Chapter 3 The Heroine Enters
Everyone said I had changed.
They quickly comforted themselves that Mother’s death had wounded me too deeply.
Xie Yunting, busy with his studies and the upcoming imperial examination, returned to the academy as soon as the mourning period ended.
I twisted my handkerchief and gave a cold laugh.
Our dynasty was enlightened—the mourning period lasted only twenty-seven days.
Mother had raised him through hardship for seventeen years, yet he spared her only twenty-seven days.
But I had no time to argue with him.
The female protagonist was about to appear.
With Mother gone, Xie Chengzong wasted no time. The mourning period barely ended before he brought Shen Wanrong into the mansion.
“This is Shen Wanrong, daughter of my late comrade General Shen.”
“From now on, she will live here. She is a guest—treat her with all courtesy.”
The servants eagerly agreed.
Xie Chengzong nodded in satisfaction, then finally looked at me. “Yaohua, Wanrong is older than you. As you approach adulthood, if there is anything you don’t understand, learn from her.”
At last, I could clearly see Shen Wanrong.
She was not stunningly beautiful, but delicate and soft, with bright, innocent doe eyes that were indeed captivating.
She greeted me gracefully, showing no timidity in this unfamiliar place.
Remembering Mother’s warning, I decided to speak little and lower my presence whenever she appeared.
So I merely nodded and stepped aside.
Xie Chengzong frowned, seeming about to scold my coldness, but Shen Wanrong suddenly yawned.
“Uncle Xie, where will Rong’er stay?”
He immediately smiled warmly. “I’ve already prepared the east-side Xiaoxiang Courtyard. It gets the best sunlight, with bamboo and rocks—most elegant…”
“But I prefer something more open. You know I grew up on the border, free and unrestrained. I dislike stuffy, pretentious scholarly tastes.”
She blinked and tugged his sleeve coquettishly.
“Uncle Xie, does the marquisate have a courtyard like that? If not, I’d rather return to the Shen residence alone.”
“Nonsense. The Shen residence has only a few old servants and has long fallen into ruin. How could anyone live there?”
His tone was indulgent. He coughed, as if to cover something, then looked at me.
“Yaohua, pack your things and give the courtyard to Rong’er.”
My fingers clenched tight.