Chapter 115 Yueyue, Grandma is extremely regretful...
Lan Xiyue strolled through the gardens of the mansion. "Although this era is backward, the beauty of the architecture is truly unique." She whispered to herself, her eyes sweeping over the exquisite bridges and flowing water, and the well-arranged pavilions and towers.
"I will also buy a mansion like this for my retirement in the future."
At noon, Lan Xiyue followed her maid to the front yard and saw two tables of sumptuous banquets already prepared.
The delicious food on the table is fragrant and mouth-watering.
She happily took her seat. During the meal, the old lady looked at Lan Xiyue lovingly. She personally picked up a piece of bright red, fatty but not greasy braised pork and placed it in Lan Xiyue's bowl. She smiled and said, "Yueyue, try this braised pork. It tastes very good."
Qin Lan smiled and said, "Mother, girls nowadays all care about their appearance and don't like to eat braised pork because they are afraid of getting fat!"
The old lady rolled her eyes and said, "Our Yueyue is not fat, she can eat whatever she wants. Don't be like those rich girls who starve themselves to death for the sake of their figure."
Lan Xiyue looked down at the braised pork in the bowl. It looked really good.
She looked up, met the old lady's loving gaze, picked up the braised pork and took a light bite.
At that moment, the aroma of the meat filled the air, melting in the mouth, fatty but not greasy, with an endless aftertaste.
A hint of surprise flashed in Lan Xiyue's eyes, and she murmured in admiration, "Hmm... delicious! Don't worry, Grandma, I won't be like those rich girls who sacrifice their stomachs for the sake of their figure!"
The old lady looked at her satisfied little face and smiled lovingly, her eyes full of doting: "Yes, yes, Yueyue is right."
Yun Jin, who was sitting at the next table, said, "The chef in our house is a famous chef we invited from Jiangnan. He's especially good at making braised pork. Yueyue should eat more."
At this moment, a maid hurried to Qin Lan and whispered a few words in her ear.
Qin Lan coughed lightly, "Mother, Yueyue, you guys eat first. Something happened over there with Yiyi, I have to go check it out."
The old lady frowned slightly upon hearing this and said unhappily, "Why isn't Yi Yi here at dinner time? What's wrong with her? Is she still throwing a tantrum?"
Qin Lan looked a little embarrassed and explained, "This... Yi Yi seems to be feeling unwell. I'll go check on her right away."
The old lady frowned when she heard this and hurriedly urged, "She was fine just now. Go and take a look first. If she feels uncomfortable, quickly ask someone to call a doctor to see her."
Yun Jin, who was standing by, stood up and was about to leave when he saw this. "Mom, I'll go see what's wrong with Yi Yi."
Qin Lan quickly stopped him: "No, it's not convenient for you to go. You accompany your uncle to drink, I will go." After that, Qin Lan left in a hurry.
The old lady instructed the old maid beside her: "You should go and take a look as well. If there is any situation, come back and report it in time."
The old nanny responded and left. Lan Xiyue curled the corners of her mouth slightly. The super-strong laxative she made was not easy to treat. She could only wait for the effect of the medicine to wear off and let the little girl suffer.
It's true that I can only be arrogant and domineering myself, and I can't stand others being arrogant and domineering.
After lunch, Lan Xiyue helped the old lady back to her residence.
The old lady's gaze fell gently on Lan Xiyue's face, and her eyes seemed to travel through time and see the past.
"Yueyue, you look so much like mother!" the old lady whispered softly, with endless nostalgia in her tone.
Upon hearing this, Lan Xiyue involuntarily reached out and touched her cheek. The old lady also reached out and gently stroked her face, with complex emotions flashing in her eyes.
"When your mother was young, she was just like you—very naughty," the old lady spoke slowly, as if opening a door to dusty memories. It turned out that the original owner's mother was a master swordsman, capable of anything. That year, the Protector of the Country and his two sons followed the late emperor to the battlefield. Without telling the old lady, the original owner's mother, disguised as a man, secretly fled to the border and joined the military camp.
He started as a small soldier, and with his extraordinary courage and intelligence, he worked his way up to the position of a thousand-man captain, commanding a thousand soldiers, until he was discovered by the Duke of Protectorate and forcibly sent back.
