Chapter 235: Relationships

"Let me go over and take a look before deciding." Yan Bugui was not sure at this moment if that person was his relative, but in his memory, he had none.

Zhang Ping'an prepared to leave without getting the answer he wanted; it was a pity that the gossip today was not satisfying, even though he had seen all the main characters from under Zhengyangmen today.

As for Han Chunming's family, Han Fu was preparing to starve himself to save some food for the children, and the steamed buns Han Chunming brought home became the family's life-saving rations.

"Dad, hurry, hurry, eat a steamed bun."

"Chunming, Chun Yan, where did these steamed buns come from?"

"They were given by a kind person, Dad, hurry and eat." Han Fu lay on the bed looking weak.

"Give them to me, I'll break them apart and soak them in water for Dad to drink."

"Mom, I..." The other three children also looked at the steamed buns with longing.

"Alright, we'll eat two tonight."

That evening, Han Mu used the same method to put two steamed buns into water, mashed them, and boiled them; it was the first time in two years the family had eaten something with such oil and substance.

"Eat, and don't go talking about it." Han Mu locked the remaining steamed buns in the cabinet.

"I know, Mom."

The ten steamed buns Zhang Ping'an had bought were now down to six; these might be the seven-person family's rations for three days.

"Brother Ping'an, did you ask Teacher Yan? What did he say?"

"I asked, Teacher Yan said he doesn't know him."

"That shouldn't be; ignoring the age difference, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they are twins."

"Alright, stop gossiping. You'll naturally find out when they meet. By the way, I saw someone today who looks a lot like Xiao'e; she's the older sister of that child who fainted, named Han Chunyan."

"Really?"

"Really, but she's at most twelve or thirteen this year. When Xiao'e comes over to play, you ask her and see what the situation is."

"Okay." Wang Xiaoling was also very curious after hearing what Zhang Ping'an said.

If they could establish a connection with Lou Bancheng's third concubine, Tan Shi, then whatever leaked through the fingers of the Lou family would be enough for Han Chunming's family to get through their difficulties.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear; Lou Xiaoe came bouncing over carrying two boxes of pastries.

"Xiao'e, why did you come over at this hour?"

"Oh, my dad had someone make a few boxes of pastries at home and asked me to bring two boxes for you to taste. The chestnuts and hawthorn in them were given by my brother-in-law."

"Good, thank you, Xiao'e. I actually have something to ask you."

"Sister Xiao Ling, go ahead."

"Do you have any relatives living near Zhengyangmen?"

"Relatives? I don't know, I've never heard Dad or the others mention it."

"Right, your brother-in-law saw a little girl over there today who looks a lot like you, but she's five or six years younger."

"Looks like me?" Lou Xiaoe's curiosity was also piqued.

"Hmm, maybe it's just a coincidence that she looks like you?"

On the way back, Lou Xiaoe kept thinking about this matter, and as soon as she got home, she couldn't wait to ask Lou Bancheng.

"Dad, Mom, do we have any relatives living in Zhengyangmen? Sister Xiao Ling said they saw someone there today who looks a lot like me, but she's five or six years younger."

"We don't, do we?" Lou Bancheng thought carefully; it shouldn't be some romantic debt he had left behind.

"Xiao'e, did Xiao Ling tell you this?" Lou Tanshi was concerned; she also thought it might be a romantic debt Lou Bancheng had left outside.

"Yes."

"Xiao'e, do you have the address?"

"I do, here."

"A Fu, go and check it out."

"Very well, Madam." A Fu glanced at Lou Bancheng, and only after seeing him nod did he agree.

The following afternoon, the information on Han Chunming's family was placed on Lou Bancheng's desk.

"Sir, there is indeed a girl who looks very much like the young miss. Her mother should be from the Third Madam's maternal family. She is..."

"Speak directly."

"Yes, sir. That girl's mother is the illegitimate daughter of the Third Madam's aunt."

"That explains it then. The Madam looks most like her aunt; it's not strange for her to have a granddaughter who looks like Xiao'e. What is her family's situation now?"

"Very bad. A few days ago, the girl's father almost starved to death; it was thanks to Zhang Ping'an's family giving them ten steamed buns that they've held on until now."

"Hmm... go and quietly send them some cornmeal. Give them some every month; don't let them actually starve to death."

Just because of the face that resembled Lou Xiaoe's, Lou Bancheng would not sit by and watch the family starve to death.

"Very well, sir. Should I tell the Madam?"

"I will tell her."

"Very well, sir."

At this time, Han Chunming's family did not know they had already caught the attention of Lou Bancheng, and from now on, no one in the family would go hungry again. The "some cornmeal" Lou Bancheng mentioned was not ten or eight catties, but at least fifty or sixty catties to start with.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the end of November. Zhang Ping'an and his father returned to their hometown to pick up his grandparents and brought them back, taking the opportunity to harvest all the Chinese cabbage in the courtyard and bring it back as well. The old man's complexion was good; it seemed the hometown was better for one's health.

"Grandpa, Grandma, we'll send you back after the New Year when spring begins."

"Good, good, good."

Yan Bugui was no longer fishing. After more than three months of staking out and wandering around, he finally encountered Polan Hou near Zhengyangmen.

To tell the truth, Lao Yan was shocked at the time. He hadn't expected there to be someone who looked so much like him; it was almost like looking in a mirror. Polan Hou was also somewhat stunned.

"You are...?"

"I am Yan Bugui, a primary school teacher. And you?"

"I am Hou Dianchen, I make a living by collecting scrap."

Yan Bugui nodded; he did not look down on him, as both were earning a living with their own hands.

"Shall we find a place to talk?"

"Sure, let's go to my place; it's not far from here."

"That works."

Yan Bugui followed Polan Hou all the way to Rouge Alley; he hadn't expected him to still be living in a two-courtyard house, even though most of it inside was dilapidated.

"I don't have any tea leaves, so please make do with plain boiled water."

"Hehe, I drink plain boiled water at home too. You..."

"I..."

"You go ahead and speak first."

"If I'm not mistaken, your family used to run a bookstore, right?"

"I didn't."

"Do our two families really have a connection?" Yan Bugui asked curiously.

"My mother was Jin Yuxiang."

"My mother also had the surname Jin, but she was just from an ordinary family."

Polan Hou nodded; he did not elaborate on his background, as after all, the status of being a prince's grandson was not only useless outside nowadays, but could also invite unnecessary trouble.

He had transformed into Polan Hou firstly because his family fortune had indeed declined, and secondly to use the guise of collecting junk to gather various antiques; his level of obsession with antiques was no less than that of Guan Daye.

"My mother and your mother must have been distant cousins; we do have some blood relation after all." Polan Hou did indeed know Yan Bugui's mother, as she was a distant clanswoman of his maternal grandfather.

"So that's how it is; it turns out we are cousins." Yan Bugui did not doubt it, as after all, this face was right there.

"Then we should visit each other more often in the future. How come I don't see your wife and children?"

Polan Hou's expression immediately turned sour; his wife had passed away after giving birth to their child, and his only daughter, Hou Sue, had married the son of his enemy and even severed the father-daughter relationship with him, so how could he talk about that?

Yan Bugui clearly realized the topic was sensitive and hurriedly tried to make amends.

"Cousin, you have such a large courtyard, why is it all waste paper? What will you do when it's cloudy and rainy?"

"It's fine. I haven't had the chance to haul these out to sell yet; I'll take them away once I've sorted them out."

In reality, these newspapers, old books, broken stools, and rotten chairs were all things Polan Hou placed there to cover his tracks, as his true purpose could not be let known to others.