Chapter 28: Grandmother

That was the young lady of the Left Minister's Residence in Jingcheng — how could she possibly… how could she be his sister?

Even in a dream, one wouldn't dare imagine such a thing!

"Big Brother, did she really want to kill both you and Father?"

At the mention of Meng Qinghe, Chi Zhiqiu said coldly, "She told Lord Left Minister that our family mistreated her. If not for Yi'er, Father and I would probably both have died at Lord Left Minister's residence."

"I truly never expected it — Father and Mother doted on her so, and in the end raised an ungrateful wretch."

The members of the Chi Family all turned their gazes to Chi Nan Yi, looking at her delicate skin and slender jade-like fingers that clearly spoke of a pampered upbringing; looking at Chi Nan Yi, they could not help but feel somewhat restrained.

Wen Zhilan stepped forward and took Chi Nan Yi's hand: "Child…"

"Mother," Chi Nan Yi called out in a crisp voice.

"Ah!" Tears instantly streamed from Wen Zhilan's eyes. Her hands trembling, she grasped Chi Nan Yi's arm: "Child, when you were taken away by someone back then, Mother never imagined that in this life she would have a day of seeing you again. That you can come home — it is truly wonderful."

Held in Wen Zhilan's embrace, Chi Nan Yi could not help but feel a measure of doubt in her heart.

She had observed her own appearance and that of the Chi family members — they were not particularly similar. How had her mother recognized her at a single glance?

At the Minister's Residence, Meng Qinghe had claimed to be the young lady of the Minister's Residence, so how had he determined at a glance that she — the one who had been swapped — was their biological daughter?

Yuping Village and the Minister's Residence were very far apart, and when exactly had she been taken away?

And where had Father found Meng Qinghe?

Her gaze swept across the faces of her father and mother, then she lowered her head.

In her previous life, the original owner had not paid much attention to these matters, devoting herself solely to assisting the Crown Prince. It seemed she had missed a great many things!

"Mother, please don't cry. Now that little sister has been found, you should be happy!" A young woman came to Wen Zhilan's side. Chi Nan Yi recognized her — though the person in her memory was much thinner than she was now. She was Big Brother's wife, which made her Chi Nan Yi's sister-in-law, née Ruan.

If the timing was not mistaken, née Ruan was already with child by now.

"Father, where is Grandmother? Didn't you say Grandmother was ill? When I was in town I bought some medicinal herbs — perhaps they will help with Grandmother's illness."

"Little sister actually knows medicine?"

"I've dabbled a little; I wouldn't call myself proficient. I may not have methods for difficult and complicated illnesses, but I can still treat headaches and fevers."

"Truly worthy of being raised in a great household — so much better than us…" Chi Huai Qian stopped halfway, his expression turning somewhat ugly. He muttered, "No wonder Qinghe resents us. Our family is so poor. If she had grown up in the Minister's Residence from childhood, she wouldn't have had to eat chaff and swallow greens with us here and suffer so much hardship."

Hearing him say this, the three Chi brothers all lowered their heads.

Chi Nan Yi smiled: "Third Brother, it wasn't as if Father and Mother stole her from the Minister's Residence back then — Father found her on the road. Without Father, she might not even have lived to this day. Isn't that right, Father?"

Chi Nan Yi looked at Chi Ting Song, her brows slightly furrowed.

She saw that his expression carried a trace of panic and helplessness, as if someone had exposed a secret weighing on his mind.

Chi Nan Yi's heart sank.

Could it be that the swapping of her and Meng Qinghe all those years ago was connected to her parents?

"Father?"

"Ah, right, right — Yi'er is right."

"Indeed, little sister speaks sense. No matter what, now that little sister has returned to us, though we cannot give her the silks and fine foods she had before, we absolutely must not let her suffer hardship." Chi Huaijin smiled and said, "Little sister, do you like wild game? Second Brother will go catch some for you right now."

"I do."

"All right then! You wait — tonight Second Brother will roast a wild rabbit for you."

"I'm going too, I'm going too." Chi Huai Qian shouldered a bamboo basket ahead of the others and said to Chi Huaijin, "Second Brother, I have to say — you're a frail scholar who couldn't truss a chicken. Where are you going to catch a wild rabbit? This kind of work is still best left to me."

"Don't belittle me in front of little sister. I'm your Second Brother, after all — careful, or you'll get your hide tanned."

Watching them gradually walk off into the distance, Mother Chi smiled and said, "Yi'er, don't mind them. Mother will go make you chicken. Counting on those two to bring back a wild rabbit — most likely impossible."

Chicken?

Chi Nan Yi remembered that when she had walked in from the courtyard, there had been a chicken in the corner of the yard. Her mother couldn't be planning to kill their only egg-laying chicken, could she!

"Mother, I don't want to eat chicken." Chi Nan Yi grasped her arm. "I've never liked eating chicken since I was little."

"Is that so — then what would you like to eat? Mother will make it for you."

"Mother, I'm not hungry. I don't want to eat anything. Let me go see Grandmother first." With that, she walked toward the inner room.

The inner room had a window. Sunlight passed through the window and fell at the foot of the bed. At this moment, an elderly woman with graying hair lay on the bed.

Her face was gaunt, her breathing faint, and she coughed from time to time.

She had not noticed anyone entering. Her eyes were tightly shut, as if she were asleep.

Chi Nan Yi sat at the edge of the bed. The bed here was completely different from the one at the Minister's Residence — the wooden planks had only a thin layer of bedding, and that mattress had likely been used for many years, washed so often it had grown stiff; just sitting on it felt painfully hard.

In her previous life, the old lady had not held on for long before passing away.

Bodily illness combined with hunger — even a normal person could not endure it, let alone an elderly woman.

Seeing no one else around, Chi Nan Yi took out Spirit Spring Water and poured it into her mouth, then checked her pulse. It was indeed consumption.

If this illness worsened, not only could she not save her own life, but it would also infect others.

Chi Nan Yi took out a few pills from her space, dissolved them in Spirit Spring Water, and slowly poured the mixture into her mouth.

As the Spirit Spring Water entered her body, Chi Nan Yi clearly felt her grandmother's pulse grow stronger.

"It seems this Spirit Spring Water is truly a good thing." Transmigrating to a place like this — without her space, things really would be rather troublesome.

Just then, the person on the bed shifted her eyes. Before long, née Shen slowly opened her eyes, her somewhat clouded pupils seemingly lacking focus.

Née Shen could only see a blurry figure before her. After a long while, her vision gradually cleared, and the outline of the person before her slowly came into view.

Upon seeing the person's face, she actually smiled: "Young Lady, have you come to take this old servant away?"

Young Lady?

Chi Nan Yi was startled — what did Grandmother mean by this?

Just then, Chi Ting Song's voice came from the doorway: "Mother, you're awake?" Chi Ting Song walked over quickly: "Mother, how are you feeling?"

Seeing the newcomer, née Shen's voice was slightly hoarse and trembling: "My son, why are you — why are you here too?"

Chi Ting Song was taken aback — what did she mean, "here too"?

Good, also good, on the Yellow Springs road we have a companion, us two mother and daughter, we aren't exactly lonely.

Chi Ting Song: "..."