CHAPTER 422: CHAPTER 390: MAYBE I MISTOOK HER FOR SOMEONE ELSE (8TH UPDATE)

Mrs. Yao obviously didn’t expect the other person to have such an identity and was taken aback for a moment.

Wen Wan, however, remained calm. Having just heard Lin Xiaoyue mention Mrs. Yao’s identity, she followed suit and paid her respects, "Greetings, Madam."

"No need for such formalities," Mrs. Yao had already come to her senses, displaying her usual gentle and warm smile.

Then she looked at Lin Xiaoyue and playfully scolded, "Having such a close friend, you should have introduced her to us earlier. How about this, the next time we host a banquet at home, I’ll certainly invite both of you. Dudu’s wife, Mrs. Song, please don’t refuse then."

Wen Wan smiled and said, "It’s such an honor to be a guest at the Uncle Mansion. How could we possibly decline your invitation?"

"Exactly," Lin Xiaoyue said, "I’ve never been to Madam’s manor. If there’s really a chance next time, I’ll definitely broaden my horizons."

Mrs. Yao, being hospitable, was delighted when the two agreed so readily, her eyes curved into a smile.

After some pleasantries, Wen Wan seemingly glanced unconsciously at the young girl beside Mrs. Yao, "Is this lady your own daughter?"

Mrs. Yao didn’t deny it, nor did she admit it, only saying, "My little girl is often unwell, please pardon her in front of Mrs. Song."

Wen Wan said, "The Doctor Li who retired from the Hanlin Academy is quite skillful. Madam might consider inviting him to have a look next time."

Mrs. Yao seemed to have just remembered this person, "Come to think of it, Doctor Li and our family are from the same clan."

While chatting with Mrs. Yao, Wen Wan couldn’t help but look at the little girl several more times.

The little girl bore a strong resemblance to her niece who had been missing for over half a year. However, upon meeting her, the girl showed no reaction.

Wen Wan found it unbelievable.

Could there really be people in this world who are completely unrelated by blood yet look so alike?

In the past, she thought it possible, but after discovering her own background, she began to doubt this notion.

Especially upon seeing the Fifth Young Miss of the Kangding Bo Mansion for the first time, Wen Wan almost thought she was her niece Sanyang, who had gone missing due to an earthquake half a year ago, leaving no news of life or death.

Lady Kang Ding and Lin Xiaoyue’s conversation continued.

Taking advantage of their engaging chat that left them with no time for her, Wen Wan proactively approached the little girl, asking her how old she was.

The little girl looked at Wen Wan warily, but gradually relaxed, probably sensing no malice from her, and said, "Six."

"Six" was the age Mrs. Yao estimated based on Li Huairu’s size without knowing her actual age.

Because of her frailty, the little girl’s voice was somewhat lacking in energy.

However, from her response, Wen Wan captured a key piece of information: both the Fifth Young Miss of the Kangding Bo Mansion and Sanyang were six years old.

Wen Wan couldn’t think of any other explanation besides them being the same person.

But if they were the same person, why didn’t Sanyang recognize her?

Wen Wan’s mind was in a whirl, so much so that she couldn’t remember how she bid farewell to Lady Kang Ding or when she boarded the carriage. The only thing remaining in her mind was the image of that pale young girl clad in a cloak on a scorching summer day.

...

Upon returning home, Wen Wan encountered Song Wei outside the main gate.

The man had just returned from the Hanlin Academy and saw another carriage arriving as he got off his own.

He paused his steps, turned, and waited for the person inside to alight.

Wen Wan had been in a daze since boarding the carriage, and it wasn’t until Jinbao’s delighted cry of "Daddy" that she realized they’d reached the front door.

Lifting the curtain to get off the carriage, Wen Wan looked up.

The sun had yet to set, clearly illuminating the smile on the faces of the father and son.

The man lifted the boy by the armpits, sparing time to raise him high despite how busy he was.

The tall silhouette stretched long and thin, those hands, usually reserved for holding a pen, seemed exceptionally strong at that moment.

Wen Wan walked over, and the man had already set the boy down.

The little one affectionately tugged at Song Wei’s sleeve, rubbing his forehead against his arm.

Seeing this, Song Wei slightly curled his lips, his voice as rich and gentle as ever, "So clingy all of a sudden, did you do something guilty?"

Jinbao suddenly looked up and said, "Jinbao rocked today."

Song Wei didn’t understand what he meant and looked at Wen Wan.

Initially, Wen Wan didn’t intend to mention the fortune-telling incident, but realizing her son might let it slip sooner or later, she steadied herself and said, "We drew a lot at Fahua Temple today."

