Chapter 1183: By a Twist of Fate, We're All Old Acquaintances (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

"The real identity?" A real identity is more sophisticated than a fabricated one and less likely to be exposed, but there's always a chance of a fake meeting the real one. Shen Tang asked worriedly, "Won't it be exposed?"

Liao Jia said, "The chances of being exposed are slim."

Because the identity he used was rather special.

“This Liao Zunguang is the son of an old friend, and the son of an old friend whose whereabouts have been unknown for a long time.” When Liao Jia said the words “son of an old friend,” the corners of his lips visibly tightened.

"The son of an old friend? The son of someone from the old country?" Shen Tang had joined the Longwu County not long after he was transferred there, and eleven years had passed since then. It wasn't a long time, but it wasn't short either. In Shen Tang's memory, Liao Jia rarely mentioned his past experiences.

Liao Jia didn't mention it, and neither did Qi Yuanliang—the latter might have had too many exciting past events and didn't know which part to mention to provoke his enemies, or he might have been unusually considerate of Liao Jia's feelings and intentionally avoided it—Yuanliang may seem carefree, but he is actually the most soft-hearted.

“Yes, his mother was kind to me. If we go through the proper relationships, I should call her sister-in-law.” Liao Jia’s tone was much lower, full of regret. “If it weren’t for her help back then, I wouldn’t be who I am today. She was an ambitious woman, but unfortunately, she met the wrong person and didn’t even save her life. Fate is cruel. If she had been born twenty years later, she would have been another Tu Nan.”

Even Liao Jia is stronger than Ning Yan.

Liao Jia's identity is awkward. His biological father treats him like air, only knowing how to indulge in promiscuity. His adoptive father sees him as a disgrace. As a child, he was unaware of the truth and even tried to please the adoptive father, only to find himself being humiliated. His mother, on the other hand, avoids him for years, as if she had never given birth to him.

The maternal love and care he felt came from the female tutor in the household.

He wouldn't have survived if it weren't for the other party's pity.

He remembered this kindness for many years, but never had the chance to repay it. He thought he would never have the chance in this lifetime, until recently when he met an old friend. This old friend was a maidservant who had been raised by the female tutor, who took her with her when the tutor went to take up an official post.

He then stayed with the female tutor, confined to the inner palace.

Liao Jia did not recognize the other person at the time; it was the other person who recognized her first. The maid was dressed as an old woman, in a simple cloth dress and with wrinkled skin and white hair, looking more than ten years older than her actual age.

Are you... Liao Xiaolang?

At that time, Liao Jia revisited his homeland and, passing through the former capital, heard someone hawking their wares. The familiar accent of his homeland brought him a sense of warmth, and following the sound, he saw an old woman selling flowers. The old woman had only a few potted plants in front of her stall, some of which were among the most popular flowers in his homeland, once priceless but now unwanted. Liao Jia felt a pang of emotion, stopped, bent down, and asked the old woman how much one of the potted plants cost.

Unexpectedly, the old woman stared at his face for a long time.

His eyes gradually brightened with excitement, replacing the blankness and numbness he had been looking at.

【You must be Liao Xiaolang! You definitely are!】

Liao Jia also came to his senses, carefully examining the old woman's features, and hesitated before asking: "Excuse me, may I ask your honorable name, madam?"

He seemed somewhat familiar, but I wasn't sure.

and--

Very few people remember calling him "Liao Xiaolang".

The fog that had enveloped her was lifted by her memories, and the figure of an extremely distant friend popped into her mind. Liao Jia tentatively called out. The old woman immediately broke down in tears, stamping her foot in response. She was so excited that she burst into tears and almost fainted from the emotional turmoil.

Liao Jia appeared calm on the surface, but inside he was in turmoil.

Because of him, the old woman packed up her stall early and invited Liao Jia to her humble abode for a short visit. The old woman's house was bare, with signs of her solitary life everywhere. Liao Jia readily chopped firewood and fetched water for her: "Sister Tao, you live here? Where are your husband and children?"

The old woman fumbled as she picked vegetables, saying emotionlessly, "The gambler died young. His two daughters married into the same village; one went out to make a living with her husband, and the other just gave birth last month and is still breastfeeding."

Liao Jia thought about the old customs and heard Sister Tao only mention her two daughters, so it was not hard to guess how hard her life had been all these years.

"Young master, do you have any daughters or daughters to raise?"

Liao Jia took a sip of the cold, bitter well water and said with a wry smile, "We don't even have a wife in the house, so where would we get daughters and maids?"

[Is it possible that the young man is still single?]

Liao Jia sat down beside her and helped her pick vegetables. Seeing the rotten leaves, she fell silent again, then flicked her finger, sending two caterpillars flying: "Actually... being single isn't so bad, no ties."

