Free Web NovelChapter 128: Chapter 128: Awakening More of the Original Host’s Memories
A little over ten minutes later, Aunt Gao, having received the news, rushed back immediately.
"Is Xiao Lan back? Where is she? Where?"
They heard Aunt Gao’s booming, bustling voice before she even came into view.
Inside Shi Lan’s house, Uncle Gao was having his household robot do the cleaning while he chatted with her.
Shi Lan wasn’t a very talkative person, so she mostly just listened and nodded. But perhaps because, deep down, she knew she wasn’t truly familiar with him, she still felt a bit awkward.
She didn’t breathe a secret sigh of relief until she heard Aunt Gao’s voice.
Uncle Gao immediately went out to greet her. The moment Aunt Gao appeared and saw Shi Lan, she pulled her into a huge hug. "My dear child, you’re back?"
Then, holding Shi Lan’s hands, she looked her up and down a few times before sighing in relief. "Good, you’ve put on a little weight. It looks like you didn’t suffer while you were away."
Hearing Aunt Gao’s words, so full of the concern a parent has for their child, Shi Lan, who had never experienced such familial affection, felt a pang in her heart. Her nose tingled as she looked at Aunt Gao and thought, ’In a way, the original owner of this body is already dead.’
’If I hadn’t transmigrated here, according to the original plot, she would have been long gone by now. The person Aunt Gao and Uncle Gao miss so much would never have come back.’
’But she and the original owner extended each other’s lives, which is a blessing in itself. I shouldn’t dwell on such a sad past. We’ve both become our own people in our respective worlds now.’
Shi Lan was stiff at first, but she slowly began to relax and get used to the warmth of Aunt Gao’s hands.
Aunt Gao held her hands for a good while before saying happily, "My, how a girl changes as she grows up. You’ve become more and more beautiful."
With that, she glanced around curiously. "Xiao Lan, are you married? Did your Beast Husband come back with you?"
Shi Lan blushed and shook her head. "Not yet."
"Well, with our Lanlan being so pretty, you must have a boyfriend, right? Honestly, how could they let you come back all by yourself?"
Aunt Gao sounded quite displeased. Shi Lan felt a little awkward. "I don’t..."
She said shyly, "Aunt Gao, you know my spiritual power is so weak. It’s not that easy to find a Beast Husband."
Seeing that Shi Lan’s room was still being cleaned, Aunt Gao simply pulled her over to her own house, saying as they walked, "So what? Our Xiao Lan is a wonderful girl. Someone is bound to love you."
"Besides, have you forgotten? I have several sons, and I told you when you were little that if you took a liking to any of them, he could be your Beast Husband when you grew up."
"I’d like to see any of them dare to disobey."
Aunt Gao wasn’t exaggerating. Her Fertility Value was quite good; she had six Beast Husbands. And aside from Uncle Gao, whose fertility had been affected by an injury from his time in the army, each of her other Beast Husbands had fathered one son.
In a world where procreation was difficult, Aunt Gao giving birth to five children was considered a monumental achievement in all of Chang’an Village. Families with newlyweds would often invite her to their celebrations, hoping some of her good fortune would rub off on them.
However, Aunt Gao’s one regret was never having a daughter, something she remained fixated on.
That’s why, from the moment she met the original Shi Lan, she had treated the girl as her own daughter.
Perhaps because she was back in a place so familiar to the original owner’s childhood, Shi Lan had been recalling more and more of her predecessor’s memories since arriving on this planet.
She recalled these words from the original owner’s memories. Aunt Gao had indeed promised, when the original Shi Lan was twelve, that one of her sons could be raised to be her husband.
Shi Lan smiled sheepishly. "Thank you, Aunt Gao. But actually... I already have someone I like."
"If things go well, I’ll bring him to meet you someday."
The faces of He Hanshi and the others had flashed through her mind, and she’d hesitated for a moment before speaking.
Aunt Gao’s smile grew even brighter. "Oh, that’s wonderful! But your timing is perfect. My Chen San is home for a visit. You loved playing with him when you were little, so I’ll have him show you around. You young people have more in common to talk about anyway."
