“What sister? I’ve been married into the Chen family for twenty years, and I didn’t even know there was a girl here! Where did this stinky beggar come from? Get out of my courtyard right now!”
The plump, fierce woman stood with her hands on her hips, pointing at Chen Xiu’e and her husband while shouting.
Li Mianyu and Yan Shi, who had just reached the gate, heard this and Li Mianyu lifted her chin, glancing at Yan Shi.
Yan Shi didn’t wait for her command and kicked the door open with a single powerful blow.
Li Mianyu watched as her Dark Guard’s kick sent the door flying; it swung inward and hit Zhu Dacheng squarely in the face.
“Bang—”
The woman was knocked back two steps and fell to the ground, stunned for a moment before letting out a delayed scream.
“Mother!”
“Zhaodi!”
Several voices cried out in confusion, the people in the courtyard rushing to the fallen woman before turning to look at those at the gate.
Li Mianyu’s expression remained cold as she stepped forward slowly. Her delicate and beautiful face held a surprising air of authority.
The young Dark Guard stepped back slightly, his handsome face cold and serious, lips pressed into a straight line.
His dark eyes were sharp and fierce like a dangerous leopard cat, slowly scanning the crowd.
The two of them entered silently, exuding such presence that everyone inside was stunned, including Chen Xiu’e and Zhu Dacheng.
Li Mianyu glanced around the courtyard, recalling what Chen Xiu’e had told her.
Her gaze landed on the dark-skinned middle-aged man.
“You, Chen Gaozhu, married twenty years ago. Six months after the wedding, Chen Xiu’e sold herself and left to save her mother. You’re the eldest brother, yet you can’t even recognize your own sister? Could it be that old age has clouded your eyes?”
She then looked at the plump woman lying on the ground with curiosity.
“You, wife of Chen Gaozhu, you joined the Chen family six months before Chen Xiu’e left. How could you have never seen her? You’re fat and well-fed, yet blind to this extent—did the Creator forget to give you these two eyes?”
Li Mianyu’s gaze shifted to a young man and woman nearby.
One was dark-faced and stout, the other fair-skinned but with small eyes and a flat nose.
She frowned.
“You two look like Chen Gaozhu’s children. You were born after Chen Xiu’e left home. Now that your aunt has come, it’s normal to be suspicious, but when strangers meet, there should be manners. How can you behave like beasts, biting everyone you meet?”
Everyone in the courtyard was stunned.
The plump woman on the ground was already struggling to stand, leaning on her son.
Two streams of blood ran from her nose as her whole body trembled.
“Who’s this yellow-haired girl babbling nonsense? Why are you all staring? Get these beggars out of my house immediately!”
Li Mianyu blinked in surprise, her face flushing red.
She looked to Yan Shi beside her, feeling frustrated and wronged.
“They don’t understand what I’m saying.”
Yan Shi said quietly, “…But they heard everything.”
Li Mianyu felt her Dark Guard was right, but she really wasn’t good at arguing.
No one dared to quarrel with her back in the palace, so she was at a loss about what to do next.
Should Yan Shi just beat them up?
Would that be inappropriate…
The fat woman’s flesh trembled as she glared, commanding her son to grab a flat wooden stick, her daughter to take a broom, and her husband to wield a rake.
But nobody moved at first.
She stomped her foot.
“Are you all deaf?”
Finally, only Chen Gaozhu acted.
He charged forward with the rake but was kicked away by Yan Shi, screaming in pain—probably with broken ribs!
“Father!” the son and daughter finally snapped out of their daze and lunged at Chen Gaozhu.
“Big brother!”
Chen Xiu’e shouted in shock.
She wanted to move forward but was pulled back by Zhu Dacheng.
Her face was pale and miserable; she bit her lip and wept, looking at the dark-faced man on the ground.
“Big brother, you used to care for me when we were kids! If father and mother were still alive, how could you treat me like this? You married the butcher’s daughter and, living well, you forgot your own sister? Ugh, you’re worse than pigs and dogs!”
With that, her eyes red, she walked toward the gate, grabbing Li Mianyu’s hand to leave together.
Li Mianyu glanced back and puffed her cheeks, following with a curse, “Worse than pigs and dogs!”
Yan Shi walked behind her, blocking her view, so she turned around, linking arms with Chen Xiu’e as they left.
Chen Gaozhu and the others inside the courtyard were all stunned by Yan Shi’s two kicks, not daring to utter a word.
The Chen family home was at the village entrance, with smoke curling from chimneys in the evening.
The small village path was deserted except for Li Mianyu’s group and the horse pulling a cart.
Chen Xiu’e wiped her tears as she lowered her head.
The woman beside her looked pained and murmured, “I never thought big brother wouldn’t recognize me. When I left home, he cried a few tears too. Now, seeing me so down and out, he won’t even give me two rooms.”
The Chen family courtyard was neatly built with several more rooms than the average village household.
