Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed across Old Master Lu's face, before he asked gently, "Why did An'an ask that?"

Lu An'an spoke slowly and carefully, her voice carrying a hint of inquiry that was barely perceptible: "When I came to take Grandpa's pulse before, his pulse was clearly normal, but he had been in a deep sleep for a long time and had become a vegetable in the eyes of outsiders."

She gently turned her head, glancing at the old lady Lu who was listening quietly beside her, and continued, "Grandma also said before that you were normal and that I only needed to say a few words to you. After that, we went out of the room, and not long after, Grandpa, you miraculously woke up."

She paused slightly, a subtle, indescribable quality creeping into her voice: "So... that's why I want to know if it's my fault that Grandpa hasn't woken up?"

[This is so strange. What's happening now feels unreal. Why did Grandpa wake up after I just said one sentence to him?]

[Furthermore, why has Grandpa been in a deep sleep for so long when he is clearly healthy?]

Upon hearing this, Old Master Lu fell silent and remained silent for a long time.

Lu An'an's gaze involuntarily turned to the old lady Lu beside her, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of longing and trepidation as she awaited an answer.

After a long time, Grandpa Lu finally composed himself and carefully considered his words before solemnly recounting the past: "An'an, regarding the accident that led to your disappearance when you were a child, the one who bears the greatest responsibility is Grandpa."

He stared at Lu An'an, his eyes filled with unspeakable pain.

“You are the youngest child in the Lu family, and the only girl. Your birth made our Lu family happy for a long time. We tried every day to spend more time with you. The day you went missing, it was because I wanted to spend time alone with you, so I took you out to play. But unexpectedly, you disappeared when I was buying you candied hawthorns.”

The fear that Lu An'an felt when she disappeared into thin air still haunts him to this day.

“We searched for you for a long time without any clues, until the day your grandmother went out to look for you, things became even more complicated.”

He looked at his wife and thought of the imposter. A surge of anger rose in his voice, which even turned cold: "Your grandmother went out for a day. When she came back in the evening, I found that she was not my wife, but a strange woman with a striking resemblance to her. Alarm bells rang in my mind, but I dared not expose her easily, for fear of harming your grandmother."

"At first, I was thinking of dealing with her and seeing if I could find a way to get news about your grandmother, but who knew that she would suddenly bring that little girl back."

“That day, she gathered us all together and announced that the little girl would replace you and become Mingqian’s daughter. I immediately realized her purpose. I pretended to be indignant and argued with her. After that, I used this as an excuse to leave home and start looking for the two of you.”

Old Master Lu's gaze lingered between Lu An'an and Old Madam Lu several times, his voice low and hoarse: "Later, I finally found some clues about Lu Yanhua. Following them to Yunling Village, I also heard some news about you. It turns out that your disappearance was also orchestrated by Lu Yanhua, but..."

At this point, his face gradually turned pained and self-reproachful, and his voice trembled slightly: "It's all my fault for arriving too late. By the time I found your grandmother, her face had been ruined, and she was even tortured to the point of near death. I went through a lot of trouble to take your grandmother away, but I still can't find any breakthrough regarding your information."

As he recalled the past, Old Master Lu closed his eyes to hide the pain in them and slowly said, "Your grandmother and I knew Lu Yanhua's identity. We were afraid that if we went back, they would be desperate and take action against the Lu family in advance. So, to prevent them from finding us, your grandmother and I fled to Wuling Mountain and lived in seclusion here."

Lu An'an's doubts were evident as she asked, "When did Grandpa begin his slumber, after we arrived at Wuling Mountain?"

Madam Lu nodded gently, continuing the conversation with a complex expression: "Your grandfather was already on the verge of a breakdown because of what happened when he took you out and then lost you. After that, I disappeared without a trace and was replaced by someone else. When he finally found me, he discovered that I had become like that, and he knew that his beloved granddaughter had been taken away by them, but he couldn't get any news about what happened after that. All these things piled up, and your grandfather fell ill. I also secretly called a doctor, and the doctor said..."

At this point, Madam Lu couldn't help but look at her husband beside her, her eyes filled with tenderness and helplessness, and said softly, "Your grandfather is too guilty and doesn't want to wake up."

She turned back to look at Lu An'an, "That's why when I recognized you as An'an, I told you to say something to your grandfather. An'an, perhaps only you in this world can wake your grandfather up."

Upon hearing this, Lu An'an felt as if she had been struck by a heavy blow. She had never imagined that the truth behind her getting lost was like this, and she was momentarily stunned.

[Was I lost because of Lu Yanhua? No, it must have been the work of her master. I was only three years old then. That master, who could premeditate to harm me, must have been an adult. Yet, his tone suggested that they had known each other for a long time. Did I really have a grudge against someone so much older than me?]

Madam Lu and Old Master Lu exchanged glances, both startled. That person had appeared so quickly.

Unable to understand the mystery, Lu An'an turned to ask Old Madam Lu, "Grandma, didn't you know you had a twin sister before?"

Madam Lu shook her head and explained, "When I went out to look for you that day, they forcibly took me away. It was also on that day that I learned I had a twin sister. Lu Yanhua told me that when she was in the hospital, someone colluded with the nurses to sell her."

“Lu Yanhua was sold to Yunling Village. The family that bought her wanted her to be a child bride. The youngest son of that family had a problem; he had Down syndrome.”

Lu An'an frowned deeply. "But if she's here, how does she know about you?"

Madam Lu fell silent again. Of course she knew why, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.

Looking at the subtle and heavy atmosphere between her grandparents, Lu An'an asked softly, "Was it that master who told Lu Yanhua? After all, he was the one who sent Lu Yanhua to the Lu family to stir up trouble."

Upon hearing this, Madam Lu's eyes sharpened instantly. She turned sharply to Lu An'an, her voice urgent: "You've already met?"

Lu An'an sensed the subtle change in her grandmother's emotions and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. She gently shook her head and explained, "I've never met her, but we've exchanged blows a few times."

Old Madam Lu's emotions calmed down a little, and her tension seemed to ease somewhat, but then she asked Lu An'an with a serious expression, "An'an, how much do you know about this master now?"