At that moment, a secret joy rose in Ah Zheng’s heart, but he did his best to keep it in check.
“Of course it’s okay.”
Then a mischievous idea struck him. “The road ahead… you better hold on tight.”
As soon as he said this, he squeezed the horse’s flanks and took off at a gallop with Gu Heng.
The instant they sped up, Gu Heng cried out in fright, “Ah Zheng, slow down! I’m scared!”
Ah Zheng chuckled silently but didn’t show it on his face. “The road isn’t that close. If we want to make it there and back in time, we’ll need to hurry. Sorry you have to endure a bit.”
Along the way, Gu Heng was so afraid of falling that she clung tightly to Ah Zheng’s waist. Even when they finally dismounted, her heart was still racing.
“Ah Zheng, let’s ride slower next time, okay? I’m scared.”
Seeing that her face was genuinely pale with fright, Ah Zheng scratched his nose and promised,
“Alright.”
The whole way, she had held him tightly. Ah Zheng wished they could stay on horseback forever. But seeing how shaken she looked, he knew—if he went too far, she might not want to ride with him again.
“I haven’t ridden in a while—got rusty. I’ll practice more. Next time I take you, I promise it’ll be smooth.”
Seeing his pitiful look, Gu Heng couldn’t stay mad and just nodded.
The two followed the familiar path into the village.
Looking up, they saw Qin Momo sitting at the doorway of her house. After more than half a month, her clothes were much cleaner—no longer stained with blood.
The once-cloudy look in her eyes had brightened. When she saw Gu Heng, tears filled her eyes as she stood up.
“Second Miss, you’ve come!”
Qin Momo stood up too quickly and almost lost her balance—it was Four Ni by her side who caught her.
At that moment, Four Ni smiled brightly when she saw Gu Heng. But when her eyes landed on Ah Zheng, her smile froze.
Even though half a month had passed, she still couldn’t forget how this man had beaten her father that day.
Though her father had treated her and her mother poorly, he was still their family. She just couldn’t bring herself to smile genuinely in front of Ah Zheng.
But when her eyes met his, she made up her mind: everything would be buried in her stomach.
She had a feeling—if her family dared say anything, he would definitely retaliate with terrifying force.
Gu Heng, meanwhile, was immersed in joy at seeing Qin Momo’s recovery and didn’t notice the girl’s expression.
“Qin Momo, how have you been lately? Are you feeling better?”
Qin Momo wiped her tears and pulled Gu Heng into the house. Once they sat down, they finally started to talk freely.
“Thanks to you, Miss, for saving me—and finding me such a good place to stay. Gradually, my health has improved, and my mind has cleared as well.”
As she said this, Qin Momo held Four Ni’s hand and gently patted it. “I must thank this child too. Her parents are always busy. On most days, she’s the one who stays with me, applies my medicine, brews my decoctions, and takes such good care of me.”
Gu Heng nodded and pulled out two taels of silver from her pouch. “You’ve worked hard these days. This is for your trouble. Give one tael to your parents, and keep the other one for yourself.”
Four Ni looked at her in panic, “Big sister, this is too much. I can’t accept it.”
Gu Heng sighed and gently touched her cheek. “Take it. I know it hasn’t been easy for you. These days, you’ve done most of the caring for Momo, haven’t you? Your parents haven’t come much, right?”
Four Ni was stunned.
Clearly, only this big brother had come these past days—this sister never visited. How did she know?
If she knew that… did she also know that this big brother beat up her father that night?
Did he tell her?
Instinctively, she looked toward him. He looked a little confused too, which made her even more unsure.
Gu Heng sighed again. “No need to guess. With the epidemic being so serious, so many families have been displaced. Even if I gave your parents one tael, they probably saved it. They still had to work during the day, and only you had time to care for Momo. Of course it was you doing most of it.”
Hearing this, Four Ni scratched her head, then timidly accepted the silver. “Th-thank you, big sister.”
Ah Zheng also let out a sigh of relief.
He knew Gu Heng was always sharp, but just then he’d really feared he would be found out.
“Four Ni, I have some things to discuss with Momo. Go play for a bit, will you?”
Four Ni nodded and left, even closing the door behind her.
Then, she found a hidden spot and dug a small hole to bury one of the silver taels.
If her father ever hit her mother again, she’d take her mother and leave. With this money, she believed they’d be alright. At least they wouldn’t starve.
Back in the house, Gu Heng saw the door was shut and no one else was around. She took Qin Momo’s hand and spoke gently, “I heard from Ziyun what happened—that you were beaten and thrown out by Gu Yue. You’ve suffered.”
Then her tone shifted. “But now the time has come. I want to clear up the truth about Yiniang’s death. I remember you once said Yiniang went out that day because she received a note. That note—was it real?”
