novelden Chapter 818 Relatives Recognize Each Other 1+2
Chapter 818 Relatives Recognize Each Other 1+2
It was indeed too early when Xiao Yining arrived at the girls' school. It was not as lively as it was in the past. It was deserted. She only saw aunts wearing clothes of various social classes, each doing their own job, walking on the path.
Seeing this, she signaled 13 to take her back to Linglong Courtyard first, and then go to Class B to talk to the little sister about her own melons.
After all, her father's scandal caused a lot of uproar yesterday, so she had to be very careful in dealing with it.
Unexpectedly, when 13 was holding her and passing a corner, he met Lian Zhiyou.
Little Yining quickly got off the ground and bowed politely to her: "Lin Yining greets Aunt Lian!"
Lian Zhiyou's usually solemn face was rarely filled with a kind smile. She corrected him, "You called me Princess Le'an wrong. You should call me Auntie."
The little kid raised his head, met her expectant, tearful eyes, and called out obediently, "Auntie!"
At the same time, her stomach made a protesting sound.
Little Yining's face turned red and she quickly covered her stomach. Then she remembered that the price she paid for coming early was that she didn't have to eat breakfast.
Not only her, but everyone in the car was so preoccupied with the affairs of the male and female protagonists that they forgot to eat.
Lian Zhiyou listened to this "thunderclap" and stretched out her hand with a smile, "Follow me!"
Little Yining looked up and asked 13 for her opinion. Seeing her nod slightly, he took her hand and left with her.
The aunts passing by on the road all showed a hint of understanding on their faces when they saw the pair of Lian Zhiyou and Xiao Yining. They hurriedly bowed to them and continued walking towards their destination without looking away.
When the little kid saw this, he felt that the influence of the rumor increased a little more.
In a blink of an eye, they arrived at the library where Lian Zhiyou worked.
Xiao Yining had been here once before with Jin Xingman, and had discovered that Lian Zhiyou was offering sacrifices to her grandmother's tablet.
This time, Lian Zhiyou didn't say much to her. She took her directly to Lian Shu's tablet. After handing her three incense sticks, she turned to face the tablet, and two clear tears flowed down her face.
She murmured emotionally, "Shu'er, we two sisters have been separated for more than twenty years. Fortunately, God has shown mercy and allowed me to meet your descendants in my lifetime. Knowing that you and your wife will love each other for the rest of your life, I can finally put my heart at ease and die without regrets."
After she finished speaking, she lowered her eyes and looked at the little kid.
Xiao Yining quickly withdrew his gaze from her and looked towards the tablet respectfully. Only then did he notice that there was a picture of a beauty hanging behind the tablet.
In the painting, the beauty is sitting on a swing, her hair fluttering in the wind, looking so happy. Behind the beauty, a man is standing in the distance, writing in the pavilion with his head down, his expression focused.
Is this picture used for worship?
Aren't there two people who are receiving the incense?
The little kid's brows furrowed involuntarily, a look of confusion on his face.
Lian Zhiyou thought the child didn't understand, so she squatted down, took her little hand, and bowed three times. She placed the incense in the incense burner before introducing, "Princess Le'an, this tablet has your grandmother's maiden name. Did your father mention it when he returned last night?"
Xiao Yining suppressed the strangeness in her heart and shook her head truthfully: "Aunt, my grandmother's name is Lin Shuyan."
"Lin Shuyan?"
Lian Zhiyou felt dazed. She took the little girl to sit at the low table and placed a plate of cakes in front of her. Then she said wistfully, "What a wonderful name! It must have been chosen by your grandfather, right? I knew my sister, such a fairy-like figure, how could she not be loved!"
Little Yining carefully observed the expressions of the people around him and replied, "But my great-grandmother doesn't like my grandmother!"
Lian Zhiyou nodded slightly as if not surprised when she heard this, and sighed: "Ruo'er's mind is only on his wife, how could he make his mother-in-law happy?"
The little kid raised his eyebrows slightly, pretending not to understand, and asked in confusion, "So, is grandma likable or not?"
"Some people like it, and some people hate it!"
Lian Zhiyou muttered to herself, then smiled lovingly at little Yining and told her an old story: "Back then, your grandmother and I were near Guoan Temple when we encountered bandits. The servants split into two groups to escort us away. Unexpectedly, I escaped danger, but your grandmother disappeared. There has been no news of her for over twenty years."
This statement is almost the same as what the older sister told the younger child.
However, the little kid still felt something was amiss in the conversation: "Aunt, my dad said the bandits were very fierce. Didn't they kill a lot of people?"
Lian Zhiyou's eyes flashed with sadness, "Yes, most of the servants who protected us are also dead."
