Chapter 436 Deep Affection, Shallow Fate
These words instantly made the faces of the Lan father and son turn extremely ugly.
Little Su Bao looked at her second sister-in-law, and the little dumpling felt a warm glow in her heart.
She glanced at the wound on her arm again, and the expression on her small face slowly calmed down.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Is your mouth stuck with poop?" Wang Xiuer sneered. She felt sorry for Xiao Su Bao and loathed the Lan family even more.
"Isn't our little Su Bao innocent? Isn't she pitiful? She lost her own mother at such a young age, she must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to meet such a heartless and ungrateful bunch from your Lan family!"
"You feel sorry for a woman you don't even know. She's your sister's daughter, you're related by blood, and you're even closer than your maternal uncle. She calls you 'uncle,' what do you take her for?"
Wang Xiuer felt a lump in her throat when she thought of how Xiao Su Bao looked when she first arrived.
Her parents weren't good people, and the people she met weren't good either. When she saw Xiao Su Bao, it was like seeing herself back then.
"I..." Lan Feng wanted to say that he had asked Bai Shi to go see Xiao Su Bao, and that he wasn't heartless...
only……
Lan Feng looked at Xiao Su Bao, and just then, the little dumpling also looked at him.
But that look in his eyes...
Without hatred, without love, there is no emotion.
It seems that even the last trace of emotion was gone when Ke Lanfeng and the others spoke last time.
Lan Feng paused slightly, but Lan Junyi refused to listen.
In his eyes, Lin Shuyu was his daughter, the girl he cherished dearly.
"What are you doing? Su Bao, this is your mother. Haven't you always wanted your mother? Now that your mother is alive, what's going on?"
Lan Junyi protected Lin Shuyu, and the obsession and madness in his eyes seemed to be intensifying.
Lan Feng paused slightly, a strange light flashing in his eyes.
If Lan Junyi hadn't suddenly come over, I probably wouldn't have come at all.
He never expected to meet so many people here.
Lin Shuyu's face looks so much like her younger sister's.
But he understood that the two were not the same person, and how could he not know what his sister looked like, since he had raised her with his own hands?
"Father, that's not my sister, just someone who looks somewhat like her!"
Lan Feng took a deep breath, trying to calm his tone.
Little Su Bao, standing to the side, looked at her grandfather, then at Lin Shuyu, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.
At first, Xiao Su Bao really felt that Lin Shu Yu was her mother, but now...
Little Su Bao clenched her fists, then looked up.
She looked at her maternal grandfather, her soft, childlike voice carrying a firm tone: "She looks a lot like Mother, but... she's not Su Bao's mother. Su Bao's mother is very good, very gentle, she wouldn't..."
The thought of this woman using her as a shield made Xiao Su Bao's resolve grow stronger.
Lin Shuyu's expression changed slightly, and she subconsciously raised her eyes to look at Xiao Subao.
A flash of malice crossed her eyes, and then she suddenly foamed at the mouth and her body began to tremble violently.
Little Su Bao looked at him strangely, feeling that this woman who looked a bit like her mother was... performing acrobatics.
Tang Bugui stood not far away, slightly stunned, seemingly lost in some kind of memory.
A moment later, Lin Shuyu suddenly opened her eyes.
Her eyes seemed a little lost, then slowly, they began to focus.
She looked at Lan Junyi, who was closest to her, and then her eyes instantly became excited.
"Father, I've been looking for you for so long!" Lin Shuyu's voice was almost identical to Lan Shuyu's.
Little Su Bao paused slightly, looking at her carefully, and the little dumpling couldn't help but get nervous.
Could it be that my mother came down from the stars to see me?
Lan Feng, who was standing to the side, was also stunned. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then he saw Lin Shuyu looking at him.
"Brother!" Lin Shuyu looked so much like Lan Shuyu at that moment.
Especially when she looked over, she gently bit her lip, which was almost exactly the same little gesture Lan Shuyu had made before.
Everyone stared in disbelief. Madam Qian tightened her grip on Xiao Su Bao and pulled the heavily pregnant Wang Xiu'er back a few steps.
"Pfft..." Wang Xiuer realized what was happening and immediately laughed.
