Chapter 102: The Lotus-Shaped Birthmark

When Hu Zhaodi heard that someone from the Ji family had arrived, she immediately thought that trouble had come to their door. Without asking any questions, she hurriedly ran toward their house.

“Uncle, Aunt, please be safe!” she prayed silently as she ran.

If anyone dared to cause trouble at the Ji family and hurt her beloved uncle and aunt, she would make sure they paid the price.

However, when she arrived breathless at the entrance of the Ji family’s courtyard, she froze in shock.

The entrance to the Ji family’s courtyard was completely blocked by three luxurious carriages, and a row of soldiers stood by, all dressed in uniform and armed with long swords at their sides. The soldiers looked stern and serious, clearly not people to be trifled with.

What was going on? Who had caused trouble? Why was there such a huge commotion?

Hu Zhaodi, confused, made her way toward the Ji family’s courtyard.

A soldier stopped her. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

In a panic, Hu Zhaodi shot back, “Who are you? Why are you at my house?”

The soldier’s expression shifted immediately, his tone turning respectful. “This is your house? Please, go right in!”

Hu Zhaodi was stunned, still trying to make sense of the situation. Worrying about the Ji family, she quickly walked into the courtyard.

Once outside the yard, she saw two familiar yet unfamiliar faces—Mo Jinnan and his guard, Rufeng.

The other visitors were strangers to her, but their lavish attire clearly indicated they were not ordinary people.

Inside the courtyard, Uncle Ji and Aunt Ji, along with the two Ji sisters, Ji Chunhua and Ji Chunlan, were serving tea and water to the visitors. Uncle Ji and Aunt Ji looked apologetic.

“We’re just a poor country family with nothing to offer, please forgive us,” Aunt Ji said, looking a bit embarrassed.

The Xiang Taifu spoke up, “This is already more than enough, you must not say such things.”

Rufeng, standing by Mo Jinnan’s side, was the first to notice Hu Zhaodi.

“Miss Hu,” he called out.

Mo Jinnan looked up abruptly, their gazes meeting.

Hu Zhaodi twitched her lips. What was with this big display? He scared her half to death. She had thought something had happened to the Ji family!

The members of the Xiang family also turned their attention to Hu Zhaodi, and all of them stood up from their seats.

It was as though Hu Zhaodi were an artwork, with everyone staring at her in awe.

“She really looks so much like her,” murmured Xiang Yanzhuo, his voice filled with disbelief. “She is my sister… my real sister.”

Xiang Taifu and his wife were both shaking, unable to utter a word.

Xiang Yanlin’s eyes turned red, and with absolute certainty, he said, “She is our sister! She is definitely our sister.”

The Xiang Taifu wife, trembling, quickly rushed toward Hu Zhaodi and pulled her into a tight embrace, crying uncontrollably. “Child… my child… I finally found you!”

Hu Zhaodi was stunned, frozen in place by the unexpected turn of events. She didn’t know how to react.

What was going on?

No words, just a tight hug and a claim of kinship—was this for real? Were they not worried they might be mistaken?

Uncle Ji, Aunt Ji, and the two Ji sisters stood frozen, too.

Hadn’t they just mentioned that they were here to thank Zhaodi for saving them six months ago? So why was this reunion happening now?

After a long pause, Hu Zhaodi finally snapped out of her daze. She gently pried the Xiang Taifu wife’s hands off her and softly said, “Madam, could you please let go of me? I’m quite dirty.”

“No, you’re not dirty at all, Yao’er, you’re not dirty at all,” the Xiang Taifu wife insisted, wiping her tears.

Xiang Taifu, more composed than his wife, moved forward to help her calm down. Though he longed to embrace the daughter he had been separated from for eleven years, he worried he might frighten her.

He gently supported his wife and said in a soft tone, “Dear, please calm yourself, don’t scare our daughter.”

The Xiang Taifu wife quickly wiped away her tears, her face full of maternal affection. “Child, I’ve frightened you, haven’t I? I’m so sorry, I got too emotional.”

Hu Zhaodi shook her head. “It’s alright.”

She carefully examined the middle-aged couple before her. She had to admit that she resembled the middle-aged man in front of her quite a bit, with her eyes and nose looking exactly like the middle-aged woman beside him.

Mo Jinnan stepped forward. “Miss Hu, it’s good to see you again. Let’s go inside and talk.”

Hu Zhaodi nodded slightly. She entered the courtyard, put down her basket and the roe deer she was carrying, and washed her hands before walking over to Mo Jinnan.

“Alright, tell me what’s going on?” she asked, her tone calm.

Mo Jinnan explained, “The first time I saw you, I thought you looked very much like Minister Xiang Taifu, and your eyes and nose are identical to the Madam’s. After returning, I looked into your background.”

“Turns out, I was right. After investigating, I found some clues, and after further verification, I can confirm that you are Xiang Taifu’s lost daughter, Xiang Xinyao.”

Xiang Xinyao.

Hearing the name, Hu Zhaodi froze for a moment.

That was the name she had been called in her past life. When she had first transmigrated into this body, she had wondered why she had ended up in a person named Hu Zhaodi.

It turned out that Xiang Xinyao had been the original owner’s name.

Despite the revelation, Hu Zhaodi remained calm. “You say I’m their daughter, but what evidence do you have?”

Before Mo Jinnan could present the evidence he had gathered, the Xiang Taifu wife spoke, her voice trembling. “Yao’er, you have a lotus-shaped birthmark on the sole of your right foot.”

Hu Zhaodi immediately turned and ran into the house, taking off her right shoe and sock to check.

To her surprise, there it was—a lotus-shaped birthmark!

This was something she had never noticed before.

After quickly putting her shoes and socks back on, Hu Zhaodi returned to the room, where Mo Jinnan handed her the evidence he had gathered.

She took it and looked through it, her eyes widening. “I really am their daughter!”

Mo Jinnan smiled. “Yes, you are the daughter of the current Taifu Lord Xiang Tianyang, the eldest daughter of the Xiang family. Your name is Xiang Xinyao.”

Xiang Xinyao’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. She pointed to herself. “Me? I’m the eldest daughter?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But… the lotus-shaped birthmark on my foot, does that really mean I’m the child of the Xiang family?”

At this moment, the Xiang Taifu wife could no longer hold back her emotions. She rushed to Xiang Xinyao, tears streaming down her face, and embraced her tightly, unable to stop crying.

“My child, my precious daughter, I’ve finally found you! It’s all my fault. I didn’t take good care of you back then. It’s my fault that I lost you… it’s all my fault…”

Xiang Taifu, trembling, moved toward the two women and enveloped them both in his arms, also shedding tears.

“My child, my good child, Yao’er, I’ve finally found you. I’ve searched for you for eleven years! Eleven long years…”

Xiang Xinyao couldn’t help but feel a tightness in her chest, her eyes filling with tears.

The reason she felt this way was because she could clearly see that the original owner’s parents had truly wanted to find her. Their eyes were full of longing and self-reproach.

The three sons of the Xiang family, along with Xiang Xinyu, had long been in tears. However, at that moment, no matter how much they wanted to reunite with their sister, they could not bear to interrupt their parents.

Their hearts were filled with so much pain after searching for Xiang Xinyao for eleven years.

Again and again, they had hoped, only to have that hope shattered.

Now, after finally finding their lost daughter after eleven years, they just wanted to let their emotions out fully.