"Old man, someone has come to redeem you."
The guard opened the cell door.
When the lonely old man, who was squatting in the corner and withdrawn, saw the tall and short figures standing outside the door, he was so angry that he rolled his eyes, stretched out a trembling hand, puffed out his beard and glared, and almost fainted.
"Damn it! You two are addicted to abusing the elderly, aren't you?"
"Could you please have some mercy and let an old man torture you instead? I'm begging you, I'm too old to take this kind of torture!"
"Old man... no, grandpa, please let me explain, I didn't mean to! I was just so busy that I really forgot."
Furthermore, even assuming the worst, don't you bear any responsibility at all? If you hadn't secretly spoken ill of me behind my back, how could our Lord Shen, who always respects the elderly and cherishes the young, have been so angry as to take you to the authorities?
While making excuses, Zhan Xinjia slid down to the old man's leg and secretly touched his trouser leg.
Fortunately, the elderly person who was left alone has not yet become an elderly person with broken bones.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
The old man, who had been eating prison food for over a month, shoved the little girl away in annoyance, snorted coldly, and walked out with his hands behind his back.
"Damn it, meeting you two is my bad luck!"
"Hey! Hey, don't go!"
Zhan Xinjia was worried about how to appease the stubborn old man who was furious, but her young master Shen only said one sentence, and the angry, lonely old man in front of her stopped in his tracks—
Do you have money?
The lonely old man: "..."
He immediately turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Oh ho, what's this all about? Now you're resorting to personal attacks?"
He smiled calmly, his face radiating a serene and serene beauty.
"Since the old gentleman has no relatives or friends in the capital, why not temporarily stay at the home of my colleague and close friend?"
The food and drink were provided to the highest standard that my colleagues' families use to entertain distinguished guests, along with an endless supply of alcohol. Most importantly, the place was absolutely safe and would not be discovered by the people of Lanjiang.
Of course, it's just a small favor for the old gentleman.
——
"Hey buddy, you know how to bring home pretty young girls, but then you bring home a scruffy old man from outside?"
How dare you? I'm fucking thanking you!
As soon as the door opened, Fu Shouan felt like his world had collapsed.
He was quite surprised and happy that Brother Shen had come to visit, but before they could exchange more than a few words, an old man with a goatee, dressed like a vagrant, came in, tapping his pipe.
Before Fu Shouan could react, the old man had already entered the house familiarly, looking around and not forgetting to show his disdain and contempt.
"Tsk tsk, a fourth-rank official living in this dilapidated house, how shabby."
Could he tolerate this? Fu Shou'an immediately rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight the old beggar. Halfway there in his angry rage, he suddenly remembered something and abruptly stopped, turning back in bewilderment.
"By the way, Brother Chen, who the hell is this?"
Zhan Xinjia, who had been watching the show from behind Shen Suqing, finally had the chance to speak her first words.
She smiled rather guiltily.
"If nothing unexpected happens, he will be your grandfather starting today..."
Fu Shouan: "?"
I've only ever heard of adopting children, wow, someone even kindly helped him adopt a grandfather.
"Damn it, you guys are acting like you're sick, just get out of here!!"
Fu Shouan, his face dark, pushed the girl out, but halfway through, the little girl suddenly offered him a sweet deal he couldn't refuse—
"How about this, if you acknowledge the thief as your master, I can help you snatch A-Yue back from that ambitious young master of the Zhan family."
Fu Shouan chuckled coldly, crossed his arms, and looked on with disdain.
"Hilarious, you talk like you care about someone. Come on, grandpa, please take a seat. You two, don't stand there, come inside and sit down properly. I'll make you some tea and a couple of fruit platters."
Everyone: "..."
Isn't this incredibly rare?
In any case, at least it has provided a temporary place for the elderly person living alone, and it will be easier to contact them in the future.
While Fu Shouan was cutting fruit, let's get down to business first.
"His pulse is strange. Did you have some serious illness when you were a child?"
After taking the pulse for a long time, the old man's brows furrowed more and more tightly.
Zhan Xinjia wasn't really sure either, but that's what everyone—her parents, her master, the young man in ancient style, and A Yue—said.
