Chapter 877: Chapter 877: Before the Reunion
If her father and the others see it, they will surely praise her. Perhaps her mother, seeing her progress, might also offer a few words of praise.
Once the ink dried, Lian Hua called for someone to bring her second prepared gift—a collection of ugly dolls and purses. Each piece of paper, written for every person, was neatly folded and tucked into the purse holding the ugly doll. These were made by her own hands, each one unique for its recipient.
By the time everything was done, it was long past the usual bedtime.
Lying in bed, Lian Hua still couldn’t sleep, with a fiery warmth in her heart. She wished she could leap straight into the next day. Her spirits were high, shifting from her left side to the right, she couldn’t sleep due to the joy and excitement. It was nearly midnight and she was still awake.
Finally, the Emperor pressed her to sleep, holding her tightly in his arms. She finally quieted down, yet as soon as he thought she was asleep, he glanced over and saw her big shining eyes wide open, lost in thought, with a wide grin on her face.
The Emperor had no choice but to tell her stories. Usually, they would make her sleepy, unfailingly. But this time, they lost their magic. As he spoke in her ear, she drifted into thought again and began to giggle, leaving the Emperor utterly helpless.
After much fuss, she finally fell asleep.
Just before dawn, she had a beautiful dream and woke up laughing. She couldn’t recall the dream, but the thought of soon seeing her parents and brother made her grin from ear to ear.
Watching Lian Hua sit at her dressing table giggling and covering her mouth, the Emperor smiled indulgently. He rose and fetched a cloak, and it was only when he draped it over Lian Hua’s shoulders that she realized he was awake.
She playfully stuck out her tongue, looking as if she was caught in mischief, but her joy betrayed her with a smile. She urged, "Sir, today is a day of rest, there’s no need to rise so early. Why not catch some more sleep?"
The Emperor raised an eyebrow at her, "And you?"
"Ah, me?" What about her?
Her mind was a bit sluggish at the moment, and it wasn’t until she saw the Emperor’s gaze that she understood the meaning.
She stood and said, "I’ll sleep too, I’ll sleep too, I’ll accompany you, let’s go, let’s go..." She took the Emperor’s large hand and led him towards the bed. Halfway there, she recalled that in just two more shichens she would see her dearly missed family, and burst into laughter again.
The Emperor was speechless, blocking her path. If she couldn’t sleep, so be it. He would stay with her; after all, dawn was approaching.
Others were just as excited as Lian Hua.
In Southern City, Lian Changhe and the others had received the imperial decree to enter the palace two days in advance. During these two days, everyone in the Lian Family was in a frenzy, even the usually calm Su Ran was unsettled.
After people woke up last time, she left the palace. The news from the palace these days assured that Lian Hua’s health was well, yet she wouldn’t be at ease until she saw her with her own eyes.
The past two days felt interminably long to her, suppressing her expectations and waiting patiently.
From the moment Lian Changhe heard the news, he was so excited that he rubbed his hands and paced circles around the courtyard. As he whirled past someone, he would exclaim unexpectedly, "We’re about to see our dear Nannan, hahaha..."
Lian Bingcheng was equally excited. Ever since accidentally sending Lian Hua to the palace, his heart had been uneasy, eagerly anticipating the reunion, anxiously waiting, and burning with impatience. When Lian Changhe spun by him, he hugged Lian Changhe and cried with joy, "We’re finally going to see Xiao Hua..."
One laughed heartily, the other cried with joy, creating an oddly harmonious scene.
Lian Bao watched everyone with a smile, full of anticipation, his heart brimming with peace and serenity. His elder brother’s leg had made progress, lifting a massive burden from his heart. Now he was about to see his little sister, a moment awaited for seven years. Seven years, at last, the family would reunite...
Everyone awaited with anticipation, bursting with excitement through the night preceding the day.
Early at dawn, Lian Changhe, Su Ran, Lian Wanzhen, Lian Bao, Lian Bingcheng, Lin Yuejuan, and Lih Qingshu, dressed neatly and waited for the leading eunuch from the palace to arrive.
Lian Wanzhen was no less excited than anyone else. Filled with excitement and anticipation, he had hardly slept the past two days as he busied himself packing large and small parcels of things to bring to his little sister.
Those small trinkets from the market, the embroidery made especially for Lian Hua by Lih Qingshu, and the jade headdress carved from the top-quality jade Su Ran won in a gambling match—all were packed up.
As the day came, before the dawn broke, before the rooster crowed, he lay in bed, tossing around like a pancake, occasionally peeking outside at the sky. Later, he dozed off for over a shichen and woke with a jolt in a semi-awake state, rising early to practice his skills and wait.
After exercising, fetching water, and stoking the fire to heat water, it was just before the rooster crowed.
He couldn’t resist shouting into the courtyard, "Daylight is breaking, get up and see the little sister!" His father had instructed him to prevent any delay by instructing whoever woke earliest to call everyone up when the roosters crowed.
His shout shattered the boundary of night, awakening the whole courtyard. Lian Changhe hurriedly threw on some clothes, came out to fetch hot water, and rushed back inside to wash up with Su Ran.
Lian Bao suddenly opened his eyes, dressed neatly, and emerged to help prepare breakfast.
Lian Bingcheng and Lin Yuejuan also rose and came out.
Lih Qingshu tidied his room, a light joy in his heart, and opened the door.
Everyone, filled with excitement, went about their tasks orderly.
Lian Wanzhen, having finished his chores, suddenly found himself idle, not knowing what to do.
When Qian Chen came out, he suddenly remembered the pile of things to bring to the palace, grabbing Qian Chen, saying they had to count the prepared items again, fearing something might have been missed.
He thoroughly recounted everything, then had Qian Chen check it again to be sure.
When he came to the jade headdress, a person came to mind—Zhenbao Square’s young owner!
He had collected the headdress from Zhenbao Square. When he received it from the master inside, the young owner of Zhenbao Square hurriedly came down the stairs with rapid footsteps and soon approached.
Later, he heard that the young owner had specially come to meet the person picking up the headdress, and he just happened to be that person.
He only remembered that upon seeing him, the young woman exclaimed, "It’s you!"
Lian Wanzhen was admiring the jewelry, thinking it was perfectly suited for his little sister.
On hearing movement nearby, he couldn’t help but turn his head in bewilderment. He didn’t recognize the young woman, but she seemed to recognize him, her face full of astonishment.
So he stared at her closely, scrutinizing her again, but still didn’t recall ever meeting her.
However, this young woman was extremely beautiful...