Grandma Xiao had a good impression of Han Xu.

Though the young man’s appearance was ordinary, his bearing was outstanding. His manner of eating was refined and cultured—clearly not someone who could be raised by ordinary means.

Most importantly, this person was steady. Following behind Sanhe, he didn’t say half a word too many.

If Sanhe married such a person, the latter half of her life would be secure. Old Master Yan could truly close his eyes in peace.

Yan Sanhe, being clever, naturally understood what “meet the person” meant in Grandma Xiao’s words—bringing a son-in-law to meet the family.

She nodded. “First, to meet the person; second, I wanted to hear you all talk about Grandfather’s past.”

Grandma Xiao, having lived to such an age, had become like an ancient spirit.

“Why are you asking about his past?”

“The Han family is a prominent household. I’m afraid after she marries in she’ll be bullied, so I plan to bring up Grandfather Yan’s past to give her some backing. I know Grandfather Yan was an extraordinary person.”

What?

Marry in?

Yan Sanhe looked at Han Xu with disbelief written all over her face.

Han Xu gave her a look saying “stay calm” before clasping his fists to everyone.

“It would be best if you could also tell me some things about Sanhe’s childhood. I’ve asked her, but she refuses to say. Yet I know her childhood wasn’t easy.”

Look at this old woman’s sharp eyes—I knew they were becoming a couple.

Grandma Xiao, afraid someone would steal her thunder, pushed her little grandson aside. “I’ll tell it, I’ll tell it…”

“You old hag, what do you know?”

Uncle Lao Wu coughed. “Old Master Yan and I were sworn brothers. He told me everything. I’ll tell it.”

“Ptui!”

Grandma Xiao spat. “Take a piss and look at yourself in the reflection.”

“You…”

“Don’t fight, everyone take turns.”

Han Xu pulled out ten taels of silver from his robe and walked over to place it in Auntie Shi’s hands.

“Auntie, please help boil some hot water and buy some good tea and fruit. Use the extra silver to treat everyone to dinner and drinks tonight.”

Ten taels?

Auntie Shi smiled so wide her eyes disappeared. Looked like this really was a prominent family. “You all keep talking. I’ll go prepare right now.”

Grandma Xiao: “Buy more meat—I want to eat meat.”

Uncle Lao Wu: “The wine must be strong—the stronger the better.”

Little grandson: “I want candy…”

Only now did Yan Sanhe understand the brilliance of Han Xu’s move.

Once Yan Xing was gone, only she remained, alone and isolated.

A woman without father, mother, brothers, or support—what kind of good family would want her?

Now a good family had appeared, and quite a capable one at that. For her to establish herself firmly in her husband’s household, Auntie Shi and the others wouldn’t hide or conceal anything, thinking of her future.

Yan Sanhe looked at Han Xu gratefully before focusing her attention on listening to Grandma Xiao speak.

…

By the time the moon rose above the treetops, Grandma Xiao had left carrying her sleeping grandson on her back.

The little grandson had eaten too much candy and smacked his lips in his sleep, his mouth full of sweetness. Even in his dreams he was tasting it.

Uncle Lao Wu had drunk too much. Supported by his young son’s shoulder, he shouted mountain songs at the sky full of stars.

Auntie Shi added another log to the stove and left the compound under Uncle Shi’s urging.

As she walked, she instructed her husband that tomorrow morning he should go to the mountain and catch a few wild rabbits to stew rabbit meat for Sanhe.

Yan Sanhe stood at the window, her mind replaying what each person had said, then piecing these words together to reconstruct her situation when she first arrived.

The Zheng family massacre occurred on the fifteenth of the seventh month.

She arrived at the village at the end of the eighth month.

A month and a half—in other words, after that person rescued her, he rushed to bring her here without stopping.

The day she arrived was at night. Uncle Lao Wu said he heard urgent hoofbeats in the middle of the night. The next day, Old Master Yan’s household had gained a granddaughter from Anhui Prefecture.

Second point.

When she first came to the village, she didn’t know her surname, given name, or where she was from. Everything that followed was instilled in her bit by bit by Yan Xing.

Uncle Lao Wu said she’d been frightened halfway here and lost her soul.

But that wasn’t true—she’d simply lost her memory.

Why had she lost it?

This was a mystery!

Third point.

During her first year in the village, her body was very weak. Yan Xing arranged the hundred-family feast and took her mountain climbing every day to build her strength.

Why was her body so weak?

Was it from being frightened during that massacre, or had her body originally been weak?

This was also a mystery!

Fourth point.

While Grandfather was alive, no strangers came to the village looking for him. This showed that after that person brought her here, he vanished without a trace.

Where did this person go?

Where was he now?

Was he dead or alive?

Yet another mystery!

Based on these four points, Yan Sanhe deduced:

That person and Yan Xing were acquainted. He knew Yan Xing had been demoted to Fugong County.

Yan Xing’s adoption of her was either because that person owed him a debt, or because the Zheng family owed him a debt.

Yan Xing had been an official in Anhui Prefecture. The Zheng family was originally from Yangzhou, later moving the entire household to the capital. That person, having been able to rescue her, should also have lived in the capital.

If there was any connection between them, it must have been through letters.

So the next thing she needed to do was go through Yan Xing’s belongings again to see if she could find any traces.

After reaching her conclusions, there were two questions Yan Sanhe found puzzling—

The first: Why her?

With so many people in the Zheng family, that person saved no one else—why only her?

In Haitang Courtyard there was a pair of twins. She was the daughter, her brother the son.

By logic, saving the brother would have made more sense, right?

After all, only a son could continue the family line.

Second question: Why send her thousands of miles to this place?

Yunnan Prefecture was a frontier region, also called a barren land.

Fugong County was the frontier of the frontier—it could truly be called cut off from the world.

Among the Zheng family’s one hundred eighty corpses, one was “her corpse.” So casually dumping her in any corner would have meant no one would suspect her identity.

After all, not many people had even seen her.

No, wait!

Yan Sanhe’s expression changed.

She recalled from the Zheng family case files a few lines about the coroner’s examination of the bodies, including one sentence describing “her corpse”—

Burned beyond recognition. Based on clothing and body shape, determined to be Zheng Huantang’s daughter, only eight years old.

Because that corpse was female, that person couldn’t save her brother for fear of exposure?

Or…

A bold hypothesis suddenly formed in Yan Sanhe’s mind:

Had that person long ago prepared a substitute matching her build, ready to rescue her at the most critical moment?

As soon as this hypothesis emerged, she was so frightened her whole body shuddered, cold sweat pouring out.

Impossible, impossible—this absolutely couldn’t be possible.

Why would someone who never even left Haitang Courtyard need a substitute prepared? What am I thinking?

“Sanhe.”

“Ah?”

Yan Sanhe whirled around, the shock still not faded from her face.

“Why so pale?”

Han Xu walked over. “Did something happen?”

Yan Sanhe didn’t want to say more. “Nothing, just thinking of some things from the past.”

“Related to your background?”

Yan Sanhe looked at him with surprise.