Then, she skipped the topic and said, "I regretted it deeply at that time. If we hadn't split our forces into two groups, perhaps your grandmother wouldn't have been in trouble, and so many people wouldn't have died."
"But fortunately, I see you now. I know your grandmother escaped the bandits and married your grandfather. Although she was a beautiful woman with a tragic fate, I am already satisfied that I didn't get to see your grandmother for the last time."
Little Yining held up her small round face and watched Lian Zhiyou's often frowned brows gradually relax as the words fell, as if the sorrow in her heart had disappeared.
She blinked her eyes and couldn't help complaining in her heart: I didn't expect that she was so focused on dealing with the little sister that she forgot that she also had to deal with the adults!
Little Yining lowered her eyes, no longer looking at Lian Zhiyou's expression, and feigned innocence, saying, "But doesn't Auntie see my grandmother every day? There's even a portrait of my grandmother hanging there, and I don't even have one!"
Lian Zhiyou laughed and shook her head when she heard this: "If you like, Auntie will draw you a picture, and you can see your grandmother every day."
Xiao Yining nodded in agreement, ate two pieces of cake to fill his stomach, then stood up and said goodbye to her.
When she reached the door, she suddenly turned around and asked, "Aunt, do you still remember what that bandit looked like?"
The smile on Lian Zhiyou's face froze slightly, and in an instant, it turned into self-blame: "Those people were masked, and Auntie didn't see their faces clearly."
After getting the answer, Xiao Yining left contentedly, but after taking a few steps, she turned around without warning and looked at Lian Zhiyou.
Just like the last time she left, she saw Lian Zhiyou standing in front of the tablet again, twirling the Buddhist beads and muttering to herself.
Xiao Yining curled her lips, changed her mind and walked towards Class B. She pondered Lian Zhiyou's words and actions, and always felt that there was an indescribable weirdness in them.
Lian Zhiyou stated that she had no news of her grandmother, yet she set up a memorial tablet to commemorate her and even hung a portrait that was not suitable for worship.
Not to mention the part about encountering bandits. Since they had to split into two groups to escape, it was naturally a situation where they were outnumbered. How could one person be missing and the other escape? Unless someone came to support and killed the bandits chasing her, or Lian Zhiyou was extremely lucky and found a secluded place to hide.
But Lian Zhiyou concealed this wonderful scene and didn't even mention it.
Xiao Yining tilted his head and thought, and finally came to only one conclusion - Lian Zhiyou was hiding something.
On the other side, Wang and Lin also successfully arrived at Yunfei Academy, and were called to Lian Chen's office by the person who had been waiting for a long time.
Lian Chen also changed his usual serious demeanor. As soon as he entered the room, he couldn't help sobbing.
He glanced sideways at the two old men who followed him in, wiped his eyes slightly with embarrassment, and motioned for them to sit down.
Wang and Lin looked at each other uncomfortably and slowly sat down.
Wang Cheng was the first to speak: "Don't blame me, Dean. Shun'an was a little timid and was afraid that the scene would hurt his feelings, so he asked me to accompany him."
Lian Chen didn't care about it and said soothingly, "You two are uncle and aunt, and you are as close as brothers. You are always inseparable, so it's only natural that you come together today."
After saying this, he raised his eyes, looked at Lin Yuzan carefully, and nodded slowly, saying, "Last year, people joked that my uncle looked like you, and my uncle felt a bit of affection when he saw you. But I was so careless that I never thought about it. You are actually my second sister's child."
"Now that the family has finally recognized each other, from now on you..."
At this point, the abbot seemed to have a thousand words to say, but seeing that the two people in front of him had no reaction, he suddenly remembered something and stammered, "Uncle has something else I haven't told you yet. Tingfeng is a child adopted by your uncle and your maternal grandfather under your mother's name."
After these words were spoken, Wang and Lin finally moved and looked at Lian Chen at the same time.
Lin Yuzan frowned and asked with great certainty, "You have long known that Lu Tingfeng is not my mother's son."
Lian Chen nodded without denying it. "Yes, actually, as soon as Lu Tingfeng appeared beside my aunt, we knew he was a pawn used by others to appease my aunt. But his life story was truly pitiful, he was alone and helpless, and he looked very similar to the former crown prince. So we thought, instead of letting others use his appearance to do evil things, it would be better to make the best of it and adopt him as my second sister's child, so that he can serve my aunt and protect him."
Lin Yuzan's anger slowly rose at this remark, "But there is no rumor outside that this person is my mother's adopted son. Everyone treats him as their own son."
"Tingfeng is a kind-hearted man, but he is quite concerned about his life experience, so we didn't mention it. But even if we didn't mention it, everyone can guess a thing or two. But don't worry, Yuzan. During the New Year holiday, your grandfather and I will hold a family reunion banquet and tell him about this. And I mentioned it to Tingfeng yesterday, and he was very happy. In the future, you two will look after each other, and your uncle and grandfather will also be at ease." Lian Chen explained slowly.