It seemed their conditions were decent over the years.
Zhu Dacheng still had his simple and honest look, steady as always.
“After all, it’s been twenty years. The children are grown up.”
Li Mianyu was furious.
“Blood relatives can’t stop recognizing each other just because of time apart!”
Though Chen Xiu’e was a farmer’s wife, having sold herself to survive, she was still sensitive and hurt.
After wiping her eyes, she finally showed an apologetic smile to Li Mianyu and Yan Shi.
“I thought returning to Chenjia Village would give me shelter, but now…”
Li Mianyu took out a fruit and pressed it into Chen Xiu’e’s hand.
“Eat this. It’s sweet.”
Chen Xiu’e looked at the fruit, then at Li Mianyu, and smiled.
She turned to Zhu Dacheng.
“Where will we stay tonight?”
Zhu Dacheng said, “Let’s look for an abandoned house in the village to settle for one night. Tomorrow, I’ll visit the Village Head.”
Chen Xiu’e nodded.
Li Mianyu pricked up her ears, quietly tugging on Yan Shi’s sleeve and whispering, “Let’s find an old house too.”
Yan Shi looked down at her and nodded, pulling another fruit from his pocket and placing it into her palm.
Li Mianyu happily accepted it without asking where he got it from.
She suddenly remembered something and asked Chen Xiu’e, “Madam Chen, don’t you have a second older brother?”
Chen Xiu’e hesitated, having been too emotional earlier to remember her second brother.
“When I left home, my second brother was a year older than me. With big brother like this, second brother…”
Li Mianyu’s gentle and innocent face brightened.
“There was so much noise just now, but I didn’t see your second brother come out. Maybe he doesn’t live here anymore or hasn’t returned. Perhaps he still misses you.”
Hearing the tender voice, Chen Xiu’e’s eyes moistened and she nodded.
The group walked from the village entrance to the far end.
Li Mianyu was held by Chen Xiu’e’s hand but saw her reunited with family, which made her a little emotional.
She thought about Imperial Grandfather and wondered how he was doing.
Gradually, she leaned closer to Yan Shi.
Yan Shi glanced down at her and slowed his pace slightly.
At the village’s end, they finally found two dilapidated houses, but not together.
One was in the village center, smaller and more run-down.
The other was at the quiet village end, larger and less deteriorated.
Its owner seemed to have left not long ago; aside from the dirt and mess, it wasn’t too bad…at least that’s what Zhu Dacheng and Chen Xiu’e thought.
Li Mianyu looked at the two houses, her brows furrowed despite preparing herself mentally.
Such black earthen walls, so much dust, cobwebs everywhere—maybe snakes would jump out at any moment.
How could anyone live here?
She might as well camp on the grass with Yan Shi…
“Xiao yu, you’ll stay here with Yan Shi tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll visit the Village Head.”
Chen Xiu’e sighed in relief after finding a place for the night.
Li Mianyu snapped out of her thoughts and nodded.
Chen Xiu’e and Zhu Dacheng carried their bundles and left, leaving the horse and cart in front of the earthen house at the village end.
After they left, Li Mianyu slumped her shoulders and muttered, “This house might as well not exist, it’s so broken.”
Yan Shi had already surveyed the surroundings.
He motioned for Li Mianyu to sit on the cart.
His voice was very clear but calm.
“Princess, sit.”
Li Mianyu no longer wanted to sit on the cart.
She sighed softly.
Now that no one else was around, she could finally confide her thoughts to her Dark Guard.
“Yan Shi, do you think Imperial Grandfather is safe and looking for me now?”
Yan Shi bent down and began gathering fallen debris, tossing it outside to form a small pile.
Then he found some wood and lit it under the window with a fire striker to illuminate the place.
Li Mianyu followed closely like a little shadow, watching the firelight reveal the dark, crumbling house.
Her heart sank, and tears welled up.
“I miss Imperial Grandfather, Aunt Qingling, and Cui Yunqi. They probably never imagined I’d be living in a place like this. Speaking of Cui Yunqi, after Chen Xiu’e finds the Village Head tomorrow, I’ll borrow some paper and pen to write a letter.”
Yan Shi found a broom and swept the floor, sending a cloud of dust into the air.
Li Mianyu frowned, covering her nose as her tears stopped halfway.
“Cough, cough! Yan Shi!”
The young man turned around.
His handsome face was majestic in the firelight.
His dark, calm eyes met hers.
“Princess, please wait outside.”
Li Mianyu was unhappy but knowing how strong and capable Yan Shi was, she didn’t argue.
She glared at him twice before stepping out.
She sat back on the cart, her feet touching the ground.
She looked around; with no one else nearby and Yan Shi still cleaning inside, she raised her hand, about to reach out but then turned to face the house, wary of anyone hiding in the shadows.
Li Mianyu lowered her head, gently rubbing her chest.
Over the past month, her chest had become swollen.
