As soon as they arrived in Ningzhou Prefecture, Wen Zhuoan and Xu Qingyan and other men were busy going out for social events, and the children stayed at their grandmother's house most of the time. Only Xu Lanyin was left in the house preparing New Year gifts for relatives and friends.

At the end of the afternoon, Jia Dazhu returned home to report that Madam Mei had passed away three months earlier. He also presented a purse, saying that Su Qing had asked Gu Qian to give it to Xu Lanyin.

Xu Lanyin was startled. She knew Su Qing wouldn't live long, but she hadn't expected her to die so young. Little Gu Qian was only eight years old when he became an orphan without a father, a mother, or any relatives. Even though he had the loyal servants of Mrs. Wang's family, his fate was still miserable.

Thinking of Su Qing, whose fate had been so tragic in both lives, Xu Lanyin shed a tear of sympathy. When she died, she must have been so worried about her young son that she gave a small portion of her fortune to servants, gave money to the head constable to serve as witnesses, and even gave her what was arguably her finest piece of jewelry, entrusting her with the care of her son...

This hairpin was worth more than five hundred taels of silver, so Xu Lanyin kept it as a souvenir and spent more money on Gu Qian in the future.

Xu Lanyin sighed deeply and said, "Get ready. I'm going to Lin County tomorrow."

She wanted to burn some paper for Su Qing and then talk to Gu Qian to see if he was willing to go to the capital with her. There were good teachers and good academies in the capital, and it would be convenient for her to take care of him.

Wen Zhuoan didn't return home until the end of the night. Seeing Xu Lanyin still leaning against the headboard in a daze, he said angrily, "It's so late, why haven't you slept yet?"

Xu Lanyin said, "Su Qing is dead."

Wen Zhuoan was also stunned, "She's dead?"

Xu Lanyin nodded, asked Wen Zhuoan to sit beside the bed, and said, "You know, Su Qing is a reborn person. She died early in her previous life, and when she died, she was filled with endless hatred. In this life, she still couldn't escape the fate of early death, but she was worried about her young son."

Wen Zhuoan reached out and touched Xu Lanyin's forehead, muttering, "You don't have a fever either."

Xu Lanyin took his big hand and held it in hers, then continued, "Believe it or not, I have also experienced two lifetimes, and I'm sure I'm not dreaming. In Su Qing's previous life, I died, you died, and she married your eldest brother. Your eldest brother hated her to the core because of your death and eventually died too. The reason Su Qing gave us that Yanshang hairpin was because she knew in her previous life that the hairpin was unusual... Also, my father didn't come back, Minhu and my uncle were both dead, and the Third Prince became the Crown Prince... Everything was completely opposite to what it is now... In this life, because I came and saved you, and you brought my father back, not only did it change the fate of our two families, it also changed the fate of the Yamato Dynasty..."

These bizarre words shocked Wen Zhuoan. He saw Xu Lanyin's serious expression, thought about how she had said similar things several times in the past, and about the unusual hairpin with a swallow-shaped hairpin, and after a moment of contemplation, he embraced Xu Lanyin.

Xu Lanyin wondered, "Do you believe what I say? Are you not afraid at all?"

Wen Zhuoan placed his chin on the top of her head and smiled, "You are doing everything for my own good. Why should I be afraid? I believe every word you say. It's wonderful that you can come here and change the fate of all of us. Whether you are a fairy, a goblin, or a time traveler, you are my sister and wife who have given me everything..."

Xu Lanyin gave Xiao Wuwu a sweet kiss. She knew that no matter who she was, Xiao Wuwu would accept her without hesitation. The two of them were naturally in love.

The next day, Wen Zhuoan accompanied Xu Lanyin to Lin County. The eldest daughter, Mingzhu, tugged at her father's clothes, and the youngest, Mingguo, clung to her mother's thighs; they also wanted to go.

Wen Mingxi and Wen Mingzhao both wanted to go, but were too embarrassed to act coquettishly in front of their parents. They looked at their mother with hope. They knew that as long as their mother agreed, their father would agree as well.

Xu Lanyin didn't agree, so she coaxed her daughter for a few words and then went out with Wen Zhuoan.

The snow stopped last night and the sun came out, but there was no warmth at all.

When they arrived at the Mei residence, Gu Qian, dressed in plain clothes, knelt down and burst into tears. Although he had only met Aunt Xu a few years ago and his impression of her was already vague, his mother had often mentioned her when she was alive, and before her death, she had held his hand and told him to seek Aunt Xu if he had any problems and to listen to her advice. Aunt Xu held a place in his heart second only to his mother.

Seeing the little guy shaking his shoulders, Xu Lanyin's nose was also sore. She helped Gu Qian up, wiped his tears and said softly, "Good boy, from now on, you will be my other son."

After hearing this, Gu Qian hugged Xu Lanyin's waist and cried even more sadly.

Mrs. Wang also knelt down, kowtowed, and cried, "This servant thanks Fourth Madam Wen on behalf of my master."

After Gu Qian had cried enough, Xu Lanyin sat down on a chair, took his hand and said, "Would you like to go to the capital with me? I will send you to the Xiangshan Academy to find the best teacher, and I will also find a way to ask Mr. Zhou Shu to accept you as his disciple."

Zhou Shu is currently a doctoral student at the Imperial College. He often visits the teahouse to play chess and has always had a good relationship with Xu Lanyin. Gu Qian has a great talent for studying, so Zhou Shu is willing to provide him with guidance in his spare time.

Gu Qian also knew that Zhou Shu was a famous scholar who had previously worked at the Ningzhou Prefecture Academy. He was very excited to hear that he could become Zhou Shu's disciple, but he was reluctant to leave his hometown.

Xu Lanyin added, "The capital is only three or five days away from here. You can come back often to pay respect to your mother."

Mrs. Wang also said, "Brother, if my aunt knew that you took Zhou Shu as your teacher, she would definitely be happy."

Gu Qian thought about it and knelt down to kowtow to Xu Lanyin and Wen Zhuoan, saying, "Thank you, Aunt Xu, thank you, Lord Wen. I will definitely not let my mother and Aunt Xu down."

They discussed that since Xu Lan would leave Ningzhou Prefecture on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year next year, Gu Qian and Wang Saozi and her daughter would go find her on the third or fourth day of the Lunar New Year and head north together. Wang Fei would stay here with his son to look after the family and the farm until they found a suitable partner before heading to the capital.

Afterwards, Gu Qian accompanied Xu Lanyin to the suburbs to pay tribute to Su Qing, while Wen Zhuoan went to see the county magistrate of Lin County and Captain Bao, asking them to look after the Gu family's property here.

Lin County was a plain, with a vast expanse of flat land outside. In a desolate area, there were many graves. Both Gu Wangchen and Su Qing's graves were there, though they were quite far apart.

It seems that Su Qing hopes to never have any contact with Gu Wangchen in the next life.

The snow here was thicker than anywhere else, a vast expanse of white. They were the only people in the vast expanse. Their arrival startled a flock of crows from the trees, sending snowflakes cascading down from the branches.

When he arrived at the grave, Gu Qian swept the snow off the tombstone. It was written "Su" instead of Mei.

Xu Lanyin burned paper in front of the grave, bowed, and prayed, "Go to your next life and drink more Meng Po soup to forget the sorrows of these past lives." Don't worry, Gu Qian is a kind and righteous child. I will treat him like my own son and do my best to raise him into a great scholar...

Gu Qian knelt down and kowtowed three times, muttering, "Mom, you won't be lonely. Your son will come back to see you often..."

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