Chapter 26: Lu Xuexin

Beyond the archway stretched a long corridor, flanked on both sides by carefully maintained waterways. The water was so clear one could see straight to the bottom, and colorful koi fish swam leisurely, frolicking in the gentle current. Along the banks of the channels, pots of orchids in various sizes and varieties were neatly arranged. Among these, the Cymbidium orchids were the most abundant, their delicate blossoms nestling amidst slender green leaves, exuding a subtle fragrance that drifted through the air.

Anran had no interest in lingering to admire the Prime Minister’s residence. Her attention was drawn instead to the end of the corridor, where she once lived in Lotus Breeze Garden. As the name suggested, a large lotus pond lay to the right of the garden—a pond that Lu Anrong had ordered to be dug solely to please her.

That pond had once brought her endless joy. It echoed with her son’s hearty laughter; Lu Xuechen’s smiling face still floated vividly in her memory, as clear as if no years had passed.

For reasons she could not name, she stood there for a long time without encountering a single servant. As if guided by some unseen force, Anran took her first step forward, her expression blank and her mind adrift, walking toward the end of the corridor.

What she did not realize was that this was forbidden ground for the Lu family; no servant, maid, or steward was permitted to set foot here. If not for Madam Gu’s instructions and the servants’ fear of reprimand, Anran would never have been able to walk here alone without being discovered.

The lotus pond, once brimming with blooms, was now a ruin, the water fetid and reeking, stained a ghostly green with not a living creature in sight. She glanced at the waterway inlet—long since sealed off. Fresh water was now directed from elsewhere.

She turned to look at the courtyard where she had once lived; it too was desolate and in disrepair, battered as if by an autumn wind scattering fallen leaves. Suppressing her anger and heartache, she pushed the courtyard gate open with a gentle hand.

The door creaked. Inside, the scene was one of utter desolation—yet in that barren courtyard, there were people.

"Miss, may I ask who you are?" The old woman who spoke looked at Anran with a heart pounding in her chest. She quickly got up, glanced behind Anran, then stepped protectively in front of Lu Xuexin.

Anran had not expected to find anyone here. The elderly woman was dressed in coarse linen, patched in several places. The young girl she shielded wore a white dress yellowed from repeated washing. Her skin was sallow, her small face thin but flushed, and her eyes were hollow, lost in thought.

"I’m here to treat Lu Junfan’s legs."

Anran replied indifferently, yet her gaze remained fixed on the girl, and a surge of complex, inexplicable emotion welled up inside her—so tangled she could not name it.

"Here to treat that beast’s legs?" the old woman muttered, her eyes instantly filling with hostility as she looked at Anran. Anyone who would heal that animal could not be a good person!

Anran caught every word, and her confusion deepened as she regarded the girl. The old woman seemed to loathe Lu Junfan—could it be that this young girl... She shook her head slightly, dismissing the thought.

Suddenly, Anran heard footsteps approaching outside. She steadied her breath and vanished from sight in an instant.

"Nanny He, why aren’t you in the kitchen yet? Does your Miss Lu Xuexin plan on skipping her meal today?"

A shrill, sharp-tongued woman entered, her face pinched, eyes gleaming with malice, hands on hips. Her voice was laced with scorn. Aside from this old woman, who treated her like a young lady, the rest saw her as less than a servant.

"No, no... It’s just that Miss had a bit of a fever this morning, so I—" Nanny He stammered, quickly explaining to the overbearing Nanny Qiu.

In her panic, she glanced furtively around the courtyard, but the figure of the girl with the bamboo basket was nowhere to be seen.