Under the envious gazes of everyone, she became Madam Liu again. The lessons from the previous two times had made her wise. While her husband was alive, she had already started saving money, secretly acquiring land and courtyards for herself. Even the money her husband gave her, she kept in different places, like a cunning rabbit with three burrows, and she personally handled everything, trusting no one anymore.
Originally, she thought her preparations would be unnecessary, but unexpectedly, they still didn't get to grow old together. They only spent ten years side-by-side before her husband left this world before her. Her in-laws, on the grounds of her being a jinx to her husbands, drove her out. At the age of a grandmother, she was still alone. Recalling her experiences over the past forty to fifty years, it was simply a history written in tears.
She secretly sold her purchased courtyard and land at a low price, then disguised herself and went to the capital with her money. She bought a small courtyard, hired two servants, and lived a reclusive life.
During her leisure time, she would practice her zither, read books, or reminisce about the sweet days with her last husband to pass the long nights. Over a dozen years later, feeling her end was near, she sent away the servants she had hired and lay alone on her bed, covered by the quilt her husband had bought her. As if smelling his scent, she left the world with a serene expression, ending her unfortunate life.
Wu Caiwei arrived at a most unfortunate time. If it were before she was fifteen, she might have been able to change the trajectory of the original host's fate. Unfortunately, at this point, she had just lost her first husband and was driven out of the Zhu family's door.
The original host's requests were very simple, none concerning herself. In her opinion, her life had been bitter enough, but her husband had never let her down. Although she was driven out of her marital home, it was inseparable from her own status. She had no regrets.
All her requests were about the two most important women in her life. One was her mother. In her youth, she had doubted the cause of her mother's death, but she was young and had been driven out of the house by her father, so she couldn't investigate.
Later, when she became a courtesan, she felt that if she returned to her hometown and was recognized, it would damage the Li family's reputation. Her maternal grandparents and mother, who had long been in the earth, would inevitably be dug up and discussed again, disturbing their eternal rest. Her sins were too heavy, so she let it go.
However, in the original host's heart, this matter had always been a regret. Therefore, she hoped Wu Caiwei could help her find the truth of the matter, so that she could rest in peace. The other was about her daughter, Yu Jie. She had secretly gone to see her daughter once. Upon seeing her, her daughter was distant, disdainful, and contemptuous.
At that time, she was extremely sad, knowing that as a young lady of status, her daughter looked down on her identity. Moreover, her daughter was young when they were separated. She had no idea how the Zhu family had educated her later, but she didn't need to think to know it wouldn't be anything good said about her.
Even though her daughter didn't acknowledge her, the original host cared deeply for this daughter, her only blood relative. Because she constantly paid attention to her daughter's whereabouts, she was fully aware of her later life. When she reached marriageable age, under the arrangement of Madam Zhu, she married a man of similar social standing in the area.
At first glance, it seemed like a good choice. In reality, the man already had someone he loved, and this marriage was a compromise under helplessness. After marriage, he gradually distanced himself from her and doted on others. Her life was exceptionally difficult. She went gray-haired at a young age, and she even died before the original host.
When the news arrived, the original host did not sleep all night, heartbroken. If possible, she wished her daughter could marry someone who truly cherished her, live a happy life together, and escape the tragic fate of her past life.
With the original host's memories and knowing the mission for this life, what needed to be considered now was how to survive in this world. She touched her empty pockets. Even the hairpin on her head had been taken when she was driven out. Recalling the original host's skills, other than playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, which couldn't sustain her, she knew nothing. At this moment, Wu Caiwei finally understood why she had returned to her old trade; it was because she had to survive.
This problem posed a great challenge for Wu Caiwei as well. Following her memories, she arrived at the most famous pawnshop in the city.
When she came out, she was wearing a tattered outfit that had been mended countless times, with numerous patches all over.
She had pawned her only valuable set of clothes. If bought at a ready-made clothing store, that outfit would have been worth more than two taels of silver, but what is a pawnshop? They only gave her five hundred copper coins.
Although for her, who had once possessed countless riches, five hundred copper coins were not even enough to fill her teeth, for the original host at this moment, it was a lifesaver. With these five hundred copper coins, she could live for at least ten to fifteen days by being frugal.
She took out ten copper coins, bought two meat buns for dinner, and went to the notorious haunted house in the city. She tidied up a room and began to meditate and practice martial arts. In every new world, as long as her body allowed, she would first practice martial arts. Only with the ability to protect herself could she confidently move about in an unfamiliar world. Sudan Novel Network
Don't think she didn't notice. Even in her ragged clothes, she couldn't hide her beautiful appearance. As she walked and ate her bun earlier, a few ruffians had followed her. If it weren't for the haunted reputation of this house, making them hesitate at the entrance and fear gaining the upper hand, Wu Caiwei might have had to fight and strategize with them tonight.
Fortunately, she didn't feel hunger or cold while practicing martial arts. When she opened her eyes again, it was already dawn.
This life was different from the past in that there was no threat to her life, nor any important matters to attend to. Thus, she spent the next two months diligently practicing martial arts.
During these two months, she occasionally went out to buy some food. Those five hundred copper coins were long gone. Since Madam Zhu had her personal maid seize all the belongings her husband had left her for her own security, it was not unreasonable to ask her for some now that she was in difficulty. It was rumored that she had taken several hundred taels of Madam Zhu's private savings, and her personal maids had not had an easy time recently.
From Wu Caiwei's understanding of Madam Zhu, she would likely search every room of her personal maids from top to bottom, looking at them with suspicion, while the maids all cried injustice. However, Wu Caiwei felt no sympathy for them.
When she was at the Zhu family, due to her status, she had been as low-key as possible, yet those maids had always looked at her with resentful and sharp glances, as if she owed them a lot of money. In private, they had made things difficult for her more than once.