Xu Lanyin withdrew her gaze and saw Qin staring blankly at the inn door. She asked, "Mom, what's wrong with you?"
Qin didn't say anything and pulled Xu Lanyin to her room.
Zhao Xingchen had already laid down, and greeted with wide eyes, "Grandma."
Qin ignored him and asked Xu Lanyin, "Who was the person who just spoke to you?"
Xu Lanyin said, "I only know his last name is Qin. Does mother know him?"
Qin hesitated and said, "He looks like an old friend of mine. Do you know the name of his father or grandfather?"
Xu Lanyin said, "His father is Qin Che, Lord Qin, who served as the Tongzhi of Ningzhou Prefecture. As for his grandfather's name, I don't know."
Qin was extremely disappointed and said, "The names are different, maybe it's just a coincidence." She then muttered to herself, "That's right, the world is so big, there are so many people who look alike."
She stood up and wanted to go back to the house, but Xu Lanyin pulled her back and said, "Mom, if you have anything on your mind, just tell me. I'm your daughter." She then whispered, "Do you think Young Master Qin looks like one of my relatives?"
After hearing this, Qin sat back down, lost in thought and said nothing.
Xu Lanyin carried Zhao Xingchen to the next room and said to Xu Lanyinting, who was already lying down, "Mom and sister want to talk, get up and lock the door."
After returning to her room, Xu Lanyin sat next to Qin and looked at her silently.
Qin sighed deeply and said, "Well, that young man looks a bit like my cousin. Not only does he look alike, but he also sounds and walks like him. My cousin is five years older than me. When we parted, he was sixteen and I was eleven. But his name is not Qin Che, and he is very bad at school. He was often beaten by his uncle for not studying hard and had to hide at my house. How could he possibly pass the imperial examination?"
She was finally willing to talk about the past, and "Qin" was indeed her maternal surname.
Xu Lanyin asked again, "Is my mother's hometown in Wucheng, Jiangnan? I heard from Qingfeng that Lord Qin's hometown is in Wucheng, and Master Qin also said that he grew up in Wucheng."
Qin said, "My maternal grandfather's family lived in Jiangnan, but not in Wucheng, but in Wuyang. My father was an official in Wuyang at the time, and I grew up there carefree until I was eleven. Later, I went to the capital with my father, and I never had a good life again. Alas..."
Xu Lanyin added, "What if Lord Qin is my mother's other cousin?"
Qin wiped away the tears with a handkerchief and did not continue. He turned his gaze to the window and said quietly after a long time, "My maternal grandfather's lineage was weak. For several generations, there was only one son. My maternal grandmother only gave birth to my uncle and my mother. My uncle only had one son, my cousin. Oh, don't ask. It's not good for you to know too much. Don't tell these things to others. You can't let those people know that mother is still alive. Otherwise, mother will not survive, and you will also be unlucky..."
If she is discovered, she will not survive.
Xu Lanyin asked tentatively, "Could it be that my mother's family was a criminal who was executed?"
Qin shook her head and said through gritted teeth, "I would rather it be like that, let those who deserve to die die."
As long as he is not a criminal who is against the court, everything else will be easy.
Qin didn't want to talk about it, and Xu Lanyin didn't dare to ask any more questions. She hugged her arm and said, "Don't be afraid, mother. So many years have passed, and I have grown from a young lady to a middle-aged woman. Even if I meet someone I used to know, I won't recognize them unless I know them very well. Besides, mother doesn't go out often..."
He thought to himself, judging by what Qin said, she had lived in Wuyang until she was eleven, when her cousin would have been sixteen. She had only spent a few years in the capital, and had lived a very unhappy life. She wished her family would die, and must have escaped from family persecution to marry Xu Qingyan. So, she was afraid of her family, not her in-laws who had always been in Jiangnan.
They were both born in Jiangnan, both had the surname Qin, and they looked and sounded somewhat alike. It seemed that Qin Che was five or six years older than Qin Shi. There were too many coincidences... I still have to find a way to let Qin Shi meet Qin Che secretly in the future. As for whether she recognizes him or not, it's up to her.
He had that small wooden plaque in his hand. No matter which family the "Zhou" referred to, the plaque given by Dr. Zhang would be no weaker. The Fujian residents would also help, and the Shangshu's son was also the Deputy Envoy of the Censorate... As long as Qin's family wasn't the most powerful in the capital, he could help her. Furthermore, Qin was gentle and virtuous, and he believed she wouldn't do anything evil. It must be someone in the family who was for personal gain, forcing her to stay at home...
The next day, the weather was clear and sunny, and the wet ground had dried up. Xu Lanyin and his group had breakfast and then headed towards the provincial capital.
After entering Ningzhou Prefecture's north gate in the afternoon, the mule cart first went to the Xu family's house on the north side of the city, dropping off Qin, the chess master, Li, the servant, and the maid. They agreed to have dinner at the Min Mansion and return home to rest that night. Li and the other two would stay here for the night, and tomorrow they would move to the backyard of the pastry shop Xu Lanyin had bought. From then on, they would work at the department store during the day.
Xu Lanyin, Xu Lanting and Zhao Xingchen took a car to Minfu again.
Housekeeper Min was anxiously waiting for them in the gatehouse. Seeing them coming, he smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits and said, "Oh, you're finally here! My sister has been looking forward to it every day." He added, "My master is leaving for the capital soon, and my sister is feeling so pitiful at home alone."
Xu Lanting immediately said, "We think about Jiajia every day too."
Zhao Xingchen also said, "Yeah, I miss Sister Jia."
On the way, Xu Lanyin asked Butler Min how Min Hu was sleeping now. Butler Hao smiled and said, "Not bad. The master can basically sleep for two hours every day."
Xu Lanyinsong was delighted by what Housekeeper Hao said. The second of her three patients was gradually recovering, and as the attending physician, she felt a sense of accomplishment.
Min Jia and Liu Mama actually came to the inner courtyard gate to wait for them. As soon as she saw Xu Lanyin, the little girl opened her mouth and cried, but she cried silently, without any sound.
Although she cried, she knew how to express her emotions much better than you might think.
Xu Lanyin stepped forward and hugged the little girl in her arms, holding her little face and said, "Jiaer, Aunt Xu is here to see you again. Let Aunt Xu take a good look at you. Oh, you've lost weight. I feel so bad..."
Xu Lanting and Zhao Xingchen each held one of Min Jia's hands and expressed their longing for her.
"Jia Jia, I miss you as much as your sister does. I miss you so much that I can't sleep..." There was indeed a day when he missed Min Jia so much that he couldn't sleep.
"Xingxing misses Sister Jia as much as she misses Daddy..."
The little girl wanted to say, "I miss you guys too. I miss you so much that I can't sleep every day..."
But she just couldn't say it. Her face turned red with anxiety, and she managed to squeeze out a word from her throat - "Ah", very short, very rough, and very unpleasant.
Xu Lanting and Zhao Xingchen were shocked.
Minjia had cried a few times before, but her voice was always low and hoarse. But no one's crying sounded good, so no one noticed. But today, the sound that came out of her throat was not pleasant, and others noticed it.
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