Shi's mother was surprised to hear Shi Lan's words. She did not expect that Cui Xi could still send out messages under her strict supervision. The idea of ​​strictly regulating the inner quarters immediately arose in her mind.

Shi Lan couldn't see and didn't know that her mother's face was already ashen. She still lowered her head gently and said, "Mother, since Wang Haiqing brought it up, then you should give her to me. After all, she served me. Once you've recovered from your injuries, send her to him to avoid any complaints."

Shi's mother touched Shi Lan's face with heartache, sighed deeply, and said nothing more.

Around noon, Shi Lan heard that Cui Xi had returned. After Wan Bi checked on her, she came back and said that Cui Xi had injuries, but they were not serious. However, she was weak and had a fever. She asked if she should ask someone to get some medicine.

Shi Lan estimated that Cheng Baixin should have finished preparing the medicine, so she instructed someone to go to Baiweitang to get the medicine from Cheng Baixin.

After lunch, the person who brought the medicine returned. Shi Lan directly mixed the medicine specially prepared by Cheng Baixin into the medicine for treating fever and sent someone to force-feed it to Cui Xi, who was feverish and unconscious.

Having resolved Cui Xi's future reliance on the Wang family, Shi Lan ordered people to take good care of her, then summoned Shi Lei and asked him to send Cui Xi to the Wang family, along with the engagement tokens from years ago, and request the annulment of the engagement.

Shi Lei, young and impetuous, had long disliked the two adulterers. When he heard from Shi Lan that Wang Haiqing had come to her with threats, he was instantly enraged and grabbed Cui Xi by the hair, storming into the Wang family's house.

The wise old patriarch of the Wang family passed away a few years ago. Wang's father was afraid of his wife, and as long as things didn't go too far, Huang Shi made the decisions in the family. Huang Shi had long been dissatisfied with her son marrying a blind woman. In addition, Shi Lei had a violent temper and was not very polite when he went to the Wang family. Huang Shi immediately took out a token and agreed to annul the engagement.

Leaving aside Wang's father, Wang Haiqing only realized when he saw Cuixi that such a beautiful and charming woman would never have anything to do with him again. Perhaps it was because he lost her that he realized how much he had cherished her. At that moment, the sense of loss in his heart was indescribable. Even when Cuixi came up to him and cuddled and cuddled with him, he couldn't muster any enthusiasm.

When Shi's father returned home and heard about the incident, he flew into a rage and immediately wanted to beat Shi Lei. However, Shi's mother refused and quickly sent someone to stop him. She then pulled Shi's father back into the house and explained the situation to him in detail.

Mr. Shi believed that a person without integrity cannot stand, and that breaking off the engagement with the Wang family over a lowly maid was making a mountain out of a molehill. However, Mrs. Shi said that if someone reaches out to his fiancée before the marriage is even finalized, what will happen after they get married? Given Shi Lan's current situation, if they were to marry her off carelessly just for the sake of reputation, they might end up burying their child within two years. She would rather raise her daughter for the rest of her life than go through that. It's just a matter of adding another pair of chopsticks and a bowl of rice.

Shi's mother covered her face and wept bitterly. Shi's father had no choice but to punish Shi Lei by making him kneel in the ancestral hall all night.

Springtime was beautiful, with lush greenery everywhere. Ever since the annulment of the engagement, Shi's mother had been worried that Shi Lan might be depressed. Seeing the lovely scenery outside, she thought of taking her to the temple to burn incense, partly to change her mood, and partly to pray for a good marriage for her daughter.

Knowing her mother's worries, Shi Lan smiled and agreed.

On a day in March, Shi Mu took her two children to Qianfo Temple outside the city.

The carriage creaked forward, and inside, Mother Stone whispered a warning to Shi Lan, who was going out for the first time, and the restless and unruly Shi Lei, fearing that they might not know the rules and might offend the high monks in the temple.

Shi Lei, impatient, made an excuse to slip away and go horseback riding. The original owner of this body had a gentle personality, and Shi Lan was unconsciously influenced by her. Shi Lan was not annoyed by her mother's repeated instructions and always nodded when her mother paused. They chatted all the way and soon arrived at Qianfo Temple.