If Xiao Yining heard this here, she would definitely complain: Oh my God, isn't this the favorite plot in melodramatic novels? The real and fake daughters become good sisters, and if you don't want to, then you don't know what's good for you?
Lin Yuzan, upon hearing these words, laughed out loud in anger: "I'm afraid my mother will be upset. She has carried the stigma of Lu Tingfeng for more than 20 years, and now you are just brushing it off lightly."
Lian Chen was shocked and wanted to explain, but was stopped by his words.
"Even an outsider who learned that my mother had escaped from the hands of bandits would do everything they could to protect her reputation. I never thought her family would harm her like this, causing her to be criticized and unable to rest in peace even after her death. It's simply ridiculous."
Lian Chen's face flashed with a hint of unnaturalness, but he still tried his best to remain calm and quickly spoke to comfort him: "Yu Zan, the situation at that time was also forced. Besides, your mother is kind-hearted and will definitely accept Tingfeng..."
Lin Yuzan couldn't bear to listen any longer and interrupted, asking, "How do you know what my mother is thinking and help her make a decision?"
Lian Chen was speechless and turned his eyes away helplessly.
The atmosphere in the room became depressing for a moment.
Wang Cheng picked up the teapot at the right time and poured a cup of low-heat tea for his old rival to adjust the atmosphere.
However, at this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door, interrupting the three people in the room.
Wang Cheng immediately stood up and opened the door, only to see Jiang Tingsong standing at the door with an unhappy look on his face.
Seeing this, the two old men hurriedly bowed.
Unexpectedly, just when he was halfway through the action, Jiang Tingsong waved his hand and threw him to the door with great force.
Wang and Lin: ...
He cleared the way, strode into the room, and barked at Lian Chen, "Dean Lian, you are truly dishonest. You're actually relying on your connections to try to steal my apprenticeship."
Lian Chen: ...
"Mr. Jiang, what are you talking about? I was just discussing the family reunion banquet with Mr. Lin." Lian Chen hurriedly explained.
"A family reunion banquet? When can we not discuss this? These two brats are now under my wing. I've taught them everything I know so they can shine in the imperial examination. Their future is beyond measure. Yet you're trying to distract them right now. What's your intention?"
Jiang Tingsong launched another burst of attacks, spitting all over Lian Chen's face.
Lian Chen suddenly felt guilty and apologized quickly, "I was inconsiderate. It's too early to hold a family recognition banquet. Let's discuss it after the Enke exam!"
"The older you get, the more confused you become!" Jiang Tingsong snorted heavily, flicked his sleeves, and walked out.
Before leaving, he did not forget to take care of the two old men, "What are you two doing standing here like wooden sticks? Hurry up and bring the article to me. You are like a bunch of useless people who can't help but stand on the wall."
Wang and Lin: ...
……
"My father said he won't go to the family recognition banquet?" Little Yining looked thoughtfully at the aunt in yellow who delivered the news to her.
She really didn't expect that she would be the first to arrive at Class B. Instead of waiting for the little sister to bring her the melon, she received the news that Mrs. Zhou paid her to send her her father.
"That's right, Princess Le'an, your father did say this before he parted with Dean Lian." The aunt in yellow replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Little Yining blinked her eyes and understood what her father meant, which was that he didn't want to recognize this marriage!
However, it is really disgusting that he treats the "fake young master" Lu Tingfeng as a treasure and lets the "real young master" be his brother.
She has never felt any affection for the Lian family, and even less so now.
The little kid thought about it and then put it out of his mind. Then he asked with concern, "Auntie, how is my father now?"
"To Princess Le'an, your father and Young Master Wang are standing in the corridor as punishment for not completing their homework for Scholar Jiang." The aunt in yellow replied truthfully.
Xiao Yining: (￣.￣), the ancients really didn’t lie to me, dog… bah, it’s hard to change one’s nature!
The little girl showed no surprise, as if it had become a habit. She took out a silver ingot from her small purse and handed it over.
"Thank you, Princess Le'an, for the reward."
The aunt in yellow thanked her and turned to leave, leaving little Yining alone in Class B again.
She returned to her seat, crossed her legs in an ungraceful manner, shook them, and then took out another golden bean from her small purse.
The next moment, 13 appeared silently on the beam above her head: "What's going on?"
"Please tell Sister San to talk to Qiu Yi and ask her to pass a message to Brother Baozi and keep an eye on Lu Tingfeng."
As soon as he finished speaking, the golden beans in the little kid's hand disappeared without a trace.
Xiao Yining: ╮(﹀_﹀”)╭, it’s just the routine of the real and fake young master, a cliché used in novels, and she has it all!