Chapter 612 - 615: Envy

Chapter 612: Chapter 615: Envy

Leaving out the part about her transmigration, Hua Manman slowly recounted her origins.

By the time she finished, Lu Wanqing was too stunned to speak.

’She never would have imagined the truth would be something like this.’

’Not only was her "brother" a woman disguised as a man, but she had died long ago.’

’Then what was all her long-held resentment and bitterness for?’

In that moment, Lu Wanqing’s entire world threatened to shatter.

She could fight valiantly on the battlefield and persevere through the most desperate situations. But now, she had completely lost her composure, feeling dazed and utterly lost.

Hua Manman knew this was an overwhelming amount of information, and Lu Wanqing would likely need some time to process it all.

So, she thoughtfully offered to take her leave, giving the other woman some time to properly digest everything.

On her way out, Hua Manman glanced back at Lu Wanqing and spoke slowly.

"You feel you’ve been greatly wronged because the family elders favored sons over daughters.

But in Lu Man’s eyes, she was the one who was truly wronged.

She was forced to wear men’s clothing and shoulder the family’s burden from a young age. She couldn’t have her own interests; she had to do everything the elders arranged.

I’m not her, but I can feel it. She must have been very envious of you."

Lu Wanqing stared at her, dumbfounded. "What is there about me for her to envy?"

Hua Manman: "She envied your freedom to wear women’s clothes and that you weren’t forced to do things you disliked."

Lu Wanqing didn’t see anything enviable about that.

In her mind, inheriting the family estate would bring her far more happiness and satisfaction than wearing women’s clothes.

Hua Manman could tell what she was thinking from her expression.

Hua Manman didn’t elaborate, leaving her with only a quiet remark.

"I suppose you never learn to cherish what comes too easily."

With that, she left.

Lu Wanqing remained seated, motionless, Hua Manman’s final words echoing in her mind.

’Growing up, the person Lu Wanqing envied most was Lu Man.’

’She envied that Lu Man was a boy, envied that from birth, he had everything others could only dream of obtaining.’

’At the same time, she also hated Lu Man, hating that he had everything yet didn’t know how to cherish it.’

’But now, someone was telling her that Lu Man had actually envied *her*.’

’Because she possessed the one thing Lu Man wanted most—’

’Freedom.’

’She thought Lu Man didn’t know how to appreciate what he had.’

’But the person who truly failed to cherish what they had... was her.’

...

On her way back, Hua Manman ran into Li Liao.

Li Liao was still dressed in simple, coarse-spun clothes. His skin was tan, his face covered by a bushy beard, and he had a tall, straight posture. The thin fabric of his clothes strained against his solid muscles.

His quiet presence alone was impossible to ignore.

Hua Manman curtsied to him.

"Father."

Li Liao didn’t know about her amnesia—he had no idea she had lost her memory just last night—so his attitude toward her was the same as ever.

He glanced in the direction Manman had come from and asked.

"Did you just go see Lu Wanqing?"

Hua Manman answered openly. "Mhm, I told her everything about Lu Man."

Li Liao gazed at her intently.

By telling Lu Wanqing the truth, she was completely renouncing her identity as the Heir of Prince Yu, and with it, her right to inherit the Yu Royal Mansion.

Not everyone could walk away from such power and status without a second thought.

That was true even for him.

Yet Hua Manman seemed completely at ease, showing no sign of regret or attachment.

Li Liao couldn’t help but ask, "You won’t regret this?"

Puzzled, Hua Manman asked in return,

"It was never mine to begin with. What is there to regret?"

At her words, Li Liao couldn’t help but feel a stir of admiration for her.

’She knew exactly what was hers to take and what was not.’

’Such clear-headedness was truly rare.’

Hua Manman suddenly asked, "Do you remember our previous deal?"

Li Liao had an excellent memory and knew at once what she was referring to.

"Of course I remember."

Hua Manman blinked. "Then you can’t go back on your word. You have to have a proper talk with Ji."

Li Liao let out a soft sigh, his thoughts unreadable.

"Mhm."

’He was willing to have a proper talk with Li Ji, of course. His only fear was that Li Ji wouldn’t be able to handle the blow afterward.’

Li Ji slept until high noon.

The first thing he did upon waking was look for Manman.

But after searching for a long time without finding her, he began to panic.

Li Ji ran to ask around and learned that Manman had gone out with Lu Wanqing.

No one knew where the two of them had gone.

But Manman had told someone before she left that she would be back for dinner.

That meant Manman would be coming back, which put Li Ji’s mind at ease somewhat.

At some point, dark clouds gathered, obscuring the sun and casting a gloomy pallor over the sky.

A light drizzle began to fall, making the already cold winter day feel even more bone-chilling.

The common folk were all huddled inside by their fires for warmth, and the streets were nearly deserted.

Hua Manman and Lu Wanqing rode out of Lingxi City on horseback.

Wearing wide-brimmed bamboo hats and straw rain capes, they followed a mountain path up to a hillside.

Hua Manman tilted up her bamboo hat, looked at the slope before them, and said,

"This is where I was injured, and then rescued by the people from the Yu Royal Mansion."

Lu Wanqing gazed down the slope.

The scene below was indistinct through the hazy mist and rain.

She dismounted and began to carefully make her way down the slope.

She was the one who had asked Hua Manman to bring her here.

’She wanted to see what kind of place could have claimed her sister’s life.’

Hua Manman had wanted to check this place out before as well.

But for one reason or another, she had never managed to make the trip.

Now that her wish could finally be fulfilled, Hua Manman naturally wouldn’t miss the opportunity, so she followed her down the slope.

At the bottom of the slope lay a field of jagged rocks.

After countless rainfalls, any bloodstains that had been left on the stones were long gone.

But Lu Wanqing wouldn’t give up. She bent over and searched meticulously.

The rain continued to fall, water streaming down their bamboo hats and pattering onto their straw capes.

The waterlogged capes grew heavy.

Lu Wanqing paid it no mind, her focus entirely on searching for clues.

Hua Manman glanced around, observing the terrain and wondering why the Main God would send her to a place like this.

’She secretly guessed that the Main God must have known Lu Man died here. Seeing her resemblance to Lu Man, it must have wanted her to take the dead woman’s place.’

’That way, the difficulty of recovering her memories would increase exponentially.’

’Truly sinister!’

Suddenly, a soft, faint meow came from nearby.

Mrow!

Hua Manman’s train of thought was broken.

She followed the sound and saw a calico cat perched on a nearby rock.