"Stepmother, what about you?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jingyi immediately looked at Jiang Hua, reluctant to be separated from his stepmother.
“Ah Yi, you’ve grown up.” Jiang Hua sighed, giving Jiang Jingyi a meaningful look.
The boy's face, which had just turned from sunny to cloudy, immediately fell, and he timidly tugged at her sleeve.
"Okay, just kidding. We'll set off together the day after tomorrow."
"Stepmother, who else is with us?" Jiang Jingyi quickly changed the subject, afraid that Jiang Hua was joking with him again.
"Bai Heng?" Jiang Hua rolled her eyes, feigning ignorance.
Jiang Jingyi chuckled foolishly and quickly took his stepmother's hand.
Three days passed quickly, and Bai Heng arrived at the village early, with his carriage waiting outside.
"Have you had breakfast yet?" Jiang Huacai had just finished getting ready and stepped out of her room when she heard Granny Luo say that Bai Heng had arrived.
Not yet.
Jiang Hua asked Granny Luo to add another pair of chopsticks, and after the group finished breakfast, they set off.
The day after Jiang Hua and the others left, Zhou Yingxuan arrived at Shili Village with a group of men...
The journey to the capital was not short, but fortunately Bai Heng was not in a hurry. He traveled at a brisk pace and it took him more than three months to reach the capital.
Before she could even marvel at the prosperity and splendor of the capital, she and Jiang Jingyi were stopped in their carriage.
"Whose horse is this? It has startled our young lady's carriage!" a sharp voice rang out.
"What's wrong?"
When Jiang Hua asked the question, the coachman quickly replied, "It was their horse that suddenly rushed out and crashed into them."
"Is the person sitting inside dead? Hurry up and come down to greet our young lady!" The arrogant voice rang out again, indicating that this matter was not going to be resolved so easily.
Jiang Hua was about to get up and get off the carriage when Jiang Jingyi stopped her.
"Stepmother, please put on your veil first." Jiang Jingyi said, taking out a veil from somewhere and handing it to Jiang Hua.
“Miss Jiang, Young Master Bai said you should wait in the carriage while he takes care of things.”
Jiang Hua then gave up and sat back down.
Where did you get that veil?
"I asked Granny Luo for it." Jiang Jingyi folded the veil neatly, determined to answer any questions.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the carriage started moving again and traveled for almost an hour before stopping.
"We've arrived, young lady."
As soon as I got off the carriage, several old women came out from the doorway, followed by four maids.
The Regent's Palace?
Jiang Hua silently led Jiang Jingyi inside, surrounded by a group of old women and maids.
“Miss Jiang, I am Steward Jiang from the manor. These old women and maids are here to serve you as instructed by the Regent. If there is anything that is not done properly, please feel free to point it out.”
As soon as they entered the courtyard, a man dressed in a brown steward's uniform greeted them respectfully.
"I understand. These are all friends who came from the village with me. Please help them settle in."
Jiang Hua glanced at Qing Ling, Qing Yue, and Lin Feng behind her and said to Lin Zhi.
"Yes, don't worry, the rooms have already been arranged."
"Please rest for a while, Miss Jiang, as you must be tired from your journey. The Regent will be back later."
Jiang Hua and Jiang Jing also met Jiang Xingzhou after noon.
"Father!" Jiang Jingyi immediately rushed over.
"Huahua, you must be tired from the journey."
Jiang Xingzhou acted as if he didn't see Jiang Jingyi, walked past him, and quickly went to Jiang Hua, grabbing her hand.
"I'm not tired. Bai Heng is taking care of me on the way." Jiang Hua looked at the man in front of her, who seemed to have lost some weight since she left Shili Village.
Upon hearing Bai Heng's name, Jiang Xingzhou's smile vanished instantly.
Did he tell you everything?
"What?"
Bai Heng told her a lot of things, but she didn't know which one he was referring to.
"The affairs of your maternal grandparents' family, and the marriage that your mother arranged for you and him when you were young."
"Father, so Bai Heng really is my second father!" Jiang Jingyi blurted out, completely ignoring Jiang Xingzhou's darkened face.
Jiang Hua chuckled upon hearing this. "Second Father?"
"Ah Yi, I accept your calling me Second Father." Bai Heng laughed heartily and strode in.
"What are you doing here?" Jiang Xingzhou asked, his tone somewhat displeased, as he looked at Bai Heng.
"I've come to see if Huahua is comfortable staying here with you. If she doesn't like it, my mother says we should bring her to stay at the Bai residence."
"Madam Bai?" Jiang Hua was somewhat unfamiliar with the people and affairs of the capital. She mainly knew the original owner's mother's connections and close friends. The only people she knew were these two and Shen Qingchuan.
“You definitely don’t remember, but after you’ve rested, I’ll take you to visit her. Your mother and Madam Bai were very close friends,” Jiang Xingzhou answered first.
"Okay." Jiang Hua nodded; a visit wouldn't hurt.
Having listened to Bai Heng's account of the connection between the original owner's maternal grandfather's family and the Duke of Meng's mansion, isn't this just a typical man who lives off the descendants of those who have no descendants?
The hero saves the beauty, and the original owner's mother falls in love at first sight. When the two get married, everyone says they are a perfect match and deeply in love.
Now that I hear this, isn't this a carbon copy of Liu Yan and Meng Xin? The Jiang family is a prestigious family of a general who protects the country. How could the eldest daughter of the Jiang family go out without a single servant?
“Alright, then I’ll go back and tell my mother.” Bai Heng selectively ignored Jiang Xingzhou’s assertion of sovereignty in front of him and looked at Jiang Hua.
The next day, word came from the household that Madam Bai had arrived. Jiang Hua and Jiang Xingzhou, who were in the study, immediately got up to greet her.
Upon entering the main hall, a graceful and elegant woman, accompanied by two maids, was already waiting there.
"They look so alike!"
The moment Madam Bai saw Jiang Hua, she couldn't help but lunge at her.
"You really look just like your mother!" Madam Bai's trembling hand reached out to gently stroke her cheek.
Jiang Hua saw the sudden hand and instinctively took two steps back to avoid it.
"Mother, you've done this so suddenly, Huahua won't be able to adjust," Bai Heng said, pulling his agitated mother aside to comfort her.
"Huahua, I apologize for my intrusion. Seeing your face reminds me of your mother." Madam Bai took a handkerchief from a maid behind her and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Quickly, bring her portrait over." Madam Bai instructed another maid carrying the portrait, then beckoned to Jiang Hua:
“Huahua, come and see, this is the only portrait your mother left behind before she died.”
Jiang Hua stepped forward and watched as the old nanny opened the portrait. The woman in the portrait indeed bore an uncanny resemblance to the original owner of the body.
Unconsciously, Jiang Hua stared intently at the painting on the table. It was a perfect replica of herself in the modern world, exactly the same, except for the style of clothing.
"Huahua, what's wrong?" Jiang Xingzhou noticed the unusual look on Jiang Hua's face and felt a little nervous and worried.
"It's nothing, it just feels a little familiar." Jiang Hua shook her head, shifting her gaze from the painting on the table.
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