Shen Qingwan told Ye Minglan that her parents-in-law were kind, treated her well, and that her two children were adorable.

She did not feel that her life was difficult in this regard.

However, Ye Minglan thought she was just trying to comfort herself.

“You are the daughter of the Grand General’s household. Before we found you, you had no choice but to stay in that village. But now that we’ve reunited, I must take you home. Anyway, Lu Wenzhao is already dead. We can just give his parents some silver, and that will settle the matter. As for the two children, if the Lu family wants to raise them, let them. If they don’t, and since you like them, you can bring them home with you. Our General’s residence can certainly afford to raise two children,” Ye Minglan said.

At this moment, she only wanted to bring her daughter home as soon as possible so that her husband and son could meet her.

Shen Qingwan patted her mother’s hand and spoke slowly, “Mother, let’s not talk about this for now. First, tell me—do you remember anything from when you were not in your right mind?”

Ye Minglan thought for a moment before answering, “I only remember that when I found out you had gone missing, I was so devastated that I fainted. When I woke up, I had an unbearable headache, and my mind was muddled. I couldn’t remember many things. But I vaguely recall that my younger sister, Ye Minghui, told me she would take me to the northwest battlefield to find your father. She took me out of the residence, and later, I was pushed off a carriage. After that, I remember nothing.”

From her mother’s fragmented words, Shen Qingwan roughly pieced together what had happened. It was highly likely that this had something to do with her aunt.

“Mother, how was your relationship with your sister? And why were you with her?”

Shen Qingwan was eager to learn everything about her mother.

Ye Minglan thought as she spoke.

“Your aunt and I are twin sisters, born of the same mother. We look very similar. We got married in the same year, both to generals. But your aunt was unfortunate—her husband died in battle just two years after their marriage.

Since she gave birth to a daughter, her husband’s family didn’t treat her well. In anger, she took her daughter, Ye Lingxue, and returned to our family. That year, your grandmother took both of us to Huguo Temple to pray. Since she was talking with the abbot for a long time, your aunt offered to take you and Lingxue for a walk nearby.

Not long after, she came rushing back, saying that you had gone missing. At the time, you were only one and a half years old, and Lingxue was one. I frantically searched for you, but the temple was crowded with worshippers, and despite searching for a long time, I couldn’t find you.

When your father heard that you were missing, he led his troops to search for you everywhere, even getting punished by the emperor for it. When I returned, I was so overwhelmed that I fainted. After a severe illness, I lost my sanity.”

As Shen Qingwan listened, she began analyzing the situation. “Mother, after you fainted, where was my aunt?”

“Ever since you went missing, your aunt was filled with guilt. She came back with me to the General’s residence, saying she wouldn’t leave until we found you. During my illness, she stayed by my side, taking care of me day and night. She always blamed herself for losing you.”

Thinking of her sister, Ye Minglan still felt a little guilty.

After all, her sister had been taking care of her and her son all these years.

But Shen Qingwan wasn’t convinced.

There was no way her aunt wasn’t involved in this.

It was highly possible that her mother’s madness was caused by her aunt. There were just too many suspicious signs.

“Mother, was Father good to you?” Shen Qingwan didn’t immediately tell her mother about her suspicions. Without evidence, her mother wouldn’t believe her.

When Ye Minglan heard her husband’s name, a blush spread across her cheeks, and her expression softened.

“Your father is a very devoted man. When he married me, he told me he would only have me as his wife. There would be no concubines or mistresses in the General’s residence. Even during the years when I was mentally unwell, he remained loyal, always stationed at the northwest border, never betraying me.”

She knew this because, in all these years, she had always been the only mistress of the General’s residence.

Aside from her sister and Ye Lingxue, there were no other women in the household.

Oh, and there was also the old madam, Gu Tingyi’s mother, but she spent most of her time in prayer and never meddled in household affairs.

So, during Ye Minglan’s years of insanity, Ye Minghui had practically taken over the role of the mistress.

Ye Minglan, however, had no memory of this.

Shen Qingwan was pleased to hear that her father was a good man.

This naturally made her feel a sense of protectiveness toward him.

Though she didn’t know if he looked like her father from her past life, she was still looking forward to meeting him.

Shen Qingwan and Ye Minglan chatted in the tent for a long time, so long that they even missed lunch. Hearing her mother’s stomach growl, Shen Qingwan realized that no one had brought food over.

She figured this was probably Beicen Yuan’s doing, but since he was in a good mood today, she decided to let it slide.

Back in her tent, Shen Qingwan took out a simple clay stove from her spatial storage, lit some charcoal, and placed a small iron pot on top.

She added water and hotpot seasoning.

While waiting for the water to boil, she took out fresh vegetables, sliced sweet potatoes and taro, and carved out an entire beef foreleg, discarding the bones into her spatial storage.

Since time was frozen inside, the meat remained as fresh as when she stored it.

She sliced the beef thinly, prepared dipping sauces, and once the water boiled, she called her mother and Rong Yunshuang over for dinner.

Ye Minglan usually ate in her tent, so she was surprised to be invited elsewhere today.

Rong Yunshuang was also curious.

As soon as they stepped outside, the enticing aroma filled the air.

No wonder she had smelled something delicious earlier—it turned out the mistress was cooking! But the fragrance was so strong; it was almost unbelievable.

As they entered the tent, the aroma intensified.

They saw the bubbling iron pot in the center, surrounded by three stools and a small table filled with an assortment of meats and vegetables.

“Come, sit down. Today, we’re celebrating my mother’s recovery. We’ll have a feast tonight because we leave tomorrow morning,” Shen Qingwan said, handing them chopsticks before putting ingredients into the pot.

Thin slices of beef cooked in moments.

Rong Yunshuang’s mouth watered, and she could no longer hold back.

“Qingwan, what’s in this pot? It smells so good!”

Ye Minglan, also eager, swallowed her saliva.

“Mother, this is hotpot. The beef is cooked in the broth, and we’ll add vegetables after we finish the meat,” Shen Qingwan explained, placing a large piece of meat into her mother’s bowl.

“Try it!”

Ye Minglan took a bite. “Oh my, this is delicious! Yunshuang, you should try it too!”

Rong Yunshuang eagerly took a piece. Though it was a little spicy, it tasted amazing.

“Mistress, this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten!” she said, quickly grabbing another slice.

As the three women enjoyed their hotpot, the scent spread outside.

“What’s that smell? Damn, it’s incredible!”

“I think it’s coming from the prince’s tent!”

“I’ve never smelled anything this good before. What is the prince eating?”

Outside, people chattered in curiosity, and even Bei Chenyuan was intrigued.

“Where is that smell coming from?”

Murong Wushuang glanced in the direction of Shen Qingwan’s tent. His instincts told him she was involved.

“Shall I go check it out?”