Daughter’s Identity (XIV)

Hui Lan walked closer and closer to the people that were before her with a heavy heart. On the other hand, Su Rong greeted everyone and then went outside to give them some time together.

While General Feng was smiling widely as he welcomed his daughter, Feng Furen was sipping her tea quietly.

Hui Lan glanced at Feng Furen from the corner of her eyes as she walked to her seat.

Feng Lin got up from his seat and made way for his big sister to sit beside his father, "Jie, it's good to see you looking all healthy! I was so worried yesterday."

Hui Lan turned her attention to Feng Lin who was in front of her. She took a deep breath before smiling, "Thank you di di." That was at least how Hui Lan, Feng Lin's real sister, would usually call him.

The young boy smiled, "En." He then went to sit on the chair beside his sister feeling happy. His sister was just the same.

...It had been almost 2 years that they had never seen each other. All they could do was write letters to each other, but as close siblings, it was still hard to be separated from each other especially when his sister was always his friend.

"Hui Lan, how are you feeling? Look at you in a man's clothes. I never thought I'd be wanting to encourage you to sneak out of your own house ho ho." Great General Feng spoke to his daughter with full adoration in his eyes.

...He still remembered when Hui Lan would sometimes dress up as a boy and leave the house with Feng Lin, Su Rong, and Su Juo. Those four used to be a full racket and a bunch of mischievous kids, but all seemed to have grown up their own way in the end.

...It was the same little girl he knew. At least, the palace did not change her to become someone else.

...However, that palace was the very place that seemed to have brought her so much misery. Also, to his poor grandchild that he had never got a chance to even know.

...It was somewhat regretful to not have been there beside his daughter.

"Die, I'm much better. I took mother's medicine and all is good." Hui Lan replied like how the old Hui Lan would have in front of her father.

"Oh? That is why. Your mother's medicine skills are always the best in the entire Kingdom, don't you think so darling?" General Feng turned to ask his furen who was quiet all this time.

To more exact, since coming back from visiting Hui Lan yesterday, his wife had been quiet the entire time. No matter what he asked she simply replied that she was tired. When she was like this, he too would not know what to do with her. All he could do was be beside her and wait until she was ready to tell him.

Feng Furen blinked once as everyone's attention was now on her. She looked up and her eyes briefly met with her daughter who was sitting in front of her before Hui Lan looked down to sip her tea.

There was a moment of silence in the room before Feng Furen opened her lips, "Can I have a word with Hui Lan...alone?" Feng Furen finally spoke what was on her heart to her husband and to her son.

The father and son looked at each other and felt like they needed to give time for the two ladies in the family to catch up with each other more.

"Ahem, very well. Feng Lin let's go see what food there is today." General Feng quickly picked an excuse for them to go out.

"Hm, sounds good. I'm in." Feng Lin replied back enthusiastically to his father.

In no time, the two male in the family made their way out and only Feng Furen and Hui Lan were left.

While Hui Lan was deeply interested in the ordinary cup of tea that was in front of her. Feng Furen was thinking back and forth in her head.

In the end, the middle aged lady heaved a small sigh before opening her lips again, "Hui Lan,"

Slowly, Hui Lan looked up to face the elder who was sitting across her. Her heart could not help but beat rapidly. She was usually not someone to be this anxious nor did she feel so anxious, but her body was reacting otherwise…

...Was it the time that her identity was revealed? What would they all call her when they knew who she was? A parasite? Or would they try to chase her out of this body?

...Then, where was she to go ah? This bloody mission!

Unexpectedly, Feng Furen revealed a smile to Hui Lan.

Hui Lan had to blink once and twice to make sure that her eyes were still working properly.

Then, Feng Furen began speaking, "Hui Lan ah, I was not feeling well yesterday so I left first. Looking at you now, dressed up in a young master's clothes, makes me think of when you were younger as well. You used to do so many things but you were always the sensible one in the pack and now you are the Empress. But do you still remember? When you and Feng Lin tried to steal snacks from the kitchen and gave it to the neighbourhood friends? You always seemed to care for the people ah..."

Hui Lan became quiet as she slowly digested Feng Furen's reminiscing words…

Although the middle aged lady was speaking as if she was merely mentioning those stories...it was just that those memories were never in her memories...more like this owner's memories.

...Yes, Hui Lan did steal food and gave it to the children in their neighbourhood, but it was not Feng Lin who went with her nor was it snacks, but it was Hui Lan's handmade rice balls that the little girl made and packed up nicely.

...Her parents had just arrived at the borderline with her to fight the war, but the consequences of war were the lack of food and poverty. As a small child, she remembered the streets becoming all full of fear as the entire capital city was about to go in war. General Feng was the only successor of the Feng family, hence, the entire Feng family all went to the borderline.

...Thus, at night, Hui Lan went alone in the night and would leave the food for the children that were on the streets close to her house.

...In this owner's memories, she remembered doing all this alone and would always sneak back in alone safe and sound.

...However, how could a young child sneak out in the night in such a critical situation like that? Unless...all those time, it was the little girl's mother who would always protect her as she sneaked out…

...All this time, the mother who was in front of her hand been taking care of this girl closely like a mother bird that watched over her child from afar yet her eyes were always watchful for her little girl.

Hearing this story until now, and knowing how Feng Furen had been watching over Hui Lan this closely, how could she remember the details wrongly?

At the back of the head, she was beginning to feel like this was not just something that Feng Furen was randomly reminiscing about, but more like...a test.