Then, she suddenly rolled her eyes, foaming at the mouth, and opened her eyes the next instant.
"Hey, what kind of monster dares to act so arrogantly in front of this Celestial Master!" Wang Xiuer's voice sounded like that of a rough man.
Everyone was stunned, except for Madam Qian, whose face was full of black lines and whose mouth twitched violently.
She held the little baby and moved a little further away.
The second son's wife is up to something!
Thinking of this, she was filled with helplessness.
Before marrying the second son, his wife was a complete scoundrel, but she has become much more obedient since marrying him.
Otherwise, Madam Qian would not have tolerated a troublesome daughter-in-law.
Within the entire Tang family, the Qian family held absolute power.
"You monster, prepare to die!" Wang Xiuer suddenly stepped forward, and Lin Shuyu was clearly stunned.
She hadn't expected Wang Xiuer to do this, and by the time she realized what was happening, it was too late.
Lan Feng had been watching Lin Shuyu, who was possessed by a ghost, and when he saw the look in Lin Shuyu's eyes, his heart skipped a beat.
Indeed, one shouldn't have been delusional; how could a dead person possibly come back alive?
A bitter smile appeared on Lan Feng's lips, but Lan Junyi seemed to have gone mad, crying and laughing at the same time, holding Lin Shuyu tightly and refusing to let go.
"Daughter, my daughter, you've finally come back..."
"All these years, do you know how much your father has wanted to see you, how much he has wanted you to come back? I'm sorry, your father shouldn't have left home, shouldn't have left Xiao Zhou and the others behind..."
The next instant, Lan Junyi stood directly in front of Lin Shuyu, his eyes fixed on Wang Xiuer.
He vowed that he would never let anyone hurt his daughter again, no matter what.
"Even if you are the King of Heaven, I will not let you hurt my daughter. As long as I live, you will not be able to take my daughter away!" Lan Junyi roared excitedly, his eyes red, as if he had gone mad.
Wang Xiuer stopped pretending, rolled her eyes, and pointed directly at Lin Shuyu: "My Taoist master is faking it, and so is she!"
Lan Junyi stared wide-eyed, his body trembling, his hands clenched tightly. He dared not turn around, dared not look.
He was even more unwilling to believe Wang Xiuer's words; his precious daughter had finally returned after so much hardship!
That was his and Xi'er's only daughter!
"She is!" Lan Junyi's body trembled, but his voice was extremely firm.
Xiao Su Bao had recovered from her shock. She looked at Lin Shu Yu, who seemed to have realized what was happening, her eyes filled with tenderness and affection.
Lin Shuyu passed Lan Junyi and approached Xiao Subao.
Her hands trembled; she wanted to stroke the little baby, but was also a little afraid.
Qian continued to retreat, her face growing increasingly grim.
“Su Bao… Mommy’s back. Can Mommy hug you?” Lin Shuyu looked at little Su Bao, as if she were truly a loving mother.
However……
Little Su Bao clung to Qian Shi even tighter.
“Su Bao is just young, Su Bao isn’t stupid… You’re not Su Bao’s mother, you’re different…” Little Su Bao lowered her eyes, looking somewhat disappointed. She had actually thought that Lin Shuyu was her mother.
But a fake is a fake.
She remembered her mother saying that lies can never become truth. No matter when, others may deceive you, but you cannot deceive yourself.
Little Su Bao misses her mother so much, but even if that person looks a lot like her, she's not her mother!
Su Bao was very sad, but she still stubbornly shook her head.
Lin Shuyu was practically cursing in her heart, but she showed sadness on her face.
She looked at Xiao Su Bao and staggered. If Lan Junyi hadn't supported her, she probably would have fallen.
She clutched her chest, looking at Xiao Su Bao with a hurt expression and pain in her eyes.
If Xiao Su Bao hadn't sensed that Lin Shu Yu didn't like her, she might have believed it herself.
"My mother said it's bad to lie!" Xiao Su Bao shook her head and said in a low voice, but everyone around could hear her.
The Second Prince's lips twitched as he looked at the Lan family father and son as if they were idiots.
He increasingly looked down on these two people.
Lan Feng is a little better, a bit better than his father, but he's still not that great.
