Mira had already encountered similar situations several times before.
Her father, Riyo, originally came from a noble family. He was delicate and pampered, and couldn't do many practical things. But he was literate and good at sewing, so he would copy books and do embroidery to help support their household. However, because of a leg injury, he walked with great difficulty.
Mira felt sorry for Riyo. Whenever he finished something, she would go out to deliver it. Over time, people began to suspect she was a trafficked child who had been abused.
Luckily, she was still underage and didn't yet show many feminine traits. So when people came asking, she managed to explain things clearly. But after too many encounters like that, she got fed up.
To prevent this from happening again and to protect herself, Mira refused to let Riyo dress her up nicely anymore. She would leave the house in worn-out clothes, smear dirt on her face, and act tough like a boy. That way, she avoided a lot of unwanted attention.
They had survived in a small village for almost seven years, living off the silver they brought and doing small jobs. Only now that it seemed safer outside, and they couldn't stay hidden anymore, did they decide to leave and seek help.
As more and more people looked away from her, Mira finally relaxed.
She was already fifteen, and had been in this world for seven years.
When she was eight, the original Mira fell into the water. When she woke up, her body had a different soul.
In her previous life, Mira was an orphan. She dropped out of college halfway through to earn money to pay for surgery for the director grandma who raised her.
Unexpectedly, when she finally gathered the money, the director grandma passed away before she could get the surgery.
The director grandma was the only family Mira had in that world, the one who raised her. After she passed, Mira felt she had no reason to stay. She was walking down the road when she accidentally fell into a deep pit. The next time she opened her eyes, she was in this world.
Mira had no regrets left in that world. She had already donated the money she saved to her original orphanage. So no matter where she ended up, she didn't care.
Luckily, she met Riyo in this world, who loved her deeply.
At first, Mira felt ashamed and worried about occupying someone else's body. She tried to explain, but after seeing Riyo's joy at getting his daughter back and the sadness in his eyes after hearing her story, she decided never to speak of it again.
She had memories from when the original body fell into the water, and something about it didn't feel right. That made her more careful. Eventually, she discovered the plot involving her mother and her mother's lover.
Riyo had been a hopeless romantic when he was young. Ignoring his parents' objections, he let Mira's mother, a woman who only knew how to act cute and complain, marry into their family.
In this country, women could marry into a husband's family as long as the family was wealthy enough to qualify for a wife. They also had to hand over fifty percent of their assets. After marrying in, if the woman wanted to take other men, those men would only be allowed to serve her as consorts, with status no better than slaves.
Riyo's parents, Mira's grandparents, had prepared early to bring in a bride for their delicate son. They gave up half of their wealth for it. They wanted a woman who could help manage the household. Instead, he fell for someone completely useless.
But they truly loved Riyo. In the end, they still let Madam Lis into the family.
Unfortunately, Madam Lis turned out to be exactly the kind of spoiled brat they feared. She did nothing but enjoy a life of luxury while whining and complaining. After the grandparents died, the family business started to fall apart.
Madam Lis was also a hopeless romantic. But the one she loved wasn't Riyo—it was a childhood sweetheart.
Not long after marrying in, she arranged for her lover to start working in the family's business.
Truthfully, with how much Riyo loved her, if she had just asked him to bring that man in as a second husband, he probably would have agreed, even if heartbroken.
But she never said a word. She lived off the Wan family's wealth while sneaking around with her lover. She constantly said things like "true love has no price" and "love is never wrong." Mira absolutely despised women like that.
Later, after overhearing Madam Lis and her lover plotting to kill Riyo and steal the family's fortune, she took him and escaped.
After she ran away, Mira didn't let that cheating couple get away with it.
She picked the moment when they were secretly together at home, hired a bunch of little beggars to bang drums and shout that the woman who married into the family and her lover were trying to kill the husband and child, then she set a fire.
When she had to choose between escaping or staying hidden just to survive until adulthood, Mira hesitated.
She wasn't some kind-hearted saint. In this world, where women were so rare they could be kidnapped just by going outside, she clearly understood how dangerous it would be to run away from the Wan family.
But after spending several months with Riyo, she couldn't just sit back and watch him die.
In the end, she chose to run away with Riyo. She told herself, what if she couldn't survive in the Wan family anyway?
Mira knew there were a lot of greedy relatives in the Wan family waiting to take advantage. Even if she exposed her own mother's plot, there was no guarantee she could grow up safely under their watchful eyes.
Even though her mother had some feelings for her, she still wanted Riyo dead.
Mira didn't believe in people who lost their minds over love. Her mother might not want her dead, but that lover of hers couldn't be trusted. Mira's fall into the water had already been a warning.
Luckily, Riyo chose to believe her.
Before Mira fell into the water, Riyo had already been tricked and hurt his leg.
Mira told Riyo everything she knew.
Even though he was heartbroken over what her mother had done, Riyo still followed her and brought whatever silver they could take with them.
They managed to live a peaceful life outside for a while.
People in that area weren't very unfriendly to outsiders. Everyone had an identity card. As long as you could prove who you were, even without travel papers, you could settle in a small village. The village head was a kind man. He never revealed Mira's true identity and allowed her to grow up safely.
Mira and Riyo lived in that small village for many years.
The money they brought with them was used up long ago. Mira started helping Riyo make a living by copying books and making decorative knots. But recently, a flood hit the village. The economy suffered. Jobs like copying books became rare. Riyo's health wasn't good either. He had to take medicine all year round. They couldn't survive there anymore, so they decided to go to Laifeng City.
Besides, the empire had gone through changes. A new empress took the throne, and the laws were different. Women's safety was now better protected. Riyo no longer feared that Mira would be kidnapped on the road. With the help of military and trade caravans, they finally reached their destination.
Now, they just needed to find the Lu family.
In the end, Mira couldn't take all the stares and whispering from people around them. She put Riyo down and helped him walk slowly.
While walking, she asked people nearby if they knew the way to the Lu household.
According to Riyo, her grandmother and the old lady from the Lu family were close friends. They had arranged a marriage between her and the Lu family's grandson, Lu Junyang.
Mira never planned to marry a man, but for many reasons, she followed Riyo to Laifeng City.
This place was the hometown of the empress. In recent years, it had become prosperous and full of opportunities.
It was also lucky that her mother didn't know about the engagement. That's the only reason Riyo dared to bring her to the Lu family.
Well, her mother was always crying, complaining, or busy with her lover. She would never think that her daughter already had a marriage agreement.
Following directions from the locals, Mira got halfway there but then got lost again. That was when she suddenly saw a young boy kneeling on the ground.