"Time to wake up, young mistress."
Looking at the child still sleeping soundly, Yu Niang was reluctant to wake her up.
But she recalled her young mistress being upset for quite some time when she did not wake her up the day before. She braced herself and softly woke Yu Shuya.
"Oh, it's time to wake up?"
Yu Shuya rubbed her sleepy eyes as she drowsily sat up on the bed.
When she was fully awake, she had decided to descend the mountain with Yu Niang.
They woke up before dawn and started working when it was still dark, with no rest in between chores the entire day. Yu Shuya felt that Yu Niang would soon collapse if they were to continue living like this.
When she checked the pulse of Yu Niang, she found that Yu Niang was already sick from the long period of overwork.
As for her appearance, the exhaustion from the hard labor, and exposure to the weather, she looked like she was in her fifties when she was just in her thirties.
Although Yu Niang still felt fine at this age, she would feel the pain as she aged when the sickness hidden in her body surfaced.
She threw herself into Yu Niang's arms as she thought about her sufferings.
"Yu Niang, let's run away and leave the mountain before the sun comes up. We can stop slaving off in this temple and getting bullied by others."
Yu Niang was surprised by the child's suggestion. She lowered her head and patted her back.
"Young mistress, it was easy to leave the mountain. But the life after we leave the mountain isn't as easy as you think it will be."
Yu Shuya immediately sat up when she heard of Yu Niang's words. Although she could feel the grief in Yu Niang's words, she could tell there were also wishes of leaving the mountain as well.
"Yu Niang, we can rely on each other to survive. I can live a life of hardship. I can. Yu Niang, let's leave the mountain together."
Yu Niang shook her head and heaved a heavy sigh.
"Young mistress, never mention about leaving the mountain again, especially in front of the nuns."
"Yu Niang, we will not suffer the bullying from the nuns anymore if we leave this place. We can say whatever we want to say and do whatever we want to do. Can we?"
Yu Shuya pleaded as she coquettishly pulled on Yu Niang's sleeves.
She knew it wasn't easy for women to lead a life in ancient times, especially for widows or orphans. But she wasn't afraid. Since Yu Niang had suffered so much in the nunnery, why would they not leave?
Yu Niang wiped off the tears that welled up in her eyes as she looked at the hopeful eyes of Yu Shuya.
"Young mistress, we cannot leave the mountain."
Why could they not leave the mountain? Why not?
Yu Niang knew that Yu Shuya would not give up on the idea of leaving the nunnery if she did not explain the reasons and made her understand.
"Young mistress, Xu Yilian had two eyes of hers on the mountain. They will immediately notify her if they find us missing. With the wealth and resources of the Yu family, we will not be able to escape their pursuit."
Yu Niang's explanation caught Yu Shuya speechless. Now she knew, although her stepmother did not have her dead, she had not meant to let her live a good life as well.
It was no wonder Yu Niang refused to leave despite all the sufferings she had to endure here.
She recalled when she was very sick but had no doctor to treat her. The call for help must have been stopped by someone and indirectly caused her death.
"Yu Niang, who are the two people? Are they nuns in this nunnery too?"
Yu Niang nodded.
"One of them is a cousin of Xu Yilian. She became a monk because of poverty. After Xu Yilian got married into the Yu family, she was the one that suggested to the bitch to send you here to suffer."
Yu Niang paused for a moment before continuing.
"As for the second one, you should be extra careful around her. She is Master Miao An. She is the one that instructed Master Miao Jun to make our life hard."
Yu Shuya gritted her teeth in anger. She clenched her fists in hatred.
She had not expected her life and death to be in the control of these two women. It was ridiculous.