Only Lan Junyi is a fool.
The second prince stepped forward and walked up to them.
"Have you all lost your minds? Even a child can understand this, how come you can't?"
The Second Prince glanced at Tang Bugui out of the corner of his eye, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Tang Bugui had no reaction.
He was worried that his older brother, that love-struck fool, would have a relapse, but it's good that he hasn't.
Even royalty are human; in his heart, Tang Bugui was no different from his own brother.
The Emperor and Empress were busy, so the rest of them stayed with Tang Bugui when they entered the military camp. They spent more time with Tang Bugui than with the Emperor and Empress.
"Your Highness, this is the third time, isn't it!" Just as the Second Prince breathed a sigh of relief.
A voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
The second prince's lips twitched, a look of bewilderment on his face.
"If I say it was an accident, would you believe me?" The Second Prince paused and looked at Tang Bugui before asking.
Tang Bugui glanced at the Second Prince indifferently, but finally turned his gaze to Lan Feng and Lan Junyi.
One was his brother-in-law, and the other was his father-in-law.
Finally, Tang Bugui looked at Lin Shuyu with an extremely complicated expression.
"You say you're my wife, but what is your name?" Tang Bugui lowered his eyes and looked at Lin Shuyu calmly.
"Husband, it's me, Shuyu! How could you not recognize me!" Lin Shuyu's large tears fell from the corners of her eyes.
She wiped away her tears, biting her lip gently, feeling extremely wronged.
Tang Bugui looked at the woman with a gloomy expression and walked step by step to Lin Shuyu.
The two of them just stared at each other.
Lin Shuyu felt inexplicably guilty. She looked at Tang Bugui in front of her, took a step forward, and wanted to hug him.
Little Su Bao's face was sullen, and she looked a little unhappy.
This isn't my mother!
"Daddy~" Little Su Bao called out to Tang Bugui.
Tang Bugui took a step back and reached out to take Xiao Su Bao from Qian Shi's arms.
Little Su Bao hugged Tang Bugui's neck tightly, feeling the presence of her mother on the woman in front of her.
But it's getting fainter and fainter!
She didn't know why, but when she first saw this woman, the little dumpling felt as if her mother had returned.
"Father, she...is not Su Bao's mother..." Little Su Bao whispered in Tang Bugui's ear.
"Yes, Father knows!" Tang Bugui responded, then turned to the Third Prince, who was hiding in the shadows, and said, "Come out!"
The Third Prince rubbed his nose, and his lips twitched slightly.
Sure enough, nothing can be hidden from their eldest brother!
The third prince stood not far away, silently distancing himself from the second prince.
Tang Bugui was preoccupied and didn't notice anything amiss.
After these few times, Tang Bugui had come to understand something.
"Please, Your Highnesses, do not use such petty tricks in front of me in the future!" Tang Bugui said respectfully, but the two people he mentioned twitched at the corners of their mouths and their expressions changed slightly.
The Third Prince was silent for a moment, then sighed and said to Tang Bugui, "Understood!"
This was something he discussed with his second brother. In fact, they also wanted to provoke Tang Bugui or find out the purpose of this woman.
Tang Bugui nodded slightly, turned his head to look at the hem of a certain depraved emperor's robe in the corner, but ultimately said nothing.
The emperor breathed a sigh of relief. Why did he feel like he was being targeted by this brat?
This time, he only knew about it, but he didn't participate!
I hope Tang won't be angry!
The emperor rubbed his chin and turned to go find his wife.
Tang Bugui didn't say anything, but turned his head to look at Lin Shuyu and the Lan family father and son.
"She is not the real Lan Shuyu. Of course, if you think she is, then from now on my wife will only be Lan Shuyu, and will have nothing to do with the Lan family or you!"
Tang Bugui spoke in a very cold tone, as if he had no emotion whatsoever.
Lan Feng's expression changed slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but Lan Junyi spoke faster.
He held Lin Shuyu's hand tightly: "She is my daughter, she must be my Shuyu. She calls me Daddy. Feng-ge, you can't abandon your sister. Shuyu has finally come back!"
“She suffered so much before, son, you can’t abandon your sister. Now I only have the two of you left!” Lan Junyi’s voice trembled.
