Chapter 342: 342 Golden Jujian and the Birthday

Noticing the newly cleared patch of land at the back of the garden, Emma unconsciously furrowed her brow.

The vast majority of the Bao Hua family's assets had been seized six years ago, but this estate, originally commissioned by the first king, was spared due to its uniquely special significance.

So even though she didn't want to remember those painful memories and refused to live alone in the empty mansion, she had voluntarily moved herself and her daughter into a small wooden hut at the garden's corner—yet the estate still legally belonged to her, and no one should have entered without permission.

Had thieves broken in? But why would thieves bother clearing open land?

Filled with questions, Emma pushed open the window and saw that not only had the area behind her and her daughter's hut been cleared, but the carriage path from the main gate to the manor house also bore signs of recent tidying—the pebbles and weeds along the road had been removed.

Seven or eight fresh cart tracks stretched straight along the main path to the front of the manor; the broken stained-glass window on the first floor had been taken down, the servant's quarters with their partially collapsed roof had been torn down, and muddy footprints littered the flowerbeds before the main door.

This… someone wanted to move in?!

Seeing the chaotic footprints in the flowerbeds and the large piles of horse dung still uncleaned, Emma bit her lip in irritation.

Though she didn't care about this empty house, the estate had once been her home—she had lived here for over twenty years—and these intruders hadn't even bothered to announce themselves before trying to seize it outright; it was beyond rude.

"Ali, tell Mommy."

After sharply closing the back window, Emma forced herself to calm down and asked in as gentle a tone as she could:

"What happened behind the garden? Who came by these past few days?"

"These past few days… lots of uncles came with ladders and tools, and they took down the big emblem in the center of the building and replaced it with a new one."

After struggling to recall, the little girl gestured with her hands:

"The emblem had a small bird—pointy beak, green feathers, and black-and-white horizontal stripes across its belly."

Pointy beak, green feathers, black-and-white horizontal stripes across the belly… the Golden Jujian emblem?

After hearing the girl's description, Emma's face went instantly pale. She realized a possibility she couldn't accept, and without even changing her shoes, she ran out of the wooden hut, scaled the garden's back wall, and headed straight for the main house.

When Emma turned to the front and saw the manor's facade—the side invisible from the wooden hut—and recognized the emblem's design, her cheeks flushed crimson, and her usually gentle eyes suddenly blazed with icy fury.

The Golden Jujian emblem!

Of course—she should have thought of it sooner. Besides herself, there was only one other person with the right to live in the Bao Hua Estate!

Looking up at the second-floor parapet, she stared at the Golden Jujian emblem glinting emerald in the sunset, then turned her head silently and found the Bao Hua family's emblem among the flowerbeds now used as a trash heap.

Jujian… Lei Nade…

Her slender, pale fist clenched tightly, then slowly loosened, then clenched again—repeating this cycle several times—until finally, it opened completely.

After staring fixedly at the two emblems for a long while, Emma exhaled slowly, trudged to the flowerbed, and picked up the dented Bao Hua emblem from the trash.

Stay calm.

More important than dwelling on the past was cherishing those before her—don't focus on what she'd lost, but on what she still had…

When Li Ang had pulled her out of the Realm of Death, she had already resolved to set aside her hatred—for Ali's sake—and try to embrace a new life.

But…

Her fingers unconsciously tightened, denting the heavy bronze emblem, and her teeth sank into her pale lower lip, leaving a deep row of indentations.

Why am I still so bitter?!

…

"Stand still!"

After straightening William and Melanie's clothes and smoothing out their crooked little outfits, Anna narrowed her eyes and warned:

"Do you remember what I told you?"

"Yes."

Adjusting his small collar, William replied calmly:

"Say hello to Auntie Emma, wish Little Ali a happy birthday, don't cause trouble and embarrass Big Brother, don't break anything… "

"Most importantly, absolutely do not mention your dream of ruling the world!"

After adding that, Anna turned to Melanie, who was spinning in circles and happily flinging her skirt, and stressed again:

"And don't you dare mention your dream of being a lazy bum!"

"I know, I know!"

Hearing her sister's repeated warnings, Melanie pouted in the mirror, complaining with exasperation:

"There are only a few rules—you've been nagging since yesterday, we've memorized them already!"

"Good that you've memorized them!"

Anna shot Melanie, the most troublesome one, a sharp look, then softened her tone:

"Since Big Brother started his job, Auntie Emma has helped him countless times, and she even saved my life… uh… anyway, she's our family's benefactor. You must respect her, and absolutely not bully Ali!"

"We won't."

After adjusting his child's collar, William nodded in satisfaction and said seriously:

"Big Brother said a man can lose money, but never his conscience. When someone helps you, you must remember it forever. I've always remembered that. I don't know if Melanie can do it, but I definitely can."

"I… I can do it too!"

Seeing Anna's glare snap toward her, Melanie quickly stiffened her face, copied William's solemn expression, and raised her hand to swear:

"If I cause trouble today or make Little Ali cry, then… then I'll give all my allowance to William!"

That's that severe?

Hearing Melanie's shocking oath, Anna finally relaxed a little and went to call the carriage, while William couldn't help glancing sideways at his sister.

Since he had no talent for math and scored only five points on the last quiz, she had taken all his allowance—anything involving numbers—claiming she was the future Imperial Minister of Finance.

Now, with Melanie suddenly swearing on her allowance, wasn't she planning to siphon his allowance for the entire year if she messed up today?