Zhan Xinjia's thoughts were in turmoil. The illusion of peace that she had maintained for many years was suddenly shattered. A series of unexpected events left her somewhat overwhelmed, or rather, she simply didn't know how to deal with them.
When she reached the entrance of the small, dilapidated courtyard, she looked up, stunned for a moment, and then rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
The dilapidated mud-brick house has been transformed into three sturdy and beautiful small brick and tile houses. The roof has been covered with tiles, and even the fence and gate have been replaced with new ones.
At first glance, it appears remarkably clean and impressive for a slum.
If she hadn't walked this road hundreds of times and couldn't possibly have forgotten it, she would have doubted whether she had come to the wrong house.
It's definitely Lord Shen...
After her last visit, although Master Shen didn't say anything, he secretly found someone to help her build a house.
He always does more than he says.
A slight warmth welled up in her previously icy heart. Zhan Xinjia lowered her eyes, a forced smile curving her lips.
Seeing wisps of smoke rising from the chimney in the courtyard, she stood at the door for a while, thought for a moment, and ultimately decided not to push the door open and go inside.
What will she say once she goes inside?
Don't leave the capital? Don't fall into the trap set by the greedy Jiang?
I'm afraid that if she says these things out of nowhere, her parents will just think she's lost her mind. Perhaps even the fact that she's regained her memories will be exposed, making them feel guilty and worried for nothing.
Moreover, even if she said she wanted to join the army and leave Beijing, her parents would not agree.
Even if she had no choice but to go, she could only do it secretly...
His heart felt like it was blocked by a clump of waterlogged cotton, and he couldn't find any relief. Zhan Xinjia turned around listlessly to leave, but bumped into Yan Huishi and Yan Xiyue who were coming this way.
"Sister Bao? Why aren't you going in?"
The two men, who had been looking serious, smiled as soon as they saw her and, without saying a word, took her arms on either side and led her inside.
"Hey! Mei Bao's family has actually rebuilt their house."
"Uncle Zhan and Aunt Liu must be cooking. It smells so good. I can smell it from far away. Let's go, let's mooch a meal first."
Before Zhan Xinjia could react, she was already being carried inside by the hospitable brother and sister. Anyone who didn't know better would think that they were the owners of the house and that she was just a guest.
When I entered the kitchen, my mother was still kneading dough, and my father was watching the heat of the fish soup on the stove.
The couple were both surprised and delighted to see the three children come in together.
As the small pot of rich, sour fish soup simmered on the stove, its aroma filling the air, the five of them sat around it, busily grabbing the thin pancakes stuck to the pot's sides with their chopsticks and spoons, showing no regard for politeness whatsoever.
Yan Xiyue and Yan Huishi had been playing with Zhan Xinjia since they were little. They often left the palace to visit the General's Mansion or the small, dilapidated courtyard. To them, Uncle Zhan and Aunt Liu were no different from their godfather and godmother.
When we sit together, we're like family.
In such a bleak and desolate autumn, being able to sit together with someone important and share a bowl of fish soup warms you from head to toe.
Zhan Xinjia's eyes were stinging with tears, and she was a little reluctant to leave such peaceful and cozy days behind.
After finishing their meal with heavy hearts, Yan Huishi and Yan Xiyue had already gone to the yard to pick their teeth and get some fresh air, leaving only the couple and Zhan Xinjia in the kitchen to wash the dishes and clean up.
After hesitating for a long time, she still took a piece of her mother's sleeve and nestled softly against her.
Her voice was muffled, like she was being coquettish.
"Mother, do you love me?"
Liu Ruyan was taken aback.
She seemed surprised that her daughter would suddenly ask such a silly question.
Her originally alluring features softened, and Liu Ruyan's eyes shone with warmth. She smiled and gently touched the butterfly hairpin in her daughter's hair, her voice as tender and loving as could be.
"Of course, the little paper is Mother's most precious treasure."
At the same time, she is also the only relic that child left in this world.
Having received a reassuring affirmation, Zhan Xinjia turned around and looked longingly at Zhan Yue, who was still eating hot pot.
The tall, burly man blushed deeply, standing there awkwardly, trying to maintain his dignity as the head of the family and the non-existent image of a strict father, while at the same time desperately wanting to tell his daughter how much her parents cared about her.
Finally, Zhan Yue simply turned his back and began frantically washing the dishes.
Liu Ruyan, clutching her waist, laughed so hard she could barely stand. She draped a handkerchief over her daughter's shoulder and then hugged her tightly.
“Your dad… when you were first born, I could never find you at home. When I asked, I always found out that your dad had taken you away.”
Today he takes you to the palace to show you off, and tomorrow he takes you to the military camp to show you off again. He tells everyone he meets, "How did you know my wife gave me a new little cotton-padded jacket?" He loves you so much that he wants to carry you in his arms whenever he goes out to war.
Back then, whenever someone bumped into your dad on the street, they'd immediately say, "Who asked you?!"
When she recalled this past event, Liu Ruyan smiled, her eyes sparkling with tears.
Zhan Yue, still pretending to be diligently washing the dishes, blushed even more.
Zhan Xinjia tilted her head and nestled against her mother's shoulder, unable to suppress a soft laugh.
Actually, she always felt that she was miserable.
Well, a simp father, a glamorous mother, an unbelievable family, and a broken woman...
But upon closer reflection, these were just stories she had heard.
In Zhan Xinjia's memory, although her father and the current empress were childhood sweethearts, every time they met after they got married, her father would keep his eyes down and be respectful and distant, never giving her a second glance.
Although legends have always circulated in the martial arts world that her mother seduced the emperor, that she was greedy, pretentious, and so on... on the other hand, even though her family was so poor and her father was constantly being dismissed from his post and having his property confiscated, her mother never complained about her, let alone left her.
What kind of greed is this...?
Not to mention being pretentious.
For so many years, there has been no servant in the family. My mother has taken care of almost everything in the family, and I have never heard her utter a single complaint.
Because of the memory of being neglected in the past, Zhan Xinjia had always felt resentful, though she didn't say it. But now that she thought about it, the people who suffered the most after her brother's death were clearly her parents.
How much guilt must Father have felt? What was he thinking as he heard the news at the border and rushed back day and night?
Perhaps this is why he was willing to be dismissed from his post repeatedly just to stay by her side and his mother's side.
Having witnessed such a tragic scene, how strong must her willpower have been to suppress her grief and pretend nothing had happened? In her heart, she must have deeply regretted going out that day.
At this moment, Zhan Xinjia's fear gradually dissipated, leaving only a dignified and resolute expression.
No matter what, she had to protect this family for her brother.
Even if my brother never comes back, well, there are all sorts of strange and wonderful things in this world, what if?
She told her brother, "If you forget me here, I will never forgive you." Her brother was most afraid of her being angry, and he would definitely remember to come back to find her.
Just like when she was little, playing hide-and-seek with her brother, she, being competitive, took advantage of her small size and hid in the closet drawer. She even fell asleep from being stuffy, when, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, her brother, who had been searching for her all afternoon, laughed and carried her out of the drawer.
He would never stop playing the game until he found her.
Thinking of this, Zhan Xinjia couldn't help but smile, but in an instant her emotions became even more confused and lost, and she fell into a deeper sense of guilt and pain in a situation where she could not make an easy choice.
So, what should Lord Shen do?
If she just left like that, she really couldn't imagine how crazy Lord Shen would go if he found out...
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