Lan Feng took a deep breath, looked at Xiao Su Bao with a hint of guilt in his eyes, and then, thinking of Xiao Su Bao's injuries, Lan Feng paused before saying, "I'm sorry!"
In the shadows, Yang Nuannuan clenched her fists, as if she felt something rapidly dissipating from her body.
If Xiao Su Bao were here, she would definitely see clearly that it is a kinship line.
In particular, the kinship between Lan Shuyu and Lan Junyi has completely disappeared.
Lan Feng's line was still there, though it was barely visible.
Lin Xi sighed, feeling somewhat helpless about the man she had once deeply loved.
She actually knew Lan Junyi's personality; he was unfit to be a father or a husband.
It's not that he's a bad person, it's that he's incredibly stupid!
"Now you have a father and a mother, and the past... dust to dust, ashes to ashes, all of this is to repay the kindness of giving birth to you!" Yinniang said softly, holding Yang Nuannuan.
Yang Nuannuan paused for a moment, then nodded.
When she looked up again, her eyes held a newfound determination.
She must get her daughter back!
And Brother Tang...
Lin Shuyu's expression was not good at the moment.
She was horrified; she had done a lot of preparation in order to become Lan Shuyu.
But now!
In order to get Tang Bugui, she even found a face that looked almost exactly like Lan Shuyu's.
"Brother Tang, the day you were poisoned and I was framed by my stepmother, I was the one who saved you!"
Lin Shuyu raised her eyes and looked at Tang Bugui, her eyes filled with deep affection.
Seeing that Tang Bugui did not react, she gave a bitter smile before saying, "After I returned to the Lan family, I originally intended to leave the keepsake you gave me. I wanted to wait for you to come back..."
"But I was pregnant, and I didn't know what to do. I was so scared. My stepmother scolded me and took the jade pendant you gave me away. I had no choice. I wanted to go to my father, but he was angry..."
Lan Junyi trembled as he thought of what happened back then. He regretted it deeply; he should have known better than to get angry.
His gaze toward Lin Shuyu became increasingly filled with guilt.
If I hadn't trusted Zhou and her daughter so much at the time, I might not have missed my daughter's unusual behavior.
Thinking of this, he cried with heartache.
The emperor who left and then returned...
This is not his subject, this is not his subject, this is not...
The emperor tried to hypnotize himself, but his gaze was fixed on Lin Shuyu.
First it's a face, now it's telling a story...
The emperor's gaze toward the woman grew increasingly hostile.
That romantic Tang boy, he probably wouldn't believe this woman's words!
Thinking about this gave him a headache; he should have stopped them back then.
He looked at his two sons, feeling increasingly depressed.
Tang Bugui's breathing quickened slightly.
Little Su Bao also looked at the woman opposite her. Little Su Bao frowned, feeling that the woman's motherly aura was stronger.
Little Su Bao didn't understand why her aura changed.
Was she really possessed by her mother?
Lin Shuyu looked at Xiao Su Bao, her eyes filled with tenderness and longing: "Later, I gave birth to Xiao Su Bao, but you didn't come back. I damaged my health because of childbirth, and my stepmother sent my father away... My health got worse and worse..."
Lan Feng's gaze toward Lin Shuyu had changed. If at the beginning Lan Feng might have had many doubts about Lin Shuyu, he believed her to some extent as she spoke.
He didn't believe in ghosts and gods before, but he did after his mother and sister died.
"Su Bao, you have a peach blossom mark on your body, which you were born with!" she said to little Su Bao, her bitterness growing stronger.
The group looked at each other, bewildered and confused.
"And Brother Tang, the jade pendant you gave me has the character 'Tang' written on it, and there's a small chip next to it..."
Tang Bugui frowned as he stared at Lin Shuyu in front of him.
The latter also looked at Tang Bugui.
Little Su Bao felt that the woman's motherly aura was becoming stronger and stronger, and she instinctively sensed that something was wrong.
Little Su Bao looked at Lin Shu Yu and said in her sweet, childish voice, "Then, can you swear an oath?"
Lin Shuyu was taken aback, and a hint of panic appeared in her eyes as she looked at Xiao Subao.
