The moment Lan Guifan showed up, Song Yinghuai's pupils instantly constricted.
This kid...
His facial features actually bore a two - point resemblance to Caiyu!
Realizing this, Song Yinghuai immediately tried to get out of bed in a hurry. But he didn't realize that his injuries were too severe, and he fell straight off the bed!
Fortunately, A Ye was as fast as a fleeting shadow. He used his back to prop against Song Yinghuai's abdomen and supported him.
"Roar!"
A Ye seemed extremely dissatisfied with this human's overconfidence and let out a disdainful growl.
Lan Guifan quickly put down the bowl and helped Song Yinghuai back onto the bed. "Don't move around. Your injuries are very serious."
Song Yinghuai lay back on the bed, half - reclined against the headboard. His eyes were fixed tightly on Lan Guifan. "Little brother, was it you who saved me?"
"Yes. I was gathering herbs on the mountain when I found you buried in the snowdrift. So I dug you out and brought you back home."
After the sudden surprise, Song Yinghuai quickly regained his composure. "I will always remember your kindness of saving my life. What's your name?"
He was extremely nervous inside. Could this young lad be related to Caiyu?
Could he be the missing Lan Guifan that Lü Baiwei had mentioned?
Lan Guifan had been warned by Sheng Jiangli earlier. His eyes flashed, and he showed a simple and honest smile. "My name is Zhang Bufan. I'm from Qingshui Village. By the way, you're now in Qingshui Village."
Zhang Bufan?
Not Lan Guifan?
Song Yinghuai felt a bit disappointed. "Have you lived in this village since childhood?"
Lan Guifan nodded. "Yes. I was born here. After my parents passed away, I've been living here all the time, with my elder sister, brother - in - law, and A Ye."
He pointed at the grey wolf.
A Ye lifted his head and chest and let out a growl.
It seemed he had thought too much!
Song Yinghuai lowered his eyes disappointedly, and his heart began to ache dully again.
Caiyu was dead. He couldn't even protect the younger brother she had been worried about, nor the people of the Lan family.
He had hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command, and he had protected all the common people in the world.
But he just couldn't protect the woman he loved most and her family.
His dark eyes stared at Lan Guifan, motionless.
He knew this was neither Caiyu nor Lan Guifan.
But he missed that woman so much.
Even if the young lad in front of him had nothing to do with them, even if it was just a slight resemblance, he still stared at him eagerly.
Something's wrong!
Song Yinghuai narrowed his eyes.
He remembered that he had regained consciousness for a moment when he was in a coma. He seemed to see a woman turning around and leaving.
He would never mistake that back even if he were dead!
His heart started pounding again. Song Yinghuai asked eagerly, "Where is your elder sister?"
Lan Guifan opened his mouth in surprise, looking vigilant. "What do you want? I saved you. You're not thinking of marrying my sister to repay the favor, are you? Don't even dream about it. I already have a brother - in - law!"
"If you want to repay the favor, come at me! Just give me silver!"
Anyway, Brother A Li was so poor. He heard that this regent was even richer than the former crown prince.
It wasn't too much for him to extort a bit, right?
Lan Guifan was eager to change the topic. He reached out and groped around on Song Yinghuai's body. "Do you have any? Do you have silver? To save you, I used all the herbs I gathered to sell on you. I still have to cook for you..."
"A Ye has a big appetite. You should at least compensate me with some silver!"
Song Yinghuai grabbed his groping hand. His eyes flashed slightly. "Don't misunderstand. I just remembered that there seemed to be a woman taking care of me when I was in a coma. I guess it was your elder sister..."
"I just want to meet my benefactor. I, Song Yinghuai, always repay kindness. I just want to repay the favor."
Although he had just woken up, he was still very strong. Lan Guifan was held tightly by his wrist and couldn't move. He just listened to him tempt gently:
"Let me meet your elder sister. When my subordinates come, I will surely give you a thousand taels of silver."
A thousand taels of silver...
If he hadn't been born into the Lan family and once been a young master living a comfortable life, Lan Guifan would have almost betrayed them.