...That was probably more like her.

Hui Lan, who had been quiet for a short moment, slowly looked up to her mother who was sitting in front of her, "Mother, Feng Lin did not go with me ah nor was it snacks but riceballs. However, Lan-er doesn't remember telling you this story, but it seemed you must have found out about it somehow…"

Feng Furen felt like her burning heart was slowly coming at ease. She looked at Hui Lan with sparkling eyes, this was exactly how Hui Lan was like before and she was definitely telling the truth.

However, Hui Lan did not stop there. Her sweet tone changed as she returned to using her natural voice, "Mother, I have something to tell you first."

Feng Furen nodded without thinking much as it was her daughter who wanted to speak to her.

"I'm not Hui Lan."

Hui Lan's words still did not go into her mind. However, when it did, it felt as if the world went blank. Feng Furen could not help but stuttered as she spoke, "Y..Y..you…"

Hui Lan took a deep breath before speaking seriously, "I think you must have grasped something already, but...I'm not Hui Lan."

Feng Furen stood up abruptly, so abruptly that her chair went flying behind her.

"Who are you?"

Hui Lan did not expect less than this from Feng Furen's reaction and Slowly, she too got up and replied firmly, "I'm Feng Hui Lan, but just not your Feng Hui Lan."

As if all the strength was stripped away from her legs, Feng Furen dropped onto the floor.

Hui Lan took a hesitant step forward but stood in her place when Feng Furen raised her hand as if to tell Hui Lan to stay in her place.

Feng Furen felt as if all the hope she had gathered today was lost in a snap of a finger.

Slowly, she asked Hui Lan indifferently, "Where are you from?"

Feng Furen's response caught Hui Lan by surprise. Instead of freaking out as Hui Lan had expected, Feng Furen looked much more composed than she would have thought.

Nevertheless, Hui Lan did not keep it in and replied back truthfully, "I'm from a timeline in the future. I was told to finish a…"

"Mission." Feng Furen cut in between Hui Lan's words before she could finish speaking.

"Ah?"

...This?

Slowly, Feng Furen got up to her knees and stood back up on her own, "Heaven's mission, Queen Yue Lin has been working hard all these years, but I did not think that my daughter would get affected by this too."

Hui Lan was rendered speechless. This person that stood before her…

Feng Furen straightened her back and lifted her lashes swiftly before she spoke, "Princess Feng Nuo, nice to meet you. I came into this body and replaced the other person just like you, but I came from a time in the past. Now, tell me about yourself."

Before the elder, who was excluding a noble presence in front of her, Hui Lan explained truthfully, "I'm Professor Feng Hui Lan. Nice to meet you, princess."

Inside, she felt as if a rock was lifted from her heart.

...At least, Feng Furen would be able to understand her situation since both of them were the same!

"Hm, very well, you're telling the truth. What is your mission then?" Feng Furen began questioning the girl before her as if all her sorrows were washed away.

"None or more like I have no clue about it, but I think there's one thing that you should know. Your daughter...she didn't disappear or I've replaced her while she was alive, but she died before I came into her body." Somehow, there was this pressuring feeling coming from the person in front of her. It was as if she could only speak nothing but the truth…

...Nevertheless, she was not planning to keep anything a secret any longer. Hence, there was no such pressure to be felt.

Feng Furen's hands shook as Hui Lan spoke honestly to her about her daughter…

The elder quickly rumbled for the chair beside her and grabbed it tightly to stable herself, "What?" On her wrist, a cloudy black jade was revealed. There was a strands of white clouds that were moving slowly in the black jade; shifting from one place to their other from within the jade.

Hui Lan stared at the jade that was exposed and couldn't help but crease her brows slightly.

...A jade bracelet?

In the end, Feng Furen could only make her way to sit down wearily on the chair that she was holding.

"Tell me more…" Feng Furen's weary voice probed eventually.

Hui Lan quickly gathered her attention back to Feng Furen's question and replied carefully, "I'm very sorry for your loss. She passed away just minutes before I came into this body. I could still feel her pain and remember her memories when I came in…" Hui Lan explained to the elder.

"You're telling the truth, but that cannot be or should not have happened...all the candidates are supposed to replace one another's bodies and carry on their missions. However, how could Hui Lan have died before that?" Feng Furen had a bad feeling at the back of her mind.

...Where was her daughter now? Was her daughter lost?

"I do not know what is supposed to happen and what is not supposed to happen, but one thing that I can tell you, Princess Feng Nou, is that Empress Feng died because of the pressures in the palace and her health declined ever since the loss of the little prince. You might be able to fathom what could have happened after that."

"Oh, Hui Lan…" Feng Furen who had been trying to keep herself as calm as possible finally broke down. The elder covered her face with her two hands as she began to weep in silence.

No sounds came from her. There was only the sorrowful silence that resounded in the room.

...My daughter

The loss of a child was like a million kinds of pain that were attacking her weary heart at once. If there was a chance, she would rather give up her own life for her daughter than for her daughter to be taken away at such a young age.

...Why did you have to leave so soon?

As Feng Furen wept, darkness began to form around the jade bracelet. It was as if the black colour was trying to break free from the bracelet.

Moreover, the room temperature began to drop and the lights began to dim as the darkness grew.

Hui Lan turned around to look at the state of the entire room and back to Feng Furen.

...Oh, dear. Whatever is happening, it did not look like it should be happening either.