Volume One, Chapter 18: White Contract? Red Contract?

Watching the old servants bustling about as they escorted Lady Fang away, Wanwan’s inner turmoil eased considerably.

“Thud!” Nurse Rong dropped to her knees. “This old servant is useless, having brought trouble upon Miss!”

“This old servant’s life is worthless, undeserving of such treatment from Miss!”

Wanwan bent down to help Nurse Rong up with swift, assured movements—no trace of illness remained. If Lady Fang were to see this, she would surely be furious enough to bleed from the lungs again.

“Nurse, please rise quickly. You have treated me sincerely; how could I stand by and watch you be trampled upon so casually?”

“You need not blame yourself. None of this is your fault. The problem is that a wolf has infiltrated the Wind Listening Pavilion. Together, we will pick up our sticks and drive the wolf away fiercely.”

Nurse Rong stood, a joyful smile breaking through her aged face. Seeing that Wanwan, aside from being a little pale, was otherwise unharmed, the heavy burden on her heart finally lifted. “Miss is right. I shall remember this. From now on, this old servant will accompany Miss in driving away the starving wolves!”

Wanwan smiled and nodded. “Good!”

Then, striding decisively behind the screen, she opened the wooden box to check on her younger brother, Xiao Rongli.

As the box lid was lifted, the tears glistening on Xiao Rongli’s face instantly pierced Wanwan’s heart.

“Ah Li, don’t be afraid. I know the man outside is a fraud. I will not acknowledge him. The reason I said those things was only to confuse Lady Fang…”

“Sister, I only hate myself for being too young to ease your burden, to stand shoulder to shoulder with you in battle. Instead, I’ve become a liability, forcing you to bow like a villain again and again,” Xiao Rongli sobbed softly, restraining his cries as best he could, fearing that any inappropriate noise might bring trouble to Wanwan.

Seeing her little brother so cautious and delicate, Wanwan’s chest tightened painfully. She couldn’t fathom how her sister had survived with Rongli in this den of tigers and wolves.

She herself was skilled in medicine and martial arts, yet life in the Hou Mansion’s rear quarters was still difficult. How much more fragile must her sister have been?

At that moment, she seemed to understand why her sister, on her deathbed, forbade her from returning to the mansion or seeking revenge, only urging her to protect Rongli…

Her sister had been thinking of her and their younger brother until the very end.

Sister!

Wanwan silently called out in her heart, tears blurring her vision. She gently embraced her brother, her voice choked with emotion.

“Ah Li, don’t blame yourself. This world would be lonely without you; with you here, sister has the courage to fight against the villains.”

Alone for seventeen years, now with her brother by her side, she truly felt fortunate.

Fortunate that there was another soul in this world who shared her bloodline—the blood of the Mu family!

“Ah Li, if sister arranged for you to leave the mansion, would you be willing?” Wanwan’s eyes burned with earnestness as she looked at Xiao Rongli.

Seeing him lower his head, she softly asked, “You don’t want to?”

Xiao Rongli shook his head. “Ah Li cannot!”

It was not unwillingness but inability. Wanwan’s heart filled with confusion. “Why?”

Xiao Rongli bowed his head like a child who had done wrong, remaining silent.

Wanwan, sensing his unspoken pain, coaxed him gently.

“Ah Li, whatever is on your mind, you must tell sister. Don’t keep secrets from me, or we siblings might be in danger!”

The moment he heard there was danger to his sister, Xiao Rongli suddenly lifted his tear-filled eyes, innocent and bewildered, piercing Wanwan’s heart.

“Sister, I didn’t mean to. They said you died without silver for a proper burial. If Ah Li signed a contract of servitude, then you could have money for the burial—”

“So you signed the servitude contract?” Wanwan’s voice trembled with pain, her hatred toward the Hou Mansion intensifying beyond reason.

Less than beasts, less than beasts! They turned Ah Li into a slave and still sought to take his life. Their cruelty was so insane that words felt pale.

“I’m sorry, sister. I didn’t know it would put you in danger. I only wanted to help you. I never imagined it would turn out like this…” Xiao Rongli looked lost, helplessly shaking his head.

Wanwan raised her hand to wipe away his tears, speaking softly, “It’s not your fault, Ah Li. You did it for sister’s sake.”

“Now that I understand the whole truth, there will be a way. Ah Li, first take care of your health. Only then can you help sister fight the villains!” Wanwan coaxed and comforted him until he fell into a deep sleep.

“Miss, that Lady Fang deceived the young master into signing a servitude contract to completely sever his right to inherit the title,” Nurse Rong said bitterly.

Wanwan nodded, lowering her gaze. She had suspected as much.

“As long as that contract remains in their hands, it’s a hidden threat. Luckily, it was signed not long ago, and it might still be a blank contract. If so, we can find it and quietly tear it up. I suppose Lady Fang wouldn’t dare make it public.”

As she spoke, Nurse Rong silently resolved, “This old servant will try to sneak into the Singing Phoenix Pavilion and steal that contract!”

“Don’t act rashly, Nurse,” Wanwan hastily stopped her. “Lady Fang’s actions are deliberate and thoroughly prepared. That contract is unlikely to be blank.”

“Most likely, Ah Li’s fingerprint was on it one moment and by the next, it was already registered with the authorities as a valid contract!”

Wanwan’s words plunged Nurse Rong into despair. “Then, isn’t the young master doomed for life?”

Signing a servitude contract meant becoming a slave, the lowest of the low, forever barred from officialdom. How could that be?

Nurse Rong suddenly stepped forward, grasping Wanwan’s hand, pleading, “Miss, the young master is exceptionally talented. His future cannot be cut off like this! He—”

“Nurse!” Wanwan interrupted firmly, taking a deep breath. “Ah Li is my own brother. I will not abandon him. Don’t lose your composure. We are still in the Hou Mansion; we must not act recklessly.”

“I have a plan regarding the servitude contract. Lady Fang and her group caused a disturbance tonight; they likely won’t come again. Take good care of Ah Li. I must go out for a while!”

“Yes, this old servant will protect the young master!” Nurse Rong regained her composure and hurried to help Wanwan change into her night attire.

“Nurse, I’ll be back soon!” Wanwan said, then vanished into the night.

Nurse Rong closed the window, then approached a ruby brooch, as if through it she could see Wanwan’s deceased mother, tears streaming down her face.

“Madam, this old servant has failed you. Not only did I fail to protect Miss, but now the young master has become a slave—worse, a bargaining chip in Lady Fang’s hands. I am ashamed to face you. I wish only to die, yet my heart resists.”

“Why is it that they killed Miss, yet still live so well?”

“This old servant refuses to accept it. I will use this broken life to avenge Miss and watch those villains descend into hell!”

“Nurse! You said my sister is dead?” Xiao Rongli’s voice echoed from the darkness, interrupting all of Nurse Rong’s memories.