The sun slanted toward the west, and Wufu wrapped a blade of foxtail grass around her hand, playing with it as she glanced sideways at Shen Hongyu, who was still saying goodbye to someone at the doorway.
The slender figure, with a small bundle slung over her shoulder, was wiping tears as she talked to a young man standing in front of her, with no end in sight to their conversation.
Wufu withdrew her gaze, propped a hand against her brow to shade her eyes, looked at the gradually sloping sun, and exhaled a cloud of muddled breath.
She must have been out of her mind, or perhaps a rush of heat to the head, to agree to let this little girl come along with her. If she brought someone back with her, her mother would probably be quite shocked.
That’s right, their family wasn’t a wealthy household; they didn’t have use for a maid, and even if they did, it wouldn’t feel right. Besides, one more person meant one more mouth to feed, and that required Silver.
Wufu wasn’t worried about Silver, but taking someone with her meant she had to take responsibility.
As for Silver, well, Hongyu had said her Silver could be kept with Wufu for the time being, she could use it first, but she also had to start earning much more.
But the responsibility was great, how had she agreed to it?
She must have been influenced by the spirit of Old Man Shen in this house, which clouded her judgment.
A gust of wind blew, and Wufu shivered.
Cough cough, sorry, the responsibility is great, and I’m afraid of failing your trust.
Wufu brought her hands together in a prayerful gesture, bowing towards the house.
"What are you doing?"
Wufu turned and saw Shen Hongyu standing behind her, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"Eh, have you finished saying goodbye to your little sweetheart?" Wufu glanced at the young man still standing there, watching them from a distance.
Shen Hongyu’s face flushed, and she said, "He’s not my little sweetheart!" How can this sister talk like that, isn’t she embarrassed?
Wufu pinched her cheek, laughing, "If he’s not, then why did you give him the house? Such a long farewell too!"
"What do you know? My grandfather died, and it was Brother Zhuzi who helped me with the funeral. I have nothing to repay him with; the house is dilapidated. He can stay in it if he wants; later on, he can also help offer incense for my grandfather and father." Hongyu said with tears in her eyes.
Wufu said, "Actually, you could still think about it. Once you follow me, there’s no turning back. Since this young man is so good, just wait a few years and then..."
To her, being a maid meant losing one’s freedom. Without freedom, what pleasure would life have?
Shen Hongyu said, "I know what you’re going to say. Brother Zhuzi is just like a real older brother to me, how could I ever consider him... Besides, with my kind of bad luck, how can I enter their family? Brother Zhuzi might not mind, but what about his family?"
She had forgotten how superstitious this era was. Someone like Shen Hongyu whose father and grandfather died and mother ran away was considered a person with a tough fate. Anyone superstitious would care about that.
Especially since she had lost her relatives, she didn’t have much of a family fortune to begin with, which made her even less desirable to others.
Wufu wanted to say with one hundred taels of Silver, no one would care, but then thought, if they wanted her for her Silver only, that wouldn’t count as a respectable family.
"You just better not regret it!" She said, striding forward.
Regret? What was there to regret? At worst, she would just die.
At her age, without relatives, without anyone to rely on, if she encountered something bad, death was the result anyway, sooner or later.
But following Wufu...
Shen Hongyu lifted her head to look at the woman walking ahead, tall and slender, with a straight, firm back even when walking. Remembering her grandfather’s words and how she stood up to her aunt and their family...
Following her, there would surely come a day when she would have good days of her own, right?
Shen Hongyu pursed her lips tightly, slung the small bundle over her shoulder, and without looking back, she quickly caught up.
Having taken this path, she wouldn’t regret it!