Crossing Over to Yamada Love

The coachman hurried to catch the carriage, while the chubby boy comforted Mo Lan: "Lan Lan, don't be afraid, the carriage will be here soon. We can go inside the mansion to talk about it."

"Okay." Mo Lan responded softly, feeling much relieved.

Xue Lingfeng put Mo Lan into the carriage, and he and the chubby boy also got in, then went straight back to his courtyard.

Mo Lan got into bed, covered herself with a thick brocade quilt, and drank a bowl of hot ginger soup before she felt a little warmer. She prayed that she wouldn't get a fever again like last time; this was nothing like being at home.

"This afternoon, people from town came and forced my father to hand over the recipes for those dishes. My father refused, so they threatened us with knives. They said they would kill us if we didn't hand over the recipes. In the end, our family fought them to the death. Although everyone in the family was injured, they couldn't do anything to us for a while. We pretended to give them the recipes and found out who they were. They said they were Chen Xuewen's men from the capital and that they weren't afraid of the Xue family and that they had to have the recipes. We pretended to give them the recipes, but they couldn't write them, and neither could our family. That's how they gave us one night to find someone to write them. They'll come to collect the recipes tomorrow. If they don't have them, I'm afraid our lives will be in their hands." Mo Lan recounted the events as calmly and concisely as possible.

"This is outrageous! They dare to covet our Xue family's property! They've got some nerve! They actually dare to oppose our Xue family!" The chubby boy was furious and spoke with hatred.

"Chen Xuewen, that's no simple man. He's very favored by the Emperor. Before the New Year, we opened a specialty food shop in the capital, and because it was a new dish, business was booming. I'm afraid he's holding a grudge. He's trying to compete with our manor. He doesn't dare to come openly, so he sent his lackeys here to cause trouble. If we don't teach them a lesson, they'll think Shangchang Town belongs to them!" Xue Lingfeng's voice wasn't loud, but it was chillingly cold.

“Young Master Xue, our family has no power or influence. We just want peace and quiet. We can’t get involved in your affairs. I just hope you can resolve this matter and bless our Mo family with peace and safety. Is that alright?” Mo Lan said, looking up at Xue Lingfeng.

Xue Lingfeng looked at the girl in front of him. She was only ten years old. Her face was still pale, the color still lingering. Her eyes were misty, and she looked at him without flinching. Her request was clearly written on her face: she asked for nothing but the safety of her family. The Xue family's affairs should not involve her.

"Okay." Xue Lingfeng nodded gently and said a single word.

After he said that word, Mo Lan felt a sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from her heart. She believed that since Xue Lingfeng had agreed to her request, he would resolve the matter.

"Lanlan, rest assured, my fifth brother will handle this matter. I promise I won't let you suffer in the future. Why don't you go and rest in my courtyard?" The chubby boy felt relieved when he saw that his fifth brother had agreed. He was still young and didn't have much say in the Xue family, unlike his fifth brother, who had few people in the Xue mansion who could control him.

"No, I want to go back. I'm afraid my family will worry. Could you send a carriage to take me back?" Mo Lan refused the chubby boy's offer; she wanted to go home.

"Let's just stay here for the night. I'll go back with you tomorrow," Xue Lingfeng said, frowning as he looked at Mo Lan, who was trying to get up. This girl had just warmed up a bit; she couldn't take any more exertion.

"I'm afraid I'll get a fever later. Last time I fell into the river, I developed a fever in the middle of the night. The chill in my bones hasn't been completely removed. And I've been frozen for so long today. I'm afraid..." Mo Lan said softly.

"Afraid of the cold, you still want to go back in the middle of the night? Stay here, I'll have someone brew some medicine for you to drink to dispel the cold." Xue Lingfeng stood up, ordered Mo Lan not to leave, called over a maid to brew the medicine, and then turned to ask Mo Lan, "Have you eaten anything?"

Mo Lan gently shook her head. She hadn't eaten or drunk anything since noon.

"Xia Liu, go to the small kitchen and get some congee and side dishes," Xue Lingfeng instructed his maid.

The maid glanced at Mo Lan, then at Xue Lingfeng, and hurriedly left.

Mo Lan ate something and felt warm in her stomach. She wanted to go back, but then she realized Xue Lingfeng was right. She couldn't stay cooped up in Xue Lingfeng's room forever. After thinking it over, she stood up. Her legs had almost recovered, and she could walk on her own.

"Young Master Xue, just find me a place to rest. This is your room, I can't stay here." Mo Lan's words were sincere and not pretentious.

"Come on, let's go to my yard. I have some spare guest rooms there." The chubby boy stood up and invited Mo Lan again.

Mo Lan sincerely thanked the enthusiastic little chubby boy. She couldn't go to his yard; he was still young, and she was afraid his parents would find out.

"Let her rest here. I'll go to the study. I have to travel with her early tomorrow morning. You should go back and rest so that Aunt Liu won't worry," Xue Lingfeng instructed.