First, Shi's mother took her two children to pay their respects to the highly respected abbot, Master Jishi, and then dragged Shi Lan to draw lots.

Shi Lan came to this world to complete a mission, and she didn't even know when she would leave. She wasn't interested in getting married at all, but her mother insisted. Helpless, she could only kneel on the prayer mat and gently shake the divination tube. As luck would have it, one of the divination sticks fell out.

Shi Lan picked up the bamboo sticks and handed them to her mother. While her mother was having the monk interpret the sticks, Shi Lan grabbed Shi Lei and secretly slipped away.

Qianfo Temple is a Buddhist temple built against the mountain. Behind the main hall are stone steps leading up the mountain. Shi Lei led Shi Lan up the smooth stone steps and soon they reached a bamboo pavilion halfway up the mountain.

Shi Lan was weak and her whole body ached from walking. She sat on the cold bamboo stool and refused to move an inch, no matter how much Shi Lei goaded and mocked her.

Helpless, Shi Lei broke off a bamboo strip and wandered around the pavilion, expending his abundant energy.

Shi Lan squinted, enjoying the refreshing breeze, and listened happily to Shi Lei's low, melancholy murmurs. She couldn't help but laugh, and the pleasant sound of her laughter, like a cold spring tapping on stones, drifted far away on the wind.

After interpreting the divination slips, Shi's mother discovered that her two children were missing and sent people to look for them. Shi Lan waved to Shi Lei, and the two siblings went down the mountain affectionately.

As the saying goes, you may be admiring the scenery, but you may not know that someone in the scenery is also watching you. Shi Lan was unaware that while she was enjoying this rare experience, two men in brocade robes were quietly gazing at her from another pavilion not far away.

Watching Shi Lan walk further and further away, the man in the pavilion, dressed in a lotus-green robe with a handsome face, glanced at the man in a lilac-colored brocade robe with a gloomy expression. "Is this the Shi family's young lady whom my brother broke off the engagement with?"

The man's voice was cold, like ice clashing against ice, and his gaze was equally devoid of warmth. Yet, his calm expression and composed demeanor gave him the air of a proud and aloof gentleman.

The "brother Wang" he was referring to, Wang Haiqing, had a face as black as the bottom of a pot and didn't want to answer his question at all.

The man seemed not to notice and continued, "You can't even be interested in such a beautiful woman? I wonder what kind of woman your ideal woman is?"

Wang Haiqing froze, and the unremarkable, pale yellow face immediately appeared in his mind. Then, Shi Lan's expressions, whether frowning, smiling, dazed, or charming, flooded in and completely occupied his mind.

The man in the lotus-green robe didn't want to hear his answer; he just asked casually and walked away with his hands behind his back.

The trip to Qianfo Temple brought joy to some and sorrow to others, but the happiest person was naturally the Stone Mother.

Today, Shi Lan drew a very auspicious fortune stick, which means that her fate was predetermined and her marriage will come naturally.

Although Shi's mother had previously agreed to annul the engagement with the Wang family, she was also worried that this matter would affect her daughter's future marriage. Today, this fortune slip finally put her mind at ease, and a rare smile appeared on her face.

In contrast, Wan Haiqing returned home dejectedly. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Cui Xi, adorned with pearls and jade, walking towards him with small, quick steps, and he felt a wave of nausea.

In the past, Cui Xi was known for her lively and cheerful demeanor in the Shi family. Although she didn't walk with the large strides of a man, she still possessed a straightforwardness rarely seen in women. However, ever since Shi Lei sent her to the Wang family in such a grand manner, everyone in the family knew about her background. No matter how she behaved, the Wang family, from the masters to the servants, unconsciously resisted her, isolating her invisibly. Yet, she had nowhere to voice her grievances, since they neither hit nor scolded her; they simply gave her the cold shoulder.

When Cui Xi first came to the Wang family, she was full of ambition. She thought that with her proximity to the family, Wang Haiqing would definitely not be able to escape her grasp. At first, this was indeed the case. Wang Haiqing went to her every night, and the red quilt was turned upside down.

But gradually, Wang Haiqing seemed to lose interest. No matter how many tricks she came up with, he only had a moment of novelty before giving up.