Chapter 17: Two People Closely Connected

“Hanyan, why is this bracelet different from before?”

Jiang Siyuan felt a faint sense of unease, but then thought she was overthinking it. She was a reborn soul, so she knew the bracelet was a treasure; Jiang Hanyan hadn't discovered her spatial dimension yet, so there was no way she could know.

“I just washed it! Don't you want it back?!”

Jiang Hanyan reached out her hand, her charming face filled with impatience.

“I do, I was just asking. I'm leaving then!”

Jiang Siyuan’s doubts dissipated, and she hurried away. As she crossed the threshold, she obediently closed the door, which let out a creaky groan.

“Doudou, Auntie Jiang will buy you something delicious tomorrow.”

Jiang Hanyan was in a great mood. Making a small profit of a hundred yuan was not bad at all.

Doudou, who was playing with Jinshanshan, turned his head and smiled happily, pointing at Jinshanshan.

“Alright, I'll buy something for Jinshanshan too.”

Jiang Hanyan was generous; when windfall money falls from the sky, one must spend it early.

When she looked in the mirror this morning, she noticed a golden glow on her forehead, so she knew she would come into a little wealth.

In her past life, although she was a urologist, she had traveled the world with her father before the age of ten. Her father was a fraudulent Taoist priest—he had some ability, but not much, so the father and daughter could only barely keep their bellies full.

Her father always said she had great talent, and if she had a famous master to guide her, she would surely become a grandmaster of her generation. Jiang Hanyan's dream before the age of ten was to become a powerhouse in the mystical arts, so that she and her father could both eat their fill.

But when she was ten, her father fell seriously ill and left her behind. Before he died, he urged her not to forget to seek out a famous master. Afterward, Jiang Hanyan went to an orphanage, and her dream changed; she decided to become a doctor to save lives.

Jiang Hanyan sighed softly. Those years traveling the world with her father were her happiest times. Her father protected her from everything, and they could travel through beautiful landscapes. What other child could have such a rich and wonderful childhood?

“That bracelet is very likely an antique.”

Lu Chen couldn't help but offer a reminder. Jiang Siyuan was someone who never acted without profit; she usually spent her time scamming this woman out of money, yet today she was willing to spend a hundred yuan on an inconspicuous bracelet. Clearly, there was something mysterious about it.

“I bought it for one yuan at the market!”

Jiang Hanyan said triumphantly. Yesterday, when she went to the vegetable market, she saw someone selling peach pit bracelets and bought one on impulse. After returning home, she used some chemicals to make it look aged.

This kind of trickery was her father's specialty; she had mastered it since she was three.

Lu Chen's mouth twitched. He silently lowered his head to press the coal briquette, his face feeling a bit hot. He shouldn't have meddled; this woman wasn't the original Jiang Hanyan—she was incredibly cunning. How could she possibly fall for Jiang Siyuan's tricks?

After finishing the melon seeds in her hand, Jiang Hanyan swept the shells off the floor with a broom. She patted her hands, lifted the lid of the stove, and a rich aroma wafted out.

“Time to eat! Finish eating before you get back to work!”

Jiang Hanyan shouted to Lu Chen. She wrapped cotton cloths around the two handles of the pot, picked it up, and walked toward the room. The dried bamboo shoot stewed meat had been paid for by the original owner's father; free food was bound to taste good.

Lu Chen put down the mold and went to the tap to wash his hands and face. Without even putting on a jacket, he went to the kitchen in his soaked short sleeves to get three sets of bowls and chopsticks, arranging them one by one on the table.

“Aren't you going to put clothes on? Don't catch a cold and pass it to me!”

Jiang Hanyan came out carrying a large bowl of dried bamboo shoot stewed meat. Seeing his "refreshing" state, she couldn't help but remind him.

After all, they slept in the same bed. If this guy caught a cold, she would be the unlucky one.

Lu Chen gave her a faint glance and said coldly, “I won't.”

His constitution was strong; even if he went shirtless in the dead of winter, he wouldn't catch a cold. The set of boxing techniques his grandfather taught him was for practicing internal strength. Although he hadn't achieved much with it over the years, his body was much stronger than an average person's.

