It had been sixteen years since Mother Ye had last seen her second daughter.
The servant back then did write letters fairly regularly.
Unfortunately, the puppet-like figure was still stuck in that old house in Jinling; and though the foreigners had now introduced that newfangled thing called photography, it was a common sight here in their Shanghai.
Shanghai was currently Asia’s most prosperous and economically advanced city. Ye Junwan had brought a camera back from abroad, but Jinling was nowhere near as bustling.
So to this day, not a single photograph had ever been sent by the servant.
Mother Ye had no idea what Ye Shaohua even looked like.
“In a few days, once we bring her back, we’ll see what she looks like. But she’s still in school—let’s have her withdraw first.” With her mind set on Ye Shaohua, Mother Ye didn’t dwell on it and simply sent word to Jinling.
Still, the Ye family’s genes spoke for themselves—every sibling was more lovely than the last.
So even without having met Ye Shaohua, Mother Ye didn’t think she could be ugly.
Though compared to her youngest daughter, she’d surely fall a little short.
Ever since returning from her studies abroad, Ye Junwan had developed a deep distaste for feudal notions like foot-binding and the idea that men ruled supreme.
Hearing that her second sister was still studying at one of those old-fashioned feudal schools, she couldn’t help but picture the image of a feudal woman wrapped in heavy layers—and felt a chill of disgust.
But as for marrying some feudal man herself? Absolutely not.
Over at the Ye household in Shanghai, things were in a flurry of activity.
Over in Jinling, however, life was remarkably leisurely.
Jinling might not have been as prosperous or as open as Shanghai, but ever since Tang Feng had pacified the region, it had become relatively safe—no rogue troops dared to come stir up trouble or shed blood here.
That was why quite a number of people had moved to Jinling to settle down.
Ye Shaohua had been awake for three days now. In that time, she’d been both recalling the plot and attending classes at school.
The Republic wasn’t as chaotic as she’d imagined.
At least in Jinling, public order was passable.
But… the technology really was backward. Schools had been established, and by middle school there were electives, but they were mostly history courses. The optical research and mechanics she’d hoped to see—there was almost none of that.
Though the “University Ordinance” had been promulgated, the curriculum was far too outdated.
The university department did offer seven courses, but most of the content was very basic.
What’s more, there wasn’t even a fixed curriculum—the main problem was a severe shortage of qualified teachers.
And many refugees couldn’t even get into school at all. This was an era of survival; those without power were simply trying to stay alive—everything else could be cast aside.
The original owner’s family was considered quite wealthy, and her school was the best university in Jinling.
But after walking around the campus, Ye Shaohua found the teaching facilities woefully inadequate.
She finally understood why the country was always starved for talent—and why most of those who went abroad rarely came back.
“Second Miss! A letter from the madam and the master!” Just as Ye Shaohua stepped through the door, Aunt Hong, who had raised her since childhood, excitedly handed her an envelope. “The madam says a group will be sent to take us back to Shanghai the day after tomorrow!”
Seeing Aunt Hong hand her the letter, Ye Shaohua set down her book.
She took the paper casually.
The letter was only a few lines—basically telling Ye Shaohua to hurry back to Shanghai, and that Father Ye would send a special team to escort the two of them back to Jinling.
There was no inquiry about how Ye Shaohua was doing, and the handwriting was clear and forceful—probably written by a proxy.
After a quick glance, Ye Shaohua placed the letter on the table and turned calmly to Aunt Hong. “Aunt Hong, once you’re done being excited, have someone make dinner. I’d like fish tonight.”
Aunt Hong’s fervent excitement was instantly quelled by Ye Shaohua’s composed words.
“Second Miss… aren’t you happy?” From the way Ye Shaohua used to stare off into space, Aunt Hong knew she had always missed her family back in Shanghai.
But she hadn’t expected Ye Shaohua’s reaction to the news to be so calm.
Aunt Hong suddenly felt like she couldn’t quite read her anymore.
“It’s not that I’m unhappy,” Ye Shaohua said flatly. “It’s just that those people aren’t as dear to me as you are, Aunt Hong.”
Hearing this, Aunt Hong felt a warmth in her heart—but also great surprise.
In her mind, Ye Shaohua had always been quiet and outstanding. As a child, she would constantly ask when her parents were coming to pick her up. Aunt Hong herself was literate and had taught Ye Shaohua quite a bit.
Aunt Hong had a rather poor memory—she felt a flicker of confusion at first—but soon, swept up in the thought of returning to Shanghai, she was overjoyed and personally cooked a whole table of dishes that evening.
Watching Aunt Hong’s excitement, Ye Shaohua couldn’t help but sigh.
In the original plot, both the original owner and Aunt Hong had been equally ecstatic, believing they were heading to paradise.
Little did they know—it was hell.
Ye Junwan had studied abroad for years and was extremely liberal in her thinking. She looked down on her rigid, conventional second sister. Using what she’d learned overseas, she became very popular in Shanghai and attracted a host of eligible young men.
At the same time, she brainwashed the original owner, telling her that the Second Young Master of the Tang family wasn’t a good match, and that as a modern woman, she needed to learn to be independent.
Before she was even married, the original owner was filled with despair about her future.
In truth, Father Ye could have refused the arranged marriage. But he was greedy for fame and fortune, unwilling to lose such a good opportunity—and equally unwilling to let his youngest daughter suffer—so he proposed that Ye Shaohua marry Tang Feng’s second son instead.
When Ye Shaohua tactfully expressed that she didn’t want to marry, he had her placed under house arrest.
His justification? That being able to marry the Second Young Master was already a blessing.
On the day of the original owner’s wedding, she learned the truth: the one originally meant to marry was Ye Junwan.
Only because of their parents’ favoritism was she the one sent off instead.
It was impossible not to feel anger, hurt, and a chill in her heart—yet at that very moment, Ye Junwan sneaked into her room and urged her to flee the wedding.
A frail young woman like her—if she really ran away, how was she supposed to survive in such an era?
She knew her own limitations well. But Ye Junwan, with that sanctimonious “I’m doing this for your own good” look, acted offended that she wouldn’t appreciate it, saying she deserved to marry someone like that.
Furious, the original owner gave her a shove.
Ye Junwan hit her head and bled.
Because of this, the Tang family’s eldest son—who had a crush on Ye Junwan—poisoned the original owner’s food.
No sooner had she married into the Tang family than she died of poisoning.
Having lost a daughter, the Ye family weighed heavily on Tang Feng’s conscience, and he treated Ye Junwan exceptionally well after she married into the family.
As for the original owner and Aunt Hong, who had tried to uncover the truth? They met no good end.
What a godforsaken world this was.
Two days later, a military officer led a team of men to knock on the door of the old Ye residence.
“We’re here on the madam’s orders to escort the Second Miss back to Shanghai,” Deputy General Zhang said to Aunt Hong, who had opened the door.
