After tidying up, Qi Yi saw that Madam Yun, Qi Zhenzhen, and Hongdou were all sitting upright, as if they had something important to say. He couldn't help but feel a little nervous. "Mother, what's wrong?"
Madam Yun didn't speak. Instead, Qi Zhenzhen began, "Brother Yi, this matter is incredibly strange, but it is true and has happened."
"Sister, what is it? You're so serious, I'm getting quite nervous. Did Brother-in-law bully you? Don't worry, even if I can't beat him, I'll go beat him up," Qi Yi said earnestly.
"You can't beat him. Are you going to beat him or get beaten?" Qi Yi's interruption had dispelled the tense atmosphere.
"Even if I get beaten, I still have to show my stance," Qi Yi replied. He thought Brother-in-law had treated his sister very well just now. Could it be that he was just putting on a show in front of him?
"Alright, stop interrupting. I'm not talking about that. Your brother-in-law treats me very well. What I want to talk about is the relationship between us two." Qi Zhenzhen smiled. "I am not your sister. Hongdou is your sister."
Qi Yi blinked and smiled. "Sister, my eyes are fine. How can you not be my sister? We lived together in the countryside, we came back together, and only after you got married did we stop seeing each other every day. Could it be that after you got married, you were replaced?"
See, the first reaction most people would have to such a thing is that it's impossible.
Qi Zhenzhen looked at Qi Yi seriously. "Yes, I was replaced. But it wasn't after I got married. It was when we were in the countryside and Mother was sick. At that time, your sister knew that wild ginseng could save your mother's life, so she went into the mountains. She was just a young girl and didn't know herbs. Where would she find ginseng? Besides, if ginseng could be found so easily, it wouldn't be so precious. After she entered the mountains, she had an accident."
Qi Yi was confused. "Sister, aren't you fine? How could you have had an accident? Who is 'she'? Aren't you fine?"
"Simply put, this body belongs to your sister, but the soul does not. I am an outsider who has occupied your sister's body. Can you understand that?" Qi Zhenzhen rubbed her forehead, finding it difficult to explain such a thing. Qi Yi was still young, so he didn't feel that she was significantly different from the original person. Madam Yun was sensitive and had depended on the original person for survival, so she had naturally noticed the difference between her and the original.
Qi Yi looked at Madam Yun for help. "Mother, what's wrong with my sister? Does she not want us anymore?"
Qi Yi had always been dependent on Qi Zhenzhen. Hearing her say these strange things now, he instinctively felt it was absurd.
Sister is sister. What do you mean body and soul? He had read many books, and there was no such record in them. How could it be true?
Madam Yun's nose stung. For years, Brother Yi had wholeheartedly treated Zhenzhen as his own sister. The siblings had a very good relationship. Hearing this news so suddenly, it was naturally difficult for him to accept.
Hongdou hummed a lullaby softly. Back then, she always hummed lullabies to coax Brother Yi to sleep.
Qi Yi remembered that after his mother recovered from her illness, he had never heard his sister hum that lullaby again. He had even pouted and asked his sister why she no longer hummed lullabies to coax him to sleep. His sister had said he was grown up now and didn't need to be coaxed. The sister before Mother's illness, and the sister after Mother's illness. It seemed they were indeed different.
Qi Yi looked at Hongdou, then at Qi Zhenzhen.
Madam Yun nodded. "Hongdou is indeed your sister."
Qi Zhenzhen patted Qi Yi's shoulder. "I just didn't want to keep this from you, so I chose to tell you. Don't overthink it. From now on, Hongdou is your sister, and I am also your sister. When you were away, Mother was kidnapped. It was thanks to Hongdou, otherwise, it's hard to say what would have happened to Mother now."
Hongdou pinched Qi Yi's earlobe. "You little rascal, don't you want to acknowledge me?"
The familiar feeling, the familiar tone, and the familiar action. Qi Yi finally began to believe that what they were saying was true. It was unbelievable, yet it was the truth.