Liu Residence
Over the past four days, Liu Tián Qǔ fell right back into old habits. Other than hiring a sign maker to change the residence sign from Chen Residence to Liu Residence, picking up ingredients in the market for food she could easily throw together, and purchasing a few changes of clothes. She just sat and contemplated what to do next.
Liu Tián Qǔ sat inside the lounge area of her chambers. She had the bank of doors in her chambers facing the enclosed courtyard opened. There she sat all alone in her garden residence staring off into the courtyard and the mountains in the distance wondering about what to do next.
Sighing, she thought to herself. 'Okay, so I left the Lu family, not that they know or even care. I changed my name, so I wouldn't be connected to the Lu family if I happened do something that cause me to stand out. I bought me a house and a mountain. Now what? Other than going to look for Lei Xiān Huā's old butler what's next?
Over the past two days, Liu Tián Qǔ went through her predecessor's memories again trying to see if she could find any memories of the old maid talking about any of her mother's former servants. She only found one memory. In that memory, the old maid lamented about how far her mother's old butler had fallen.
When the Liu Family lost the fight to bring Liu Tián Qǔ's mother Lei Xiān Huā to live with them. They sent her a butler to watch over her. His name was Butler Zhou. He was a brilliant, quick-witted, and intelligent person who never failed to get done what he set out to do. However, the old maid lamented that the last time she saw him, he was living in the slums dressed in rags. After the death of Lei Xiān Huā, Butler Zhou was chased out of the Lu manor. Because he felt that he failed in his duty, he was too ashamed to return to the Liu's Family manor.
Reaching behind her Liu Tián Qǔ dragged a tray of tea over to her. She reached over and poured out a cup of green tea. Slowly taking a sip of tea, she savored the flavor of the green tea as she gazed off into the distant mountains. Calmly she sat there, enjoying the peace and quiet as she sipped her green tea.
After finally finishing off the cup of tea, setting the empty cup down on the tray, she came to a decision. Tomorrow she would look for butler Zhou.
Jade Crow Restaurant
In a private room of the Jade Crow Restaurant. A richly dressed young 13-year-old girl masterfully disguised as a boy sat across from an exhausted-looking downtrodden older man who was dressed in clean but worn raggedy clothes.
It was Liu Tián Qǔ and the old Butler Zhou. Early that morning, Liu Tián Qǔ had taken care to dress richly. She then went to a mercenary guild and hired two mercenaries to escort her into the slums. After questioning everyone, she came across and shelling out 2,750 taels of silver. She finally was able to find the old Butler Zhou.
A teary-eyed joyful yet sorrowful Zhou sat across from her. The minute he saw her, he thought she was from the Liu Family and was sent to get him. It took Liu Tián Qǔ a while to explain that she was the daughter of Lei Xiān Huā for the older man to finally believe it. After all other than the Liu family who else would come for him. Liu Tián Qǔ was reported dead at birth, along with her mother, who died giving birth to her.
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Tears dripped down his cheeks. "Those lying wicked wretches. They lied to us." Butler Zhou began to cry as he accused the Lu family. "They Lied to all of us." He cried in heavy grief and sorrow. "They told all of us that you died at birth and Lady Lei Xiān Huā died giving birth to you."
"In their eyes, I have." Liu Tián Qǔ said. Slowly she began to tell him of the life that her predecessor lived up until she buried the old maid.
"Why" Butler Zhou practically wailed. "Why would your father do this? Are you not his flesh and blood?"
"I don't know Butler Zhou. Nor is the why of it important anymore. My mother made momo make me promise something." Liu Tián Qǔ said to the old butler. Liu Tián Qǔ recalled the memory of the old maid telling her predecessor that all her mother wanted was for her to be safe and happy. Those were her dying words. Anger, hate, and revenge forget about that. Just be safe and happy. 'That is a mother's love.' Liu Tián Qǔ thought to herself. "All a true mother want is happiness and safety for their child."
Although the old maids way of keeping the original body owner safe and happy was a job poorly done in Liu Tián Qǔ opinion. Liu Tián Qǔ supposed that the maid did the best that she could. Which would explain why she counseled the original body owner to live quietly in her courtyard.
"What promise? Don't tell me she wants you to let them get away with all of this?" An enraged Butler Zhou questioned.
"Butler Zhou you watched over my mother until the very end. Did you not know my mother's heart?"
"I'm unwilling," Butler Zhou said in a rage with tears falling from his eyes. "I'm unwilling to let them get away with this. I want to go to the Liu family and tell them just what that beast did. They would take good care of him right away." Poor Butler Zhou Liu Tián Qǔ felt sad for him. She felt sorry for her predecessor and her predecessors' mother Lei Xiān Huā. However, Liu Tián Qǔ wished to live her own life. Liu Tián Qǔ thought that if she happened to chance across an opportunity to repay General Lu for what he's done, then she would. But Liu Tián Qǔ refused to get caught in the limbo of her predecessors past.
"Butler Zhou I completely understand. However, I refuse to dishonor my mother's dying words. My mother's final wish and words were for me to let it all go and go live my own life. She told momo to tell me that her wish was for me to live happy, safe and free, that is what I aim to do."
As the old Butler tried to bring himself under control, Liu Tián Qǔ continued speaking. "I will not live under the shadows of the Lu, the Lei, or the Liu. I even change my surname from Lu. I want nothing at all to do with the Lu Family. Most of them don't even know that I exist. My father told all the servants I died at birth. Less than five servants out of the hundreds of servants that serve in the Lu compound know that I exist."
"What?!" Butler Zhou was in complete shock on how far my General Lu was willing to go.
"Butler Zhou, the old maid that raised me, told me. My father never bothered to find out my gender. That was unimportant to him. He didn't name me. My mother named me before she died. Until this very day, he never bothered to take a look at me not even to see what I look like."
"Just what deep animosity he had towards you and Lady Lei Xiān Huā to go this far?" Butler Zhou exclaimed in deep shock.
"That is what I wanted to ask you, Butler Zhou."
"I don't know. Your mother was a very tranquil woman who didn't talk much. She never left the Lu family compound from the moment she married in. I don't know what went wrong."
"Well, then I guess we will have to let sleeping dogs lie. I want absolutely nothing to do with the Lu Family." Liu Tián Qǔ said with a cold voice and chilly eyes.
"So that you know Butler Zhou I've changed my surname to Liu. However, although I change my surname to Liu, I don't want to live under the Liu Family shadow either. The only reason I didn't change it to my mother's maiden name, Lei. Is because my mother was treated very poorly there. The only option left was Liu."
T/N: Momo - elderly lady or wet nurse