Zhaodi was visibly panicking.
The poison had been given to her by the mysterious man.
He had confidently told her that the symptoms would look exactly like a common cold.
He even claimed that not even a doctor with ten years of experience could tell the difference.
Yet Song Yannian had recognized it in only two seconds.
What kind of useless poison is this?
Was he fooling me?
Zhaodi was so angry her face almost twisted.
Fortunately, before leaving the room, she had been careful enough to knock over the bowl of medicine on purpose.
Otherwise, if they really found evidence, she would be finished.
Even if Song Yannian spared her…
The mysterious man certainly wouldn’t.
He would kill her without hesitation.
Zhaodi forced herself to calm down.
Song Li had fainted.
This was the perfect chance to bring out the family token.
Her performance had only just begun.
She wasn’t going to lose.
…
After Song Yannian placed Song Li on a small couch beside the window, Zhaodi quickly walked over with a worried expression.
“It’s all my fault for not taking good care of Song Li.”
She lowered her head and pleaded,
“Please… please save her. I gathered these herbs according to a cold remedy left behind by an old doctor. I don’t know whether they were the right medicine.”
“Wow.”
“The fake daughter is really good with words.”
“First, she protects her image as a kind person.”
“Second, she shifts the blame onto the doctor.”
“She gets all the credit for working hard to gather herbs and take care of her friend.”
“How shameless.”
“Did you really gather those herbs?”
“The mysterious man gave them to you!”
“When did you ever gather medicine yourself?”
“Last night you kept trying to force-feed me that medicine.”
“You kept trying all the way until this morning.”
“You almost pried my mouth open and poured it in.”
“It was like the Black and White Underworld Messengers had come to take my life.”
“If I hadn’t pretended to be confused and refused to drink it…”
“Dad… Brother…”
“You wouldn’t even have met me today.”
Song Yannian’s expression immediately turned serious.
A mysterious man?
Someone had planned this entire scheme before they arrived.
Their goal had been to send a fake daughter into the Song family.
If that plan had succeeded…
The fake daughter would have become a very dangerous spy inside their home.
Even worse…
Their real daughter would almost certainly have been murdered to keep the secret.
A wave of fear swept through him.
Thankfully…
Song Li was clever.
She took after him.
Song Yannian gently tucked the blanket around Song Li.
“You don’t need to worry.”
“It’s only a small matter.”
Zhaodi looked at him with admiration.
“Thank you, sir.”
Song Yannian smiled politely and nodded.
Then he said to Mama Liu,
“Take the other girls back first.”
“Let Zhaodi and Song Li stay here.”
Mama Liu immediately obeyed.
She led the other girls out of the hall.
Now the large room was quiet.
Only the Song family remained…
Watching Zhaodi perform.
Five pairs of eyes were fixed on her like bright lamps.
The pressure on Zhaodi instantly doubled.
“My child, don’t be afraid.”
“Just tell us whatever you want to say.”
The older woman gently took Zhaodi’s hand and seated her beside herself.
Comforted by the woman’s soft voice, Zhaodi slowly relaxed.
She carefully pulled the red cord from around her neck.
Then everyone saw…
The jade pendant hanging from it.
Song Yannian only needed one glance.
He immediately recognized it.
It was the very pendant he had carved himself all those years ago.
“Don’t worry.”
“It’s the real one.”
“After all, she stole it from my waist while I was drugged.”
“Oh…”
“She even changed it to a new red cord.”
“It actually looks pretty nice.”
The Song family’s eyes immediately shifted to the cord.
Sure enough…
The bright red string looked brand new.
It was obviously not something that had been worn for years.
“My child!”
“You really are…”
“Oh, Heaven!”
“We’ve finally found you!”
The older woman excitedly hugged Zhaodi and burst into tears.
“The first moment I saw you, you reminded me of Yuyao.”
“My dream didn’t come true for nothing.”
“Now my greatest wish has finally been fulfilled.”
“Even if I die now, I’ll have no regrets.”
Zhaodi also burst into tears.
Looking weak and pitiful, she said,
“I’ve carried this pendant with me since I was little.”
“I never dared take it off.”
“I always believed that one day I would be reunited with my family.”
