How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Qingru sat happily on the bus back to the city, her heart filled with hope.

Meanwhile, Yan Ruze in the Song residence fell silent, his heart filled with despair.

After the fifteenth of the lunar month, the New Year was considered over, but Song Yuanliang still hadn't appeared. Yan Ru couldn't figure out what he meant—was he powerless to change his situation, or had he stopped liking her?

"Have something to drink too," Du Juan said, bringing over a bowl of chicken soup, the oil already skimmed off.

"I don't want to drink it, you can leave it."

Du Juan opened her mouth, then hesitated.

Yan Ru noticed that she hadn't left after delivering the chicken soup and asked curiously, "Why aren't you leaving yet?"

"You..." Du Juan gritted her teeth and said, "How long has it been since you last had your period?"

"What? You didn't come..." Yan Ru exclaimed in surprise, "What did you say?"

Du Juan went all out, "I've always been in charge of your personal clothing. Counting the days, it's been over a month. I came on the tenth of last month, and today's the sixteenth..."

Yan Ru's face turned pale. Could it be... no, this can't be!

"How long did it take you to notice it?"

Du Juan was always in charge of her personal clothing, so naturally, her affair with Song Yuanliang couldn't be kept secret from her.

"I noticed it the first time."

"So you haven't said anything all this time?"

Du Juan immediately knelt down. "I don't know what you think of me, but I didn't say anything. Since I came to the small building, I haven't done anything to wrong you. I know about you and... Young Master, but I didn't tell you because I knew your inner suffering, so... so..."

So you pity me?

Du Juan dared not answer; it would be a laughing stock if word got out that a maid was showing sympathy for her mistress.

"Never mind, thank you. Whether it's sympathy or something else, it's all out of kindness."

Du Juan suddenly raised her head, "You...you don't blame me?"

"Why should I blame you? Logically speaking, I'm not considered a member of the Song family, and you came from the Second Concubine's side. If you found out about this, you should have told her. But you kept it to yourself and even reminded me that my period hadn't come. It's clear that you've been helping me all along."

Yan Ru went over and helped Du Juan up, saying, "So you shouldn't kneel to me; instead, I should kneel to you. I'm so grateful to have lived these extra days."

She spoke so casually, with such an indifferent air, that Du Juan couldn't help but feel anxious.

"So what are your plans? You're quite far along in your pregnancy, and it won't be able to hide it anymore."

"It's nothing special, and there's no need to hide it from anyone. Let's just leave it as it is."

Seeing her give up and act recklessly, Du Juan was even more anxious than her. "What are you saying? Don't you think about yourself or the child in your belly? Besides, I know you came to the Song family to avoid trouble. You still have your father and sister at home. Don't you even care about them?"

Yan Ru suddenly became clear-headed for a moment. "Yes, I still have my father and sister. Where are they?" Tears fell without warning, sliding down her fair face like dew on a lotus flower.

No matter how many times she saw it, Du Juan was always amazed by Yan Ru's beauty, which was one of the reasons why she couldn't bear to look at her.

Such a beautiful and fragile person should be cherished and carefully protected; how could we allow her to suffer even the slightest sadness?

"Don't be sad, we'll always find a way to get out."

In Du Juan's opinion, neither Master Song nor the eldest son was a suitable match for Yan Ru. One was deliberately deceiving and cheating, while the other was too inexperienced to offer Yan Ru a future. It would be better for her to leave the Song family and go home.

Do you remember what happened to the little one?

"What's wrong? Why bring her up all of a sudden?" Thinking that she had once pleaded for her, Yan Ru felt disgusted, as if she had swallowed a fly.

Originally, Yan Ru had already shown her special favor by meeting her first person upon arriving at the Song residence. She had tolerated Yan Ru's poor attitude, yet Yan Ru still betrayed her and even tried to kill her.

“Little one, her whole family were part of the first wife’s dowry, so she made a mistake and should be sent to the Buddhist temple.”

"She's not dead?"

"No, he looks badly injured, but he's still breathing."

"Then who exactly is the first wife you mentioned? I've never seen her in all this time. People who don't know might think that the second wife is the head of the household."

“I don’t know much about the First Madam. I only know that she spends most of her time in the Buddhist hall and doesn’t care about anything else. Some people say that she is actually dead and that the Master just keeps the Buddhist hall to remember her.”

Yan Ru asked, puzzled, "Then why are you telling me about the First Madam?"

“The little one’s whole family came from the First Madam’s side. I’m afraid that if I’m involved in anything that might harm you, the First Madam might also be involved.”

"No way, didn't you say she spends most of her time in the Buddhist temple? She shouldn't have such a strong sense of hostility, especially since she doesn't even know me."

"Actually... there are some reasons you don't know. The first wife was the master's first wife. In the early years, the master failed the imperial examination and was able to make a fortune by marrying the first wife. It was only later that he married the second wife, and the two of them broke up, which is why he lived in the Buddhist hall."

"Do you also suspect that the second concubine was responsible for harming me?"

"I dare not betray my former master, but the second concubine is indeed not as kind as she appears on the surface."

"So you mean to ask the first wife to come out and deal with the second wife?"

Du Juan looked at Yan Ru expectantly, wanting to nod but not daring to.

Yanru understood her meaning. After all, she was her former master, and doing this would only make her seem fickle.

"You don't need to worry so much. As long as you are genuinely looking out for me, I won't care who you worked for before."

Yan Ru let out a long sigh.

She would no longer serve Master Song, and Song Yuanliang was abandoning her as well. She had to find another way, especially since she suspected she was pregnant.

After a moment's thought, a somewhat immature idea took shape in my mind.

"How does the master treat the first wife?"

"I can only say I have some respect for them."

"How do you know so much?" Yan Ru asked curiously. Du Juan was not very old and did not seem like someone who could have experienced it all firsthand.

Du Juan said sincerely, "I didn't experience it myself, but I heard a lot about it in the second concubine's room. That maid named Du Ruo treats all the little things the same way, and she can't keep her mouth shut."

"Then I can't see the First Madam either, there are too many people in the small building now."

"If you're comfortable with that, I can go in your place."

Looking at the earnest Du Juan, Yan Ru also harbored hopes in her heart.

"I have no worries. Do everything according to your wishes."

Du Juan's face lit up with joy; as long as he wasn't completely indifferent, that was good. "But...would you like to stay at the Song residence from now on, or...?"

"I want to go home," Yan Ru said honestly, adding that there was nothing in the Song family that she would miss.

Upon receiving her reply, Du Juan immediately felt hopeful. "Okay, I hope you get what you want."

Yanru nodded with a smile, and Dujuan picked out some of the best tonics from Yanru's collection before heading towards the Buddhist hall.