323 Sending Letters
“Lingshen? Are you my Lingshen?”
Grandma Zhang trembled as she walked over to Zhao Zhan with her walking stick.
Her eyes were cloudy as she raised her head to look at Zhao Zhan. “Lingshen… Y-you’re back?”
“I’m really sorry, Zhao Zhan. My mother is getting old and a little muddleheaded,” Zhang Lingzhen hurriedly apologized. “To be honest, my brother studied so hard that he became a blockhead. He’s always making a fuss about traveling the world. He hasn’t returned home for a long time, and my mother is worried about him. I hope you have it in your heart to forgive her.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Grandma Zhang’s walking stick hit the ground heavily. “He is Lingshen. His forehead and eyebrows are exactly the same as Lingshen’s. Who else can he be if not Lingshen? ”
Zhang Lingzhen followed Grandma Zhang’s words and carefully examined Zhao Zhan.
“This…”
The closer she looked, the more she found similarities between the two.
Grandma Zhang was still holding on tightly to Zhao Zhan’s arm. “Lingshen, how did you end up like this? Quickly follow the servants to wash up and have a good rest.”
“This is your friend, right? Ask him to come with you.”
The old lady was clearly confused, but she was in good spirits as if nothing had happened. “He must be the Zhao Zhan that you mentioned in your letter, right? Let’s go down and rest. Stay at home and don’t leave.”
Zhao Zhan wanted to pull her arm away as he was afraid of hurting the old lady, so he looked at Zhang Lingzhen with a troubled expression.
Grandma Zhang was already in tears. “Lingshen, are you going to leave me again after you’ve just returned?”
Zhang Lingzhen was having a headache.
He only had one mother.
Especially now that she was getting on in years, Zhang Lingzhen was even more afraid that her emotional fluctuations would end up harming her body.
“Zhao Zhan, if you haven’t found an inn to stay in Bei City, why don’t you stay in the manor?” Zhang Lingshen looked a little embarrassed. “Someone from my manor went to Jiangnan to participate in the purchase of the birthday gift. I’ll have him meet with you later and see if he can describe the appearance of the person who was there.”
Fang Tianliu tugged at the corner of Zhao Zhan’s clothes.
“Zhao Zhan…”
Since it was related to the truth of the Fang family’s tragedy, Fang Tianliu urgently wanted to know more.
Zhao Zhan looked at the old lady’s face.
The warmth in the other party’s eyes was not fake. It was so real that he couldn’t bear to shrug her off and leave.
Speaking of which, he should call the old lady in front of him his grandmother.
Zhao Zhan said in a low voice, “If that’s the case, we’ll have to apologize for the trouble of staying at your residence.”
“Okay, okay.” Grandma Zhang nodded her head repeatedly as if she was overjoyed.
“Lingzhen, go and find someone to clean up the empty courtyard next to mine. Put all the things Lingshen likes on it.
“Also, ask the kitchen staff to work and make more food immediately. Look at how thin Lingshen has become.”
Zhao Zhan looked at himself and then thought back to Zhang Lingshen’s body.
His shoulders were so strong that they were almost two times the width of the other person. The old lady was indeed eager to see her son.
Zhang Lingzhen heaved a sigh of relief. “Zhao Zhan, Fang Tianliu, I’ll have the servants take you to the courtyard. If there’s anything you’re not used to, feel free to tell me.”
“Mother,” he said as he went to support Grandma Zhang. “Lingshen is tired from the long journey. Why don’t you let him go back to rest first?”
Grandma Zhang reluctantly let go of his hand when Lingzhen spoke. “You’re right. Go and get some rest. When you’re done resting, remember to come to my courtyard to find me. It’s been so many years, and I have a list full of things to tell you.”
Zhang Lingzhen frantically signaled to Zhao Zhan with his eyes.
Seeing this, Zhao Zhan nodded in agreement. “Alright, I’ll see you later.”
“Mother, I’ll help you back to the courtyard first.”
Zhang Lingzhen took advantage of this time to help Grandma Zhang to the backyard, and before he left, he instructed the servants to take Zhao Zhan and Fang Tianliu to quickly rest.
“Thank you, Zhao Zhan.” Fang Tianliu was cooped up in Zhao Zhan’s courtyard. “If you hadn’t found out in advance that the Zhang family had a missing member for many years, I’m sure that he wouldn’t have told us so much about the Fang family.”
“I didn’t plan this in advance.” Zhao Zhan had changed into a clean set of clothes and was standing by the table, writing a letter to Yue Jiaojiao. “Everything we talked about was true. You don’t have to be so polite to me. I think Shang and the Lin family would never think that we would live with the Zhang family, no matter how hard they think they won’t reach this conclusion.”
Initially, they planned to hide in an inn. However, it was not necessarily the case anymore now that they were going to stay in the Zhang family’s house for a while. If those people wanted to find this place, they would have to spend a lot of effort getting in.
“Then, Zhao Zhan, what should we do about the beard on our faces?”
“Let’s keep it for now.” Zhao Zhan carefully examined the contents of the letter. “When we entered the city, there were many people who kept beards in Bei City. We can change into Bei City’s servants so that we don’t have to be so careful when we go out.”
“Sounds like a good plan.”
Fang Tianliu grabbed a bunch of fruits from the table and stuffed them into his mouth. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to see the person that he just mentioned.”
“When he brings it up, remember to ask him to find a painter.” Zhao Zhan carefully folded the letter and put it into the envelope, then melted the paint on the candle. “With the help of a painter, it will look more intuitive. Anyways, I’m going to the relay station now.”
“Zhao Zhan, even after everything that happened Jiaojiao still occupies your mind.” Fang Tianliu jumped up from his chair. “Let’s go, I’ll go with you. I want to send a letter back as well.”
Zhao Zhan looked at him suspiciously.
“I was just joking. I just have something to ask Jiaojiao.” Fang Tianliu took out the letter he had borrowed from the Medical Hall. “I’ll have to trouble Zhao Zhan to put this letter into your envelope as well. Don’t worry. It’s not a big deal. I know how much you care about her. I wouldn’t dare to put her in danger. It’s just a small matter.”
“Alright.”
Zhao Zhan took the letter and put it away, then carefully stamped it with wax.
The two of them set off to the relay station.
He was only a turn away from the station when someone patted him on the shoulder.
Zhao Zhan grabbed the hand and flipped it over.
“It hurts, it hurts, Zhao Zhan! Let go!”
Fang Tianliu stood at the side and saw the person’s appearance clearly, “Zhao Zhan… Quickly look at him!”
The man’s disheveled hair blocked Zhao Zhan’s view.
When he heard Fang Tianliu’s voice, he let go of his hand and went over to take a look.
When he saw the face of the person, Zhao Zhan was stunned and didn’t know how to react.
“What are you doing here?”
The other party massaged his shoulder and waited for the pain to subside a little before carrying the bookcase back on his shoulder.
“It’s normal for me to be here. Why don’t I see your wife by your side? Did she finally leave you? Didn’t you notice that in front of the relay station, there are people waiting for you to walk into the trap?”