After the discussion about the divine wood concluded, the people waiting outside brought in more items. Leaving aside pickles, sauces, biscuits, and small snacks, which were sure to be included, the women in the residence would each have at least one bag. The Old General also received an especially exquisite golden nanmu tea table—taken from Shao Yunan’s space. However, as nanmu wood was available in this era, Shao Yunan didn’t feel hesitant to bring it out… just stating that it was custom-made, and no one would suspect anything.
Now, back to the women. In addition to blackwood jewelry, handheld bags, shell bags, shoulder bags, etc., they also received jade bracelets, jade earrings, etc., according to their generation and age. The bracelets were naturally for the Old Lady and the general’s wife. For Dai Mingrong who was a married man, Shao Yunan thoughtfully prepared jade pendants for him. This pile of jewelry actually used little material, so no one would suspect how Shao Yunan got so much jade.
Shao Yunan was generous with his gifts, and the Grand General’s residence received so many presents that they were overwhelmed. However, the Old General, the Old Prime Minister, and the Old Lady’s minds were not on the gifts.
The Empress temporarily stayed at the Grand General’s residence, so Shao Yunan only brought solid element paste and pomelo tea for him. Everything else was sent directly to the palace and was even more lavish than what was sent to the Grand General’s residence.
What astonished everyone present was the wild game, tomatoes, and cucumbers that Shao Yunan brought, which had been kept in a frozen state all the way. Wang Shijing explained that the tomatoes looked like persimmons and were red, so they named them “western red persimmons” since they came from the mountain west of their house. As for the cucumbers, the children just called them that. As for how the ice was preserved all the way, Shao Yunan honestly explained, “This was discovered by Moxi.”
“Moxi?”
“That’s the son of Big Brother Kangchen, Jiang Moxi. He’s a child prodigy and he discovered that saltpeter can be used to make ice. So, we used this method to bring the food and vegetables all the way to the capital. When it gets hot, we can use this method to sell ice and make iced drinks.”
Wang Shijing added, “After Moxi came to our house, his health gradually improved. He also wasn’t actually sick, but just traumatized in the Duke’s residence. Due to poor living conditions, he became more and more withdrawn, unwilling to speak to anyone. When he arrived in Xiushui Village and had children his age to play with, he gradually improved. Although his speech is not as fluent as a normal person’s, his thinking is agile and most importantly, he is extremely intelligent. Both Yunan and I think he’s a child prodigy.”
The Empress said, “Will you bring those three children to see the Emperor and me?” Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan both replied, “Yes.” Emperor Yongming said, “This method of making ice is good. When Jiang Kangchen returns to the capital, I will entrust this matter to him. What do you think, Empress Dowager?”
The Empress nodded. “I also had this in mind.” Emperor Yongming said, “It’s already late. Tonight, you two will stay in the Grand General’s residence. What does the Old General think?” The Old General immediately said, “This old minister was just about to suggest that.”
Wang Shijing immediately stood up to bow. “Thank you, Old General, for granting us accommodation.” Shao Yunan also stood up to bow. “Thank you, Old General, for granting us accommodation.”
The Old Lady called the steward and instructed him to take Shao Yunan and Wang Shijing to rest. Once the two left, the Old General couldn’t wait to say. “Your Majesty, that Shao family’s child looks exactly like the Old Prime Minister when he was young! My grandson, who has been missing for many years, was also born in the 32nd year of Kangsheng!”
The Old Prime Minister and the Old Lady both had red eyes. The Old Lady said, “I wouldn’t be mistaken. It truly is the appearance of Su Yan when he was young. Among the children in the family, Zhan An looked the most like Su Yan.”
Obviously, Emperor Yongming had already figured out the situation through the reactions of the three elderly people just now, so he said, “Old General, Old Lady, Old Prime Minister, don’t worry. To find out if Shao Yunan is Zhan An, just send someone to capture his foster parents for questioning.”
The Empress was also somewhat excited and said, “This matter shouldn’t be made public. Dai Jiang is in Yongxiu County. Uncle, quickly send someone to send a letter to him, instructing him to secretly arrest Shao Yunan’s foster parents and personally investigate this matter.”
The Old General stood up. “I will write the letter now.” Then he said to the two ladies, “You instruct Yingxiang and Mingge, until the matter is clarified, they are not allowed to look for Shao Yunan. Keep it from the second family for now.”
“Yes.”
Together with Wang Shijing, Shao Yunan went to the guest room. Shao Yunan rubbed his arms, poured a large glass of water, and drank it. He was very thirsty. Then he said, “Fortunately, we sent Brother Tiger and Big and Little Gold to Uncle Murong’s house. Otherwise, if we didn’t go back, those three big tigers would definitely cause trouble.”
