Lan Yan woke to find Jun Yelan absent from the room. She touched her lips, recalling the events of the previous night, and a hint of a silly smile played on her lips.
Taking advantage of the moment, she summoned the system. "System, I'm sure Jun Yelan likes me a little." She herself was also feeling a bit smitten.
System: "..." Just a little? "Host, you were sleeping too soundly last night to hear me. I want to ask now, you've reached the passing line, do you want to continue?"
"Of course, Jun Yelan and I have just begun," Lan Yan muttered.
She wanted to enjoy some time in this world to not let her previous efforts go to waste, and besides, she was reluctant to part with Jun Yelan and the people here.
The system had already guessed Lan Yan's thoughts, merely asking as a formality. "Alright, then I wish host good luck, and remember our promise."
He decisively went offline, his next appearance being the same as the previous world.
Lan Yan was a little confused. "What promise?" Her memories of the last world were already hazy, and this unreliable system didn't explain anything clearly.
Never mind, she'd properly complain to the system next time it appeared.
Just then, the door was pushed open, and she saw Jun Yelan entering. She quickly pretended to be nonchalant and smiled, "Jun Yelan."
Jun Yelan pushed his wheelchair with one hand and held a food box with the other. He scanned the room, finding only Lan Yan. Who had she been talking to just now?
He felt as if that person was quite important. Thinking this, a slight gloom settled in his heart, though he didn't show it. He opened the food box, revealing the pastries inside. "These are pastries from the imperial city, for your breakfast."
"Wow, they look delicious." Lan Yan enjoyed delicate pastries and casually picked one up, preparing to put it in her mouth. She glanced sideways at Jun Yelan and, without missing a beat, fed it to him, smiling, "Your Highness, try one too."
The lingering touch of Lan Yan's fingers on his lips and the soft, delicious pastry in his mouth. He recalled the events of last night, his gaze involuntarily falling on Lan Yan's lips, his earlobes flushing slightly red.
Lan Yan finished one and couldn't resist another. After eating, she noticed Jun Yelan staring at her and sheepishly smiled, "Jun Yelan, the pastries are all gone."
"If you want to eat more, shall we go buy some?"
Jun Yelan shook his head, but there was a place he wanted to take Lan Yan. He nodded again, "We're returning tomorrow. I heard there's a very effective matchmaker temple here, would you like to visit?"
"Yes." Lan Yan's eyes lit up. Since arriving here, she had been busy dealing with Dingzhou's affairs and hadn't had much time to enjoy herself. Moreover, this was Jun Yelan's invitation, and she eagerly got up, pushing Jun Yelan towards the door.
Jun Yelan looked at Lan Yan's demeanor, his lips curving slightly upward.
As the two arrived at the entrance, they happened to meet Granny Ge and the others who had just arrived at the mansion.
Granny Ge, holding a few woven baskets, her cheeks slightly flushed, handed them to Lan Yan. "I heard you're leaving, so I made these myself. Give them to you. It's fine if you don't want them." She immediately tried to take them back, but a hand held hers.
Lan Yan smiled, took the baskets, and stroked them. "These baskets are made very meticulously, I will use them well. Granny Ge, thank you."
"What's there to thank? You've helped me too." Granny Ge's eyes darted away, her head naturally shifting to the side. She had spent these past few days interacting with Lan Yan and found that Lan Yan's temperament was not bad; instead, she had wholeheartedly helped people like them.
Seeing Granny Ge's shy expression, Lan Yan didn't say any more.
Meanwhile, Zhu Laoda, who had been ignored all along, looked at Xia Lian with a bitter and sad expression. His affection would dissipate tomorrow. He tried to call out, "Xia Lian, I..."
Before he could finish, Xia Lian had already taken him away and looked at him coldly. "Farewell."
Zhu Laoda, left behind, sighed and looked at Granny Ge. "Let's go." He was truly sad now and decided to go find his brothers for a drink.
Seeing them all leave, Lan Yan continued out of the mansion with Jun Yelan, heading for the matchmaker temple.
The matchmaker temple was a auspicious place in Dingzhou, drawing many people to worship. They held fresh fruits and vegetables, walking to the innermost part, placing the offerings on a table, and kneeling sincerely on the ground, praying for the matchmaker's blessings.
Lan Yan found their actions amusing and pushed Jun Yelan into the hall. Her gaze fell upon the tall bronze statue before her: an old man with a beard, exuding a touch of ethereal grace.
She tugged at Jun Yelan's sleeve beside her and smiled, "Jun Yelan, let's also pay our respects." After speaking, she knelt on the prayer mat and prayed in her heart, "Matchmaker, I know you only govern matters of marriage, but could you also manage other things?"
"I only wish Jun Yelan peace and joy, without illness or disaster in the future." This was also her last wish in this world.
Jun Yelan turned his head and saw Lan Yan looking lost in thought. He braced himself and knelt down with difficulty. He had come here with a selfish motive, wishing only for the matchmaker to grant Lan Yan more time by his side.
Even if it were just one more day, it would be good.
Lan Yan, on this side, had already risen and saw Jun Yelan sitting back in his wheelchair. As they walked, she asked, "Jun Yelan, what did you say to the matchmaker just now?"
"What about you?" Jun Yelan retorted.
Lan Yan naturally couldn't say, and immediately felt she shouldn't have asked. "I won't say for now."
Jun Yelan was amused, his hands resting casually on his legs. "Then my answer is the same as yours."
Now Lan Yan was at a loss, having shot herself in the foot. She saw a fortune teller nearby, and her attention was instantly diverted, so she went to draw a fortune slip.
It was a line of poetry, but she couldn't understand it.
The monk who interpreted fortunes glanced at it, looking back and forth between Lan Yan and Jun Yelan, then burst into laughter. "Benefactors, things are not yet revealed, aren't they? If it's too late, you'll miss your chance."
With that, he moved on to the next person.
Lan Yan held the fortune slip, becoming increasingly confused. "Why do I feel like the master's words are hiding something?"
Jun Yelan beside her clenched his fist. "Let me see the fortune slip." He took the slip Lan Yan handed him, looked at the words, and said word by word, "This poem is a declaration of affection from a great scholar of the previous dynasty to his wife."
"What it means is, I admire you and wish to spend my life with you."
A gust of wind brushed past his side, carrying these words clearly to Lan Yan's ears. She froze slightly, staring into Jun Yelan's earnest eyes, feeling that these were the words Jun Yelan had always wanted to say to her.
Her lips curved upward, and she squatted down, responding, "If I were that wife, my answer would be, you should have told me long ago." She leaned close to Jun Yelan's ear, wanting him to hear her words more clearly.
As the words fell, Jun Yelan's entire being seemed to ignite, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged. He embraced Lan Yan, pulling her fiercely into his arms, wanting to merge with her.
His voice trembled, but his lips were smiling. "You're right, I am a fool, I shouldn't have kept these words hidden. Yan'er, with you in the future, I will be very good."
"Mmm." Lan Yan's hands rested on Jun Yelan's waist, nodding with a smile. This big fool, even if he hadn't said it, she already knew. Otherwise, why would she have asked like that during the bonfire party?
The two embraced on the mountaintop for a long time, petals from the nearby flowers carried by the wind, falling upon them as if in joy.