[The nanny took a tael of silver from inside her clothes and tucked it into your arms, reminding you how to survive in the Marquis's Household. Though you did not want to admit it, this was the first time you had felt familial affection since coming to this world.]
[With your new status as the nanny's goddaughter, your standing rose considerably, and life became easier.]
[Though you were still just a servant in your masters' eyes, to the other servants in the kitchen, you were practically the second-in-command.]
[In the tenth year, news came from the border: Dingbei Hou had died on the battlefield and returned wrapped in horsehide.]
[The madam had already been in poor health. Overcome by the shock, she followed him in death.]
[The entire Marquis's Household was draped in mourning white. White banners hung all the way from the main gate to the rear courtyard. Whenever the wind blew, paper spirit money fluttered through the sky, landing on rooftops, in courtyards, and on people's shoulders.]
[You stood at the kitchen door, gazing toward the main courtyard in the distance.]
[The mourning hall had been set up there, and the weeping continued day and night.]
[The nanny was run off her feet these past few days. As an old hand, she had to oversee all the funeral rules and formalities. You had not seen her for days, except when she occasionally returned late at night, too exhausted to speak, and fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow.]
[You brought her hot water and kneaded her shoulders and pounded her back. She held your hand without speaking, only patting it gently.]
[In the eleventh year, the new marquis inherited the title.]
[He was the child who had been in swaddling clothes back then, now ten years old. You saw him once from a distance, dressed in mourning and standing before the mourning hall, his little face taut, without shedding a single tear.]
[In the fifteenth year, you were thirty. All these years, you still had white traits, but with a godmother, you had someone to rely on in the Marquis's Household. Life grew easier, and you became much more at peace.]
[You began to feel that if life could remain this peaceful forever, that might not be so bad. But Heaven did not grant people their wishes.]
[One evening, the nanny hurried over to you and thrust a small bundle into your hands. You felt it and immediately realized what was inside.]
[Gold, silver, and valuables-worldly possessions, yet also the foundation on which a person could build a life.]
[The nanny was panicking, but she still tried to keep her voice level in front of you. "Something has happened. Take these things and leave tonight."]
[A buzzing filled your head. You caught her hand in yours and discovered that it was trembling slightly. "Godmother, what about you?"]
[The nanny pulled her hand free, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and patted your hand again. "Hearing you say that makes my whole life worthwhile."]
["Don't ask so many questions. This position has always demanded care at every step. All these years, every day has been like walking on thin ice. Having you here gave me some comfort. I'm already content.
"Just remember: at midnight tonight, someone will meet you at the rear corner gate. Take this bundle. Your indenture is inside too. Once you're out, head east. Don't look back, and don't ask about the Marquis's Household. Pretend you never entered this place.
"Live a good life out there. Don't worry about me."]
[You looked at the bundle in your hands. It was heavy, no small weight. Without opening it, you knew it contained the nanny's savings from all these years.]
[After so many years, how could you possibly have no feelings for her? But you knew clearly that this was not reality. Your purpose in this simulation was to survive! Chop trees! Obtain traits!]
[Go... go.]
[Under the nanny's gaze, your steps slowly grew firm. You dared not look back, afraid your tears would spill, nor did you dare stop, afraid that once you did, you would never be able to take another step.]
[Midnight.]
[Sure enough, the rear corner gate stood open a crack. A dark figure slipped inside and thrust a set of coarse clothes at you. "Put these on and follow me."]
[You recognized him as Old Chen, the gatekeeper, who usually worked in the stables. You had barely exchanged a few words with him. But years ago, the nanny had spoken up for his son and saved him, and he had always kept that debt of kindness in mind, wanting to repay it.]
[In the end, that kindness was repaid to you.]
[His face was taut now, his eyes darting behind him from time to time, as though a ghost were chasing him. You pulled the coarse clothes on over your own and followed him into the night.]
[The Marquis's Household's high walls receded farther and farther behind you.]
[You hurried along, the soles of your feet rubbed painfully raw, yet you dared not slow a single step. The night wind poured down your collar, as cold as water. You remembered the day you had been sold into the Marquis's Household twenty-two years ago. The night wind had been just like this, except then you had been escorted inside under guard, and now you were fleeing out.]
[You did not know how long you had walked before Chen San suddenly stopped ahead of you and pointed at a pitch-black road. "Follow this road east, and you can reach the ferry before dawn. There's a boat there. Once you cross the river, you'll be beyond the capital's boundaries. The boatman has already been contacted. Get aboard quickly. Keep everything carefully tucked away. Don't let it show. Remember, never return to the capital."]
[You boarded the boat and watched the shore recede farther and farther away.]
[The boat moved through the night, its oars creaking, each stroke striking your heart.]
[You sat at the bow, hugging the heavy bundle and gazing in the direction you had come from. Nothing remained visible in the direction of the Marquis's Household, only the dark, heavy sky, the dark, heavy water, and the dark, heavy shore.]
[The nanny's face rose in your mind.]
[It was entirely thanks to her that you had lived well all these years. She had truly treated you as her goddaughter and had never slapped you again. Whenever someone of high standing rewarded her with something nice, she always shared some with you. You hid your worries about the nanny, your fingers tightening around the bundle again and again.]
[The boatman was a taciturn old man. Apart from saying "Sit tight" when he helped you aboard, he had not spoken the entire way. You said nothing either, simply sitting there, listening to the water and feeling the night wind, until the horizon turned the pale white of a fish's belly.]
["We're here." The boatman brought the boat alongside the shore. "Miss, ashore you go."]
[You stood up, your legs a little numb.]
[Remembering what the nanny had taught you, you took a small piece of silver from the bundle and offered it to him. The boatman waved it away. "Someone's already paid. Go on."]
[The moment you stepped ashore, your feet planted on solid ground, you were suddenly struck by a sense of unreality.]
[Free? Just like that, I was free?]
[You stood rooted to the spot for a long while, only coming to your senses when the morning wind made you shiver.]
[I had to find somewhere to stay first.]
[You walked along the riverbank and soon came upon a small town called Liu Family Ferry.]
[The town was small, with a hundred or so households and a main street running east to west, lined with shops on either side. You found a small inn that looked reasonably clean and asked for a room.]
[After shutting the door, you finally opened the bundle. Inside were several changes of clothes, some loose silver and copper coins, and two banknotes, worth two hundred taels altogether. There was also a neatly folded sheet of paper: your indenture. You understood that with these things, you could survive for the rest of your life even if you did nothing at all.]
Before you continue