Her rough cloth clothes chafed painfully, and she could only secretly rub herself when Yan Shi wasn’t paying attention.
Since Guishui came, Aunt Qingling used to massage her every day with ointment to help her grow properly.
Li Mianyu sighed softly.
Luckily, Guishui hadn’t come along this time.
She wanted to see if Yan Shi noticed, so she looked up just as he came out carrying debris.
The young man’s dark eyes met hers directly.
Li Mianyu froze, hurriedly lowering her hand from her chest, flustered but trying to appear natural.
“You finished cleaning so quickly?”
Yan Shi turned his head but nodded, then went outside to pile the debris in a corner.
Li Mianyu blushed and stayed quiet for a moment before jumping down from the cart and slowly moving inside.
She carefully examined the surroundings—it was just as before: pitch black everywhere, not a bed in sight, only a strange half-person-high platform.
Yan Shi laid down an oilcloth on it.
Li Mianyu knew she would have to sleep there tonight.
She took a few hesitant steps over but didn’t sit.
Soon, Yan Shi returned, and she turned to look at him.
“Yan Shi, are we sleeping here tonight?”
“This is where the princess sleeps,” the young Dark Guard replied.
“I’ll sleep outside.”
Li Mianyu was stunned.
She wanted to ask why but quickly remembered—they each had their own place now; it wouldn’t be proper to share like in the wild anymore.
But…but…
Li Mianyu thought for a long time and couldn’t come up with anything.
Her head felt like mush.
She let out an “oh” and then spaced out, mechanically eating some dry, scratchy rations.
There was a well in the courtyard with fairly clear water.
Yan Shi fetched water and brought it up.
Li Mianyu washed drowsily, then wandered back to the dark house like a ghost.
She stood beside the platform, turning to see Yan Shi about to close the door.
She quickly called, “Yan Shi!”
Yan Shi paused and looked at her.
Li Mianyu felt a mix of grievance and embarrassment.
She hesitated a long time, then pointed to the platform beside her.
“What is this?”
There was movement.
“An earth kang.”
“Earth kang?”
“It’s a bed in Longxi.”
Li Mianyu nodded slowly and carefully sat down on the oilcloth.
She tugged at her sleeves with both hands, and Yan Shi stood at the door waiting for her to speak.
She felt a little ashamed—she was a proper princess, yet now she had to sleep with her Dark Guard.
It would be laughable if anyone found out.
Li Mianyu stammered for a long time, then kicked off her shoes and lay flat on the earth kang, turning over and ignoring Yan Shi.
Yan Shi waited quietly for a while before gently closing the door.
He leaned against the wall, folding his arms and closing his eyes for a moment before slowly opening them again with a soft sigh.
The young man straightened up quickly, opened the door, and stepped inside.
Before entering, he glanced down at the threshold, then finally crossed it.
Li Mianyu curled up on the earth kang, silently shedding tears.
The bed was so hard and foul-smelling, the house so gloomy.
Did she really have to sleep alone in such a dreadful place here in the village?
She wanted to return to Imperial Grandfather, Aunt Qingling, and Cui Yunqi…
Suddenly, she felt something press against her back.
Her hairs stood on end. After a moment, she sat up and screamed, “Yan Shi!”
But when her terrified eyes landed on the earth kang, she saw her Dark Guard’s calm and handsome face.
Her nose tingled, but she shouted, “How dare you! Who allowed you to climb up here?”
Yan Shi quietly looked at her and spread his arms.
“Sleep?”
Li Mianyu blushed deeply, clutching her dress, frozen for a long while.
Yan Shi closed his eyes.
Li Mianyu glanced at him, bashful for a moment, then said seriously, “You’re my Dark Guard. Imperial Grandfather gave you to me. Whatever I ask you to do, you must do.”
“Mm.”
The young Dark Guard’s voice was so low it seemed he might fall asleep.
Li Mianyu finally exhaled deeply, lay down, and found a comfortable spot in his arms before closing her eyes.
She quickly fell asleep, but Yan Shi seemed unable to sleep.
He opened his eyes and stared at the pitch-black ceiling for a long while before lowering his head to look at her in his arms.
His gaze slowly traveled from her delicate eyebrows to her curled lashes, then her exquisite nose, and finally her ruby lips.
Yan Shi stared for a long time until the firewood crackled before closing his dark eyes.
Midnight, Longxi Commandery Seat, Cui Residence.
Cui Yunqi pushed open the door unsteadily and slowly walked to the bedside to lie down.
His face was pale, his spring-like brows shadowed with gloom.
The attendant beside him was full of worry.
“Young master’s injury…”
“Have you found the princess’s whereabouts?”
“…Not yet.”
“Leave.”
The attendant dared not say more and quietly exited the room, closing the door behind him.
Cui Yunqi took out a Gold Scent Ball from his pocket, lowered his eyelashes, and murmured, “Yu’er, where exactly are you?”