Sir Song, do you want to pledge yourself to me?

Ji Nuan expected to get up early the next day, but she didn't expect it to be so early. She was pulled out of bed by Sprite at 3:00 AM.

She took a fragrant flower petal bath and carefully took care of her whole body. After all this work, it was already dawn. She then changed into her wedding dress and sat in front of the mirror.

"Comb your hair thoroughly and you will be free from disease and worry."

"Comb the comb twice to the end, and lift the case to the level of eyebrows."

"With a beginning and an end, we will be rich and prosperous in this life."

The Quanfu people combed Ji Nuan's long hair and sang festive blessings.

Mother Ji looked at her daughter in her wedding gown with mixed feelings. She took the wooden comb from Quanfu and sent everyone out.

Ji Nuan saw her mother standing behind her in the mirror and called out softly, "Mom?"

Mother Ji smiled lovingly and said, "Mom wants to comb Nuannuan's hair again."

"Comb your hair again, and you won't have to worry about your love for your husband and wife."

"Comb it all the way to the end, and your children and grandchildren will be blessed with wealth, prosperity and longevity."

After reading her blessing, Ji's mother looked at the girl with delicate eyebrows and eyes in the mirror and said, "My dear Nuannuan has grown up and is such a beautiful girl."

"Mom?" What did she want to say?

"There's something I haven't told you. You... aren't actually your father's or mine."

Seeing that the expression of the person in the mirror didn't change, Ji's mother thought that Ji Nuan couldn't accept it for the time being, and called out worriedly, "Nuan Nuan, are you okay?"

"Mom, I've known about this for a long time." Ji Nuan turned around and hugged her mother's waist, looking up at her like she did when she was a child. "Since they don't want me anymore, then I don't want them either. I will only be my parents' daughter."

"How did you know that? Silly child, don't listen to other people's nonsense. They didn't abandon you. What parent doesn't love their child? They must have been in trouble at the time."

Mother Ji stroked her daughter's long hair and comforted her gently.

Seventeen years ago.

While hunting rabbits in the mountains, Ji Yinzhu accidentally stepped into a trap set by an old hunter, resulting in a serious fracture of his left leg. Grandma Ji was extremely worried and quickly asked the village doctor to fix Ji Yinzhu's leg.

But after a few days, Ji Yinzhu began to have a persistent high fever and fell into a coma.

Grandma Ji was extremely anxious and sought medical help everywhere, but the medicines prescribed by the doctors seemed to have no effect on Ji Yinzhu's condition. Seeing her son, who was once as strong as an ox, lying on the bed and dying, Grandma Ji had no choice but to seek help from the gods and Buddhas.

She took Jin Xiaomei to the Dafo Temple in Lin County. The sky was clear and sunny. But after burning incense, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law left the main hall. Suddenly, the sky turned dark and overcast, signaling a heavy rain was imminent.

The two stood outside the hall, hesitant, undecided whether to descend the mountain immediately or wait for the rain to stop. Just then, a woman dressed in gorgeous clothes and with a noble temperament slowly walked out of the hall, supported by a nanny, followed by a group of maids and servants. It was a grand occasion that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had never seen before.

The woman, with her round belly protruding, said to them with a warm smile, "Look at the weather. A rainstorm is about to come. It's too dangerous to go down the mountain now. If you don't mind, you can stay in my guesthouse until the rain stops."

The nanny supporting her hurriedly tried to dissuade her, "Madam, this is absolutely unacceptable. You are about to give birth, and a stranger has suddenly moved into the courtyard. What if he offends the young master?"

The noblewoman gently stroked her swollen belly, her eyes filled with tenderness. "Auntie Weng, helping others is also accumulating blessings for my child. Moreover, we live under the protection of the Buddha, who will surely keep the child safe and sound."

Seeing her mistress's determination, Nanny Weng reluctantly compromised. Turning to Grandma Ji and her daughter-in-law, she took a step back and explained the arrangements. "Please forgive me, my mistress, but this pregnancy isn't going well. She's almost due, and I'm really worried about another mishap. There's a small courtyard behind the guest house. I'll go and greet the abbot. Please rest in the courtyard for now."

Ji Yinzhu's fall almost exhausted the Ji family's already tight financial resources. It was already very rare for him to receive the mercy of a noble person and have a place to shelter from the wind and rain.

"You're so kind, Ma'am," said Grandma Ji gratefully. "We farmers are content to have a place to stay. May the Buddha bless you and your unborn child with safety and well-being."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had just settled down in the courtyard when the sky seemed to have eyes. A strong wind suddenly blew up, followed by heavy rain, which continued to rage until midnight.

This was the first time the two of them had spent the night away from home, and with such inclement weather, they were inevitably anxious and restless, unable to sleep well. Half asleep, Grandma Ji thought she heard the sound of a door being pushed open. She thought she was hallucinating, but then Jin Xiaomei nervously tugged at her twice. The two of them glanced at each other in the darkness and looked towards the door.

"Who's outside?" Jin Xiaomei asked bravely.

"It's me, Aunt Weng." A low voice came from outside the door.

When they heard it was Aunt Weng, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law hurriedly put on their coats, got out of bed and opened the door.

A soft thing was stuffed into her arms. She couldn't see clearly in the dark, but Grandma Ji could still tell by feel that it was a blanket wrapped around a child.

"My master has been murdered, so I leave the child to you."

Aunt Weng's voice was filled with tears. Then, she took out a purse from her bosom and stuffed it into Grandma Ji's hand. After that, she hurriedly knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Grandma Ji. Without waiting for the two to respond, she turned and ran away.

"This..." Grandma Ji was at a loss for what to do and stood there in a daze.

"Mom, come into the house quickly!" Jin Xiaomei quickly came to her senses, pulled her mother-in-law into the house, and quickly closed the door.

"Xiaomei, this child...what should we do?" Grandma Ji looked at the child in her arms in embarrassment.

Jin Xiaomei lowered her voice and said, "From what Nanny Weng said just now, I'm afraid something happened to the lady who helped us. Mother, why would Nanny give the child to us if she had no other choice? She helped us once, and we can't be ungrateful and ignore the child. No matter what, let's get through tonight safely first."

"That……"

Grandma Ji was about to say something when she was interrupted by Jin Xiaomei.

"Shh... Mom, don't talk, someone is coming." Jin Xiaomei pulled Grandma Ji vigilantly, and the two of them moved quietly to the corner and hid.

"Hurry, that old woman is running over there! The master has ordered that no one be left alive."

There was a muffled shouting voice from outside, and soon a burst of hurried footsteps passed by.

Grandma Ji and Jin Xiaomei hid in the corner, terrified, with a thin layer of cold sweat oozing out of their backs.