“No matter how difficult life became, I never stopped believing you would come looking for me.”
“And today…”
“You finally did.”
“It all feels like a dream.”
The two women hugged each other tightly and cried.
…
“This is hilarious.”
“‘Never stopped believing’?”
“Seriously?”
“That pendant is carved from an ordinary stone.”
“No one would even buy it for two copper coins.”
“What kind of family puts something like that on a baby before abandoning her?”
“Every time you looked at it, you’d naturally think…”
“‘I’m just a worthless girl.'”
“‘My parents abandoned me.'”
“‘This cheap stone is probably the only guilt they felt.'”
“You wouldn’t dare expect your parents to come find you.”
“You wouldn’t even dare search for them yourself.”
“Because you’d be afraid that even if you found them…”
“…they still wouldn’t accept you.”
Those were Song Li’s thoughts.
But they were also the true feelings of the original owner of this body.
Song Hailan’s eyes turned red.
So did Song Yannian’s.
The stone had been picked up by Song Hailan.
The pendant had been carved by Song Yannian.
During the countless nights after Song Li disappeared…
They had often wondered…
What would she think after seeing such a cheap fake jade pendant left by her family?
Would she think they never loved her?
The Song family owned countless valuable pieces of jade.
Yet the only thing they had left their daughter was an ordinary stone.
If they had given her their finest jade pendant instead…
Whoever found her might have taken her to claim a reward.
Or perhaps they would have sold the jade at a pawnshop.
Either way…
The Song family might have traced the clues and found their daughter years ago.
Every time they thought about it…
They were filled with regret.
“But maybe it’s a good thing the pendant was so cheap.”
“If it had been even a little more valuable…”
“Someone might have killed me for it.”
“Who can really predict how life will turn out?”
“Actually…”
“The stone is quite pretty.”
“It’s a rare pink color.”
“Perfect for a little girl.”
“The carving is also very delicate.”
“You can still see the love hidden inside it.”
“Maybe that’s why…”
“Even after all these years…”
“I never threw it away.”
“I kept it tied around my waist.”
“Even if I said I wasn’t hoping…”
“Deep down…”
“I really was.”
Song Hailan could no longer hold back.
He turned away and quietly wiped away his tears.
The burden he had carried in his heart for so many years…
Had been lifted by just a few words from his little sister.
Song Haiming wrapped an arm around his shoulder and firmly patted him on the back.
Song Yannian tightly gripped his knees with both hands.
The great general, who had spent his life on the battlefield…
Now had tears shining in his eyes.
…
Zhaodi found the situation strange.
Why was only this unknown older woman hugging her and crying?
Were the others all so cold-hearted?
Why wasn’t anyone else coming over?
She secretly glanced up.
Only then did she realize…
The three grown men all had red eyes.
They were desperately holding back their emotions.
If no one else had been present…
They probably would have burst into tears already.
Looks like the Song family completely believes me.
They’ve accepted my identity.
Everything is going so smoothly…
It’s almost unbelievable.
Feeling proud, Zhaodi leaned against the older woman’s shoulder and cried even harder.
Song Li, that fool…
In the end, she still lost.
…
After quite some time…
The crying had become a little awkward.
Just then, Deputy General Liang strode back into the room.
He carried a cloth bundle in his hand.
“General.”
“I found a broken medicine bowl.”
“The smell of the medicine inside seemed strange.”
“So I collected the pieces.”
“When we get back, I’ll let Old Zhuang examine them.”
Song Yannian nodded.
Zhaodi’s heart sank.
Ancient people don’t have modern laboratory equipment.
And the medicine dregs have already been thrown into the river.
Can they really discover anything?
But after thinking about it…
She calmed down.
Even if they do find something…
I already said I followed an old doctor’s prescription.
Maybe the prescription itself was wrong.
Or maybe I accidentally gathered the wrong herbs.
But my intentions were good!
She looked up with surprise on her face.
“That’s wonderful!”
“Song Li can be saved!”
Then she shyly lowered her head.
“Oh… by the way…”
“I still don’t know how I should address everyone.”
As she spoke, she stared bashfully at the tips of her own shoes.