Rose Lock - Chapter 43

Hua Manyi returned to her room with the calligraphy and painting, feeling rather out of sorts. She touched her chest and suddenly realized: where was her pocket watch? She got up and started rummaging through her small suitcase, but after turning it inside out, she still couldn’t find her pocket watch.

Could it have fallen by the bridge?

The more Hua Manyi thought about it, the more possible it seemed. Just as she was about to go out and look for it, she had a change of heart. What if that wet nurse was still waiting by the bridge to seize the opportunity and drag her back?

The foot she had just extended was withdrawn. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd at that time, not a single person was willing to believe her explanation. If she hadn’t plunged into the river and escaped the ordeal, the final outcome… she didn’t dare to imagine.

“Miss Manyi, Miss Lu says she’d like to see you,” the maid Lai Qiu said at the door.

Hua Manyi composed herself and asked, “Which Miss Lu?”

Outside the door, in the corridor surrounded by flourishing flowers and trees, Lu Nian felt relieved to see that Hua Manyi was fine. “Miss Manyi, how did you end up falling into the river for no reason?”

Seeing the person who had come, Hua Manyi suddenly realized who it was. It was her, the woman from the steamship. But why was the other person now wearing an expression of deep concern for her?

“Miss… Lu?” she asked, puzzled.

Lu Nian then remembered that she had been a bit presumptuous. She had only learned Hua Manyi’s name from Miss Gong’s mouth. “My name is Lu Nian. On my way back today, I passed by the North Bridge and heard someone shouting about a person falling into the water. I didn’t hesitate and jumped into the river to save them. Who would have thought that the person who fell in was actually you?”

With this, Hua Manyi had a vague impression. She remembered it was very cold then, and someone was forcefully pressing her chest. She briefly regained consciousness during the process but soon fainted again. She only vaguely remembered it was a young woman.

“So it was you who saved me…” Hua Manyi understood, showing a smile. “You’ve helped me again, Miss Lu.”

“Just call me Lu Nian.” Lu Nian recalled the rumors she had heard on the street at the time, about something like forced marriage and a daughter-in-law absconding with money. Although she had been saved by that Gong Yan, she was still worried and followed her to the Gong family, wanting to confirm what exactly had happened.

“May I be so bold as to ask, did you accidentally fall into the river at that time?”

Hua Manyi looked at the young woman named Lu Nian in front of her. She was tall and dressed in a capable, secret-agent-like outfit. A unique, delicate pearl earring adorned her ear. She was competent yet gentle, and Hua Manyi felt a growing liking for her. She then explained the whole situation, from beginning to end. “None of them believed me.”

“How could there be such an outrageous thing? This is even more abominable than forcing good women into prostitution!” Lu Nian had received a good education abroad and simply couldn’t believe such absurd and unreasonable things were still happening in Nancheng. Public slander was enough to ruin a young woman in the prime of her life!

“If you don’t mind, let’s go to the police station to seek justice and clear your name!”

“Can we really do that?” Hua Manyi couldn’t believe it. She had originally thought of just taking the loss and being thankful that she was fine. But then she thought, she was lucky to escape this ordeal, but that didn’t mean other girls would. As long as the wet nurse’s mentally challenged son couldn’t find a wife, the wet nurse might deceive the next girl into becoming her daughter-in-law.

Lu Nian: “You have to try some things to know the result.”

Hua Manyi nodded and followed Lu Nian to the police station, telling them the whole story. Unexpectedly, the people at the police station were very efficient. Without a word, they took people to the wet nurse’s residence and arrested the wet nurse and her mentally challenged son. At first, the wet nurse argued that Hua Manyi was lying, but it so happened that several passersby who were there at the time came forward to testify and point out the wet nurse. In the end, the wet nurse and her mentally challenged son were imprisoned for the crimes of slander and forced marriage.

A happy ending!

Hua Manyi and Lu Nian walked shoulder-to-shoulder on the street, where the streetlights were beginning to come on, feeling great satisfaction. “It’s so good. Finally, something worth being happy about.”

It was already night, the dark sky was heavy like ink, and a hanging moon was in the sky. Lu Nian lagged a little behind her, with Hua Manyi’s coat draped over her arm. Looking at Hua Manyi’s graceful back, she seemed to be infected by her joy and smiled. “Yes, this is indeed something worth being happy about, Miss Manyi.”

Hua Manyi’s steps were lively. She turned her head and looked into the other person’s bright, smiling eyes, a slight curve on her lips. “Call me Manyi or… Yiyi is fine too.”

“Alright, Yiyi,” Lu Nian chuckled. “By the way, if I remember correctly, your parents…”

She didn’t continue the rest of the sentence. The happy woman in front of her visibly became dejected, the smile gone from her eyes, replaced by a sense of grievance and sorrow.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought up—”

“You don’t need to apologize. My parents were indeed imprisoned about half a year ago and passed away shortly after. I foolishly thought they were still alive and well. I came to Nancheng this time to visit them in prison, originally thinking that I would… would…”

Hua Manyi could not continue speaking, her throat constricted with emotion, and her peach blossom eyes quickly filled with tears. She tried hard to maintain a smile, but the tears fell against her will.

“Silly girl, don’t cry.” Lu Nian was moved by the sight. She stepped forward and pulled the person into her embrace, comforting her, “This is not your fault. Don’t be sad.”

Hua Manyi buried her face in Lu Nian’s chest and cried loudly.

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