"Grandfather, rest assured, Qin Jia is stupid and not a threat. Qin Fang might be a bit clever, but he can’t think that far ahead," Qin Han said with his head lowered, his expression solemn and sincere.
Qin Dingshan sighed after looking at his composed eldest grandson, "Ah! If only those two could give me half the peace of mind you do! Our Qin Family is one of the five great families, yet we are the least among them, treading on thin ice. Not to mention the Gu and Guh Families—their ancient martial arts are beyond our reach. The Bai Family is in good terms with the Gu Family, and we can’t touch them. I thought the An Family was the easiest to deal with, but who could have expected they had such a secret..." Qin Dingshan’s temples throbbed as he recalled everything he had learned from that man a month ago.
"Grandfather," Qin Han pondered, then said with confusion, "If the secret of the An Family is true, why haven’t we seen An Zisheng and the others do anything about it...?"
"Hmph! An Muyun is old and crafty, An Zisheng is cunning and treacherous, and even the two little ones they birthed are little foxes! Now, with the appearance of the unpredictable An Yiqing, Xuandu City will have its chaos!"
——Little Foodie Divider——
After leaving the Qin Family, An Yiqing and the others drove to the An Family Mansion. The entire way, the girl clutched Gu Yelin’s large hand tightly, her palm icy and damp.
At this moment, the villa’s living room was deathly quiet, with everyone seated on the sofa. Aunt Zhang and Aunt Li stood respectfully to the side.
"Niuniu..." Tears streamed down Kong Shi’s face as she gazed at the girl beside her, her eyes brimming with distress, "It’s Mommy’s fault, Mommy didn’t protect you well, and you’ve suffered so much! Niuniu, my Niuniu..." Kong Shi embraced An Yiqing emotionally, her hot tears rolling down her daughter’s neck and into the collar, scalding her frantic heart.
"Au, Aunt..." An Yiqing’s voice was hoarse, barely managing to speak.
The girl’s simple words deepened Kong Shi’s sorrow, and she couldn’t help but blame herself deeply for not recognizing her own daughter who had been by her side for so long!
Sitting next to Kong Shi, An Zisheng watched his heartbroken wife and felt a pang in his heart. He looked at his daughter’s confused face, his tiger eyes reddening—gone was his usual strategic demeanor: "Qing, it’s Dad and Mom’s fault for not protecting you. We’ve been searching for you for nearly twenty years, and heaven has Eyes; fortunately, we found you in our lifetime. Daughter, we don’t expect you to forgive us, but can you call us ’Dad’ and ’Mom’ just once..." An Zisheng removed his gold-rimmed glasses, wiped his face with both hands, and gazed at An Yiqing earnestly.
The girl looked at An Zisheng and Kong Shi, who were full of anticipation, and then glanced at Elder An and Old Lady An sitting nearby. Her little mouth opened, but she couldn’t say anything.
"Dad, Mom, this is all too sudden, give Qing some time," An Zhihang spoke quickly, seeing An Yiqing’s troubled face and trying to relieve her burden.
"That, um..." the girl began to speak softly, "How did you know I was a child of the An Family? Maybe you’re mistaken, I..."
"No, I’m not mistaken!" Kong Shi grasped An Yiqing’s hand excitedly, "The first time I saw you, I felt a sense of familiarity. Niuniu, this is the connection of flesh and blood; Mommy can’t be wrong! You are my daughter!"
"Au, uh,..." An Yiqing was about to call ’Aunt’ but suddenly stopped, her face twisted with conflict as she looked at Kong Shi, unsure of what to call her.
"Qing," An Zhihang, who had been well-informed, said calmly, "When Niuniu was born, Mom put a silver necklace on her that had the character ’An’ engraved on it. This necklace is something every descendant of the An Family must wear. You have one just like it, right?" Saying this, An Zhihang pulled out the silver necklace hanging from his neck, and indeed, the round pendant had the character "An" written in cursive script on it.