Chapter 2: The Family Gathers

Once the old women had walked away, Xin Nian quickly unwrapped the two bundles to take a look.

I have to say, the supplies sent by the Marquis of Lin'an’s manor were quite decent.

One bundle was filled entirely with white flour flatbreads, accompanied by dried meat.

The other contained three sheepskin water skins, several thick cotton-padded garments, and seven or eight inconspicuous little porcelain bottles.

She sniffed them one by one; they were all pills and powders for reducing fever, suppressing coughs, stopping bleeding, and relieving pain.

Not bad. These supplies would come in handy on the road to exile. That Madam of Lin'an, whoever she was, had been quite thoughtful.

From the corner of the bundle, she fished out a jade pendant that felt warm to the touch, turning it over to examine it.

She guessed this was the betrothal token her original self’s grandfather had exchanged with the old Marquis of Lin'an.

The quality looked quite good; if she ran out of money later, she might be able to pawn it for an emergency.

A conscientious Madam, may good people be blessed with peace. Xin Nian silently gave her a thumbs-up.

Feeling hungry, Xin Nian hid the jade pendant back in the bundle, hurriedly pulled out two flatbreads, tucked a piece of dried meat inside, and started munching.

The bread was soft, and the dried meat was chewy. The freshly made texture was good; it certainly wouldn't taste as good once it had been sitting for a while.

Xin Nian devoured a piece of bread in a few large bites and casually wrapped up another.

Raising her eyes, she saw that the twenty or so people in the prison, young and old, were all staring at her with various, indescribable expressions.

"Want some?" Before Xin Nian could finish, a child’s crying erupted from a corner of the cell.

"Dad, Mom~ Wuwu, you’re finally awake. I thought you didn't want Han'er anymore, wuwuwu."

Xin Ruoyu reached out to nudge her and said hurriedly, "It must be Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt who have woken up. Let’s go over and check on little brother Han."

Xin Nian’s brain was a bit sluggish; she couldn't sort out the relationships between this person and that person for the moment.

However, since her third sister, Xin Ruoyu, had spoken, she hurriedly followed her over.

She secretly pondered: since she had found a chance at survival, perhaps her own parents and brother had also...

Having previously received some of the original owner's memories, Xin Nian was roughly aware that the original owner came from the Fourth Branch of the Duke’s manor.

Coincidentally, she had a father, mother, and older brother, and in addition, a seven-year-old younger brother named Xin Mohan.

Xin Mohan was currently facing his mother, crying with a face full of grief.

Ever since his mother woke up, her gaze had been off—looking left and right with a blank expression. Could she have been knocked silly?

The more Xin Mohan thought about it, the more panicked he became, and he couldn't help but wail.

"Dad, Dad, look at Mom. What’s wrong with Mom? Wu-wa-wa-wa~~"

His father, Xin Wenyuan, was busy enough himself. Holding his head with one hand, he was receiving a massive wave of chaotic information that didn't belong to him.

Xin Wenyuan subconsciously reached out to support his wife, muttering under his breath, "Wife, where the hell did you bring us?"

Turning his head, he locked eyes with a beautiful woman, and startled, Xin Wenyuan pulled his hand back, blurting out, "Who are you?"

"Absurd." The old Madam, Yu, scolded him unhappily. "Fourth, what time do you think it is? You two must stop causing trouble."

The two of them? Xin Wenyuan rubbed his head, recalling the series of complex information he had just received.

Fourth? The spendthrift Fourth Master of the Duke of Xin’s manor?

Having been forced to accept a wave of information like stuffing a duck, he hadn't had time to sort it out, but now it was gradually sinking in.

According to the memory fragments, the Duke of Xin’s manor had been raided that morning. They were currently stuck in a miserable prison, preparing to be exiled from the capital at five o'clock the next morning...

And the original owner, the famous playboy Fourth Master of the Duke of Xin’s manor, loved nothing more than chasing cats, teasing dogs, and indulging in food and drink. On the day of the raid, he had even gotten into a violent fight with his own wife, leaving both of them bloody and unconscious—truly wicked and reckless.

