Lin Wanwan sat in the cabin, warming herself by the brazier, continuing to nibble on her Subject One and Subject Four books. It was impossible for her not to feel nervous about the family she was about to meet, after all, she was an impostor. But the more it was , the more she felt the need to study to distract herself; time could not be wasted on useless negative emotions. Face what comes, there’s no need to panic, just let it be. At dawn, the ship sailed from the East Sea into the inland river, docking at the pier. This port’s depth was far less than that of South Port in Mao County, but the bustling atmosphere was hard to distinguish; even though it was still before dawn, the pier was already a blaze of fishing lights everywhere. The water surface was crowded with boats of all sizes, many fishermen lived on their boats. The southern end of the Grand Canal was Hangzhou; the waterways around here were interconnected, and all kinds of vessels traveled through the night, creating a lively scene. In the fourth year of Wu De during the Tang Dynasty, Hangzhou was established, governing the three counties of Qiantang, Fuyang, and Yuhang; in the fourth year of the Zhen Guan era, Qiantang was split to form Yanguan County. At this time, Hangzhou was still in the era of twin cities standing side by side. Qiantang County east of West Lake was the old city from the Wei and Jin period, while the Hangzhou state seat was newly built by the Sui Dynasty west of Liupu, by Phoenix Mountain, governed by the Tang following the Sui. The new city was mainly for military defense, with fewer residents than the old city. The two cities were administratively subordinate but geographically completely independent, each with its own city walls, unlike most towns of the Great Tang, which had inner and outer cities, with the inner city surrounded by the outer city. Lin Wanwan’s family resided in Qiantang County, likely still trapped inside the city, unable to get out, as all large towns in the Great Tang enforced curfews. After the ship docked, it didn’t take long before the sun rose; the city’s bells and drums announced the beginning of the day, and the city gates opened wide, with crowds coming and going endlessly. Only after Lin Wanwan enjoyed the magnificent sunrise did she, carrying the still drowsy Qingyu, leave the ship and go ashore. Qingyu rested her little head on her shoulder, refusing to open her eyes. Lin Wanwan draped a mink cloak bought at the Great Tang’s garment shop over Qingyu; though it was winter, she wouldn’t feel cold at all. The carriage sent by the Xiao Mansion to welcome Lin Wanwan soon arrived, and Lin Mengbo and others helped the group of Xiao house servants load Lin Wanwan’s luggage onto the carriage before returning to the ship. "Wan Niang, we’re heading back now, I’ll come to pick you up again at the end of the month." Lin Mengbo said, standing outside the carriage where Lin Wanwan and Qingyu were. "You’ve worked hard all night, are you leaving now? Aren’t you going to stay and explore for a day and take a break?" Lin Mengbo shook his head and said, "There are too many things happening at home during the New Year and we can’t afford any delays." "Alright then, take care on your way." After getting into the carriage and entering the city after a short distance, Qingyu gradually woke up in her arms, blinking her big eyes at Lin Wanwan for a while before breaking free to pull open the carriage curtains, curiously looking outside. "Mother, are we in Qiantang now?" "Yes, Little Yu’er, are you happy to be out and about?" "I am happy. Mother, there are so many people here, even more than our clan." "Naturally, this is a big city." Mother and daughter whispered as they watched the bustling streets from the carriage. After about an hour, the group entered a spacious district, which was even livelier than the main streets — after all, the Great Tang’s main streets did not allow shops to open. The district was more filled with the atmosphere of everyday life, with many snack shops and mobile vendors. As the carriage passed by a moving sesame cake stall, the scent of sesame cakes wafted into the carriage. Qingyu immediately shouted, "Mother, I’m hungry." Lin Wanwan called for Kun Lun driving the carriage to stop, and the group following behind also hurriedly stopped. There were so many people, who directly bought all the fresh-out-of-the-oven sesame cakes from the stall. The carriage continued forward as Qingyu and Lin Wanwan each munched on a sesame cake, happily eating. The Xiao household servants who received them looked at the sesame cakes in their hands and exchanged glances, secretly laughing at women who would openly shout to stop the carriage to buy snacks from a mobile stall — such behavior was unheard of, and they couldn’t help but mock it inwardly. Indeed, they’re from the countryside, acting so casually with no manners. All by herself, Lin Wanwan was not the Lin Daiyu who first entered the Jia Mansion, unwilling to take an extra step or speak another word for fear of ridicule; she would rather act as she pleased, not caring about others’ opinions. If she had to strictly learn the Tang Dynasty’s aristocratic etiquette, then the Great Tang would not be her Peach Blossom Spring; she’d rather blend into the modern age. After the mother and daughter finished their cakes and wiped their hands with tissues, they had almost arrived at the Xiao Mansion. Getting off at the side gate, several elderly servants came to greet them. "Oh, Lady Lin and Young Lady, you’ve come all this way, quickly get on the sedan chair and to the Lotus Courtyard, the Old Madam has been waiting for you." Lin Wanwan nodded, intending to first put Qingyu on the sedan chair. But Qingyu, suddenly in an unfamiliar place, didn’t want to separate from her. Having no choice, Lin Wanwan said, "My little Yu’er is shy with strangers, she won’t ride the sedan chair; we’ll walk over." The old servant hurriedly smiled and said, "That won’t do, Lady Lin, if you don’t mind being crowded, you can hold the Young Lady and ride the sedan chair together; don’t worry, they’re strong enough to carry you." Lin Wanwan followed the host’s arrangements naturally, since they had arranged it so, she went along with it. The Xiao Mansion was not large, at least smaller than the Suzhou Garden Lin Wanwan had seen in her later life. Sitting in the sedan chair, crossing the screen wall, and then passing a wooden bridge, they arrived at the main courtyard where Xiao Mother lived. Lin Wanwan carried Qingyu out of the sedan chair; several maids in emerald dresses, waiting on the steps, greeted them with smiles and ushered them inside. An elderly woman with silver hair and kind eyes was already inside, sitting on the bed, surrounded by women. Lin Wanwan placed her hands over her lap, bent her back slightly, and gently knelt, performing a curtsey, saying, "Wanwan greets Grandmother in peace." This update ıs available on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝙣𝙚𝙩 Qingyu mimicked the greeting but didn’t call out to anyone; instead, she held Lin Wanwan’s skirt and looked at everyone in the hall without speaking. Emotionally moved, Xiao Mother reached out to Lin Wanwan, with tears in her eyes, saying, "Good, good, good child, come quickly and let Grandmother take a look." A bit embarrassed, Lin Wanwan went forward, pulled down to sit beside the elderly woman, who caressed her face and sighed, "Your mom and dad have suffered, their whereabouts unknown till now; thought they had no heirs, but heaven showed mercy, leaving you, truly pains me." Those around hurriedly tried to comfort her with kind words, while Lin Wanwan and Qingyu, with identical big eyes, wore smiles of awkward politeness, allowing them to watch. After emotions were expressed for a while, everyone calmed down, and Xiao Mother started asking about Lin Wanwan’s recent situation. Upon learning she had been living in seclusion in the mountains following an old sage since childhood, there was another round of sighs.