Qin Momo’s eyes welled up with tears. She nodded firmly. “Of course it was real. If I spoke a single lie, may heaven strike me down with thunder—I’ll die a terrible death!”
Hearing such a heavy vow, Gu Heng felt certain she wasn’t lying and calmed down a bit. “Don’t be anxious—I believe you. But… did you see what the note said? And do you still have it now?”
Qin Momo nodded. “I’ve seen it. Although I don’t recognize many characters, I could still understand what was written on that slip. That day, it said for Yiniang to go to the private room at Fan Tower at a quarter past noon to have tea. The person claimed they had clues about your background, Miss. After reading it, Yiniang threw the note into the brazier and hurried out.”
At this point, a trace of relief appeared in Qin Momo’s eyes. “Luckily, the brazier was almost out, and Yiniang was in such a rush that she didn’t notice. I managed to fish the note out. One corner was slightly singed, but the writing was still intact.”
Hearing this, Gu Heng was overwhelmed. “Do you still have that note? Did you bring it with you?”
Qin Momo shook her head. “I’ve always felt the note was very important. It wasn’t safe to carry it on me, so I hid it in a gap between the bricks on the right wall of my bedroom. Unless someone’s touched that room, it should still be there.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Heng immediately stood up. “Momo, thank you. In three days, the Junshou will visit the county. At that time, Father will set up a stage in a crowded area and invite famous performers to put on a show. After the performance, I’ll use this ironclad evidence to expose Qin Rou and Gu Yue’s crimes in public. Will you help me?”
Qin Momo was moved to tears. “Of course I will! Yiniang treated me so well, and you, Second Miss, are my savior. I will certainly help you!”
“Good. Then I must trouble you to stay here a little longer. In three days, I’ll send someone to fetch you. Is that alright?”
Qin Momo nodded, then gently patted Gu Heng’s hand and said with concern, “Of course. Everything is fine on my side. I’ll cooperate with you. But you must be careful. That Qin woman isn’t just the mistress of the Gu household—her family is the richest in the county. It won’t be easy to bring her down.”
Gu Heng knew everything she said was true. Qin Momo genuinely cared for her, and this path would indeed be full of danger.
But in the end, she nodded solemnly. “I know. But I was supposed to be an orphan—maybe I should have died at the foot of that cliff when I was a year old. It was Yiniang who saved me and raised me. No matter how hard it is now, I won’t let her die without justice.”
She had understood all she needed to, so she got up to leave. Just as she opened the door, she turned back and sincerely said, “Momo, thank you.”
—
After leaving, Gu Heng and Ah Zheng didn’t linger and immediately set off for home. Perhaps because he had ridden too fast earlier and was scolded for it, this time Ah Zheng rode much slower.
But Gu Heng had too much on her mind to notice. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around Ah Zheng’s waist and rested her head against his back, silently closing her eyes.
At that moment, she didn’t want to think about anything—just to quietly exist for a while.
—
After returning to the residence, Gu Heng headed straight to the courtyard.
Qin Momo and Ziyun were her close attendants and shared a room. Now, she was feeling around the spot Qin Momo had mentioned and indeed found a crevice.
She reached in and pulled out a slip of paper. Opening it, she read: “Quarter past noon, meet at Fan Tower’s private room. It concerns Gu Heng’s parentage.”
Seeing this tattered note, all the suppressed grief and injustice Gu Heng had held in her heart burst forth.
Though the handwriting was deliberately messy, she could tell at a glance—it was Gu Yue’s.
If she could recognize it, how could Yiniang not?
It was just that Yiniang cared too much. Her concern clouded her judgment, and she willingly walked into their trap.
In that moment, Gu Heng didn’t speak. Her tears fell silently onto the note.
Afraid the tears would blur the writing, she hurried to wipe them away.
Ziyun stood to the side, helplessly watching her young mistress. She wanted to hand over a handkerchief but didn’t dare interrupt.
The next second, Ah Zheng reached out and caught a falling tear.
Then, gently, he cupped her face and carefully wiped away every tear.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m here. If you want to cry, then cry.”
At those words, Gu Heng couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst into sobs. “It’s all because of me. Yiniang died because of me. If she hadn’t loved me so much, if she hadn’t wanted to find my real parents, she wouldn’t have gone out and wouldn’t have run into those bandits!”
“This is partly the fault of whoever sent the note—but it’s also my fault. If I had never existed, none of this would’ve happened! Father was right—I’m a jinx! I killed her!”
Seeing her cry so bitterly, Ah Zheng felt his own heart ache in sync.
He instinctively pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back. “It’s okay. It’s really not your fault.”
As she was enveloped in his embrace, Gu Heng finally found something to lean on. Even if this support was only temporary, she let herself sink into it for the moment.
“Ah Zheng, I want revenge for Yiniang. I want those who hurt her to be ruined and disgraced. I want them to pay the price!”
