choose

The next day, Jiang Nian went to the flower hall early and handed the letter to the maid who had delivered it to her earlier.

The maid took the letter but didn't leave immediately. Instead, she said to her, "Duke Xiao has instructed me today that if I see you delivering a letter, I'll ask you to go to the front hall and see him later. He wants to discuss your return journey with you."

What about the return trip?

Has Xiao Yingzhu's affairs been dealt with? So quickly.

Jiang Nian and the maid quietly agreed, indicating understanding. She pondered for a moment what she would bring back from Cang County before turning and heading towards Xiao Yingzhu's courtyard.

—

The courtyard had not changed much, just like before I went to Zuihua Tower. The fallen leaves had been cleared by the servants, and the branches and leaves of the grass beside the path only covered the edge of the stone slabs, so there was no sound wherever I stepped.

Jiang Nian always likes to take this path.

I don’t know if it’s because I always handle official business in the mansion, but every time I go out, I walk on that endless corridor, and it’s easy to get bored after looking at it for a long time.

The sight of lush greenery could soothe her troubled mood. Occasionally, while she was doing things, she would hear the melodious chirping of birds around her, and she would have the urge to take a break from her busy schedule.

The door of the study was slightly closed, and the sound of conversation could be heard faintly from the gap.

Jiang Nian stood outside the door, hesitated for a moment, then bent his fingers and knocked on the door frame.

There was a brief pause in the conversation inside, and then Xiao Yingzhu's voice came from inside the door.

"Enter."

I always feel an inexplicable sense of familiarity in the study.

Is it because the person Xiao Yingzhu was talking to might be someone she knew?

Jiang Nian paused his hand on the door, pushed it open with a little force, and his eyes caught the sight of the man sitting opposite him.

“…”

It's Lan.

He was still wearing the default military uniform that seemed like he would never change, and was smilingly sharing his magical coffee with Xiao Yingzhu. In one hand, he was holding a plastic bag that had just been filled with coffee grounds, and he turned his head to look at the door.

Seeing Jiang Nian standing outside in a daze, Lan raised her hand and beckoned to her: "Why don't you come in? I happen to have a pack of coffee here that I don't want to use."

"?"

Is this really possible?

Jiang Nian followed the question in his mind and looked at Xiao Yingzhu. Xiao Yingzhu had a calm expression, her eyelashes slightly drooped, and she was staring at the mug in her hand without saying a word.

"?"

Wouldn't this be a bit bad?

There was an inexplicable subtle feeling as if two time and space were overlapping and blending. Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment before closing the door behind him.

"You..." She paused, hesitating and letting the words get stuck in her heart, "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Glancing at the two people in front of her who were tasting cheap coffee, her eyes fell on the only empty chair in the room.

Let's have a small coffee party, right?

I don't know where to start complaining. Now Jiang Nian feels that he is living in a time and space that is neither ancient nor modern. It is a bit like a magical dream. It is difficult to tell whether the scenes he sees around him are real or fake.

Could it be that she ate something wrong that caused the hallucinations?

Jiang Nian walked to the chair a little stiffly, then folded his hands and sat down in front of Xiao Yingzhu and Lan with a serious expression.

The main reason was that the scene was so magical that she was a little afraid to move.

Is this really not a dream?

It felt like she had encountered some very strange and indescribable things since arriving at Zuihualou.

So much so that now she can't explain the conflicting and tangled feelings in her heart.

After adjusting herself for a while, she took the No. 2 mug handed to her by Lan, took a sip of coffee, and found that it still tasted bitter and a little bit crumbly, then she recovered.

That’s right, even a cult like Wu Mi Zhong, who come up with fancy things every day, can’t produce such a harsh coffee flavor.

It’s a real scene for sure.

Silently shaking the cup in his hand, Jiang Nian watched as the black liquid, as black as Chinese medicine, flowed over the edge of the white mug and sank down, leaving a shallow layer of traces. He asked:

"Lan, did you come here today to discuss something with... me and Xiao Yingzhu?"

Lan placed the flower teacup in her hand on the tea tray, thought for a few seconds and said, "Yes, you and Meng Zheng should have found the cause of the eldest princess's death."

"Then I can also go back to that time, retrieve Shouzan's memories, and let him wake up in his own era."

"I've said before that you were able to come to this era because your desire to escape the world and Shouzan's reluctance to wake up just happened to coincide with each other, causing fluctuations in time and space, and you accidentally came to this world."

"Now Shouzan is about to wake up, and time and space will fluctuate again."

Lan suppressed his smile. He was always cold and indifferent to others, as rigid as a clock.

"If you hadn't previously rejected this era, you would have easily been sent back to your original world by the fluctuations of time and space."

"But your state of mind has changed. The fluctuations of time and space can no longer send you back to your original era. I need to come and send you back myself."

