Chapter 4: The Jade Pendant Left for My Future Wife

only noticed the missing jade pendant now. She had been hoping he wouldn't realize it was gone.

"Ah, that jade pendant? Yes, it was," Lin Ruanyuan replied vaguely.

"Then... did you happen to lose it?" The man's brows furrowed slightly as he asked.

Lin Ruanyuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Yes... I... lost it."

The man sighed and shook his head, looking genuinely disappointed. "That jade pendant... it was very important to me. It was the only thing left by my late mother."

His words struck Lin Ruanyuan's heart like a hammer. She hadn't expected the jade pendant to hold such sentimental value for him.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to lose it," Lin Ruanyuan apologized sincerely.

The man sighed again and patted her shoulder lightly, "It's okay... It's just... I don't have much left from my family. That jade pendant... I cherished it a lot."

Lin Ruanyuan felt guilty, but she couldn't bring herself to confess that she had pawned it. Instead, she decided to make it up to him somehow.

"If... if I find it, I'll definitely return it to you," Lin Ruanyuan promised earnestly.

The man smiled faintly, touched by her sincerity. "Thank you, miss... What's your name?"

"Lin Ruanyuan," she replied softly.

"I'm Liu Cheng," he introduced himself. "Well, Lin Ruanyuan, let me help you find a place to stay for the night. It's not safe to wander around here after dark."

Lin Ruanyuan hesitated, but realizing she had nowhere else to go, she nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Mr. Liu."

Liu Cheng led her to a small inn nearby and arranged a room for her. Lin Ruanyuan felt a mix of relief and anxiety as she entered the room. She was grateful for a bed to sleep in but worried about her uncertain future.

As she lay down on the bed, exhaustion finally caught up with her. Thoughts of the jade pendant and her next steps swirled in her mind until sleep claimed her.

The next morning, Lin Ruanyuan woke up early, determined to find a way to earn money and redeem the jade pendant. She thanked Liu Cheng once again before setting off on her journey, hoping to turn her fortunes around.

Here is the continuation of the translation:

"He's here to get the jade pendant."

Since he had helped her, she couldn't just keep the thing.

She nodded gently, intending to tell him about borrowing the jade pendant.

"That's great, I thought I'd lost it in my haste. Since the jade pendant is with you, could you please return it to me? It was left to me by my mother for my future wife, I can't afford to lose it."

The man smiled dumbly, his voice was simple and full of hope as he waited for Lin Ruanyuan to produce his mother's last relic.

Lin Ruanyuan's mouth twitched: "Jade... Jade... Jade..." It would take a few days for her to return the jade pendant to him, but she couldn't seem to say the words.

Probably due to guilt, the more anxious she got, the less her tongue obeyed her.

While she was still hesitating with the jade, the stewards from Master Ding's household caught up to them.

"Look, isn't that her?"

"Definitely, who else would be wandering around at this hour besides that stuttering woman?"

As they spoke, the stewards were already brandishing their cudgels as they closed in.

Lin Ruanyuan pursed her lips and stared coldly at these stewards.

"Mrs. Fu Lin, your mother-in-law has already sold you to our master. Be sensible and come with us now, or we won't be polite."

The stewards held their cudgels menacingly, eyeing Lin Ruanyuan with ill intent.

It seemed that evil mother-in-law hadn't given up on selling her yet. Lin Ruanyuan gritted her teeth, determined to fight these stewards to the bitter end.

Seeing that she wasn't going to surrender, the stewards immediately swung their cudgels and charged.

Lin Ruanyuan had already clenched her fists, pinpointing where she would strike to take out these people with a single blow.

But before the stewards' cudgels could reach her, one of them was sent flying.

Lin Ruanyuan saw it clearly—it was the man who had come back for the jade pendant who had intervened.

To knock a steward out with one punch meant this man was no weakling.

Lin Ruanyuan was known for her discerning eye as an assassin, deeply understanding the importance of having a capable partner. Every mission she undertook always involved choosing the most skilled collaborator.

This time was no exception.

Appearing gentle and weak, she threw the chestnuts in her hand at the stewards, then took cover behind the tall, strong man.

The man looked simple-minded and would instinctively protect a weak woman like her. Besides, he hadn't received his jade pendant yet and wouldn't just stand by if she got into trouble.

"Where did this simpleton come from? This widow has already been bought by our master. I advise you to step aside quickly."

Seeing their companion knocked down, the remaining stewards were still apprehensive and didn't immediately rush forward.

They gripped their cudgels and shouted loudly, trying to make the man hand over Lin Ruanyuan.

At this moment, Lin Ruanyuan hid behind the man and tugged at his sleeve.

"H... help... help... help me." Her voice was weak to the extreme, trembling with fear, enough to elicit sympathy from anyone who heard it.