What's meant to come will come; the more you try to avoid it, the more it will come head-on.

While cooking, Shen Ziyu brought up the topic again.

After much deliberation, she decided that she should speak with Cheng Qingyan and the others before her aunt.

"Brother Cheng, sister-in-law, actually, my aunt came here this time because of Brother Cheng's background."

"I suppose the eldest brother of the Cheng family has already told you, Brother Cheng, that you are not actually a member of the Cheng family."

"I only confirmed this after seeing the scar and the red mole on Brother Cheng's arm."

"Twenty years ago, my aunt's family lost a child. She had the same scars and moles as Brother Cheng on his arm."

"So before I returned to Kyoto, I went to the Cheng family's eldest brother's residence and took something with me. This thing is now in my aunt's hands, and she recognized it as something from her residence."

Cheng Qingyan kept the fire burning without any expression, seemingly uninterested in what Shen Ziyu was saying.

Ye Lingyu already knew that Shen Ziyu had sneaked into the Cheng residence at night.

She then asked Shen Ziyu, "So, your aunt came here this time to look for relatives?"

Shen Ziyu nodded, feeling a little embarrassed, since she hadn't told Cheng Qingyan and the others about this beforehand.

When she came from Kyoto, her aunt came with her.

It was extremely presumptuous of me, but I had no choice.

Yun Yue has been searching for the lost child for more than ten years and has never thought of giving up.

Many people tried to sneak in with their children, but Yun Yue saw through their schemes.

Over the years, my hope has not diminished; on the contrary, as I've grown older, I've become even more fixated on that lost child.

When Yun Yue and the others first heard Shen Ziyu mention the mark on Cheng Qingyan's body, they almost rushed here from Kyoto that very day.

They were extremely eager to confirm whether their lost child could be found in their lifetime.

Yun Yue was somewhat out of control when she first met Cheng Qingyan today. Given her status and position, even when she was meeting the current emperor, she was always unrestrained and composed.

The air suddenly became quiet again, and the crackling of the firewood Cheng Qingyan had burned under the stove could be heard.

Cheng Qingyan suddenly asked, "How did she lose her child?"

Cheng Yuanfu did not tell her how she was found. How could a tiny baby, from Kyoto to here, a thousand miles away, have been abandoned here?

Shen Ziyu wasn't entirely clear on this matter either.

All she knew was that her aunt had lost a child; the child had been stolen.

It's said to be an enemy country, but the specifics are unknown. It could very well have been done by political enemies.

"Brother Cheng, if possible, I would like to have my aunt answer you about this matter."

"She knew more than I did; I wasn't very old back then."

This was giving Yun Yue an opportunity. Cheng Qingyan didn't respond and instead lowered his head to fiddle with the firewood.

Her feelings were somewhat complicated. Yun Yue looked so much like her mother that she was hesitant to ask too many questions.

I fear it's her, yet I also long for it to be her.

When your past regrets reappear in your life in another form, all you want is to make amends.

Ye Lingyu tentatively suggested, "Ayan, why don't we talk to your aunt after dinner?"

"No matter what, we need to get to the bottom of this, right?"

Cheng Qingyan remained silent, but Ye Lingyu knew that she had tacitly agreed to her suggestion.

Shen Ziyu and Ye Lingyu both breathed a sigh of relief; if they were willing to communicate, there wouldn't be any major problems.

The atmosphere in the kitchen eased, and Shen Ziyu's usually expressionless face now revealed a hint of joy.

After all, this was the best purpose for her and Yun Yue's return this time.

As for anything else, she wasn't thinking about it for the time being.

During the meal, Cheng Qingyan's eyes would occasionally meet Yun Yue's.

She mainly observed what Yun Yue was eating to see if it was similar to her mother's taste.

Yun Yue wanted to know if Cheng Qingyan was indeed her lost child.

So Cheng Qingyan didn't actually enjoy the meal.

No matter how thick-skinned she is, it's impossible for her to remain unmoved and eat expressionlessly while someone is constantly paying special attention to her and practically staring at her.

Cheng Qingyan gently put down her chopsticks and then put down her bowl as well.

Before Ye Lingyu could put the peeled crab meat into Cheng Qingyan's bowl, she saw Cheng Qingyan put down her chopsticks.

From the start of the meal until now, Cheng Qingyan has eaten less than a third of her usual portion size.

Ye Lingyu held Cheng Qingyan's hand with one hand, and calmly recommended dishes to Yun Yue: "Auntie, please try our own farmed shrimp and crabs, and see how they differ from those in Kyoto."

"These were all raised by Ayan herself, and were only taken out before cooking."

Yun Yue listened to Shen Ziyu's introduction about Qingyan's farming, but she didn't expect that she would now also be involved in animal husbandry.

Then I have no choice but to try it; I have to give them face no matter what.

When Yun Yue went to pick up the shrimp, Cheng Qingyan glanced at her and saw that Yun Yue put the shrimp into the bowl without changing her expression.

Their attention was only on Yun Yue, and they didn't notice that Shen Ziyu and the maid beside her both looked like they wanted to say something but couldn't.

Then Yun Yue peeled the shrimp shells and ate them.

"Excellent, excellent. The meat is firm and the flavor is delicious. It's really good."

Ye Lingyu noticed Cheng Qingyan's lowered eyes and the smile that inadvertently appeared on her lips.

It seems this person has made another discovery, but why does that smile look somewhat bitter?

Yun Yue and Shen Ziyu arrived suddenly, catching her and Cheng Qingyan completely off guard.

She was always busy, and if Cheng Qingyan had anything she didn't want Shen Ziyu and the others to know, with so many people here, she wouldn't have had a chance to ask Cheng Qingyan.

The only way I could offer her encouragement and comfort was by holding her hand tightly, and to constantly remind her that I was always there for her.

Cheng Qingyan felt a pang of bitterness as he watched Yun Yue eat the shrimp without batting an eye.

Her dear mother in the previous life was allergic to shrimp.

I don't eat river crabs or sea crabs, and I also can't eat river shrimp or sea shrimp.

I get a rash after eating just a little bit of it, so I have to take medicine, and if it gets worse, I need to get injections.

In this place, under these conditions, if someone has an allergic reaction, they might die, right?

Look, Yun Yue only looks like her, how could she be her mother?

A pang of indescribable sorrow welled up in Cheng Qingyan's heart; she couldn't tell whether it was disappointment or a sigh of relief that everything had finally settled.

Sure enough, fate doesn't give everyone a second chance.

Shen Ziyu had been observing Yun Yue's condition. Her aunt was really too willful! The little maid was also nervous. If anything went wrong, she would lose her life, and it might even implicate her family.

Not long after eating the shrimp, within a few minutes, Yun Yue became somewhat restless.

"I went outside to wash my hands. You can take your time eating."

Shen Ziyu immediately got up to help Yun Yue up. The little maid was trembling with fear. It was all over.