Chapter 232: Returning to the Dayong Dynasty
In the end, Ruan Xiang still carried away a piece of the handmade essential oil soap—though it was just a tiny chunk sliced off.
She had said, “Thank you, Manor Owner, Madame Lin, and Auntie Pang. My wounds have already been bandaged and treated with medicine, so it shouldn’t be a problem anymore. As for leaving scars… that is actually a good thing for me.”
Although she had found solace at the manor, the Dayong Dynasty might not necessarily accept her.
With her status and background, having her looks completely ruined was far better than retaining her beauty.
At the very least, far fewer people would harbor designs on her.
Ruan Xiang departed. Auntie Pang’s heart ached for her, so she took two massive steamed buns and kept coaxing Ruan Xiang all the way down the path, eventually nagging her until she ate another one of Auntie Pang’s signature extra-large buns.
As a dancing girl, Ruan Xiang usually had to maintain a slender figure and naturally didn’t eat much.
Today at the manor, her mouth had barely stopped moving, as Auntie Pang would feed her some food every short while.
Having eaten the steamed bun now, she had truly consumed more than she normally would over three full days.
Ruan Xiang said, “Thank you, Auntie Pang, but I really can’t eat another bite.”
Auntie Pang regretfully pulled back the other massive bun. “Sigh, you still need to practice. Look at Tao Ya; she couldn’t eat much at first either, but after coming twice, see? She eats plenty now.”
With Auntie Pang’s companionship, Ruan Xiang didn’t even have time to feel afraid about returning along the way.
Human nature was truly strange; the anxiety of being stuffed to the throat yet still being nagged to eat could actually conquer the terror of having one’s purity and reputation completely ruined and being condemned by thousands.
After Ruan Xiang and Auntie Pang left, Lin Sanniang and Jian Xingxia cleaned up the manor.
Sanniang sighed with emotion. “Sigh, I’m afraid Miss Ruan Xiang still carries a lingering knot in her heart.”
Otherwise, out of all those exquisite, even incomparably wealthy items, she wouldn’t have chosen only a single piece of soap.
Perhaps she still wanted to wash away the filth on her body.
Jian Xingxia set the chairs back into their original positions. “A thick layer of ice isn’t formed by a single day’s cold. Sanniang, weren’t you just as terrified when you first arrived? You worried for several days before gradually adapting, didn’t you?”
Lin Sanniang thought about it and couldn’t help but smile. “That’s very true.”
When she first started, she had constantly felt that the manor and the Manor Owner Tao Ya spoke of were like the monsters and spirits mentioned in bizarre storybooks, using illusions to bewitch people and steal their vital essence and lifespans.
Only after coming a few times did her heart gradually settle, believing that this place truly offered a path of survival for those in despair.
The manor was about to officially open for business, and busy days were set to begin once more.
Clutching the soap, Ruan Xiang leapt into the puddle.
The next second, she appeared beneath the secluded bridge.
Even though she had jumped into water, there was not a single trace of moisture on her body when she emerged, nor was the soap in her hand damp in the slightest.
The secluded area under the bridge felt unsettling, so Ruan Xiang covered her face and walked out onto the main road.
When Shaoyin had brought her to this remote spot earlier, Ruan Xiang had only felt that the world was vast, yet there was no place that could accommodate her. Her only way out had been a path to death.
But now, even though only six hours had passed, she felt as if every path ahead was remarkably broad.
She had a manor backing her up. The Manor Owner had told her to tend to her wounds well and that she would hire her to go over again next time. She had told her that if she encountered difficulties again, she must never seek death; no matter what, she should remember there was still the manor to take her in.
Madame Lin had meticulously wiped away the grime for her, never asking too many questions, only offering gentle reminders.
Auntie Pang had viewed her as a junior, constantly feeding her, and on the path back just now, she had been stuffed with so much food by Auntie Pang that her stomach felt a bit bloated as she walked.
And all those village grandmas and aunties—none of them had mocked her. They had offered nothing but care and praise, and had even spoken of hiring her as a master instructor to teach them to dance…
Whenever she thought of everything at the manor, a warm sensation filled Ruan Xiang’s body, and she no longer felt the road ahead was hopeless.
Moreover, at this moment, she had a very clear destination—she absolutely had to find Shaoyin to ask her face-to-face and clear things up!
How on earth did she find out about that miraculous manor!
From this day forward, did they no longer have to fear the hardships of the world?
Inquiring along the way, Ruan Xiang finally found Shaoyin’s home.
But looking at the large plaque reading “Xu Residence” at Shaoyin’s doorstep, she hesitated once more.
She wanted to live now, but she didn’t want to become a burden to others.
Especially Shaoyin.
By entering Shaoyin’s home like this, would she cause others to ridicule Shaoyin as well?
Just as Ruan Xiang was hesitating, the main gate of the Xu Residence swung open. Ruan Xiang hurriedly hid to one side, but the person who emerged was sharp-eyed and spotted her immediately.
“Ruan Xiang?!”
Ruan Xiang didn’t dare turn around, quickening her steps to flee.
But Fan Shishi and Qin Hua swiftly caught up, grabbing her in a firm grip.
“Ruan Xiang! It really is you!”
Forced to turn her head, Ruan Xiang felt a bit uneasy. “I… I came to look for Shaoyin.”
Qin Hua smiled and said, “We all did! We’re actually on our way to meet Shaoyin!”
“Meet Shaoyin? Where did she go?”
“Shaoyin went to exchange things for money and buy supplies. Come, come, come, let’s talk as we walk.”
The two girls flanked her on the left and right, pinning Ruan Xiang tightly between them to prevent her from running away again.
Ruan Xiang was practically being squeezed flat—heaven knew, her stomach was currently bulging and stuffed, and it absolutely could not handle this kind of compression!
But Fan Shishi and Qin Hua couldn’t care less. Shaoyin had told them that she had already redeemed Ruan Xiang, but that Ruan Xiang harbored a desire to seek death; if they spotted Ruan Xiang, they must secure her at all costs and absolutely never let her go.
No matter how Ruan Xiang insisted that she had already thought things through and no matter how much she said she didn’t want to die anymore, the two refused to loosen their grip in the slightest.
Rather than letting go and having something happen that would cause them regret, it was better to hold on tightly and prevent anything bad from occurring.
Facing Ruan Xiang’s pleading, the two remained strictly impartial, turning a completely deaf ear.
Left with no alternative, Ruan Xiang could only be carried along between them, heading toward the marketplace.