He blinked desperately, trying his best to look unmoved by the money. He nodded repeatedly:
"My elder sister and brother - in - law went to the market today. When they come back, I'll let them come and see you... You swear! What you just said about the thousand taels of silver, don't lie. If you lie, you're a dog!"
Lan Guifan left in a hurry, not forgetting to remind him, "Remember to drink the medicine on the table. It's very expensive! Good medicinal herbs from the snow - capped mountains!"
Song Yinghuai stared at the back of the young lad leaving in a hurry with a solemn look in his eyes. He reached out to pick up the medicine bowl and drank it up in one gulp.
The bitter medicinal liquid couldn't cover the bitterness in his heart.
The way the young lad pretended to be greedy for money just now was so similar to the way Caiyu lied...
Song Yinghuai lay back on the bed again. His heart was pounding so hard that it almost jumped out of his chest.
Caiyu's body had never been found, so he had never been willing to believe that she was dead.
Or rather, he didn't dare to believe it.
Whether it was Xu Buyue, Han Fen, or Zhu Xiao, everyone said that in such a situation, Caiyu would surely die.
But he refused to give up.
As long as he didn't see the body, he was not willing to give up.
Maybe, the fact that the body couldn't be found was the motivation for him to keep living.
So, could the woman he saw in his coma be...
Lan Guifan ran back to his residence as if there was a ghost chasing him.
"Third Sister! Brother Sheng! You were right. He's really hard to deceive!" Lan Guifan wailed and chattered. "He wants to see Third Sister... He said he would give me a thousand taels of silver. I almost gave in!"
That man was really good at getting to the heart of the matter.
He could tell at a glance what he needed now.
Sheng Jiangli slapped him on the back of the head. "Go and cook! I'll handle this!"
Caiyu covered her pounding heart and paced around the room. "I think he might have sensed my presence when he was in a coma... If I don't go now, he will surely notice something is wrong immediately. But how can I go?"
Caiyu also wailed. "Back then on Qixia Mountain, he recognized me at a glance even when I was in disguise. I can't show my face!"
Sheng Jiangli let out a soft laugh, seemingly not worried at all. "Don't worry. I have a way."
Caiyu:??
The next day.
Under Song Yinghuai's expectant gaze, Lan Guifan brought a man and a woman to the small wooden house in the back mountain.
When he saw their simple and honest faces, there was no change in Song Yinghuai's expression.
Lan Guifan looked at his calm face in surprise, feeling extremely uneasy.
Did he believe it or not?
"Big brother, this... uh, these are my elder sister and brother - in - law." Lan Guifan said reluctantly. "When you were in a coma, my elder sister, well... applied medicine to your wounds. I don't know if you felt it."
Song Yinghuai's eyes were sharp. After just one day's rest, he had quickly regained a lot of strength.
He looked at the man and woman standing in front of him, their eyes flickering. He said with a gentle smile:
"Thank you, sister - in - law, for taking care of me. I, Song, will surely repay your kindness handsomely."
"You're welcome! You're welcome!" Zhang Dingxiang felt cold sweat breaking out on her back under his gaze. "General, you're a benefactor to the people of Daye. We're just doing our bit."
The man in front of her was very good - looking, but his aura was so cold, like a block of ice.
Just being looked at by him made her feel like he could see through her.
If it weren't for the large amount of silver that Young Master Sheng had given her, she would have run away.
Song Yinghuai nodded and smiled at the "brother - in - law" beside him. "I've made sister - in - law take care of me personally. I've wronged Brother Tian. Men and women should avoid physical contact. I really don't know how to make amends."
As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the three people in the room cracked.
Lan Guifan secretly thought it was bad.
His elder sister was a married woman. How could her husband let her take care of another man personally?
It would be reasonable for him or his brother - in - law to take care of the general.
It was just unreasonable for his elder sister to do so.
Tian Yishui swallowed hard and forced a smile:
"General, you were seriously injured that day and in great danger. Coincidentally, I was taking my goods to the market in the town that day and couldn't come back. My younger brother is still young. My wife was worried that he wouldn't take good care of you. She was afraid that it would delay your treatment, so she had to do it herself."
"General, you're the pillar of Daye and the hope of the people. It's only right for my wife to take care of you. Although we're just ordinary people, we can still tell right from wrong!"