Chapter 26 – The Unbelievable World (3)
“Having raised a son (or daughter) for over ten years, how could the Stepmother not be familiar?”
According to Liu Lanting’s memory, this Stepmother was also a well-known talented woman from Langya County before her marriage, but her status as a concubine kept her modest… yet she wasn’t truly a dull woman; realizing this was quite normal.
Her gaze carried a hint of nostalgia. “I saw Lanting and her brother… as well as my sister… on the Naihe Bridge…”
The Stepmother had stopped breathing a few times before, leading others to think she had died, even the Young Doctor believed so, but then her pulse gradually returned, weak though it might be, at least indicating she was still alive. However, the maid looking after her was a bundle of nerves, unable to handle the emotional rollercoaster.
“My sister said I have great fortune… hoping to let me… come back and enjoy life… without clinging to the past…”
Jiang Pengji didn’t believe in ghosts, but it was quite an engaging tale. “And then?”
The Stepmother replied earnestly, “So, I came back… to see what kind of person has taken over Lanting’s body.”
Jiang Pengji froze for a moment, retorting, “Are you planning to leave after you’re done watching?”
The Stepmother didn’t answer directly, instead, she said, “After watching, I realized… you really resemble my sister… it’s as if I’m seeing her… truly Lanting… every move, strikingly similar… I think, my sister’s wish before she passed has indeed been fulfilled…”
A wish before passing?
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow, pulling the blanket a bit higher over the Stepmother. “So, you can just wait and enjoy your life now.”
The System had originally anticipated a thrilling battle of household struggles, but… what on earth was this?
“Dear host, could you tell me what just happened?”
The all-powerful System felt like it was about to become a complete useless dried fish.
“Is that hard to understand? That lady walked in and immediately realized I wasn’t Liu Lanting, but because of her obsession with her sister, and since I resemble her in some ways, she decided to live and let live… enjoy life.”
The System had a bewildered expression. “Huh? I mean… why did she accept you so quickly?”
Wasn’t she supposed to throw me into a pond or burn me alive?
It recalled that one of its previous hosts was so clueless she was roasted alive as a witch.
“Her sister probably isn’t from this era either; I spotted some traces of a near-ancient time in the Stepmother’s room. Maybe that’s why she accepted me so easily? I need to look for other clues…”
When Jiang Pengji referred to the near-ancient time, she meant the technological era after breaking away from the feudal age.
After a while, Jiang Pengji suddenly asked, “Lovely System, can you honestly answer one question? Am I your first host in this world?”
The System hesitated momentarily and whispered, “Nope, but my last host had nothing to do with Liu Lanting’s mother… what’s up?”
Jiang Pengji was almost out of patience. “I thought I had arrived in a purely ancient era, and you tell me this world might be a sieve? I’m about to give you a bad review… The Stepmother’s sister, Liu Lanting’s mother, could very well be from the near-ancient age.”
She had never heard that people from ancient times could create spring hairpins… that thing was sitting on the Stepmother’s vanity.
Of course, it was also possible that the non-native was someone else, but based on current information, Liu Lanting’s mother seemed the most likely.
“Uh… that’s actually quite normal; sometimes when the System opens a new world for live streaming, it can create temporary rifts.”
After all, pure live streaming of household struggles was too boring; adding some other factors could make it livelier.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Pengji immediately thought of something, “Wait a minute, when I mentioned live streaming before, based on the audience’s reactions, that side should also be in a development stage similar to the near-ancient era. In other words…”
Did that previous live stream mean that there’s now another non-native in this world?
The System: “…”
Jiang Pengji declared confidently, “You’re feeling guilty.”
“I’m afraid you’ll give me a bad review…”
The System said pitifully, feeling like it had lost its very right to privacy since following this host.
Jiang Pengji didn’t respond; whether she chose to believe the System’s words was a mystery only she knew.
The System ventured, “Since… the Stepmother didn’t publicly expose you, she must be acknowledging your identity, right?”
“Pretty much… if I can blend in as Liu Lanting, I’ll stick with it; if not, I’ll just use my own identity.”
With the vastness of the world, where couldn’t one blend in? Especially in an ancient era with a not-so-complete household registration system; as long as one had means, Jiang Pengji could easily run off to a distant place, create a fake identity, and live under a new name.
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow, “However, she and I made a deal, so I can now use Liu Lanting’s identity worry-free.”
“A deal?”
The System rifled through previous conversation records, trying to recall when Jiang Pengji made any deal with the Stepmother.
Jiang Pengji coldly shot down the System’s cluelessness, “I believe the day you die will be from your own foolishness.”
The System: “……￥%#…………%####@……”
Jiang Pengji only knew a few basic first aid techniques, so the Stepmother’s illness still needed the Young Doctor’s care; she wouldn’t interfere any further.
“Steward, have all those house servants been gathered?”
She was quite the vengeful person; she would not delay any grudge she could settle today until tomorrow, and the Liu Residence certainly needed some tidying up as well.
The old steward had been the book boy for Liu Lanting’s grandfather and later became the steward, tending to Liu Father and Liu Lanting for two generations, gaining much respect.
However, he didn’t become arrogant due to his esteemed position; instead, he worked even more cautiously for the Liu Residence.
The steward followed Jiang Pengji, saying, “As per the Second Young Master’s instruction, I’ve summoned all those house servants to the outer court.”
“Okay, next, call the buyer over, and let’s reselect some usable servants. If that doesn’t work, we’ll discuss it with Uncle.”
Jiang Pengji was quite accustomed to the presence of slaves and servants; in her time of endless war, captives could be sold into slavery under interstellar warfare laws, so seeking a buyer for servants didn’t seem wrong to her.
Jiang Pengji glanced at the neatly dressed, uniformed guarding house servants. “Are all of them here?”
The steward nodded in confusion, “Reporting to the Second Young Master, all the house servants who were sent out last night to search are present.”
Her expression turned cold. “Tell the buyer to sell these lot; each one has dirty hands and feet.”
The group of house servants, who initially thought Jiang Pengji had come to reward them, suddenly felt a chilling splash of cold water… this clueless bookworm of a Second Young Master actually intended to sell them off to the buyer?
The steward hesitated for a second, but loyalty won out, “Yes, Second Young Master.”
“Wait!” A few house servants’ faces turned ugly at the turn of events, and they crawled a few steps forward, “We… even if we have no merit, we’ve worked hard and searched for the Second Young Master for a whole day and night; how come as soon as you return, you want to sell us off…”
