Chapter 2 Unmoored

Chapter 2: Adrift

Mother Chen was laid to rest halfway up the mountainside, alongside Father Chen.

The mountain wind was biting, the new grave a lonely mound, paper money burning to ash, scattered by the wind.

“Young mistress, we should go home now,” Fang Zhou said with red-rimmed eyes, urging the young girl kneeling before the grave.

Qiu Heng stood up, staggering slightly from kneeling too long, and was steadied by a pair of hands.

“Thank you, Aunt Wang,” Qiu Heng thanked the woman who had supported her.

Aunt Wang looked at the girl who thanked her so quietly, a twinge of unease stirring in her heart.

Over the past three days, the child had cried until her eyes were swollen, seeming utterly bewildered. Now, she appeared to have regained her composure.

The villagers who had come to help had long since dispersed. Those remaining on the mountain besides Aunt Wang and Steward Qiu were the servants and coachmen they had brought. The group had just reached the foot of the mountain when they were stopped.

“A Heng, where is our Yun Xiang?”

Qiu Heng’s eyes flickered, recognizing the woman who rushed up to her—Aunt Xiu, Yun Xiang’s aunt.

That day, Yun Xiang had invited her to gather fragrant herbs. When they went to the pool to wash their hands, she had just bent over when Yun Xiang pushed her into the water.

“Yun Xiang left with you. How come you're back by yourself?” Aunt Xiu demanded.

“Yun Xiang… hasn’t returned home?” Qiu Heng stared at Aunt Xiu, her gaze sharp with suppressed questions, her heart growing more puzzled.

She and Yun Xiang had grown up playing together, and she still couldn’t understand why Yun Xiang would harm her. Yun Xiang’s disappearance was even more perplexing—had she jumped in after pushing her?

“She hasn’t come home at all! Tell us clearly, where did Yun Xiang go?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Aunt Xiu’s tone grew agitated. “We thought it was hard on you, losing both parents so suddenly, so we waited until your mother was buried to ask. And now you think you can brush us off with ‘I don’t know’? Tell us, did you harm Yun Xiang?”

Aunt Wang couldn’t listen any longer. “My good woman, you can’t just say such things. Slandering our young lady—we’ll have no choice but to take this to the magistrate.”

Aunt Xiu was taken aback, then sat on the ground, slapping her thighs and wailing. “Heavens above! Yun Xiang lost her parents when she was young. Her uncle and I struggled to raise her, and now that she’s missing, they want to send us to the magistrate! Is there no justice in this world…?”

The man who had come with Aunt Xiu seemed afraid to offend anyone and spoke more politely. “My wife is too upset. She’s always treated Yun Xiang like her own daughter.”

Qiu Heng looked at the couple and understood their true intention. They had noticed the people who came to fetch her were of high status and were here to demand compensation.

That made sense. If they were truly worried about Yun Xiang, they wouldn’t have waited until her mother was buried to ask. In reality, everyone in the village knew how harshly Aunt Xiu treated Yun Xiang.

Thinking this, Qiu Heng did not mention that Yun Xiang had tried to harm her.

Without knowing the full situation, saying more would only lead to more mistakes. Yun Xiang had harbored deep resentment toward her aunt and uncle, so it was unlikely they knew her true intentions.

“Our young lady is grieving the loss of her foster parents and is still in a daze. You two should look elsewhere, and look properly,” Steward Qiu said politely, though his expression carried a warning as he placed a few pieces of broken silver into the man’s hand.

Pleased with the silver, the man’s face lit up, and he hurriedly pulled Aunt Xiu away.

Aunt Wang sneered. “So they were just here to extort money.”

Steward Qiu said indifferently, “Let’s return home first.”

Once inside the Chen household, Steward Qiu spoke directly. “Sixth Young Lady, pack your things. We’ll set off tomorrow.”

The forcefulness in his tone was immediately apparent to Qiu Heng.

“I can only leave after the forty-nine-day mourning period for my parents has passed.”

Steward Qiu raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Sixth Young Lady, your family is eagerly awaiting you. We can’t keep the elders waiting too long.”

The young girl lowered her eyes and repeated softly, “I can only leave after the forty-nine-day mourning period for my parents has passed.”

