Under the witness of the eldest members of the Yan Family, Madam Yan and Old Master Yan signed the divorce paper.
Gu Shengyin also personally signed a hand-written document stating that from that day forward, she would have no further ties with the Yan Family. Old Master Yan signed his name on it as well.
Fortunately, Shiao Shiao and Auntie Lin were part of Gu Shengyin’s dowry, and the documents concerning their servitude were in Gu Shengyin’s possession, allowing them to leave with her directly.
Madam Yan... no, now she should be addressed as Lady Zhao, under the "supervision" of two old servants sent by Old Master Yan, only took two sets of clothes with her, and even the jewelry on her body was thoroughly removed before she left the house.
When she stepped out of the Yan Mansion, Lady Zhao’s body shuddered a bit.
She could not remember how long it had been since she last crossed that threshold, to her, the world outside seemed like a completely different universe.
Gu Shengyin understood her thoughts; most of the time, what is frightening is not the world outside, but the world inside one’s own mind, the world they imagine to themselves.
What held them back wasn’t the door itself, but rather herself.
Outside, a carriage had already been arranged and awaited, called earlier by Shiao Shiao.
Gu Shengyin helped Lady Zhao into the carriage, and they reached the station and bought tickets to Cloud City.
This was Lady Zhao’s first time traveling such a distance, her first time on a train, and her first time sitting in the same space with so many strangers.
All of this was so unfamiliar and frightening to her.
Lady Zhao herself was not sure, given another chance, whether she would dare to say those words again.
She looked up at her daughter, her Ruohua, so vividly seated next to her.
No matter the cost, it was all worth it.
After arriving in Cloud City, Lady Zhao’s eyes could hardly keep up.
The streets were filled with all sorts of people; she even saw people with white skin and blond hair!
Many women wore clothes she had never seen before, and as they passed by they carried a scent, and many people were sitting in carts pulled by others.
Gu Shengyin took her back to the rented courtyard.
"Is this where you live, Ruohua?" Lady Zhao asked in surprise.
Unlike the traditional old mansion of the Yan Family, this modest courtyard already included many new things.
Especially after Gu Shengyin’s arrival, for comfort, and with the agreement of the landlord, transluent glass windows were installed, curtains with her own designs were hung, and soft sofas were placed in the rooms.
Whether it was the glass, the sofa, or the light bulbs overhead, they were all items Lady Zhao had never seen before.
Her half day’s observations virtually overturned over thirty years of her understandings.
The rooms were all ready and tidy.
While Lady Zhao was bathing, she spent a long time marveling at the bathtub without regaining her composure.
"These are things even the Yan Family has never seen!" A secret thrill suddenly sprang up in her heart, thinking that even Old Master Yan had never seen these things.
He thought that she and Ruohua would struggle after leaving, but he would never know that life here was much better than in Xianping City.
But she also knew that these things were definitely not something ordinary families could afford.
In the evening, after she had washed and dressed in the "pyjamas" Gu Shengyin had given her, twisting nervously for a long time, she finally pulled Gu Shengyin aside and quietly asked, "Living in a place must cost quite a bit, right? Now that we are outside, we should still try to save money."