"However, the time period I can send you back is only during the period of time when the space-time fluctuation occurs. After all, we are not the accordants."

Lan looked at Jiang Nian with a questioning look: "Do you need to leave here now?"

“…”

Jiang Nian opened his mouth and subconsciously wanted to look at Xiao Yingzhu.

Xiao Yingzhu was not used to the taste of cheap coffee and had already placed the mug on the table next to him. At this moment, he was sitting with his legs crossed, his hands folded on his knees, looking up at her calmly.

From his eyebrows and eyes, which were as light as ink, Jiang Nian could not find any trace of his emotions.

Did he have any objections? Or should he have any objections?

If the conspirators want to leave and go to someplace that is otherwise unreachable, then there is no other way.

Jiang Nian didn't dare to look Xiao Yingzhu in the eye at this moment. She was afraid that Xiao Yingzhu would read the emotion of "missing home" in her eyes.

But now it was clear to Lan that there were only two paths for her to take: one was to return to the modern era right now, and the other was to stay in this era forever.

In modern times, she fell into a deep sleep due to something she could not remember.

In this era, she could not let outsiders know her true background, for fear of being expelled.

She is in a situation on both sides that is beyond her control and she cannot predict what will happen. How should she choose?

Jiang Nian clenched his fingertips on his knees and spoke again, as if he wanted to fight back.

Realizing that she was forcing herself to make a choice immediately, Lan spoke again: "You don't have to rush to make a choice right away."

"You'll have time to think before evening and make a choice you won't regret."

"When the time comes, I will come here again and wait for you to tell me the answer."

Lan, who had restrained his playful and teasing thoughts, was like a solemn wise man who could see through the mountains and rivers. He raised his hand to tuck the hair that had fallen on his shoulders behind his ears. After slightly agreeing with Xiao Yingzhu, he walked towards the space that they could not see.

And those mugs and coffee plastic bags disappeared into the room along with him.

—

Xiao Yingzhu didn't say anything after Lan left the room.

It all depends on leaving the decision to her.

Jiang Nian sat in his original position, opened his hands as if seeking comfort, and looked at his empty palms.

As long as the mineral issue is resolved, the next batch of insect repellent solutions she wants to produce can be directly put into the factory for manufacturing. At that time, she will not be needed, only her staff will be needed to complete the insect repellent solution.

What she has to do now is to run a pharmacy, but this has little to do with Xiao Yingzhu.

Jiang Nian took a deep breath and couldn't help but tremble.

Should she go back?

But even if Xiao Yingzhu didn't say anything, she would only remain silent on the surface.

If she wanted to go back, Xiao Yingzhu would not show it so obviously and make things difficult for her.

His nose suddenly felt sore, and Jiang Nian didn't understand why he was so pretentious. He quickly raised the back of his hand and pressed it against his eyes, but he didn't feel any wet tears.

After a moment of silence, she softly spoke in the study: "Should I go back?"

Should I stay?

Do you still need her help with official business related to the war between Huandu and Donglan?

Do you still need me?

Jiang Nian's thoughts were in a mess because of Lan's words. He raised his hand and rubbed his forehead to calm himself down.

Even if the insect repellent is developed now, it should be promoted throughout Huandu to protect all places from insect plagues.

The insect plagues caused by drought are unsolvable for people of this era.

In addition to the insect repellent, according to what she had planned in Pingzhou, she also had to plan and arrange the tools to produce nitrogen fertilizer.

These things...if she leaves, no one can do it.

Lan will only help Huandu once and not a second time.

The change of dynasties is the most common thing, but out of personal feelings, Jiang Nian does not want to end its survival here.

Even if the current insect plague is resisted by Huandu, it is difficult to estimate what will happen in the future. If more preparations can be made, the survival rate of food will be more conservative.

Subconsciously wanting to grab something or look at some scenery to calm her chaotic heart, Jiang Nian suddenly wanted to get up and walk outside the study. But then she thought that Xiao Yingzhu was still in the room with her, and it would seem a bit strange to go out for no reason, so she stopped thinking about it.

The words got stuck in her throat. She was silent for a moment, then looked up at Xiao Yingzhu and asked, "You wrote to me earlier to tell me I was in the capital. What did His Majesty say to you?"

She wanted to ask if there was any mention of insect repellent.

If Emperor Changde paid attention to this, and Xiao Yingzhu had promised him something, it would be very immoral for her to abandon everything and run back to the original era, never to return.

What's more, I'm only halfway through cooperating with him now. At the very least, I have to cooperate until the dust settles on the war. Only then will these entangled emotions and ties have a clear destination.

After much thought, she wanted to stay in this era. In order to convince herself that she could stay in this era, she even found a lot of words to analyze for herself.

Is it because she is afraid that after completing these things, she will regret not returning to the modern era?