Chapter Twenty-Two: Gratitude

Yuer shook her head, not wanting to dwell on it, and soon arrived at the gates of the Ye family residence. She didn’t know why the gates were tightly shut today, with not a soul in sight. In the past, there would have been guards waiting to receive her outside. She felt a bit puzzled but still knocked on the door, worried that something might have happened to the Ye family while she had been away. She didn’t know what the place had become during her absence.

“Are you really just putting on a show here? There’s no one to open the door for you, and there aren’t any guards stationed outside. I bet this Ye residence is a fake. Were you lying to me all along? It’s one thing to deceive me, but I won’t let you fool my sister,” Zhao Yuan sneered from the side, clearly not buying her story. He rolled his eyes and turned away, unwilling to engage further.

Yuer knocked again, growing anxious. She couldn’t understand what was happening; never before had she encountered such a situation. Her first thought was that perhaps the Ye family had met with disaster.

“I don’t care what method you use—just kick this door open for me. I’m worried the Ye family is long gone. This place feels so desolate now. I won’t allow anyone to harm the Ye family in the slightest,” she commanded.

Zhao Yuan found her demand ridiculous. If this really wasn’t her home and the authorities found out, he’d have trouble moving on to his next destination. He knew this woman to be cunning and untrustworthy. Yuer stood by silently, watching him, then suddenly shouted at him in desperation.

“I told you to kick the door open! Can’t you hear me? This is my home. What more proof do you want? I order you to open the door now—no one from the authorities will come to arrest you.”

Hearing her outburst, Zhao Yuan shuddered. It was the first time he’d seen her so angry. Without another word, he walked up to the door, signaling the women to stand back—after all, if something happened, they could get hurt.

He surveyed the scene before him. The Ye residence was still grand, clearly built by a noble family, but now the gates were rusted and cobwebs hung about, as if the place hadn’t been cleaned in ages. The air felt chilly. Zhao Yuan raised his foot, ready to kick the door open, but before he could reach it, an old man emerged.

“Who are you to dare trespass here? Do you know who lives in this house? You think a petty thief like you can cause trouble in the Ye residence? You must have a death wish,” the old man rasped, leaning on a cane but dressed in fine, expensive clothes.

Yuer recognized him at once and rushed over, throwing her arms around him. The old man was startled, suspecting perhaps some scheme.

“If it’s money you want, my master can give it to you. No need to act like this. I’m just an old man—clinging to me won’t do you any good. Think of your own reputation, young lady. Let go before I have you restrained,” he protested.

Yuer lifted her tear-streaked face, her eyes brimming with grievances. She stammered through her tears, but the old man understood her clearly.

“Grandfather, don’t you recognize me? I’m Yuer, the one you’ve all been searching for. You have no idea what I’ve suffered. No one came to save me—I thought something terrible had happened to you all,” she sobbed.

At her words, the old man pushed her back and studied her face, now darkened with grime and almost unrecognizable. But her voice was unmistakable—she was the long-lost young lady they had been searching for. His face brightened with joy.

“It truly is our young mistress returned! Since you left, the master has sent countless people to find you, but we met with endless difficulties and even suffered oppression for a time. That is why things are as they are now. But with you back, there’s nothing more to fear,” he said, patting her shoulder. Of course, they’d never abandon their own child.

Yuer wiped her face. The old man hurried back inside to fetch the master of the house.

“Master, you’ll never guess who’s here! Our young lady has returned! Come quickly—there’s no need to fear those people anymore. And her rescuers have brought her home as well,” he called out from within.

Hearing the commotion, many servants rushed out. They saw a small figure dressed in filthy clothes, looking more like a savage than a gentlewoman. None of them could have imagined that this was the young mistress of the house.

The head of the Ye family hurried out. With a single glance, he recognized his daughter, no matter how long she’d been missing. He quickly embraced Yuer, tears streaming down his face—he hadn’t seen his child in so long.

“Yuer, do you know how hard it’s been for me during this time? I’m just grateful you’ve returned safely. There were times I thought you were lost forever and nearly gave up searching,” he said, voice choked with emotion.

Listening to him, she recalled the many failed attempts to escape her captors, all in vain, until finally she pinned her hopes on Zhao Yuan—and unexpectedly, this time, she had succeeded.

“It’s enough that I’m back, Father. There’s nothing more to fear. These people rescued me from my captors. I am truly grateful to them. Let’s hold a grand banquet tonight in their honor, as a token of our thanks,” Yuer said.

The patriarch nodded at once and invited them into the residence. Though the grounds outside were deserted, within the halls were still splendid and opulent, befitting a wealthy family. Zhao Yuan could hardly believe that this girl really belonged to the Ye family.

“So you really are Old Zhao’s son. I’ve heard of you. This time, you’ve brought great honor to your father, and we are deeply grateful for rescuing my daughter. To think those villains actually imprisoned her…” the Ye patriarch’s voice faltered.

He had tried to reach the forbidden grounds where she was held, but the spirit beasts there were too powerful, and every plan he devised had failed. The patriarch felt ashamed, his eyes brimming with tears. Yuer rose to wipe them away, gently chiding him for crying at his age—after all, she was home and safe now.