Chapter 283: Chapter 282: I’m Done Pretending, Here’s the Truth

Old Liu took charge at the old house, handing over all the family’s one thousand jin of stored grain to Qin Yao to sell on their behalf. Whatever Qin Yao sold, they would sell.

Because all the young ones at home needed to focus on factory work, if Qin Yao didn’t mind, he, an old bag of bones, could still help out a bit.

Qin Yao waved her hand, “There’s Ah Wang, Dad. You stay at home and wait. I’ll have Ah Wang come and load it.”

Old Liu agreed eagerly, looking at the harmonious family in the courtyard, feeling a warm glow in his heart.

The old man called Liu Bai and his three brothers over to Qin Yao, letting them continue discussing factory work, while he and Mrs. Zhang held Da Mao, who was clamoring to go out and play, and left.

Mrs. Qiu and He considered themselves part of the factory now, sitting on small stools to listen in on Qin Yao and the others.

Everyone chatted for quite a while before scattering.

“Ah Wang, call Da Lang and the others home; it’s time for bed.” Qin Yao instructed as she walked toward the warehouse to check the items brought back today.

Ah Wang agreed and turned to walk quickly toward the village well.

Qin Yao arrived in the backyard, and the first thing that caught her eye was the luxurious carriage and five bags of wheat that Wang Mawu had compensated her with today.

Earlier, Liu Ji and Ah Wang had already sold seventy to eighty jin, netting over three taels of silver, but it was stolen.

Now, not only had she gotten back five bags of wheat, but that three taels of silver was returned, along with one hundred taels for medical expenses, totaling one hundred and three taels in her hands.

Doctor Jin’s prescription required roughly three taels for medicine, and Qin Yao deducted this portion, leaving one hundred taels in the family’s account, totaling 112 taels.

As for the silver notes in her hand, those belonged to the factory and weren’t included in her personal account.

Qin Yao walked into the storeroom, selling ten thousand jin of wheat should bring another profit.

Adding in the autumn harvest and the factory’s future profits, she should be able to fulfill her wish of becoming a landlady next year.

Qin Yao smiled satisfactorily, turned, and walked out of the warehouse. The children had already returned home and were in the kitchen with Ah Wang, boiling water to wash up.

Liu Ji was in the room groaning, and Qin Yao went in to help light a lamp as the room was pitch dark.

“Who are you calling a ghost and why are you shouting?”

Liu Ji grumbled internally: Can’t I be scared when it’s dark!

Qin Yao looked at his injured body and tutted, “Aren’t you quite fast on your feet usually? Why did you act recklessly and get into a fight this time?”

Qin Yao sat down at his desk, facing Liu Ji, who was looking guilty and confused from the bed. Before he could answer, she took the three taels of grain money and weighed it in her hand, “Was it for this?”

Liu Ji’s swollen eyes opened slightly wider, “Madam, you got back the grain money?”

Qin Yao nodded, then calculated word by word under Liu Ji’s terrified gaze, revealing that he sold grain at forty-five cents per jin, yet reported it to her as forty cents per jin.

Liu Ji quickly closed his eyes, “Ah, I’m fainting!” He lay still, pretending to be dead.

Qin Yao raised her hand intending to wake him with a slap but seeing his bruised face, she decided not to go through with it.

“If it happens again, I’ll strip you naked and throw you onto Wang Mawu’s bed!” Qin Yao coldly warned.

Liu Ji continued to play dead, his inner self screaming: Such a vicious woman!

“Madam.”

Ah Wang’s voice came from the doorway.

Qin Yao turned her head, seeing Ah Wang carrying hot water into the room, immediately signaling him to leave, “He’s dead; no need to wash!”

Liu Ji couldn’t stand it; it was midsummer, and he would end up stinking!

He sat up in shock from his sickbed, “Wait! I feel like I’m not fainting anymore.”

Ah Wang stood with the water, looking at Qin Yao, then at Liu Ji, who was filled with longing, unsure what to do.

Qin Yao took a deep breath, waved her hand, indicating him to continue, and left the room.

The children had already gone to their rooms to sleep, and Qin Yao prepared to wash up briefly and go inside to lie down.

Just then, Ah Wang suddenly appeared behind her.

Qin Yao’s movement stalled at the doorway, quickly turned to look over, and asked cautiously, “Ah Wang, what are you up to?”

Ah Wang “thud” kneeled on the ground, stopped pretending, and revealed his cards!

“Madam, I have something hidden from you, but it was out of necessity that I didn’t inform you sooner. My real identity is…”

Qin Yao quickly interrupted him, “Wait, don’t say it yet; let me guess!”

Ah Wang: ???

“Are you a retired undercover assassin?”

Ah Wang shook his head, “Actually, I’m…”

“A death warrior cultivated by a secret organization, but because your mission failed, you were worried about being hunted by peers, so you changed your identity to survive?”

Ah Wang sighed, “Close enough.”

Qin Yao felt a sense of accomplishment; she was on the mark!

“Your original identity is indeed a death warrior, but not cultivated by a secret organization; it belongs to an individual, right?”

Ah Wang nodded helplessly.

“Did you betray your master because you suddenly experienced a personality awakening?”

Ah Wang frowned, “What is… personality awakening?”

Qin Yao explained, “It means you feel you should have your own life and dreams, not just be a machine executing tasks. ’My fate is my own,’ something like that.”

Ah Wang showed a moment of realization; perhaps all his actions against his master’s will were due to awakening his own personality?

Qin Yao was about to continue guessing, but Ah Wang was on the verge of tears, “Madam, can you let me say it all in one breath?”

Qin Yao: “Alright, say it.”

Ah Wang took a deep breath and revealed his identity unreservedly to Qin Yao. As for why he chose to confess now rather than at the beginning, it was because he originally thought he could play the role of an ordinary refugee well.

Only today did he realize, how naive he was.

So it’s better to reveal it before Qin Yao uses a long nail to stab him through.

As the couple guessed, Ah Wang was not an ordinary refugee but a death warrior raised in Prince Feng Mansion.

Since childhood, he was taken to the mansion for harsh training, starting missions on his own at thirteen, diligently serving the mansion as an assassination machine, finally earning the prince’s recognition, and at twenty, he was promoted to the prince’s personal guard team, always ready to lay down his life for the prince.

To die for one’s master was the highest honor a death warrior could achieve in life; Ah Wang, before turning twenty, also held this notion and was prepared to die honorably for it.

Until the year before last, he received a mission with no return, regardless of success or failure.

He was to assassinate a figure much more authoritative than the prince.

When Ah Wang mentioned the prince, Qin Yao was already a bit incredulous; she was just an ordinary person, but now she felt close to the prince—finally feeling a bit like a female protagonist who had time-traveled!

Upon hearing about a figure more authoritative than the prince, she immediately thought of the one on the dragon throne.

“Were you meant to assassinate the Emperor?”

Ah Wang wasn’t surprised Qin Yao would think of the emperor; anyone would.

But, it actually wasn’t.

It’s no longer a secret to her, “It was the Holy Empress.”

Qin Yao was greatly surprised, even more curious about this matter, “And then? The mission obviously failed, but why are you still alive?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep