Chapter 97: Ah Bao is Lost

“Shuer, what’s wrong with you? Jinjing is also your sister. Why are you always speaking up for Lan Yixuan? Don’t forget, it was Jinjing who made the wheelchair you are sitting in.”

“But isn’t Yixuan also your daughter?”

“I have no feelings for her! Fifteen years of mother-daughter bond with Jinjing. Am I wrong to be partial to her?”

Lan Moxiu sighed, “If you never intended to accept Yixuan, why did you bring her back to the Lan family in the first place? Mother, was all of this just for show? Look at Yixuan—she is the true daughter of the Lan family! She suffered greatly in the countryside due to a mix-up at birth. Now that she’s back, you still treat her coldly. Don’t you think you’re being a bit too harsh?”

“She’s a bringer of bad luck! That’s her fate! Who wouldn’t want a daughter who brings good fortune? Who would want a daughter who brings disaster?”

“I can’t stay in this mansion any longer.” Amid the argument, Lan Yixuan finally spoke, her voice resolute despite her frail appearance. “I don’t acknowledge the Lan family anymore, nor do I care about so-called family ties. I’ll leave.”

Grandmother, I’ve failed to fulfill your wishes after all.

“You’re not going anywhere!” A stern voice commanded as Prime Minister Lan strode into the hall. He had just returned from the palace and had heard Lan Yixuan’s words before even entering.

“As the daughter of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, I won’t allow you to leave,” Prime Minister Lan said quietly, his gaze fixed on Lan Yixuan. “Yixuan, are you uncomfortable living here? How about I find you a few new maids? You can choose whoever you like, as long as you don’t leave the mansion.”

Lan Yixuan lowered her eyes. “It’s not that. It’s just… this isn’t my home.”

Her home had been lost over a year ago, in Qingshan Village.

Her grandparents were dead, and she had no home left.

She was just a country girl now.

Lan Yixuan wanted to leave the mansion, but Prime Minister Lan did not agree.

This matter was set aside for the moment.

As night fell, Lan Yixuan returned to her room to pack her things.

She heard rustling noises outside.

She went out with a lantern and saw a small, dirty child crawling through a dog hole in the corner of the wall.

Lan Yixuan was taken aback and quickly approached. “Whose child are you? What are you doing out here in this cold weather? Hurry up, don’t freeze.”

“Big sister, hug me,” Ah Bao said, stretching out her dirty arms.

Lan Yixuan glanced at the child and said, “Wait here for a moment.”

Ah Bao looked curious about what Lan Yixuan was up to.

Lan Yixuan crawled out through the dog hole, checked to make sure no one was around, and then crawled back inside.

“You’re really the only child here. Whose child could this be? Are you one year old? You’re quite cute.” Lan Yixuan picked up Ah Bao, not minding her dirtiness.

The two of them went back inside. Lan Yixuan brushed off the dirt from Ah Bao.

Ah Bao sat on a chair, swinging her legs leisurely.

“Yixuan.” Someone knocked on the door from outside.

Ah Bao quickly gave Lan Yixuan a “shush” sign and hid behind the screen.

Lan Yixuan smiled and said, “I understand. I won’t hand you over to strangers.”

Lan Yixuan opened the door to find Prime Minister Lan standing there.

“Have you packed everything?” Prime Minister Lan glanced inside and noticed the bundle on the table. “Looks like you’re really preparing to leave.”

He sighed deeply. Even though it had only been a few days, he seemed much older.

Lan Yixuan recalled when she first entered the Prime Minister’s Mansion a year ago. Her father had looked at her in silence, trembling as he held her hand.

In the year that followed, their interactions had been limited.

Most of the time, it was her father confining her to her room.

For some reason, she felt somewhat relaxed in her father’s presence.

But with Mrs. Yang, she couldn’t endure it at all, not even for the sake of blood ties.

“Yixuan, can you not leave?” Prime Minister Lan asked, his eyes reddened, looking exhausted and worn out.

Lan Yixuan frowned.

“I know you’ve suffered a lot over the past year. Give me a bit more time,” her father paused. “You are the daughter of the Prime Minister’s Mansion. I don’t want my daughter to end up on the streets.”

He was getting older, with each day being one less.

Who wouldn’t want their children around them, with a house full of grandchildren?

“In these years, I haven’t raised you, nor have I ever held you as a child. I feel guilty.”

“You have treated me well,” Lan Yixuan replied, feeling his sincerity despite his sternness.

Her eldest brother and father had been good to her, though both were not good with words.

This was her gain over the past year, and her only attachment.

But her mother had never liked her.

Perhaps it was because Lan Jinjing was too outstanding, or maybe it was her misfortune that made her mother worry about her bringing disaster to the family.

No matter the reason, Lan Yixuan no longer wished to live in this household.

She longed for the freedom she once had.

She thought that one day, even if she left, she would still visit her eldest brother and father often.

“Yixuan, wait a little longer. Give me more time. I will persuade your mother. She gave birth to you after ten months of pregnancy. All these years, she… just doesn’t have feelings for you. It’s not that she doesn’t care.”

Her father was pained by the thought of losing the daughter he had just found.

This was his own daughter.

In the court, he could command the winds and rain, but he never expected that in his own household, he couldn’t even protect his own daughter.

Lan Yixuan opened her mouth, wanting to say something but hesitated when she saw the hopeful look in her father’s eyes. She finally nodded.

She couldn’t bring herself to be harsh with the elderly man.

Prime Minister Lan smiled like a child. “Alright, alright, Yixuan, rest well.”

This was the first time Lan Yixuan had seen her father show such a tender side.

A warm feeling surged in her heart.

He must have been like this before, just enduring silently.

Today, he was truly afraid that his daughter would leave and never return. He couldn’t keep up his facade any longer.

Lan Yixuan closed the door, and Ah Bao emerged from behind the screen.

Lan Yixuan placed the small child on the soft couch, noticing how cold Ah Bao’s little hands were. She felt a pang of sympathy and warmed them by blowing on them, placing them against her own body.

“Once, I was like you, running out to play in the dead of winter and nearly getting lost. Grandma searched for me all night before finding me,” Lan Yixuan said softly.

“Grandma… Grandma?”

“Yes, but she will never find me again,” Lan Yixuan said, her expression sad but fleeting.

[That grandma was Lan Yixuan’s grandmother from the countryside]

[I remember, I remember]

In the original text, it was mentioned that during her years in the countryside, Lan Yixuan was raised by an elderly farming couple. They had no other children and treated Lan Yixuan as their own granddaughter.

That grandmother was also a spirit medium.

Before she died, she instructed Lan Yixuan to return to the Prime Minister’s Mansion to ensure her safety.

The reason why she had to return to the mansion was not disclosed to Lan Yixuan.

Only that it was her destiny.