Yan Xia's voice arrived before she did.
The moment she stepped into the room, she saw the maid who had just gone in come out.
"Hmph, so you still know to come? What, now that you have the luminous pearl, you've gotten too big for your britches?"
Yan Xia's smile froze.
How did the Fan family find out?
Depend on!
She had already come up with an excuse on the way, but now she has to change it.
Yan Xia's mind raced.
"Madam, your words have deeply saddened me. Do you know that I almost lost my life trying to give you the luminous pearl!"
Yan Xia deliberately rubbed her eyes and started to cry in a coquettish manner.
"Do you really have a luminous pearl?"
Fan only heard rumors outside and wanted to provoke Yan Xia.
Unexpectedly, the truth came out.
"Of course I have. I haven't seen you in a long time and I miss you dearly. Before the New Year, I was thinking of visiting you, but how could I come empty-handed? I promised you that I would replace the jewelry that was stolen from you, but I was overwhelmed by the choices and couldn't find any jewelry that was worthy of you, so I had to keep putting it off. I wandered around looking for treasures, and a few months ago, I happened to buy this bead at a stall in Shuxian County."
The seller was illiterate and didn't know what a luminous pearl was. He only told me that the pearl occasionally glowed, and that he had found two of them in a cave. I bought one with some skepticism. When I got home, I noticed it wasn't glowing at all, so I tossed it into the storeroom and ignored it. But a few nights ago, when I asked my maid to fetch something from the storeroom, she told me there was something glowing there! It turned out the pearl really was a luminous pearl!
The reason it glows is that it only lights up in very dim light. Just as I was pleasantly surprised, I thought of returning to Shuxian to buy another one, so I could give one to you and Miss each—wouldn't that be wonderful! But this trip led to trouble. The man who set up the stall disappeared after the New Year, and no one knew where he went. I had no choice but to go home first. Then, a couple of days ago, someone broke into the mansion. Luckily, the servants knew some martial arts and scared them away.
Yan Xia was crying and sobbing, her face filled with fear, as if she was thinking about what happened that night and fear was welling up in her heart.
"However, they ran so fast that their clothes were torn by tree branches, leaving behind a strip of cloth. I've never seen this kind of material before." Yan Xia pretended to reach into her sleeve, but actually took out the strip of cloth from her spatial storage.
Fan took the strip of cloth and looked at it.
Sudden.
Her pupils contracted.
This fabric was actually a unique type of quenched cloth found only in the imperial city. It was inexpensive, and the clothes were thick yet light. It only came in two colors, black and gray, and was durable, wear-resistant, and dirt-resistant. Many high-ranking officials and nobles would use this fabric to make clothes for their servants and bodyguards.
Fan's face was tense, which Yan Xia noticed. She raised her eyelids slightly, then hunched over and remained silent.
Her words were not entirely convincing, but with this strip of cloth as evidence, what she said just now naturally became believable.
The room was unusually quiet.
Yan Xia waited for a full half-incense stick's time.
Only then did Madam Fan begin to speak slowly.
"It seems I misunderstood you. Where is that luminous pearl?" As Madam Fan spoke, her eyes were fixed on the wooden box in Yan Xia's hand.
That's a rhetorical question.
"Please accept this, Madam."
Yan Xia opened the wooden box and placed it on the table.
Inside the wooden box was a shimmering, perfectly round bead.
It's about the size of a fist.
Greed gleamed in Madam Fan's eyes. She personally held out the pearl and looked at it with delight.
"Madam, the Night Pearl will shine as long as the candles in the room are extinguished," Yan Xia reminded her.
"Quickly blow out the candles," Madam Fan said to the maid.
"Yes, Madam." The two maids standing on either side extinguished the five candles in the room, but the room did not darken, because the light from the beads enveloped the entire room the moment the candles went out.
"Beautiful, so beautiful! There really are luminous pearls in this world!" Madam Fan and her two maids were stunned.
"Congratulations, Madam, on the arrival of the luminous pearl! Seeing your smile, I would gladly give my life for it!" Yan Xia suddenly knelt on the ground, weeping with joy.
"Haha, you child, it's been so long, yet you're still so polite. Get up quickly. You two, help Yan up. This luminous pearl is truly precious. You're so kind. I misunderstood you just now, please don't take it to heart. I only got angry because I heard rumors outside that you were hiding a luminous pearl."
The Fan family obtained the treasure.
Naturally, he was much more polite to Yan Xia.
"How could I be angry with the old lady? But I'm a little confused. Why do people outside know that I have a luminous pearl? I have never told anyone about this, not even my children. Only my personal maid knows. I have her indenture. She eats and sleeps with me every day. She even almost lost her life to save me before. She would never betray me. So, who spread the news that I have a luminous pearl?"
Furthermore, why did the stall owner suddenly disappear when I went to find him? Where is the remaining luminous pearl? What are the intentions of the person who spread the news that my family has a luminous pearl? Are they trying to divert attention so that treasure hunters will attack me? Also, how did the man in black who broke into my house get the news so quickly? I myself only found out a few days ago that the pearl I bought was a luminous pearl. It's too strange, simply unbelievable.
Yan Xia sat in the chair, her face full of confusion.
Fan was also deep in thought.
Yes, the Yan family only learned about the luminous pearl a few days ago.
Even if the maid betrayed her.
It's impossible for the news to reach the capital in just a few days.
So, who was the one who truly exposed the luminous pearl?
Fan was reminded of the sudden influx of so many people into the capital city searching for the luminous pearl.
I woke up instantly.
Therefore, the news of the luminous pearl's emergence first spread in the imperial city. Those who possessed the luminous pearl feared that others would steal it from them, so they turned their attention to the Yan family of Jiangnan.
The person who bought the other luminous pearl was from the imperial city.
It seems the stall owner has confessed everything.
Fan suddenly realized.
Thinking about it that way.
Everything makes sense now.
Therefore, the Yan family suffered an undeserved calamity.
Fan held the luminous pearl in her hands and saw Yan Xia looking at her with tears in her eyes and adoration. Her affection for Yan Xia grew even stronger.
Then, thinking of how she had encountered villains breaking into the mansion at night while trying to find this luminous pearl for herself, and how she had been on the verge of death, Madam Fan looked at Yan Xia with heartache.
"You've worked hard, child. From now on, you'll be my goddaughter. We won't tell anyone about this. I know you don't want to attract attention. In public, you can call me Madam, and at home, you can call me Godmother."
As Fan spoke, the system voice in Yan Xia's brain sounded.
Fan's favorability rating suddenly jumped to 90!
"Godmother!"
Yan Xia pretended to be excited and hugged Fan's leg.
They seemed deeply moved.
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