"I was telling Xiao Yao a story, and waiting for you to come back, Master Gong," Lan Yan said with a smile. "Have you been very busy lately, Master Gong?"
Jun Yelan had been out handling official duties for the past few days, and his body was very tired. But seeing Lan Yan waiting for him, for some reason, his heart immediately felt much more relaxed.
He took the lantern from Lan Yan's hand and said, "I'll take you back."
"Okay." Lan Yan picked up the already sleeping Jun Xiao Yao and walked back with Jun Yelan holding the lantern. Only the three of them were on this path, and the walk was silent, their hearts also becoming calm.
At the door of the room, "Master Gong, we'll go in first then." She pushed the door, preparing to enter.
"Wait." Jun Yelan met Lan Yan's bright eyes and laid bare the question in his heart, "Why are you doing this to me? If you were just seeking a place to stay, I could give you money and help you arrange a residence."
He was afraid he would truly change.
Lan Yan thought for a moment and smiled, "Master Gong, as I said, I came for you. We also have a marriage certificate, and I am destined to marry you." Seeing Jun Yelan stunned, she smiled again, "Good night."
Then she closed the door, calmly taking Jun Xiao Yao to sleep.
In the darkness, Jun Yelan stood alone at the door, recalling Lan Yan's words. Although he knew it was impossible, that sentence brought him a sliver of hope, like the lantern he held in the deep night.
A trace of gentleness appeared on his face, and he strode towards his own room.
The next morning, Lan Yan arrived at the kitchen with a smile on her face, only to find no cooks. "Strange, where has everyone gone?"
She went to look in the back and finally found Hui Niang, who was holding a cabbage and asked, "What are you doing?"
Hui Niang said, "The housekeeper came today and told us to take out all the vegetables from the cellar and inventory them. Some are going to rot, so we'll pickle them."
"You don't need to worry about these things, we can handle it."
"It's alright, Master Gong has been away recently, so I don't need to cook." Lan Yan looked at the weather that was starting to turn cold and thought it was time to prepare early. She then followed Hui Niang to the cellar in front and found that there was quite a bit of stock, but some had indeed been stored for too long.
Hui Niang said softly, "Jin Sanniang never takes care of these things. She wastes a lot of the household's ingredients every year. This time, Jin Sanniang is deliberately absent because she's afraid Master Gong will settle old and new scores together."
Seeing Jin Sanniang's audacity, Lan Yan asked, "Yesterday you said Jin Sanniang has relatives in the palace, who are they?"
"I heard it's a favored eunuch by a certain imperial consort," Hui Niang said. "This palace is much more complicated than we think, with many connections. Master Gong holds immense power now, so naturally, there are many people watching him."
Lan Yan nodded. Having been an empress herself, she understood these matters. "And Master Gong doesn't say anything. No, I must cook better for Master Gong from now on." At least to make him a little happier.
Hui Niang looked at Lan Yan with satisfaction, her hands not stopping.
Lan Yan also helped and discussed with Hui Niang what pickled dishes to make.
However, behind them, a pair of malicious eyes had been watching. Jin Sanniang couldn't swallow her resentment when she thought of the suffering she had endured. She grabbed a cook who was moving things and said through gritted teeth, "Go call Lan Yan, and tell her to move things from the innermost room."
"If you don't call her, then you go."
The cook dared not refuse and had no choice but to call Lan Yan.
Hui Niang also overheard and said, "I'll go." But as she stood up, her back suddenly ached.
Lan Yan smiled and said, "It's okay. Hui Niang, your back hurts, go back and rest." She then walked towards the inner room. Many people were still moving things, but after a while, fewer and fewer people remained.
Jin Sanniang, standing at the door, saw this, locked the door, and chuckled triumphantly, "Lan Yan, you can stay here for the night!" It was just harming one cook, Master Gong wouldn't do anything to her!
Lan Yan came out from the inner room, saw the door was closed, and immediately knocked. "Is anyone out there?" But there was no response, so she had no choice but to lean against the wall, eating the remaining candy from before.
"Alas, the cooks won't come to cook until tomorrow. It seems I'll have to spend the night here." She looked at the small window by the wall. It had already started snowing outside, and she couldn't help but curl up.
"It's so cold."
At night, Jun Xiao Yao, not seeing Lan Yan return, went out to look for her. "Sister Lan, where are you?" Crying, she ran towards Jun Yelan's room. "Brother, come out quickly, Sister Lan is gone."
She had also lost a shoe, and stood piteously at the door of the room. Seeing no one, she cried even louder.
This sound attracted Jun Yelan, who had just returned. He picked up Jun Xiao Yao and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Sister Lan is gone," Jun Xiao Yao cried, her eyes red.
Jun Yelan was stunned. He called everyone in the mansion and asked what Lan Yan had been doing today.
Hui Niang raised her hand and said, "Lan Yan was still moving vegetables this afternoon, we all saw it."
"Moving vegetables?" Jun Yelan's eyes darkened. He got up and walked towards the cellar. He looked at the locked door, split it open with a palm, and saw Lan Yan about to collapse.
He supported Lan Yan's shoulders. The chill that enveloped him made his heart lurch. He quickly took off his outer robe and draped it over Lan Yan. "Lan Yan, wake up?"
Lan Yan's eyes slightly opened, she saw Jun Yelan and smiled, then closed her eyes.
Jun Yelan touched Lan Yan's forehead, his hand burning from her temperature. He hurriedly picked up Lan Yan and walked out. "Call the doctor!" He pulled the clothes covering Lan Yan tighter and hurried into the room, quickly putting Lan Yan into the quilt.
"Quick, bring quilts and a brazier!"
Hui Niang behind them rushed to do so.
Jun Xiao Yao knew Lan Yan was unwell, so she stopped crying and stood obediently to the side. "Sister Lan must be alright."
Jun Yelan took the delivered quilts and wrapped them around Lan Yan. He looked at Lan Yan's pale face and anxiously called out, "Lan Yan, wake up quickly."
But Lan Yan showed no reaction. He remembered something, took out a packet of candy from his embrace, and placed it on Lan Yan's pillow. He peeled off a candy wrapper and put it into Lan Yan's mouth.
Lan Yan's throat immediately moved, and she began to eat the candy.
Jun Yelan breathed a sigh of relief. His peripheral vision caught sight of the doctor arriving, and he made way for the bedside.
After the doctor examined her pulse, he said, "This young lady has a weak constitution. She should have been undernourished for a long time, and coupled with a night of exposure to the cold, she has now caught a severe cold. I will prescribe a few doses of medicine, and she will be fine soon."
"Mmm." Jun Yelan asked Hui Niang to prepare the medicine, and he sat by the bedside, staring at Lan Yan.
Jun Xiao Yao also walked over and asked worriedly, "Brother, will Sister Lan be alright? Xiao Yao has no other relatives, Sister Lan is one, and Brother is another."
Jun Yelan couldn't help but stroke her head and said, "Your Sister Lan is a warm-hearted person, she'll be fine." He sat by the bedside all night, watching over her.