Fifteen, fifteen.

Yuezhi gazed closely at the girl’s face, observing her timid, battered, and terrified appearance, and asked in disbelief, "Are you... Changsun Huaqing?"

Hearing her name, Huaqing’s pupils trembled, and she suddenly broke down in tears.

Yuezhi, startled by her reaction, saw only the pitiful state of Huaqing and failed to notice that Pei Heng, having dismounted, had changed into a set of practical, martial attire. Beneath the loose sleeves of his outer garment, iron bracers were visible—the signature gear of one trained in combat.

Pei Heng looked back at Huaqing, his brow furrowed. "If you want to cry, there will be plenty of times for that. I brought you back to see Yuezhi, not for you to stand here sobbing endlessly."

Their relationship had never been deep, and they had left little impression on one another in childhood. Now, reunited after falling on hard times, Pei Heng’s attitude toward Huaqing remained quite distant.

Upon being reminded, Huaqing immediately stifled her sobs and, with their help, climbed down from the horse.

Pei Heng said gently to Yuezhi, "Take her inside first to change into clean clothes. I’m going to tie the horse behind the courtyard."

"Alright." Yuezhi did not ask further. As instructed, she led Huaqing into the courtyard, brought her to the inner room of the main hall, and began searching for suitable clothing.

Changsun Huaqing’s current frame was just right for the clothes Yuezhi had worn at sixteen or seventeen. Yuezhi pulled out a set of indigo cotton garments along with clean undergarments and turned to hand them to the girl.

Turning back, however, she found Changsun Huaqing kneeling on the floor, struggling to suppress her sobs.

"What are you doing?" She tried to help her up, but Huaqing refused.

"Cousin bought me back so I could take care of you. I can wash clothes and cook; I will listen to everything you say. Just please don't drive me away, please give me a bite to eat..."

The noble lady who once carried herself like a proud peacock was now, for the sake of staying in this home, utterly humble.

Having once been bullied by her, Yuezhi found it difficult to like her, but she did not harbor enough dislike or hatred to be cruel.

"Why did you ask Pei Heng to buy you back? Where are your parents?"

At this, Huaqing wiped her tears sorrowfully and began to recount how, after she followed Cui Wenzhu away from the Bodhisattva Temple, she had no survival skills despite not being sold off like other criminal slaves. She could only do rough work for wealthy families, such as washing clothes and boiling water, to earn a meager living.

Changsun Yi, like Pei Heng, had been sentenced to agricultural labor in a remote and freezing region. None of his wife or children were willing to accompany him.

Cui Wenzhu had managed to survive that winter with her, and after saving a little money, she went to the village where Changsun Yi was stationed, hoping they could start over as a family and live in peace. Who would have thought that Changsun Yi would spend the entire winter in a dilapidated thatched hut, becoming ill from the cold without moving a single brick to improve their situation?

Over the years, the couple quarreled repeatedly. Cui Wenzhu eventually worked herself to the point of vomiting blood from farming and repairing the house, dying suddenly before she could even afford medicine.

Changsun Yi still fantasized that his sister, the Empress, would find a way to save him. Refusing to perform any manual labor, he spent their last copper and then sold Changsun Huaqing to a human trafficker.

Over the past year, she had been bought and sold repeatedly. Because she was weak from hunger and unable to work, she was eventually sold into a brothel.

She refused to submit, even at the cost of her life, and ran into the streets seeking death, which was how she encountered Pei Heng, who was staying in Yanjing.

He redeemed her and told her, "Yuezhi’s health is not good, and her eyes have been injured. She needs someone to look after her. If you can serve her honestly, I will take you back."

Huaqing agreed, of course. She no longer wanted to drift about, and serving as a maid was better than being sold as a prostitute.

After hearing this, Yuezhi could not help but sympathize with her plight. She softened her tone and joked, "He loves to worry about others; my health isn’t that poor, you don’t need to wait on me."

Seeing the girl’s body go rigid with fear when she said "you don’t need to," Yuezhi quickly added, "However, he is away from home sometimes, and I get quite bored by myself. I really do lack a companion. As long as you live honestly, I won't drive you away."

She tucked the clothes into Huaqing's arms. "These are my old clothes; go ahead and change."

"Yes." Huaqing finally climbed up from the floor.

***

Yuezhi stepped out of the inner room and left the house, walking around to the back of the courtyard to find Pei Heng, who was feeding the horse. She balled up her handkerchief and threw it at him.

Pei Heng heard familiar footsteps approaching and, knowing it was Yuezhi, felt no need for caution. He didn't expect the handkerchief to hit him in the face, and his nose was suddenly filled with the scent of gardenias, making his heart tighten.

He caught the falling handkerchief and turned to look at her, seeing a face slightly flushed with anger, her porcelain-white cheeks burning red.

"You said you were going into the city to prepare for the civil service exam. Why are you dressed like this now, and why did you bring Changsun Huaqing back saying she needs to take care of me? What are you trying to do?"

"A criminal like me, if I become a civil servant, I will only ever be a low-level clerk. I would have no future."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Yuezhi lowered her eyes.

Pei Heng tightened his grip on the handkerchief. "You have already suffered so much for my sake; I didn't want to make you worry."

"So you turned to the military? Are you working as a bodyguard, a bailiff, a gatekeeper, or..."

"I have become a centurion in the Liangzhou Army."

"How could you go there?" Yuezhi could not believe he had made such a monumental decision behind her back. Angry and worried, she stepped forward and grabbed the lapels of his tunic. "The military is grueling! The barbarians often raid the borders; with swords and spears, people really die!"

