After a long and bumpy journey, Shi Lan entered the house, her bones trembling as if they were about to fall apart. Before she could even sit down, she heard someone announce that the aunt of the Shi clan chief had come to visit.
Shi Lan was very annoyed. She wanted to say "I don't want to see you," but after swirling the words on her tongue twice, she swallowed them back.
Yue Zhan's purpose in patrolling the border coincided with her mission, and she had no reason or right to refuse this opportunity to promote good relations between the two sides.
"Quickly invite them in," Shi Lan said, rubbing her lower back and kneeling upright on the couch.
There was a sparse noise outside the door, and a plump woman walked in.
Shi Lan quickly got up and warmly greeted her. Before she could speak, she saw the woman staring at her in astonishment, her body trembling like a leaf.
“…Little Nineteen,” the woman uttered two words tremblingly before collapsing.
Shi Lan hurriedly went to help her up, but Zhu'er quickly stopped her.
Just kidding, her wife's arm has only just healed. If the wound reopens because she helped her up, who will be held responsible if Ah Lang blames her?
Dou'er grabbed the woman's arm and pulled her up.
Shi Lan hurriedly said to Zhu'er, "Go and invite Lady Han over. Tell her that our distinguished guest is unwell and ask her to come and take a look." After thinking for a moment, she said to the soldiers outside, "Quickly tell Alang about this and ask Chief Shi if he knows what kind of old illness the old lady has."
The woman acted like she had an epileptic seizure as soon as she came in. Who knows what was wrong with her? Shi Lan didn't want to take on any responsibility for no reason.
Ms. Han lived next door and soon came over with her medicine box.
Seeing the woman's condition, she immediately took out her gold needles, pricked her a few times, and waited until she gradually felt better before removing the needles and taking her pulse.
The beaded curtain outside the door swayed as Yue Zhan stepped in, followed by a middle-aged man.
“Lan Niang,” Yue Zhan nodded to Shi Lan, then turned to the woman who was being helped to collapse on the couch, and asked Han Nushi, “How is the lady?”
Ms. Han withdrew her dangling fingertips and said calmly, "It's nothing. The old lady is just overly emotional due to her age. I gave her acupuncture, and she'll be fine in a little while."
Before Lady Han could finish speaking, the woman slowly opened her eyes, looked around, and when she saw Shi Lan, she tremblingly reached out her hand and said, "Madam, please come here and let this old woman take a good look at you."
Shi Lan subconsciously looked up at Yue Zhan.
Yue Zhan nodded, took her hand, and walked to the woman.
The woman slowly took Shi Lan's hand, gently stroking it, her eyes gazing intently at her. After a while, she softly asked, "Is your name Lan Niang, my wife?"
Shi Lan was taken aback. Did she know the original owner of this body? But she had no memory of this woman.
“Exactly,” Shi Lan nodded readily. No matter what the circumstances, she would never change her name or surname.
The woman's lips trembled violently for a moment before she asked Shi Lan, "Does the longevity lock that my wife wore when she was little still exist?"
Shi Lan nodded.
The woman was somewhat agitated, but she calmed herself down and asked, "Would you be willing to let me take a look, madam?"
Shi Lan turned to look at Yue Zhan, who nodded. He already knew that Shi Lan had a small gold lock on her wrist.
Shi Lan held up her wrist for the woman to see, and the woman gently stroked the lock plate. After a long while, she looked up at Shi Jialuo and said, "Thank God, my little Nineteen has finally returned."
Shi Jialuo was taken aback, then turned her eyes to look directly at Shi Lan.
“It really is,” Shi Jialuo said excitedly. “His eyebrows and eyes are exactly the same as Seventh Brother’s. This is great.”
He seemed too happy to express himself, so he just kept rubbing his hands together.
The woman tried to get up, but because she had just fallen ill, she couldn't muster any strength. She tried twice but still slumped weakly to one side, so Shi Lan had to help her up.
Taking advantage of her approach, the woman touched her face, murmuring, "Little Nineteen, my poor Little Nineteen, where have you been all these years?"
Shi Lan wanted to roll her eyes, but a faint wave of affection welled up in her heart. Shi Lan was surprised, but quickly understood.
If she truly had no memories of her past, then she wouldn't have gone to such lengths to hide the lock on her body. It seems she kept it a secret and deliberately didn't want Shi Lan to know.
Shi Lan touched the locket on her wrist, which was mixed with the beads, and was a little undecided.
Should we acknowledge this relationship or not?
Since the original owner was ranked among the top in the clan, it meant that she had a high status and must have had servants around her. But she was kidnapped and sold. No one would believe that there was nothing fishy about it.
Furthermore, since the original owner of this body kept it from her, there must be some hidden story. Shi Lan only wanted to complete her mission and did not want to cause any further trouble.
The woman stood up shakily, took Shi Lan's hand and said, "Little Nineteen, let's go back with Grandmother."
Shi Lan was taken aback, and before she could speak, Yue Zhan stopped her with a smile, "Auntie, please wait."
The woman looked up at him, then at Shi Lan's already styled hair. Only then did she remember that she and Shi Jialuo had come to visit the concubine who was said to be favored by the Grand Commander. Her face immediately fell.
“Our Shi family’s wife would rather die than be a concubine. The Grand Commander is of high rank and great power, and he has beautiful women serving him. Our little nineteen will not follow suit.”
The woman's attitude was resolute, her face tense, and her weathered eyes coldly stared at Yue Zhan.
Shi Jialuo was helpless. What was supposed to be a pleasant meeting between host and guest had turned into such a tense situation.
"Auntie," Shi Jialuo smiled awkwardly at Yue Zhan, whose face had already turned slightly pale, and called out to the woman in a low voice.
The woman turned her head away, not even glancing at him, and with a snort, dragged Shi Lan away.
Shi Lan was afraid of hurting the old woman, so she only struggled slightly. Unexpectedly, the woman had a strong grip, and she was instead dragged forward by the woman. Helpless, she had no choice but to turn back and look to Yue Zhan for help.
Yue Zhan's face was full of murderous intent. Seeing Shi Lan about to step out of the hall, he shouted angrily, "Let's see who dares to take Lan Niang away."
With a clatter outside the door, soldiers stood facing the entrance, weapons in hand and faces grim, ready to clash at the slightest provocation.
Yue Zhan strode up to Shi Lan, forcefully pried open the woman's hand, pulled out Shi Lan's fair hand, and hid it behind his back. Looking at the woman who was staring angrily at him, he said, "I have official business to attend to, so I won't keep you any longer."
The soldiers quickly made way for him, and Shi Jialuo stepped forward with a stiff upper lip. Under Yue Zhan's icy gaze, he gave an awkward laugh and said, "This... Auntie is getting old and her actions were a bit extreme. Please forgive me, Grand Commander. I will definitely come to apologize tomorrow." After saying that, he dragged the woman away quickly.
The woman struggled to stay, but how could she resist Shi Jialuo? She had no choice but to leave passively.
Shi Lan peeked out, looked at the two figures from behind, and touched the locket on her wrist.
"Perhaps they really are my family."
Yue Zhan snorted and said, "You only have me as your family."
Shi Lan pursed her lips, remaining silent, but her heart was filled with ripples of emotion. (To be continued.)
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