At the sound of the woman's voice, the guard's outstretched hand jerked back as if he'd touched red-hot iron. He hurriedly lowered his head and clasped his fists. "Madam, please be careful around this woman of unknown origins. What ordinary girl would speak like that? You should—"
He nervously lifted his eyes to watch the woman's movements, while keeping a wary eye on Shen Tang, afraid she might suddenly lash out and hurt his mistress.
The woman said, "She looks rather pitiful, too."
The guard was at a loss for words. He turned a pleading look toward the carriage in the middle, hoping the family patriarch inside would sense his predicament through the walls. The woman didn't even glance at him. She lowered her eyes to Shen Tang, whose outfit was a jumble of styles, and asked, "Where are you from?"
Shen Tang didn't know what places were nearby, so she simply claimed the small town she'd just passed through as the ancestral home of this body. The woman was taken aback by the answer, then a hint of amusement brightened her eyes. Teasingly, she said, "You're quick-witted, and suitably cautious. But with that northern accent of yours, how could you be from Cheng County? Never mind. Meeting is fate. From the way you speak, you seem to come from a wealthy family. Why not work as a maid for my daughter at my residence while you look for your family?"
"Madam, we don't know her background."
A man's warm, gentle voice came from inside the carriage.
He didn't sound angry, but he clearly disapproved of the woman's decision.
How could they let a woman of unknown origins near their daughter?
Without even turning her head, she rejected his objection and stood her ground. "If we don't know her background,