After traveling through time, I became the aunt of the loyal dog emperor

"Since he is my sister's cousin, he is also Rulan's brother. From now on, Rulan will follow my sister and call him brother."

Rulan showed an innocent smile on her face. She always had the temperament of a little white flower, which made people ignore their suspicion of her. She asked innocently: "Brother, is this okay?"

"Pei Huaichu," Ziheng interrupted her coldly and corrected her, "Just call me Pei Huaichu."

Ziheng was secretly happy that Wan Ning introduced him as brother instead of nephew. But the girl in front of him called him "brother" presumptuously, which made him a little unhappy. Pei was his mother's surname, and "Huaichu" was also the name he used a long time ago, so long that it seemed like it was in his previous life.

"Huai-Chu," Gao Rulan smiled and read out his name word by word, sighing, "Brother, your name is really nice. I have some fate with you. My mother's best playmate when she was young was this Pei. Maybe it has something to do with you, brother."

"The wontons are here, enjoy your meal." The boss appeared in time to end the topic. Ziheng took the wonton bowl in front of Wan Ning, picked out all the chopped green onions in the bowl, and put it back in front of her.

"Brother, you are so kind to me. My mother said that she often picked out the chopped green onions from the wontons for that good friend. Since you are willing to do this, your relationship must be very good and you must be best friends."

"Haha, yeah." Wan Ning's reaction was colder than expected. She just glanced at Wonton and didn't say anything else. Suddenly she remembered that she had promised the Queen Mother to organize a memorial event for Concubine Lan. She also remembered that Gao Rulan's mother was a good friend of Concubine Lan and must have known Concubine Lan's preferences when she was alive. Rulan might have heard a little about it. So she changed the subject and asked:

"Friend? But is it Concubine Lan who entered the palace later?"

Rulan nodded vigorously: "My mother only has such a good friend, Rulan Rulan. Even my name is related to her. My mother hopes that I can become a person like her in the future, so my training since childhood has been imitating Concubine Lan. For example, Aunt Peilan doesn't eat chopped green onions, so my mother asked me not to eat them either, so I want these wontons without chopped green onions."

Wan Ning knew that she was teasing Ziheng for picking chopped green onions for herself, so she pretended not to understand and asked, "Does Rulan know Concubine Lan's other preferences? I just happen to have a favor to ask you!"

Rulan laughed heartily, her laughter as clear and sweet as jade breaking: "If you have anything to say, just tell me. There should be no one in the world who knows Concubine Lan better than me when she was young."

"I have a friend who received help from Concubine Lan when he was young. Now he has become successful and famous and wants to repay his benefactor. Unfortunately, Concubine Lan is no longer alive. So I thought of holding a memorial event. It's not difficult to tell what happened after Concubine Lan entered the palace, but I don't know much about her life before she entered the palace. I would like to ask you to tell me about Concubine Lan's life in the Pei family back then."

"Then sister, you have asked the right person. I dare say that there are few people in this world who know her better than me."

After that, he began to describe in vivid detail what he knew, and the puzzle about Concubine Lan gradually became complete.

When she was young, she lost her mother. Her father was depressed because of his wife's death and neglected to take care of the child. He simply asked her elder sister to take care of him. Her elder sister's meticulous care was her only support at that time. Until her elder sister was selected to join the prince's mansion and become the prince's consort, this support was also broken. Not long after her elder sister got married, her father moved with her. She knew nothing about the new residence. It was a strange place everywhere. From then on, it was difficult for her to see her elder sister again.

After his eldest daughter got married, Master Pei retired from the court and returned to his hometown with his youngest daughter. Along the way, little Pei Lan fainted several times because she missed her elder sister. Every time she was tired of crying, she would carefully lean on her father's arms to sleep, and slowly accepted the reality. It was also in the old house that she met Gao Niang. The two had similar hobbies and were of similar age. They always had endless things to talk about and endless games to play.

During his days at home, Master Pei gradually stopped indulging in alcohol and made time every day to teach the children piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. Although he missed his sister very much, the unfettered life here could also fill his days with fun and make up for many regrets. After a few years, in such a free countryside and under the influence of his father's art, Pei Lan gradually bid farewell to her childishness and grew into a well-educated and graceful beauty.

The turning point of fate was when she was seventeen years old. Her father passed away suddenly, leaving her alone again. This time, she was surprisingly calm and optimistic. She first reported her father's death to the court, and then planned her father's funeral alone. Her courageous and capable appearance was well-known in her hometown. After the funeral, the court sent someone to take her back to Nanye to reunite with her sister. Since then, Gao Niang has never seen Pei Lan again.

"My mother told me that the man who came to pick her up was very handsome and caused a sensation in the village. Later I heard that she was chosen by the late emperor and entered the palace to become his concubine. Unfortunately, the late emperor died shortly after the marriage."

The man who came to pick her up was Prince Qi. From Ruolan, she learned that Concubine Lan's favorite flower was orchid, her favorite color was light green, and her favorite pastry was the lotus cake that she and Gao Niang made when they lived in the old house.

"Have you ever eaten this lotus crisp?"

"I have. My mother makes a lot of it every year. The lotus crisps are lifelike on the plate, crispy in the mouth, and have a light fragrance of lotus leaves."

Wan Ning swallowed and asked, "I'm drooling just hearing this. Do you have a recipe?"

Rulan shook her head. "No, my mother never allowed me to watch when she made it. I could only eat it. But my mother would make a lot of it every fifteenth day of this month and give it to the neighbors. This year we are in Nanye and she should make a lot of it to give to the guests at Furong Tower. If you want to eat it, you can come to Furong Tower."

"I'm afraid it won't work on the 15th, as I've already made plans for that day. Thank you, Rulan, for telling me all this and helping my friend out. It's getting late, so go back early so your mother won't worry. Did you sneak out again this time?"

"Not this time, sister, look there." Following the direction of Rulan's finger, a young man from Furong Tower was standing by and waiting. "This time, my mother agreed to it. She sent him to follow me. My mother said that I will be married next year, and I will no longer be so carefree after marriage, so she turned a blind eye to my behavior."

Gao Rulan stuffed the only two wontons left in the bowl into her mouth, like a cute little rabbit, and stood up anxiously: "I was just busy talking, and the wontons are a little cold. Brother Huaichu, it's really late today. If I don't go back, mother will be worried."

Rulan reluctantly took a few steps forward, then suddenly turned back and held Wan Ning's hand, excitedly suggesting, "Sister, why don't you come with me to Furong Tower and discuss with my mother about ordering a few lotus cakes, and then we can just send someone to pick them up. What do you think?"

"Is this abrupt?" Wan Ning thought it was a good idea, but she was a little hesitant.

"Of course, the teahouse business has not been very good recently, and there is no reason to refuse to make some extra money. Brother Huaichu, come with us!" Ziheng wanted to refuse, but seeing the happy expression on Wan Ning's face, he agreed to go with him. Before leaving, seeing that the wontons in front of Wan Ning were not touched, he secretly packed a portion of shortbread.

Several people immediately rushed to Furong Tower.