After talking for a long time without waiting for Wang Shijing’s response, Shao Yunan turned around and saw Wang Shijing furrowing his brows, not knowing what he was thinking. “Hey, Shijing, what are you thinking?”
Shao Yunan waved his hand in front of Wang Shijing, who grabbed his hand. Wang Shijing, still frowning, said, “Do you remember when Uncle Murong first saw you, he said you looked familiar?” Shao Yunan tried hard to remember. “It seems he did say that.”
Wang Shijing said, “When you raised your head just now, the Old General and the others suddenly looked very surprised. Then the Old General asked about your date of birth.”
“Yeh?” Wang Shijing pulled his wife over. “The Old General’s residence lost a child once, the biological younger brother of Dai Xiaojun. We in the Yihu Army all know about this. The reaction of the Old General and the others just now…”
Shao Yunan widened his eyes. “You mean, I might be that child?” Wang Shijing said, “Otherwise, why would they ask about your date of birth? They looked so surprised when they saw your face.”
“Impossible.” Shao Yunan didn’t believe it. “Even if you gave the Shao family a thousand guts, they wouldn’t dare to abduct the child of the general’s family. Maybe they just think I look like him. It’s not possible.”
Wang Shijing had a bad premonition. He hugged his wife tightly and asked, “What if. What if you happen to be the child they lost?” Shao Yunan laughed. “You know where I came from. Even if I am the one they lost, so what? At most, our family will have a few more big and sturdy legs to hug. What are you afraid of?”
With Shao Yunan saying this, Wang Shijing thought about it and felt better. Shao Yunan hugged him and said softly, “Even if the shell is real, the core is not the same. Or, if this shell is real, will you divorce me?”
“Don’t talk nonsense! You’ll always be my wife!”
“Then what are you worried about, still frowning?” Rubbing away the seriousness between Wang Shijing’s eyebrows, Shao Yunan yawned. “I’m exhausted. Let’s wash up and go to sleep. Dealing with these big shots is more tiring than making tea for a whole day.”
“Sure, let’s sleep. I’ll pour you some water.” Shao Yunan immediately dismissed the possibility from his mind. He simply didn’t believe in that possibility. Also, because his core was no longer the original Shao Yunan, Wang Shijing was no longer worried. After they finished washing up, they went to bed. They were both tired.
After the discussion about the divine wood concluded, the people waiting outside brought in more items. Leaving aside pickles, sauces, biscuits, and small snacks, which were sure to be included, the women in the residence would each have at least one bag. The Old General also received an especially exquisite golden nanmu tea table—taken from Shao Yunan’s space. However, as nanmu wood was available in this era, Shao Yunan didn’t feel hesitant to bring it out… just stating that it was custom-made, and no one would suspect anything.
Now, back to the women. In addition to blackwood jewelry, handheld bags, shell bags, shoulder bags, etc., they also received jade bracelets, jade earrings, etc., according to their generation and age. The bracelets were naturally for the Old Lady and the general’s wife. For Dai Mingrong who was a married man, Shao Yunan thoughtfully prepared jade pendants for him. This pile of jewelry actually used little material, so no one would suspect how Shao Yunan got so much jade.
Shao Yunan was generous with his gifts, and the Grand General’s residence received so many presents that they were overwhelmed. However, the Old General, the Old Prime Minister, and the Old Lady’s minds were not on the gifts.
The Empress temporarily stayed at the Grand General’s residence, so Shao Yunan only brought solid element paste and pomelo tea for him. Everything else was sent directly to the palace and was even more lavish than what was sent to the Grand General’s residence.
What astonished everyone present was the wild game, tomatoes, and cucumbers that Shao Yunan brought, which had been kept in a frozen state all the way. Wang Shijing explained that the tomatoes looked like persimmons and were red, so they named them “western red persimmons” since they came from the mountain west of their house. As for the cucumbers, the children just called them that. As for how the ice was preserved all the way, Shao Yunan honestly explained, “This was discovered by Moxi.”
“Moxi?”
“That’s the son of Big Brother Kangchen, Jiang Moxi. He’s a child prodigy and he discovered that saltpeter can be used to make ice. So, we used this method to bring the food and vegetables all the way to the capital. When it gets hot, we can use this method to sell ice and make iced drinks.”
Wang Shijing added, “After Moxi came to our house, his health gradually improved. He also wasn’t actually sick, but just traumatized in the Duke’s residence. Due to poor living conditions, he became more and more withdrawn, unwilling to speak to anyone. When he arrived in Xiushui Village and had children his age to play with, he gradually improved. Although his speech is not as fluent as a normal person’s, his thinking is agile and most importantly, he is extremely intelligent. Both Yunan and I think he’s a child prodigy.”
