33 Daughter’s Identity (VI)

The next day, Hui Lan had completely passed out in the bed. The crickets were all crying outside and households were already preparing their breakfast.

Just then, "Niang Niang!" Su Rong's voice called out from outside of the tearoom.

...These two days she has been waking up Hui Lan all the time. Usually, this friend of hers was an early bird. What happened to that?

Inside the peaceful green tearoom, where a lady was laying down

Hui Lan slowly opened her heavy eyelids. She had to adjust her eyesight to the sunlight that was seeping in.

However,

It was most likely due to the medicine, but it was one of the best sleep she had ever received since coming here.

On the other hand, Xiao Mao was not beside her in the place where he used to be.

Hui Lan slowly got up and looked at the small spot beside her, but no figure was laying beside her.

...Oh? The little fella has made its decision to leave her?

...It was a shame. She had begun to start liking him. Nevertheless, he was a free animal…

"Niang Niang!" Su Rong's voice cried again from outside the tearoom which had brought Hui Lan's attention back on her.

"Oh! Su Rong, you can come inside, cough cough." Hui Lan shouted back only to find that her throat was truly not in the position to be shouting.

Su Rong opened the door and made her way in with the water bowl in her hand, "Took you long enough to respond ah. Do you feel sick? Why is it these days you seem tired."

"Hm? Tired? Oh, maybe I should exercise and stretch, then I should be better." Hui Lan spoke while scooping the water in the water bowl into her hands.

"Excuse me, Niang Niang? You said what? Exercise?" Su Rong's face was so surprised.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that? Also, when we're together you can stop with the honorifics ah. Aren't we friends?" Hui Lan washed her face and took the cloth from Su Rong's hand. She has been here for two days already and this body totally needed to slowly gain some strength.

"Fine, then I'll drop it. Let me tell you what's wrong Hui Lan, it's wrong because you never in your entire life spoke about exercising ah." Su Rong could not believe her childhood friend.

Hui Lan's hand stopped from patting her face for a brief moment.

...Sigh, that was another thing that she and this owner were completely unalike.

Hui Lan put down the cloth and turned to look at Su Rong who was already looking at her with a funny look.

...Since she was to survive in this period and this person has been with her for two entire days and would be with her for the rest of the time here, then she should set something first.

Hui Lan looked at Su Rong with a determined face before speaking, "Su Rong, I've thought a lot about recent events and have made up my mind. From today onwards, I must change myself so I can protect myself from now on and teach those that need to be taught, but I cannot do this alone, will you be willing to help me?"

Seeing how Hui Lan finally opened up her heart to her, Su Rong could not help but feel slightly relieved that nothing was missing in that good heart of her friends.

...Yes, those that need to be taught a lesson should be taught.

With a sneaky smile, Su Rong replied, "Sooooo, what do you want me to help with?"

In response, Hui Lan revealed an even bigger smile, "You'll see."

Su Rong's face became pouted in a cute face, "Tch, always being secretive. Ah? Where's Xiao Mao ah?"

Hui Lan turned to look at her side and the little fella was really not beside her, "Sigh, I think he's…"

"Miss! Miss!" All of a sudden, a hurried voice was nearby. Someone was heading in a hurry through the window that was left open by the very same person.

Hui Lan did not get to finish her words and turned to look at the direction of the window. Not long, a sound of whooshing was heard from the window and then appeared Xiao Mao.

"Look at what I've got miss!" Xiao Mao's voice tweeted at the window sill.

"There he is." Hui Lan slowly got up from where she was to the little fella at the windowsill.

Meanwhile, Su Rong watched with a smile on her face. Hm, at least there was this little guy with her friend. The pain from the loss of the little prince might slowly be healed by him…

As Hui Lan drew closer, the little owl slowly gestured to what was in it's mouth.

Hui Lan squinted her eyes to look at the thing that was in Xiao Mao's beak.

...A barn mouse!? But it was dead...

"Did I do well?" Xiao Mao's boyish voice rang in her head.

All Hui Lan could do was reveal a dry smile, "Heh, well done." However, the little fella was still looking at her with expectations in his eyes. Hence, slowly, she reached out her hand and gave him a pat on his head, "Well done, where did you find it?"

"I went over to the forest over that side."

"A forest?"

"Hm, it was in this big place, but the forest is in the middle of this...this...this palace?"

"Oh? There's a forest in here?" How odd? What kind of taste did these Emperors have…

"How did I do, miss? It took me the whole night before I could catch one. It's all nice and fresh!"

Hui Lan's dry smile did not leave her face, "Hm, well done, now enjoy your food la."

"En!"

Eventually, Hui Lan returned back to where she was.

...Hm, she was not expecting to see that right in the morning.

...Aiya, a dead mouse...what a way to start the day.