She knew Xiao Su Bao's abilities, which was why she needed Xiao Su Bao's acknowledgment.
"I..." She looked at Tang Bugui pitifully, then her eyes filled with tears.
“Su Bao, do you still not believe I’m your mother? Do you remember how I taught you to read and write, and how I would comb your hair even when I was coughing every day…”
She was crying uncontrollably, her eyes rolling back in her head...
Little Su Bao's eyes were clear. Seeing the woman about to faint, she said in a soft, childlike voice, "Su Bao believes that Su Bao's mother is very good to Su Bao, so, can you make a vow? As long as you swear that you are Su Bao's mother, Su Bao will definitely believe you!"
The woman was stunned, clearly not expecting her little Su Bao to be so difficult.
She quickly thought of a solution.
However……
There was nothing we could do.
Little Su Bao is so clever!
"Master, could you please not let this girl who claims to be Su Bao's mother faint?" Little Su Bao turned to look at Wang Mingtian, who had just come over to watch the show.
"Of course! As long as Master is here, even if she only has one breath left, Master can make her come back to life and say a few words to you!"
Wang Mingtian held a silver needle in his hand, his red pupils appearing unusually bright.
Lin Shuyu's expression changed slightly, and the next moment, she foamed at the mouth and rolled her eyes.
Wang Mingtian...
This woman reacted quite quickly.
"What... what's wrong with me?" Lin Shuyu woke up, her eyes completely different from the Lan Shuyu she had been pretending to be.
She looked at her hand, which was being held by Lan Junyi, and quickly took a step back.
"What are you doing?" she asked warily, looking at the crowd.
Especially when he looked at Wang Mingtian, the wariness in his eyes became even more obvious.
Little Su Bao paused for a moment: "Can you swear that you didn't lie to Little Su Bao, and you didn't lie to Daddy?"
The little dumpling didn't give up; instead, it looked at her with unwavering determination.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Why should I swear an oath?" Lin Shuyu looked at Xiao Subao and immediately retorted.
"Second Prince, Third Prince, I really came here by accident. Please, please let me leave. I promise I will never come here again!"
Lin Shuyu turned to the two princes and began to cry.
It seems they don't care about Tang Bugui and Xiao Subao at all.
This contrast sparked a flurry of discussion among the villagers.
Yang Nuannuan, standing to the side, was deathly pale. If she hadn't been held by Yinniang, she probably would have fallen over.
"Mom, I feel so bad!" Yang Nuannuan clutched her chest, panting heavily.
Just then, a hand suddenly grabbed Yang Nuannuan's wrist from the side.
Before Yang Nuannuan could react, her fingertip was pricked.
“Bai…” Yinniang saw Granny Bai and was about to speak, but then she saw Granny Bai shake her head at her.
Yinniang dared not make a sound and quickly protected her daughter and Granny Bai.
Grandma Bai took a deep breath, then used a cinnabar pen to write and draw on Yang Nuannuan's arm.
After finishing all this, the old man finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"It's alright for now, but this matter is a mixed blessing; it depends on your own hearts!" Granny Bai said, then turned and left.
Before everyone could react, they discovered that Granny Bai had returned without them noticing and rushed directly in front of Lin Shuyu.
"Fairy, where do you think you're going! Truth and falsehood intertwine, the truth cannot be hidden, and the falsehood cannot become truth!"
"A wronged soul falls to the ground, vainly hoping to relive the past; pitiful Xibei girl, her life and death are not in her own hands... Greed arises from the heart, and fate is beyond human control..."
Granny Bai was muttering something that others couldn't understand, but Lin Shuyu could understand it perfectly.
She looked at Granny Bai in surprise, and for a moment she felt flustered and confused.
She didn't understand what was going on and just wanted to get away from here as soon as possible.
"Help me..." she whimpered, hiding behind Lan Junyi and Lan Feng.
Lan Junyi carefully protected Lin Shuyu, afraid that Granny Bai would hurt the daughter she had finally found.
Grandma Bai suddenly stopped moving and stared at Lan Junyi.
"Foolish, foolish, foolish, born a romantic, yet burdened by heartache; deep affection, shallow fate, never to meet again!"
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