The old woman looked closely at Liao Jia's appearance.

He sighed, "Young man, you are in the prime of your life, there's nothing to worry about. Marriage is all about fate; perhaps your destined partner hasn't arrived yet."

Liao Jia did not elaborate on this topic.

The old woman took out the best food in her house to treat Liao Jia, and even borrowed some from her neighbor. The neighbor was initially unwilling, but when a richly dressed young man appeared in the old widow's house, he immediately agreed. Liao Jia calmly finished eating and suggested taking the old woman away.

Now that I've secured a stable livelihood, it's inconvenient for Sister Tao to live alone. Why don't you come back with me to enjoy your retirement?

The old woman nervously rubbed the old clothes covered in pudding, her expression troubled, as if she had something difficult to say. Liao Jia asked, "Sister Tao, please speak freely. There's no need for reservations between us."

"Young man wants to take this old woman away, I should be happy, but—when I think of the Lady's two children, I can't rest easy." The "Lady" the old woman spoke of was the female teacher who had been kind to Liao Jia. If the female teacher hadn't bought her from her gambling-addicted father, she would have been forced into prostitution at the age of five or six, and wouldn't have lived to this age. The Lady's kindness could not be left unrepaid.

A son and a daughter?

During the great chaos of that year, the young lady and the young master were sent away to seek refuge. While fleeing, they were separated from their pursuers by a group of rebel soldiers...

Liao Jia asked incredulously, "You escaped back then?"

He thought they had all died in the palace coup.

The information received at the time was that the rebels in the palace coup did not spare the royal family, slaughtering all the descendants and throwing their bodies out. Liao Jia did not see it with his own eyes, but the number of corpses matched.

He closed his eyes briefly to calm himself.

Where are those two children now?

The old woman said, "I don't know, I couldn't find it."

The chances of survival are actually very low.

The rebels who stormed the palace were starving; in their most desperate times, they ate people. In such harsh conditions, even adults had little chance of survival, let alone two children. The old woman knew their chances were slim, but she still clung to a sliver of hope—what if? What if the two children survived?

After all, they are the only two bloodlines of the female ruler.

She wanted to know the exact answer!

She had stayed here all these years, refusing to leave, making a living by growing a few potted flowers that no one cared about. But as time went by, she had become completely desperate, and Liao Jia's appearance gave her a glimmer of hope! This was the old woman's only unfulfilled wish in her life.

She wanted to know whether she was alive or dead!

After she dies, it will be good to explain to the Queen.

Liao Jia agreed without hesitation: "Leave this to me."

In the midst of chaos, finding a brother and sister who disappeared twenty years ago is incredibly difficult! Sister Tao could only provide two obvious features: the two children had birthmarks on their sides, and the young lady was carrying half of the Queen's heirloom jade pendant, with the other half in her hand.

The birthmark is a difficult clue to find.

Liao Jia could only start with half of the jade pendant.

After searching around without finding any clues, Liao Jia had to expand his search; he still needed connections to help him. Counting the time on his fingers, he realized he had already wasted quite a bit. He settled the old woman and then rushed to meet up with Shen Tang. When he needed to use a false identity, the name [Liao Qian] popped into his mind. This was the name he had given to his female teacher's son; he didn't know if he had used it yet.

Before she passed away, she entrusted her daughter to Liao Jia.

She couldn't take her son with her, but her daughter still had a chance to escape the high walls. Given her lord's (and husband's) cold-hearted and tyrannical nature, he wouldn't value their daughters, let alone provide them with a stable future. In comparison, she felt much more at ease with Liao Jia and trusted him completely!

Upon receiving this letter entrusting his son to Liao Jia, he immediately set about it.

Unfortunately—

He was powerless to do anything.

The female tutor, and her daughter, were all discarded playthings of that man; Liao Jia's scholarly principles held no sway over him. Fortunately, fate offered a glimmer of hope. He needed to see her alive or dead!

Searching by himself alone is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Liao Jia wanted to use his master's connections to keep an eye out for the whereabouts of the remaining half of the jade pendant. The material and craftsmanship of the jade pendant were rare; whoever got it certainly wouldn't destroy it, but would likely resell it for money. Liao Jia could follow this lead and find the source!

Shen Tang asked, "What does the jade pendant look like?"

Liao Jia took it out from his bosom and handed it to Shen Tang.

Shen Tang opened it and fell silent.

Tilting his head: "Are you sure it's this area?"

(ω)

P.S.: This morning I took a relative to the funeral home, and then went to the driving test center during my free time. I got my driver's license smoothly. The actual test questions for the fourth part of the test were much easier than those on the app.

Full of sleepiness. (#^.^#).

P.S.: The funeral is tomorrow, and I have to leave before dawn, so I'll stop updating here for today and finish tomorrow when I'm more settled.