At noon, when the sun was at its hottest.
The gatekeeper of the Lu Mansion was avoiding the heat. After his shift change, he sat in a small pavilion nearby. Soon, he saw two people in tattered clothes stop at the gate. At first, he didn't pay much attention, thinking they were just passing beggars.
But when Mira stepped forward to knock, the gatekeeper got scared and quickly rushed over to stop her.
"Go, go, go. Go somewhere cooler. Why don't you listen! Don't touch our mansion's gate, or someone will come out and beat you."
The gatekeeper shouted as he ran.
From a distance, he thought it was an old beggar with a child, so he was annoyed.
But when he came closer and looked carefully, he saw a fresh-faced young girl with a sweet smile. His anger faded immediately.
"Why, it's a girl? Such a young girl, why are you being so naughty? This isn't a place to play. Go play somewhere else."
Still feeling strange, he thought about how precious girls were these days and how unlikely it was for one to become a beggar. Even if it happened, many people would fight to take her in.
Seeing Mira's young and innocent face, he was sure she was just a mischievous child who got dirty while playing. The family must be very careless to let her out alone. If he had a little girl like her, he would never let her out of his sight.
Since Mira wore a sweet smile, his mood softened, and he spoke gently, "Little girl, you should go home. When you go out to play, bring some friends. There are many bad people around."
At first, Mira felt embarrassed by the gatekeeper's scolding. Now that his attitude softened, she felt relieved. After all, she was a poor relative visiting, and if the gatekeeper refused to help, she and Riyo might have to sleep on the street tonight.
Mira said, "Brother Gatekeeper, I am Mira. That man is my father, Riyo. He is the son of Grandma Wan, who is Lady Lu's close friend. Can you please help us pass the message? Tell them an old friend is here."
She took out a handkerchief. "This is from Lady Lu to Grandma Wan. Please take this as a token and help us."
Lady Lu gave two items to Grandma Wan: a jade pendant and a handkerchief.
Mira only took out the handkerchief, thinking if she really couldn't get in, she could pawn the jade pendant for some money to find a place to stay.
The gatekeeper didn't expect them to be here for his master, but unfortunately, the master was not home.
"Oh, why didn't you come earlier? It's so hot now. Our old ancestor already went to the countryside villa to avoid the heat. No one knows when she will come back."
Hearing this, Mira's heart sank.
The gatekeeper, seeing how hot and uncomfortable she was, glanced disapprovingly at Riyo who was walking slowly over.
What kind of family lets their daughter behave like this? No care at all!
But since the old ancestor was not home and both Mr. Yen and Elder Lao had gone with her to the countryside, he could not make decisions. He said, "How about this, you find somewhere to stay for now. When our old ancestor comes back, I will tell them."
Mira wanted to, but they had no money, only a jade pendant that looked valuable.
She heard it was the token of the marriage agreement between her and June. Though she didn't believe the marriage would happen, she was afraid to pawn it unless she had no choice.
If by chance the Lu family redeemed it, or if she was lucky enough to meet Lady Lu, she would be very embarrassed.
So she tried one more time:
"Brother Gatekeeper, could you please pass the message to anyone in the mansion? If it really doesn't work, we will figure something out. Thank you so much."
It was so hot that just standing made her sweat. The gatekeeper didn't want to move much, but seeing Mira's pitiful expression, his heart softened.
"Then, just right, our Madam Lis is at home. I will help you send a message to see what she says."
"Really, thank you so much. Big brother gatekeeper, you've worked hard."
Mira spoke sweetly. Even though she didn't know who Madam Lis was, she was very happy the gatekeeper was willing to go for them. She said kind words for free.
As soon as the gatekeeper left, she relaxed and saw her father still looking worried, so she comforted him:
"Dad, don't worry. We'll let the gatekeeper go first. If it doesn't work, we will find another way. Don't worry, there are always more solutions than problems. Let's wait a bit."
Riyo was never one to make decisions. When outside, he always relied on his daughter. Hearing Mira say this, he relaxed a little. Then, seeing his precious daughter sweating all over, he felt sorry and took out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat.
"Okay, Dad understands. Let's wait and then decide. It is hot today, but I don't mind. I only worry you might get heatstroke. That would be bad."
Mira took the handkerchief and wiped her forehead.
"I'm fine! Dad, I am not a child anymore. My health is not so bad. Also, I am grown up now. If you help me wipe sweat, others will laugh at me!"
Riyo was quickly distracted by this. He poked Mira's head with his finger.
"You say you are grown up? You are very cheeky! Girls in their twenties are still their parents' treasures."
He said this and began to feel sorry again. It was all because he married the wrong woman and was powerless. This made Mira suffer with him.
Riyo was right. Girls were delicate. Even in a small village, girls rarely did heavy work. At most, they helped a little.
Mira suddenly felt uneasy. It was better not to change the topic. Her father was good in many ways but often felt guilty. He was a little emotional.
Seeing Riyo getting sad again, she used her secret weapon—acting cute.
Mira hugged Riyo and spoke softly in a sweet voice.
"It's okay! Everyone is a baby! I know I am Dad's most beloved baby. Other girls don't have to work, but their parents don't always stay with them. Unlike me, you are always with me. I am so lucky."
Mira's voice was naturally soft and sweet, with no power behind it. So, before speaking to others, she often cleared her throat to avoid sounding weak.
Over time, she had learned how to cheer Riyo up. Using her soft voice to act cute always worked. Riyo especially liked to call her baby. After she grew older and protested, he started using her real name. But she still liked being called baby.
Though she had lived to 23 in her past life and had lived 7 years here, maybe because of her father's love or the body she was in, acting cute felt natural and comfortable.
Sure enough, Riyo cheered up quickly. He wiped his eyes and said,
"Yeah, I feel happy too. Having such a sensible, good, and capable daughter makes me the luckiest man."
Mira patted Riyo's back and also felt lucky to be his daughter. Riyo treated her well. He let her eat the best food and bought her what other girls had. After so many years, she truly thought of Riyo as her real dad.
They waited a long time before they saw the gatekeeper return.
The gatekeeper's face made Mira feel the news was good.
He said, "Mira, Madam Lis wants to see you. Come with me."