at Chen Wanxing in disbelief, unable to reconcile the Chen Wanxing before her with those two people; the difference was simply too great.

She looked at Chen Wanxing's face with suspicion, her voice unconsciously lowering, "Sister Wanxing, you wouldn't happen to... that man they were looking for today... was...?"

She recalled the young man's mention of her sister's age, and then she recalled Wanxing's age, realizing that all the timelines matched perfectly.

Chen Wanxing neither admitted nor denied it. She simply looked at Amber quietly, a slight twitch appearing at the corner of her lips. Then she lowered her head again and slowly stirred the now slightly cooled porridge in the bowl with a spoon.

"Sister, what are your thoughts now? Do you want to acknowledge them as family?"

"I don't know either," she said softly, with an unprecedented sense of confusion. "Granny Wang said they've been looking for me for many years."

I just feel that sometimes, the ways of fate in this world really leave you at a loss.

She murmured, as if speaking to Amber, or perhaps to herself.

Accept? She was completely unprepared, and had no idea how to face those unfamiliar relatives or how to integrate into the home she had almost no memory of.

Reason told her that it was better to avoid trouble and maintain the status quo was the safest course of action.

But what if she refused? She found herself unable to bring herself to do it.

Seeing her like this, Amber was deeply moved. She gently held Chen Wanxing's cold hand and whispered:

"No matter what decision you make, I will be with you. I will always be on your side."

……

The high walls of the courtyard isolated it from the outside world.

What's the rush? She said to herself with a deliberately relaxed tone. They've been searching for so long, what's another ten days or half a month?

Chen Wanxing turned over, staring at the blurry outline of the tent ceiling, continuing to search for reasons to procrastinate.

I need time to think this through. This is a huge matter, and to suddenly acknowledge them would only frighten them.

They appear to be in good health, capable of working at the docks and tirelessly searching for their relatives year after year; at least for now, they are financially secure.

Let's wait a little longer, let me prepare more, and let me think things through more clearly. For now, let's leave it at that.

Chen Wanxing pulled the blanket up higher, wrapping herself up even tighter.

As dusk deepened, the chill intensified.

No one knew what decision she would make, not even Chen Wanxing herself.