Lan Xiyue listened attentively, with surprise flashing in her eyes.
"Ah? My mother is so powerful that she could sneak into the military camp and kill the enemy on the battlefield?" She asked in disbelief. She thought the original owner's mother was just an ordinary rich lady.
The old lady chuckled, "That's right. When she came back, she was tied up and escorted back by ten of your grandfather's personal guards. When I saw your mother tied up, I was both angry and amused. It was only after she married your father that she calmed down a lot."
Lan Xiyue frowned slightly upon hearing this. "How could a person like my mother be willing to marry and have children, then be trapped in the backyard and die while giving birth to me? Shouldn't she be living a carefree life?"
When the old lady heard this, her eyes turned red and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Yes, she should have been free and unrestrained." The old lady sighed softly, "But on the night of the Lantern Festival, she and your aunt went out for a walk and got separated from her. In the bustling crowd, she ran into your father.
At that time, your father was entangled with some thugs, and your mother bravely stepped in to help him, and that's how they became friends. Later, good news came from the border: the Yuan Dynasty surrendered, and the late emperor and your grandfather returned to the capital.
When your grandfather came back, he was very angry and put your mother in solitary confinement."
"Why? Just because mother disguised herself as a man and entered the military camp?"
The old lady's eyes were far-flung, as if she'd been transported back to the dusty past. "My child, you know how I once asked your grandfather about your mother's marriage. He always shook his head, saying, 'A girl should behave like a girl. How could someone as lively and active as Shanshan (your mother's nickname) ever get married?' Unexpectedly, just after the Lantern Festival, a matchmaker arrived beaming, claiming she'd accepted an assignment from the Marquis of Wu three days prior and had come specifically on the second day of the Lantern Festival to propose marriage to Yunqing."
The old lady sighed softly and continued, "The Wuguo Marquisate at that time had been declining since the old Marquis's death. Although your father inherited the title, the mansion was actually just an empty shell. I naturally didn't want to marry my daughter into such a family.
But the matchmaker said a lot of good things, saying your father wouldn't take a concubine. I thought your aunt wasn't as kind as your mother, and she had a gentle personality. If she married into another mansion, I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to compete with other women. At that time, the Wuguo Marquis's backyard was clean, so there were no troubles. At most, our Huguogong Mansion could give her more dowry.
At this time, your father suddenly came to visit. He spoke earnestly, saying that the person he wanted to marry was your mother, not Qing'er, and that the matchmaker had made a mistake.
When your mother and Qing'er learned that your father had come, they ran out without paying any attention to etiquette. Your mother agreed to the marriage on the spot, her face filled with a happy smile.
Qing'er, on the other hand, looked at your father with tears in her eyes, a look that showed both reluctance and unwillingness. Lan Zhenrong only had eyes for your mother at that time and didn't notice Qing'er's sorrow at all.
The old lady sighed when she said this, "I naturally noticed that Qing'er was not right, and I was even more opposed to this marriage. But your mother was like a madman at that time, and she refused to marry anyone but Lan Zhenrong.
Hey! Shanshan died of a massive hemorrhage while giving birth to you just a few years after she got married. Now, your aunt is also paralyzed in bed. If they hadn't married Lan Zhenrong, wouldn't I have to send my son off to his grave? And your aunt wouldn't be paralyzed in bed, right? "
Lan Xiyue was confused. "Grandma, if you put it that way, doesn't that mean my aunt knew my father before? Otherwise, the matchmaker wouldn't have come to propose marriage and specifically named my aunt. So, when my mother died in an accident giving birth to me, my aunt didn't marry my father just to take care of me and my brother, but because she had feelings for him, right?"
The old lady nodded, a complex look flashing in her eyes. "I know Qing'er has always had a knot in her heart. So a year after your mother got married, I was busy looking for men for her, hoping to find her a good match. Unfortunately, she always said that there was no one she liked and she didn't want to get married.
A few years later, one day, I went to her room and saw her embroidering a wedding dress! Yueyue, grandma really regrets... really regrets marrying your mother to Lan Zhenrong.
After the old lady finished her rambling, she fell into deep thought, feeling very sad.
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