She frowned.
"I think so. My parents said that when I was a little over seven years old, I got cold while playing in the snow outside and then had a high fever that lasted for almost half a month. After I woke up, I had forgotten everything that had happened before."
After listening, the old man looked even more puzzled.
In his opinion, this didn't seem like amnesia caused by fever; it seemed more like it was caused by human intervention. Just as he was about to continue speaking, the young man who had been silent suddenly interrupted him.
"Old sir, as long as you can cure Azhi's frequent nightmares, that's enough. You don't need to worry about anything else."
After Shen Suqing finished speaking, even Zhan Xinjia couldn't help but look at him in surprise.
Although there was nothing wrong with what he said, she always felt that Master Shen's words had a hidden meaning, as if he was warning the old man to be careful with his words, as if there was something he didn't want her to know.
Over there, the old man, who had already taken the pulse, took a puff of his pipe and gave the young man a disapproving glare.
"That's easy for you to say. The problem is that this girl's frequent nightmares and convulsions are because of the illness she had when she was seven years old!"
"Well, to be honest, it's not really an illness. I suspect some person used some kind of incantation to forcefully hypnotize her and seal away a part of her memory, but it wasn't sealed properly. So, over time, it's been reappearing intermittently in her dreams."
At this point, the old man sat up straight with great curiosity, unable to resist gossiping.
"You really don't remember what you dreamed about?"
Zhan Xinjia was even more bewildered.
"I don't know, I can't remember anything as soon as I open my eyes, I only remember that they were all nightmares..."
But it wasn't entirely a nightmare, because there seemed to be something or someone in the dream that I cared about a lot... But since I didn't lose my memory because of a fever, is there any possibility that I can regain my memories?
This is what she cares about most.
Before the old man could answer, Shen Suqing, whose expression had grown increasingly grave, interrupted him again.
He raised his finger and stroked the little girl's hair, trying his best to make his tone sound as natural as possible, without revealing any abnormality or flaw.
His expression couldn't be more gentle and warm.
"That happened a long time ago, why be so fixated on remembering it?"
Since Uncle and Aunt never mentioned the past, it must be for Azhi's sake; perhaps what was forgotten was just something unimportant.
As Shen Suqing uttered these high-sounding words, she inwardly mocked her own selfishness, while her heart sank uncontrollably, fearing that she might actually remember something.
Perhaps this concealment is unfair to Azhi, but he would rather she never remember those memories for the rest of her life.
Zhan Xinjia lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, and when she raised her head again, a sweet smile appeared on her face, her bright eyes clear.
She seemed completely unconcerned.
"Young Master Shen is right. Since my parents haven't told me all these years, there must be a reason for it."
Although she said that, Zhan Xinjia already had her own ideas in her heart.
Who hid her memories, Master?
It seems that Lord Shen knows some details, but if she continues to ask, it will only backfire. It would be better to gloss over it for now and find another opportunity to talk to the old man alone later.
In any case, this matter can be put on hold for now, as there is another matter that is more urgent.
The fly rubbed its hands in anticipation of receiving the letter.
"By the way, that old man... do you have any medicine that might cause minor illnesses?"
Just then, Fu Shouan returned with the cut fruit. Since everyone was there, Zhan Xinjia simply explained his entire plan.
"What?! You're going to poison Princess Liuyu?!"
Fu Shouan was greatly alarmed.
Zhan Xinjia was displeased and glanced at him.
"How could that be poison? It's just a little bit of medicine that won't harm the body and has no side effects. Princess Liuyu is sick and will naturally need to seek medical help. Then the old man can pretend to be the imperial physician and sneak me into the Sifang Pavilion, hehe..."
It wasn't that Zhan Xinjia was overconfident; she was indeed quite skilled at stealing.
It's no exaggeration to say that she could steal someone's undergarments even through their belt, outer robe, and trousers—
They can even secretly put it back on someone else.
Forget about why her bad ideas are always so bizarre; just tell me if she can come up with ideas every time.
However, Shen Suqing clearly disagreed with this matter.
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