She looked as though she might faint from anger; her body felt limp, her fingers trembled, and she could barely hold onto him.

"All these years, I’ve worked hard to save money just so we could have a stable life, yet you went behind my back and dove into the most dangerous pit of blades. Don't you think about what I would do if you died?"

Yuezhi looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes, the young man’s handsome, delicate face blurring in her vision.

Pei Heng’s brow furrowed. He reached out to support her arms, only then realizing how thin she was—even thinner than before he left home.

"I am wrong. I have made you sad."

Seeing her in such distress, his own heart felt as though it were being cut by a knife.

Yuezhi had never lost her temper with him like this before. He felt a tightness in his chest, worse than when he was punished by the Emperor as a child. Back then, it was fear of the Emperor’s rage; now, it was the fear of disappointing her.

He leaned down and gently hugged her. "You often say I am clever and will achieve great things one day. Do you not believe I can be safe in the army and carve out a life for myself?"

Yuezhi choked back a sob. She knew they were only pretending to be siblings and that she had no real authority over him, but she couldn't help her heartache.

"Your mother fell because of her own greed, and your uncle’s desire for past glory ruined his wife and daughter... I am afraid you will end up the same way..."

"Pei Heng, I only know how to embroider and make clothes. I am satisfied as long as we can live a stable life."

"If you want to venture out, I won't stop you, but if something happens to you, what can I do?"

Her eyes ached from crying. As she lifted her hands to wipe her tears, the young man tightened his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace. Two trails of tears flowed onto his lapels.

He said, "I have grown up. I have things I want to do. Trust that I can do them, will you?"

There was silence for a moment, and Yuezhi sobbed as she steadied her breathing.

As her strength gradually returned, she looked up at him, finally unable to ignore the fact that "he no longer needed her protection." She let out a long sigh.

She nodded. "I believe you."

Hearing her affirmation, Pei Heng felt both moved and happy. He hugged her tightly once more before letting go.

After composing themselves, they returned to the house. Huaqing had already changed her clothes and was diligently sweeping the floor. Seeing them return, she hurried forward, eager to please.

"Cousin, is there any work to be done around the house?"

***

"Rest for a while first. Tonight, I will teach you how to cook. When I am away in the future, you must cook, wash clothes, and heat bathwater for Yuezhi. Take good care of her; do not let her do any rough work."

"I will definitely take care of..." Huaqing hesitated, not knowing how to address Yuezhi.

Yuezhi said, "You can call me Big Sister."

"I will definitely take care of Big Sister!" Clad in clean clothes and with a place to stay, Huaqing’s spirits lifted significantly.

Yuezhi took her to the well, washed her face, and braided her hair into two buns on either side. She looked as cute as Wang Miaomiao from next door.

"Big Sister, you can just call me Huaqing from now on," the girl said, sitting before the mirror, her expression indifferent as she mentioned the wounds on her face which had just been treated with medicine.

"My father sold me. I don't care for the surname he gave me. He drove my mother to her death; even if he tried to buy me back, I would never acknowledge him."

Hearing the loneliness in her tone, Yuezhi thought back to that winter and the hair she had cut from Cui Wenzhu.

She went into the inner room, rummaged for a moment, and brought out a small cloth bundle to give to Huaqing.

Huaqing opened it in confusion to find a lock of long hair.

Yuezhi explained, "On the road, after we were exiled from the capital, you ran a high fever one day. To get medicine for you, your mother traded her long hair to me. I used part of it for an embroidery piece, and these are the remains. Keep them as a memento."

"It’s my mother’s hair..." Huaqing’s eyes brightened. The hair was soft and glossy, as if it had just been cut, showing how well it had been preserved.

She smiled and pressed the bundle to her chest.

When Cui Wenzhu died, the house was destitute; she hadn't left behind a single decent heirloom and was buried wrapped in a straw mat.

Huaqing never expected to see her mother’s belongings here.

Turning her face away, Huaqing cried and laughed at the same time. "Big Sister, thank you. You are truly a kind person."

People’s likes and dislikes change easily, and circumstances are even more volatile. Yuezhi never imagined that after adopting a fake younger brother, she would also gain a fake younger sister.

Pei Heng stayed at home for only two days before leaving.

Yuezhi was worried at first, but she gradually set her heart at ease. Coincidentally, she received a letter from He Zhiyan in Yanjing, and she poured her energy into buying a house.

A month later, she purchased a small, single-courtyard home near the He residence. The specifications were similar to their home in Wangshan Village, and she obtained the deeds for just three hundred taels of silver.

The Liangzhou Army was stationed outside the northern gate of Yanjing. To make it easier for Pei Heng to come home, Yuezhi had people help pack their things, and they soon moved to the new house.

When they left, Wang Qiushi came specifically to see them off. He followed the carriage for quite a distance until they reached the edge of the fields, only turning back when Huaqing gave him a feigned, fierce glare.

Yuezhi tapped her on the head. "Brother Wang is a good man; don't be so fierce to him."

Huaqing looked up, her childhood arrogance returning. "I don't care if he’s a good man. Cousin told me to keep an eye on him and not let him near you."

"Pei Heng told you that?" Yuezhi was increasingly confused by this cousin-sister duo.

Huaqing proudly patted her chest. "Big Sister, don't worry. With me here, I won't let any strange men get close to you."

Yuezhi smiled helplessly: the child had regained her spirit, and her own days ahead were bound to be lively once more.