Chen San was Aunt Gao’s third son.
In this world, males generally took their father’s surname, while females took their mother’s. This was because males inherited their father’s beast form, making it easy to identify which Beast Husband was the father. freēwebnovel.com
Female spirit bodies, however, were more random. Combined with the fact that females were precious, it was considered better for them to take their mother’s surname.
Shi Lan searched her predecessor’s memories for Chen San. It seemed the original Shi Lan had liked playing with him because he was the only one who didn’t treat her like a fragile doll. He would even share his money-making schemes with her.
Aunt Gao’s other sons, on the other hand, never dared to joke around with her, terrified they might make her cry.
’Chen San does seem like a decent guy.’ After a moment’s hesitation, Shi Lan decided not to refuse Aunt Gao’s kind offer.
"Okay."
Shi Lan had lunch at Aunt Gao’s. By the time she got home, the robot had cleaned her house until it was spotless.
Impressed by the efficiency, Shi Lan thought, ’I should get a household robot for myself.’ Besides, her return to Yaoxing had been on short notice. Aunt Gao and her family had been so kind, yet she hadn’t even prepared a greeting gift.
Shi Lan decided to go shopping that afternoon.
When Aunt Gao heard her plan, she immediately went to the building next door. Each of her Beast Husbands had their own house clustered around hers, making it easy to go back and forth.
She excitedly called Chen San over. "San’er, I want you to take Xiao Lan shopping this afternoon. Make sure you protect her, you hear?"
"I know."
He must have just been sleeping. Chen San’s hair was a mess, and his voice was tinged with the grumpy reluctance of someone just woken up.
In her memories, Chen San’s father, Uncle Chen, was a Cat Beastman. Consequently, Chen San himself had a refined and fair-complexioned appearance. His build was similar to Jiang Xia’s, but his face was rounder and more boyish, making him look nothing like a thirty-year-old.
When Chen San arrived, his lazy golden eyes fell upon Shi Lan. His pupils briefly constricted into vertical slits, and his hair seemed to stand on end. WHOOSH! He ducked behind Aunt Gao and whispered, "Mom, you didn’t tell me there’d be a beauty here!"
"I didn’t even comb my hair. I look awful."
Aunt Gao was speechless. She smacked him on the back of the head and dragged him out into the open. "This is your sister Xiao Lan! Isn’t it perfectly normal for a girl to get prettier as she grows up?"
Chen San eyed her suspiciously. Noticing the way Shi Lan was trying to hold back a smile, he grew even more flustered and ran his fingers through his hair to tidy it. "You’re really Shi Lan?" he asked in disbelief.
Shi Lan nodded. "Mhm. Hello, Brother San."
"Oh. All right."
Chen San struggled to find any trace of the girl he once knew in her features. He still couldn’t wrap his head around how the scrawny little girl from their childhood had suddenly become so beautiful, but he started to feel a bit more relaxed.
"Let’s go. Aren’t we going shopping?"
Chen San took the lead, and Shi Lan followed.
Behind them, a satisfied look appeared in Aunt Gao’s eyes. She turned to Uncle Gao and said, "It would be wonderful if our San’er could become Xiao Lan’s Beast Husband. Only then could I truly rest easy."
Her expression was wistful. Thinking about Shi Lan’s low spiritual power and Fertility Value, she wondered if the Beastman Shi Lan liked would be able to accept her unconditionally.
’That child has suffered so much,’ she thought. ’It’s about time she had a chance to be happy.’
Uncle Gao leaned closer. "You’re right. It doesn’t look like San’er is against the idea. Maybe there’s a chance."
Aunt Gao nodded and clapped her hands. "Since Xiao Lan is finally back, it’s a rare opportunity. I’m going to call the other boys home, too."
"Either way, the worst that can happen is Xiao Lan just marries a few more Beast Husbands." freёwebnovel.com
’At least if they’re my own sons, I can rest a little easier.’
With that thought, Aunt Gao immediately sprang into action.