Song Wei’s gaze remained unchanged, "What did the lot say?"

Wen Wan replied truthfully, "I couldn’t quite understand it, but it was a great fortune lot."

"You drew it?"

"No," Wen Wan lowered her head, "I had Jinbao draw it."

Song Wei chuckled lightly and asked, "What made you think of having our son draw it?"

Wen Wan didn’t tell him she feared the Buddha statue in the temple and the overwhelming Buddhist aura. She only said that the heat made her uncomfortable, worried she wouldn’t draw well, so she let Jinbao do it.

Song Wei had no doubts, "Let’s go inside first!"

After speaking, he walked forward with their son.

Wen Wan raised her steps and followed.

Back at Qingteng Residence, Yun Cai immediately prepared warm water for Wen Wan to wash her face.

Wen Wan also cleaned the little one, waited for him to go play in the courtyard, then leaned on the small couch, kneading her sore calves as she asked, "Husband, do you think there are people in this world who are not related by blood but look very much alike?"

Song Wei was changing clothes behind the screen. Hearing this, he paused, "Why ask this all of a sudden?"

Wen Wan spoke to herself, "A long time ago, I thought my resemblance to the Eldest Princess was a miracle. But once my background was revealed, I realized that such miracles are rare in reality. Many things we think are miraculous are merely because we haven’t seen them for what they truly are."

Song Wei emerged, dressed in a dark cross-collar long robe, tall and slender, with a narrow waist. As he walked out, his gaze fell on the woman on the small couch, his lips slightly curled, "Enlightened so quickly, seems today’s trip to Fahua Temple wasn’t in vain."

Wen Wan wanted to retort that she hadn’t sincerely worshiped the Buddha at all, "Enlightened? More like nonsense."

"Husband, can you guess who I saw today?" Wen Wan paused her leg-kneading, straightening her back.

Song Wei sat at the tea table, preparing tea. With his back to the light, his eyelids lowered, his slender fingers continuously stirred the tea whisk, "Su Yaoqi became a monk at Fahua Temple, could it be him you saw?"

"No," Wen Wan shook her head, continuing to tease, "Besides Su Yaoqi, I saw someone else you’d never guess."

Song Wei kept preparing tea, shaking his head, "I can’t guess."

Wen Wan no longer kept him in suspense, truthfully saying, "It was Li Huairu, the Fifth Young Miss of the Kangding Bo Mansion."

Song Wei found it strange, "Do you know people from the Kangding Bo Mansion?"

"No, but I recognize the face of the Fifth Young Miss. She looks almost identical to Sanyang, my second brother’s daughter who went missing over half a year ago."

This piqued Song Wei’s interest, "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely sure," Wen Wan said.

If she had only seen her from a distance, there might still be a chance of misidentification. But Wen Wan had looked closely, not just at a distance, but even talked a bit with the little girl.

The little girl was ill, making it impossible to judge from her voice, but her age and appearance were enough for Wen Wan to suspect she was Sanyang.

"Have Wei Qian bring people to investigate first," Song Wei suggested, "to avoid any awkwardness if it turns out to be a mistake."

On the way, Wen Wan had indeed considered having Wei Qian investigate, but, "If it turns out the Fifth Young Miss is really Sanyang, what should we do?"

With that question, Song Wei suddenly asked, "What was the girl’s reaction when she saw you?"

"She looked at me like I was a stranger, as if she never knew me," Wen Wan recalled carefully.

"Then perhaps you’ve mistaken her for someone else."

"No way!" Wen Wan trusted her intuition, "Back home, I held Sanyang often. Even after a few years, could I possibly not recognize her?"

Song Wei said, "Children change a lot over time, not to mention it’s been over three years since you gave birth to Jinbao and moved to Beijing. During these three years, you have no idea whether your niece has gained or lost weight. How can you be certain she is the one?"

Being told this by Song Wei made Wen Wan waiver, "Maybe I did mistake her for someone else."

Not wanting Song Wei to give up on the investigation, she reminded him, "Even though I might have confused them, you shouldn’t stop Wei Qian from investigating. In these matters, coincidences can happen."

Song Wei seemed to hum a response, or maybe he didn’t.

When Wen Wan looked up again, the man had dispensed the tea, the dark glazed cup accentuating his slender, fair fingers.

"Would you like a cup?"

Song Wei asked her.

Wen Wan hadn’t particularly intended to drink tea, but now she was captivated by his elegant tea-making gestures, uncontrollably nodding, "Yes."