She had to shake her head slightly to bring what she saw out of her head, but it was not much use.

Su Rong brought out a dress from the box of Hui Lan's dresses. Today, it was a powdery blue dress that excluded calmness to others to see.

Seeing the dress in Su Rong's hands, it certainly suited her taste. This girl was really good at choosing clothes ah.

Hui Lan quickly got up and got changed. However, instead of going anywhere, she simply went back to sitting down in her place.

"Sigh, Niang Niang, do you want to cancel today's meeting as well?" Su Rong asked in consideration of her friend's health.

"Hm? The meeting?" It was mostly like the meeting where she has to go and receive the greetings from all the concubines.

Thinking of seeing that girl's face, her heart could not help but feel heated up. This was not good, she did not want to get distracted while trying to regain her health.

...I'll have to find a way to cancel this.

"Su Rong, I want to cancel this meeting."

"Hah? But if you do, then the concubines might not show you respect ah."

"Tch, not forever, just for these few months, until I get better."

"Oh, you might have to ask the Empress Dowager's permission first. You know, always give some face to the elder."

"Hm, that is very well thought, I'll go and see her right away." Hui Lan was about to get up when Su Rong quickly grabbed her arm to sit down again.

She slowly shook her face slowly, "Since you're not going to have a meeting today, then, meet up with Aunty Feng ah. She said she is coming over today."

"Hah!? She's coming again?"

"Ey, I know she can be scary, but she's worried, so meet up with her before her mood goes bad. You always get timid when I mention her ah."

Meanwhile, Hui Lan can only smile with a bad feeling inside her heart. She got timid? You can say that, but she would have to act as someone else's daughter again ah. Moreover, she almost blew it up yesterday….

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"Feng Furen is here." A servant by the door brought Feng Furen inside Kunning Palace. The servant treated Feng Furen with the utmost respect and led her to where the Empress was.

The servants brought Feng Furen all the way to the pavilion that was floating on top of the shallow parts of the lake.

Within the pavilion, there was a lady in a cloudy blue dress sitting facing the lake. On the table, there was some tea boiling in the small stove while the lady in the pavilion was holding onto her teacup slightly every so slightly nervously. Beside her was a sleeping owl who was sleeping just beside her lap.

"Niang Niang, Feng Furen is here." Su Rong's voice spoke amidst the calmness.

Hui Lan let go of her cup and slowly turned around to see the middle-aged lady walking in. She stood up to her tall height in front of her mother. Xiao Mao fell down onto the bench instead. He drowsily got up to his original pose and eventually fell asleep again.

Both mother and daughter looked at each other with different thoughts.

As Feng Furen walked inside the pavilion with a small basket in her hands, her heart could not help but beat slightly faster.

...It was her daughter, but it was just that those eyes...they looked rather different.

Hui Lan quickly revealed a somewhat stiff smile, but it was enough to help ease the other's worried thoughts.

...What was she thinking, this was her daughter. The same old Hui Lan that she has been with, but still...

"Hui Lan ah, how are you now?" Feng Furen asked in the end.

"I feel much better from yesterday, thank you mother for being worried."

"Sigh." Feng Furen could not help but sigh as she went to sit down on the opposite side from Hui Lan. As she sat down while putting the basket on the table.

On the other hand, Hui Lan poured some tea for her mother and spoke, "I boiled this tea on my own. I hope mother likes it." Hui Lan smiled while speaking. However, deep inside, her heart could not help but feel bad for acting like someone else's daughter.

She tried to remember some of the things this owner used to like doing and one of them was boiling tea. She also remembered that this owner used to boil tea for her mother from time to time and this tea should taste just the same.

Feng Furen looked at the green tea in front of her and could feel her heart beginning to be at ease.

...Green tea...hm, Hui Lan used to love this.

She brought the cup up and gave a sip and revealed a big smile afterwards, "Hm, Hui Lan the tea tastes just the same as to when you were living with us."

Seeing the genuine smile from the middle-aged lady in front, Hui Lan could not help but reveal a small smile in front of her as well.

With happy feelings, Feng Furen opened the basket she brought and took out a plate filled with colourful pieces of cakes.

The plate of small cakes in different colours was brought in front of Hui Lan, "Lan-er, eat some of these, mother woke up early this morning just to make it for you."

Hui Lan looked down at the different cakes in front of her and could not help but think of her own mother from where she had come from. These cakes looked just the same as each other.

Slowly, she reached out for the reddish cake that was on the side of the plate. She loved the red bean the most and her mother used to make red beans in red colour because it was her and her mother's favourite colour.

Without thinking twice, she picked the red bean cake up and was about to eat it, when a loud clanking sound was heard in the pavilion.

The sound came in as a surprise that Hui Lan dropped her cake startlement.

The red cake dropped onto the table in slow motion as the time felt like it was ticking slowly.