The Empress said, “Will you bring those three children to see the Emperor and me?” Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan both replied, “Yes.” Emperor Yongming said, “This method of making ice is good. When Jiang Kangchen returns to the capital, I will entrust this matter to him. What do you think, Empress Dowager?”
The Empress nodded. “I also had this in mind.” Emperor Yongming said, “It’s already late. Tonight, you two will stay in the Grand General’s residence. What does the Old General think?” The Old General immediately said, “This old minister was just about to suggest that.”
Wang Shijing immediately stood up to bow. “Thank you, Old General, for granting us accommodation.” Shao Yunan also stood up to bow. “Thank you, Old General, for granting us accommodation.”
The Old Lady called the steward and instructed him to take Shao Yunan and Wang Shijing to rest. Once the two left, the Old General couldn’t wait to say. “Your Majesty, that Shao family’s child looks exactly like the Old Prime Minister when he was young! My grandson, who has been missing for many years, was also born in the 32nd year of Kangsheng!”
The Old Prime Minister and the Old Lady both had red eyes. The Old Lady said, “I wouldn’t be mistaken. It truly is the appearance of Su Yan when he was young. Among the children in the family, Zhan An looked the most like Su Yan.”
Obviously, Emperor Yongming had already figured out the situation through the reactions of the three elderly people just now, so he said, “Old General, Old Lady, Old Prime Minister, don’t worry. To find out if Shao Yunan is Zhan An, just send someone to capture his foster parents for questioning.”
The Empress was also somewhat excited and said, “This matter shouldn’t be made public. Dai Jiang is in Yongxiu County. Uncle, quickly send someone to send a letter to him, instructing him to secretly arrest Shao Yunan’s foster parents and personally investigate this matter.”
The Old General stood up. “I will write the letter now.” Then he said to the two ladies, “You instruct Yingxiang and Mingge, until the matter is clarified, they are not allowed to look for Shao Yunan. Keep it from the second family for now.”
“Yes.”
Together with Wang Shijing, Shao Yunan went to the guest room. Shao Yunan rubbed his arms, poured a large glass of water, and drank it. He was very thirsty. Then he said, “Fortunately, we sent Brother Tiger and Big and Little Gold to Uncle Murong’s house. Otherwise, if we didn’t go back, those three big tigers would definitely cause trouble.”
After talking for a long time without waiting for Wang Shijing’s response, Shao Yunan turned around and saw Wang Shijing furrowing his brows, not knowing what he was thinking. “Hey, Shijing, what are you thinking?”
Shao Yunan waved his hand in front of Wang Shijing, who grabbed his hand. Wang Shijing, still frowning, said, “Do you remember when Uncle Murong first saw you, he said you looked familiar?” Shao Yunan tried hard to remember. “It seems he did say that.”
Wang Shijing said, “When you raised your head just now, the Old General and the others suddenly looked very surprised. Then the Old General asked about your date of birth.”
“Yeh?” Wang Shijing pulled his wife over. “The Old General’s residence lost a child once, the biological younger brother of Dai Xiaojun. We in the Yihu Army all know about this. The reaction of the Old General and the others just now…”
Shao Yunan widened his eyes. “You mean, I might be that child?” Wang Shijing said, “Otherwise, why would they ask about your date of birth? They looked so surprised when they saw your face.”
“Impossible.” Shao Yunan didn’t believe it. “Even if you gave the Shao family a thousand guts, they wouldn’t dare to abduct the child of the general’s family. Maybe they just think I look like him. It’s not possible.”
Wang Shijing had a bad premonition. He hugged his wife tightly and asked, “What if. What if you happen to be the child they lost?” Shao Yunan laughed. “You know where I came from. Even if I am the one they lost, so what? At most, our family will have a few more big and sturdy legs to hug. What are you afraid of?”
With Shao Yunan saying this, Wang Shijing thought about it and felt better. Shao Yunan hugged him and said softly, “Even if the shell is real, the core is not the same. Or, if this shell is real, will you divorce me?”
“Don’t talk nonsense! You’ll always be my wife!”
“Then what are you worried about, still frowning?” Rubbing away the seriousness between Wang Shijing’s eyebrows, Shao Yunan yawned. “I’m exhausted. Let’s wash up and go to sleep. Dealing with these big shots is more tiring than making tea for a whole day.”
“Sure, let’s sleep. I’ll pour you some water.” Shao Yunan immediately dismissed the possibility from his mind. He simply didn’t believe in that possibility. Also, because his core was no longer the original Shao Yunan, Wang Shijing was no longer worried. After they finished washing up, they went to bed. They were both tired.