"I want to go too. You must take me with you. Have Xiao Luzi go to my courtyard and tell you that I'm not leaving tonight. I'll rest in your study too, so you won't not call me tomorrow." The chubby boy refused to leave and stayed overnight in Xue Lingfeng's courtyard study.

Mo Lan slowly drifted off to sleep. Just before dawn, she suddenly opened her eyes. She looked outside and saw that it was still dark. She tried to recall what had happened.

After sorting things out, she touched her forehead. Thank goodness! She didn't have a fever. She got up and dressed. Quietly walked to the door and opened it.

A gust of cold wind swept over her, and she shivered. It was so cold.

She looked around the courtyard and saw a light still on in one of the rooms. She walked over quietly.

"Who is it?" came a servant's voice.

"I... I'm just taking a walk," Mo Lan quickly replied.

The door creaked open, and Xue Lingfeng walked out. He looked tired, as if he hadn't slept all night.

"Changxi, go and tell them to prepare the carriage. You're coming with me today, and you should call Changlai along too," Xue Lingfeng instructed his personal servant.

"Yes, sir. What about Steward Xue?" Changxi asked. Steward Xue usually accompanied the master when he went out.

"I told him to do something else, go quickly." After saying that, Xue Lingfeng glanced at Mo Lan, turned around and went back into the house.

Mo Lan returned to Xue Lingfeng's bedroom. The maid had already brought hot water. Seeing the maid constantly looking her over, Mo Lan didn't say anything. She quietly told the maid to put on her shoes and washed her face. She knew that these pretty maids were curious about her and looked down on her, but she had no intention of entering the Xue family and would not have any interaction with them in the future, so she didn't care.

Looking at the chubby boy sleeping soundly on the bed, Xue Lingfeng hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to wake him up or not.

"Xiao Shi, get up quickly, we're leaving." Xue Lingfeng called softly to the chubby boy.

"Stop making noise, I'm so sleepy. Stop bothering me," the chubby boy muttered.

"Alright, I'm leaving." Xue Lingfeng ignored him and walked to the basin stand.

The maid had already prepared the water for washing his face and picked up a towel. Xue Lingfeng washed his face, relieving his fatigue.

"Wait for me, I want to go too." The chubby boy suddenly came to his senses, sat up in bed, rolled off the bed, and ran to wash his face.

"Put on your clothes first, so you won't get cold," Xue Lingfeng said softly.

After the two finished getting ready, the carriage was prepared. Mo Lan sat inside the carriage and found it very warm because there was a charcoal brazier inside. However, it was a bit shaky and not very comfortable.

When she arrived at the entrance of Mo Lan's shop, she saw the lock on the gate and knew that her family had not yet arrived and must be at the old house. She told the carriage to stop there and ran back to the old house to call for them.

Back at the old house, she gently pushed the door open; it was ajar and opened easily.

"Who's there?" a male voice called out in surprise.

When Mo Lan went inside, she was surprised to see Mo Changhe, who was wrapped in a thick quilt and sitting on a stool behind the door.

"Lan'er, you're back?" Mo Changhe recognized his daughter and hurriedly went forward to hug Mo Lan.

That night was agonizing for the Mo family; no one could sleep. Although Lan had told them she might not be able to return that very night, their hearts were still heavy. They truly regretted letting her go to town alone. They wanted to find Mo Lan, but were afraid of getting lost. Mo Changhe waited for Mo Lan at the village entrance from the latter half of the night until dawn, but when his daughter didn't return, he had no choice but to go back to the old house to wait. He was afraid that those people would arrive early and encounter them, and then they would seize him and threaten his family.

"Dad, you didn't sleep all night? I'm fine, don't worry." Mo Lan touched the wound on her father's face, and seeing the redness in his big eyes, she felt a pang of sadness.

"It's good that everything's alright, it's good that everything's alright." Mo Changhe breathed a long sigh of relief while holding his daughter.

"Lan'er, Lan'er, you're back! I was so worried about you. My Lan'er!" Qiu opened the door and saw her husband holding her daughter. She rushed over, calling out to him. The anxiety that had gripped her all night finally subsided.

Hearing Qiu's shouts, everyone came out and saw the three people embracing each other. Their eyes were all wet with tears.

"Grandpa and Grandma, Dad and Mom, Uncle and Aunt, Brother and Sister, and Little Three, I'm sorry to have worried you. I'm back. Young Master Xue is here too, waiting at the shop. Let's go over there." Mo Lan called out to everyone in her family, giving them a bright smile.

"Okay, okay. Let's go." Mo Quan nodded, and the family walked towards the shop, while no one from the second branch of the family came out.

The Mo family arrived at the shop, greeted the Xue brothers, opened the door, and welcomed them inside.

Mo Lan asked her grandfather, uncle, and father to talk to the Xue brothers, while she went to the backyard with everyone else.

"Mother, cook some porridge and prepare some side dishes. The two young masters Xue arrived in a hurry and haven't eaten yet," Mo Lan called to her mother to prepare breakfast.