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Chapter 3: The Letter Left by Our Parents
“Wuwu… Sister, are Father and Mother really missing? Xuan’er wants Daddy and Mommy!”
An Xi Xuan hugged An Xiyan’s thigh tightly, crying pitifully. He was still just a child, and news of their parents’ disappearance had utterly frightened him.
An Xiyan sighed. What kind of situation is this?
She had thought she’d finally escaped the apocalypse and could now live a peaceful life in ancient times—only for fate to slap her again.
She picked up the sobbing An Xi Xuan and gently comforted him. “Little bro, don’t cry yet. Let’s figure out what actually happened first, okay?”
“Mm-hmm… Then hurry and ask, Sister.”
His nose was red from crying, his pale chubby cheeks streaked with tears. Though he was trying to hold back his sobs, his little nose twitched and sniffled, and his tears kept falling uncontrollably.
Seeing her brother like this made An Xiyan’s heart ache. She gently wiped the tears from his face with her sleeve.
Then, carrying him in her arms, she walked quickly out of the room and looked toward the three worried-looking members of the Meng family.
“Uncle Meng, Aunt Meng, Qingzhu—what exactly happened? Tell me everything from beginning to end, no detail left out.”
Meng Guangping paused for a moment, then exchanged a subtle glance with his wife. The two of them had a brief gleam in their eyes—but the next second, they quickly hid it.
Yet inside, their hearts were surging with waves of emotion and uncontainable joy.
On the surface, however, they put on a sorrowful expression, perfectly hiding their true thoughts. An Xiyan didn’t sense anything unusual.
Meng Guangping cleared his throat and said with grief in his tone, “Miss, you were unconscious for two days. The doctor said… the Master and Madam should start preparing for your funeral, that your end was near.”
“But the Master and Madam refused to believe that. Early this morning, they took three of our subordinates and traveled to the neighboring town to seek out the legendary miracle doctor—rumored to be able to bring the dead back to life.”
“When we arrived at that town, we couldn’t find the doctor. We asked around, and people said the miracle doctor had already left for another place.”
“The Master and Madam couldn’t accept the news. They fainted on the spot. We rushed them to a medical clinic, and the doctor told us to wait outside.”
“We don’t know much about medicine and could only do as the doctor said. We waited outside the clinic, but even after half an hour, he never called us in.”
“That’s when we sensed something was wrong and rushed inside—only to see that both the doctor and the apprentice boy had been…”
“…knocked unconscious on the floor, and the Master and Madam had already vanished without a trace.”
“All that was left on the table was a single letter, with the words ‘To our children, Xiyan and Xuan’ written on the envelope. We quickly gathered it and rushed back to inform you and the young master.”
With that, Meng Guangping took the letter from his chest pocket and respectfully handed it over to An Xiyan with both hands.
An Xiyan frowned. At first glance, nothing seemed wrong with Uncle Meng’s explanation, but the more she thought about it, the more things felt off.
She accepted the letter and asked calmly, “Uncle Meng, why didn’t you report this to the authorities right away?”
Seeing the way An Xiyan was looking at him—as if staring at a dead man—Meng Guangping panicked internally. He quickly lowered his head, his eyes flashing with a hint of guilt.
He hurriedly explained, “Miss, we weren’t thinking straight at the time. We only wanted to rush back and inform you and the young master as soon as possible. We didn’t dare make decisions on our own.”
“Also… the handwriting on the envelope was clearly the Madam’s. We didn’t dare open it ourselves and thought it best to let you read it personally. There might be important clues inside.”
At that moment, Meng Guangping’s wife, He Lianrong, dabbed at her face with a handkerchief. Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to speak, but no words came out.
She looked hesitantly at An Xiyan, clearly wanting to say something.
An Xiyan was a little speechless at her behavior. “Aunt Meng, if you have something to say, just say it. There’s nothing between us that can’t be spoken openly.”
“Ah… ah, alright,” Aunt Meng nodded quickly. “Miss, you probably already know that the Master and Madam have many enemies.”
“We’ve always lived low-key lives, afraid those enemies might come knocking one day. That’s why, when the Master and Madam went missing, we didn’t dare report it to the authorities.”
“We thought it was safest to come back quietly and inform you and the young master. We feared that if we involved the local officials, those enemies might trace it back to you both.”
“We don’t matter if something happens to us, but you two… you’re the Master and Madam’s flesh and blood. If anything happened to you, we servants would have no face to meet them in the afterlife.”
As she spoke, Aunt Meng began to cry again, tears streaming down her cheeks as she sobbed loudly.
An Xiyan felt a bit awkward. Still, she could understand their reasoning. After a brief pause, she said, “Uncle Meng, Aunt Meng, why don’t you go rest for a bit? You’ve been running around all day and probably haven’t eaten. Go eat something first.”
“I’ll read the letter with my little brother and…”
“…I’ll let you know what it says.”
“Yes, yes, Miss. Then we’ll take our leave first,” Meng Guangping replied gratefully, casting a thankful look at An Xiyan.
She nodded. “Mm, go ahead and rest.” Then she turned to the worried-looking Tangyuan and instructed, “Tangyuan, go cook something for your parents and your brother.”
Tangyuan nodded and replied, “Yes, Miss. I’ll head there now and return quickly to keep you company.”
An Xiyan was speechless—she wanted to say there’s really no need. After all, she was a tough girl, not some frail, helpless maiden.
She then carried little An Xi Xuan back into the room, sat down on a stool, and plopped him onto her lap.
Having a little human accessory clinging to her like this was… strangely fun.
With her slender, fair fingers, she opened the envelope and took out the letter.
An Xi Xuan sat obediently on her lap, his little head leaning forward. He wanted to see what their parents had written too.
Amused by the cute little guy, An Xiyan unfolded the letter and laid it open in front of them so both siblings could read it together.
The letter read:
Yaner, Xuan’er,
By the time you read this letter, your father and I will already have left for another place.
For your safety, we had no choice but to go. It was a difficult decision, and it pains us greatly.
Do not try to find us. When the time is right, we will return on our own.
You need not worry about our safety—we’re going to a very hidden place, one where our enemies will never be able to reach us.
Our only regret is leaving you both behind. You’ll become “left-behind siblings,” and the thought weighs heavily on our hearts.
After much deliberation, we’ve decided to tell you: you do have maternal grandparents.
They live far away in the capital. Your grandfather is Duke An of the Qiming Kingdom, and your grandmother is the Duchess.
We want you—no, we require you—to go and seek them out. This is not a request. This is a command.
Within five days, pack your belongings and head to the capital. Your grandparents will take care of you in our place.
Just one thing… your grandfather has a rather eccentric personality. But his heart is in the right place.
Don’t be put off by his sharp tongue—he’s a classic case of a “knife mouth, tofu heart.” Once he knows you exist, he’ll surely dote on you endlessly.
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