So, he had accidentally transmigrated here?

Xin Wenyuan hurriedly turned to look at his bewildered wife and tentatively called out, "Wife? Little Xie?"

Xie Lanlan snapped back to reality with a jolt. Staring at the refined, unfamiliar face before her, she nodded frantically, almost nodding her head off.

Xin Wenyuan breathed a slight sigh of relief and secretly squeezed his wife’s hand to comfort her.

Don't panic. He couldn't lose his composure now.

According to the information he had received, the spendthrift original owner had two sons and one daughter.

Setting aside the youngest son, Xin Mohan, the eldest son, Xin Mochen, and the second daughter, Xin Nian, happened to share the same names as his own beloved son and daughter.

However, this Duke’s manor’s Xin Mochen had perfectly inherited his father’s spendthrift, playboy bloodline; usually, besides causing trouble, he did nothing of substance.

As for the Duke’s manor’s young lady who shared the same name as his precious little daughter, she had been a weak, indecisive mama’s girl since childhood. Whenever she encountered even a sesame-sized problem, she would just cry and cry, and once she started, there was no end to it...

Judging by temperament alone, she was completely unlike his own son and daughter.

Xin Wenyuan remained calm on the surface, but inside, a storm was raging as he forced himself to stay cool.

"Mom~" Poor little Xin Mohan buried his head in his mother’s arms, sobbing, "Please don't fight with Dad anymore."

His deer-like eyes turned pitifully toward Xin Wenyuan. "Dad, please don't hit Mom anymore, okay?"

Old Madam Yu scolded with a dark face, "In the past, I let you act on your whims, but now you see for yourselves. We’ve reached this point, and I, an old woman, no longer have the energy to manage your affairs."

Having said that, she looked at Xie Lanlan with heavy eyes. "If you can live together, then do so; if not, then part ways. Even the best life will be ruined by your bickering. Madam Xie, if your maiden family comes to pick you up, you can go back with them. We have no objections here."

Xie Lanlan was panicking.

Go back? Go back where? Heavens above, could someone tell her what on earth was going on?

While she was pondering, a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl with apricot eyes, peach-blossom cheeks, and a fair complexion squeezed through the crowd and suddenly squatted down in front of her.

Xin Nian looked at Xie Lanlan seriously, then glanced at Xin Wenyuan.

The two people in front of her, even though they were wearing prison clothes, had fair skin and tender flesh; one look and you could tell they were born into a wealthy family and raised in luxury.

They had nothing in common with her parents, who had weathered the storms of the apocalypse for years.

Three pairs of eyes met, staring at each other, their expressions gradually turning solemn.

Xin Nian took a deep breath and slowly spat out four words: "Family secret code."

"Six-six-six." The couple spoke in unison, their expressions suddenly turning excited.

Three pairs of hands gripped each other tightly, and in an instant, there was a feeling of "having weathered the vicissitudes of life, my heart remains the same."

Don't let Xin Nian’s calm exterior fool you; inside, her heart was already a turbulent sea of shock.

Xin Wenyuan was also incredibly excited. Thank goodness, thank goodness, the whole family was intact and no one was lost.

The next moment, Xin Nian asked: "Dad... Father, have you seen my brother?"

Xin Wenyuan snapped back to reality. Ah, right, he almost forgot his beloved son!

Three pairs of eyes shifted downward simultaneously, looking at the sobbing Xin Mohan.

"Little one, have you seen your big brother?"

Little Xin Mohan was feeling a bit depressed.

What was that family secret code just now? As expected, Mom and Dad loved his sister the most; they only told her the family secret code, while he knew nothing.

The poor little thing wiped his tears. "Big brother is still unconscious."

Xin Ruoyu squeezed in beside the three of them, picked up Xin Mohan to pat him comfortingly, and sighed, "Third brother has been unconscious for three days, and his fever still hasn't broken."

"A doctor looked at him before, but he didn't wake up, and now... sigh."

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(End of chapter)