Jiang Hanyan didn't say anything more and sat down to eat. She had stewed a pot of bamboo shoot meat and also stir-fried a bowl of green vegetables. Although Uncle Jiang wasn't a good person, the dried bamboo shoots he sold were very tender, and the meat juices had soaked into them; the flavor was superb.

Both Lu Chen and Doudou kept their heads down while eating, and neither would touch the green vegetables. Jiang Hanyan picked up the vegetables and placed a bit in each of their bowls. The big one and the little one both looked up, their expressions clearly showing refusal.

“Got a problem?”

Jiang Hanyan's tone was quite arrogant. She was the boss of the kitchen; if they had problems, they could keep them to themselves.

Lu Chen decisively lowered his head and finished the vegetables in large bites. Doudou blinked and also ate them obediently; even Uncle Lu didn't dare to resist.

Jiang Hanyans gave a triumphant huff and scooped the remaining vegetables into her own bowl. The vegetable cores were especially tender right now, and she loved eating them; she could finish a whole large plate.

After the meal, Lu Chen washed the dishes and continued making coal briquettes, while Doudou played happily with Jinshanshan. Jiang Hanyan let out a bored yawn. What should she do?

If she slept now, she wouldn't be able to sleep at night. She might as well find something to do.

Jiang Hanyan thought of the ancient zither in her spatial dimension. She had to find an excuse to take it out and practice. According to the *Lingshu Zither Score*, mastering this zither could cure all diseases; she had to practice it well.

She soon thought of a way and shouted to Lu Chen, “Have you cleaned out the storage room in a long time?”

“Mm.”

Lu Chen didn't even look up. The storage room was piled with Grandpa's things; he hadn't touched it since the old man passed away.

A flash of cunning crossed Jiang Hanyan's eyes. She stood up and walked toward the storage room, saying as she went, “I'm going to tidy it up and see if there are any treasures.”

Lu Chen actually wanted to remind her that the reason it was called a "storage room" was because it was piled with junk. If there were treasures, it would be called a "treasury."

However, he was too lazy to say it. Once this woman was covered in dust, she would come out dejectedly.

Jiang Hanyan pushed open the door to the storage room, and a musty smell hit her nose.

“Cough, cough...”

Jiang Hanyan went back to the room to get a cloth, dampened it, covered her face, and continued rummaging through the storage room.

She just wanted to find an origin for the ancient zither, so she planned to rummage for about an hour and pretend she had found it. After all, Lu Chen hadn't cleaned it in a long time.

But to her surprise, there actually were quite a few treasures in the storage room—mostly books related to divination. She even found Five Emperor coins, a spiritual turtle shell, and other divination tools. Her father had had some before, but not as good as these.

Jiang Hanyan remembered that the books said Lu Chen's grandfather was a very famous fortune teller with quite a reputation in Fucheng. He knew a bit of everything: Feng Shui, naming, locating treasure sites, and calculating marriage fates. Therefore, while Old Man Lu was alive, the Lu family's conditions were quite good.

Unfortunately, the old man had a spendthrift son who not only squandered the family fortune but also ran up a mountain of gambling debts, which caused the old man to pass away with resentment.

And since Lu Chen had no interest in the ancestral skills, the storage room had been sealed off after the old man's death.

“Wow... so many treasures!”

An exaggerated cry from Jiang Hanyan echoed from the storage room. Lu Chen froze. There were actually treasures?

Soon, Jiang Hanyan emerged carrying a pile of dirty books, her face covered in dust. She placed the books on the ground, then turned back and brought out the ancient zither. To avoid suspicion, she had even intentionally smeared a lot of dust on the zither so it looked like it had been gathering dust for years.

“There's even an ancient zither!”

Jiang Hanyan took off the cloth and held the zither with a grin, completely unaware that she had become a "painted face cat."

“An ancient zither?”

Lu Chen walked over. He remembered there wasn't such a thing in the house. Where did this woman dig it up from?

“Yeah, it was hidden in a corner. It's just a bit dirty; I'll go wipe it clean.”

Jiang Hanyan ignored his suspicious gaze. Anyway, she had found an origin for the zither; whether this guy believed it or not was up to him.

She held the zither to return to her room, but as she turned, she bumped into Lu Chen. Immediately, a massive suction force caused her and Lu Chen to stick tightly together, face-to-face. If not for the zither between them, they would have been mouth-to-mouth.

(End of Chapter)