Steward Qiu’s face darkened. “Sixth Young Lady, think carefully.”

The girl simply fell silent.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Aunt Wang quickly pulled Steward Qiu outside and whispered pleadingly, “As you said earlier, Sixth Young Lady has just lost her foster parents and is grieving…”

“Do we really have to wait until the forty-nine-day mourning period is over? Who will bear the blame if Elder Earl and the Old Madam are displeased?”

Aunt Wang lowered her posture further. “Elder Earl and the Old Madam are kind and understanding. They will surely show compassion. Please, Steward, try to understand. The most important thing is to bring Sixth Young Lady back safely and peacefully, isn’t it?”

“Hmph,” Steward Qiu sneered and returned to the city with his attendants.

Yunfeng Village was not far from the city. Over the past two days, the Qiu family’s people had helped with the funeral arrangements during the day and returned to an inn in the city at night, leaving only Aunt Wang to stay at the Chen household.

That night, Aunt Wang couldn’t sleep. Listening to the wind outside the window, she sighed.

The young lady’s life back at the Earl’s mansion would likely be difficult as well.

The next day, as dawn broke, Qiu Heng rose early. After washing up, she instructed Fang Zhou, “When Aunt Wang wakes up and asks about me, tell her I’ve gone up the mountain to be with my parents.”

“Don’t worry, Miss.”

Qiu Heng went to the household closest to hers.

A young man of about fifteen or sixteen was carrying firewood into the house when he caught sight of the girl standing quietly nearby. The firewood scattered to the ground.

“A Heng, you… why are you here?” The young man seemed flustered.

“Brother Xiaoshan, do you know who it was that ran over my father?”

The young man named Xiao Shan had grown up with Qiu Heng. Last year, he had gone to the city to work as an apprentice in a spice shop. That day, he had received news that his mother was ill and was rushing home when he saw Father Chen being struck and thrown by a galloping horse. It was he who had called for help to carry Father Chen back.

Faced with Qiu Heng’s question, the young man unconsciously averted his gaze. “Those people were riding too fast… I didn’t see clearly…”

Qiu Heng’s eyelids trembled, and tears rolled down her cheeks. “After my mother’s forty-nine-day mourning period, I’ll be leaving for the capital. Brother Xiaoshan, if you saw anything, please tell me. I don’t want to remain in the dark…”

“A Heng, is it true you’re a young lady from a wealthy family?” Hearing that Qiu Heng would be leaving, Xiao Shan’s expression changed slightly.

“That’s what they say.”

“Once you go to the capital, will you never come back?”

“Yes.”

Xiao Shan was stunned for a moment, a struggle flickering across his face. Then he reached into his robe and pulled out an object, pressing it into Qiu Heng’s hand.

It felt cool to the touch—an exquisitely carved jade pendant.

“That man was riding at the front. After he knocked Uncle Chen down, he didn’t even dismount… When I recognized Uncle Chen and went to help him, I found this jade pendant on the ground…”

Qiu Heng silently stared at the jade pendant in her hand, not blinking.

The girl's silence lay like a heavy stone on the young man's heart.

Xiao Shan gritted his teeth, his voice barely audible. "There was one person who looked like the young proprietor of Fuhai Restaurant, following at the very back... A Heng, I've told you everything I know. You mustn't even think of reporting this to the authorities. For Uncle and Auntie Chen, nothing matters more than you living well in the future..."

By the end, he seemed to regret his words.

"Brother Xiaoshan, don't worry, I won't report it," Qiu Heng said, clutching the jade pendant tightly, her eyes slightly red. "With so many people from the capital here to fetch me, they wouldn't let me report it anyway. Just knowing a little more about what happened to my father that day is all I can ask for..."

A few days later, in the capital, a letter from Steward Qiu arrived at Earl Yongqing's estate.

After reading it, the Countess of Yongqing frowned deeply. "It's been confirmed. It's that Sixth Daughter who disappeared years ago."

Earl Yongqing took a sip of tea, his tone casual. "It's a good thing she's been found."

"Both her adoptive parents died in such a short time. I'd say this girl is cursed," the Countess said gravely, her disdain evident in her eyes.