A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

The military governor returned to the south city, and Lan Changming also returned home.

The young couple, the third son and his wife, came back with him.

After tidying up, the two of them planned to go to Madam Lan's courtyard to let her know they were safe.

However, Madam Lan was not at home.

The two found nothing and were about to return when they encountered their second brother, Lan Jun, on the way.

Lan Er noticed the two of them and said with some envy, "You two have been gone for almost two months. Third brother, you actually managed to take such a long leave for your job."

"My job was a sinecure anyway," Lanxiu said.

He worked in the Ministry of Transportation, a job that was easy and lucrative. He was young, and it would take him at least ten or twenty years to rise to a high position, but Lan Xiu wasn't in a hurry.

"How did you manage to come back with Father?" Lan Er asked again.

"It's time to come back," Lanxiu said. "Coincidentally, I'm returning to the city with my father. But not on the same route; he's returning with the warlord."

After saying that, Lanxiu asked him again, "Has Muhe returned?"

"Not yet," Lan Er said. "She's been in Hong Kong for quite some time now, and she still hasn't come back. Grandmother didn't go. But she doesn't plan to go afterward either; she gets seasick."

The old lady felt things were not going well, so she secretly got off the ship, leaving only a letter for Lan Muhe.

She didn't care how worried Lan Muhe and the steward were.

A few days later, the old lady wanted to go and urged the second young mistress to send a telegram to Hong Kong, telling Lan Muhe to wait for her.

The second young mistress smiled and asked her if she would get seasick, then took her to a riverboat for a day trip.

The old lady was really seasick; she almost vomited up bile.

The elderly woman was frightened by the ordeal. She had a slight fever.

She is terrified of dying now.

The second young mistress said, "The cruise to Hong Kong takes five or six days; you can't endure that."

The old lady never mentioned going to the port city again.

She then instructed the second young mistress to send a telegram urging Lan Muhe to return.

Lan Muhe has been delayed for some reason and has not returned yet.

"How is Mom feeling?" Lanxiu asked her brother.

Lan Er said, "Mom has been very angry these past few days. Uncle had an accident, didn't you know? Yicheng is so close, you should have heard about it."

"I've heard about it. They say he tried to murder Mrs. Cheng, but the attempt failed, and he ran off with the money and went into hiding. Is there any trace of him?"

"The overseas Chinese donated one million silver dollars to him. How could he easily part with such a huge sum? We still haven't found him," Lan Jun said.

"Is Mom worried about Uncle?"

"Why worry about him? My mother has never liked him. They had a falling out years ago, and they're just maintaining a facade of harmony."

Someone told my mother that there was something wrong with the accounts of Rongjia Bank, and that the huge sum of money donated by overseas Chinese might have passed through this bank.

"My mother has shares in this bank. If my uncle runs away with the money and things get out of control, the warlord's office will need to quell the situation and blame my father, and my mother will have to pay to settle the accounts," Lan Jun said.

He clicked his tongue again, "One million silver dollars, my mother would be furious. She's been so angry these past two days that she's developed sores on the corners of her mouth."

The third young mistress, Su Yuzhao, listened quietly the whole time without interrupting the brothers' conversation.

Only then did she look up.

She and Lanxiu exchanged a glance, both seeing the worry in each other's eyes.

"Mom is probably furious," Lan Er added. "This matter arose because of the conflict between Madam Cheng and my uncle, and she might be taking her anger out on Madam Cheng as well."

At this point, Lan Er added, "Madam Cheng is still my father's illegitimate daughter, so she already disliked her. Now she hates her even more."

Lanxiu's face turned slightly pale.

Su Yuzhao frowned as well.

Lan Er misunderstood their expressions: "They didn't say they really wanted to pay compensation. The matter is still undecided, and the warlord hasn't given any instructions yet. Besides, there's no evidence yet that the donation went through Rongjia Bank."

Several people fell silent.

Lan Xiu and Su Yuzhao had only intended to chat casually with Lan Jun after their chance encounter. Unexpectedly, the conversation turned so heavy that the young couple instantly deflated like wilted eggplants.

Just then, the second young mistress, Ning Hui, sent someone to look for them.

"Come sit in my yard," Lan Er said. "Ahui probably has something to say to you, it's probably about Grandmother."

He added with a smile, "If Muhe doesn't come back soon, Ahui will become Grandma's darling. Grandma has been relying on Ahui for everything these days."

He chuckled to himself for a while, "Ah Hui is the best at coaxing people. Whether it's Grandma or Mom, they all love to listen to her."

Lan Xiu and Su Yuzhao had mixed feelings.

The two of them were not very willing to go to their second brother and sister-in-law's courtyard.

Second Brother doesn't know about this yet, so we'll have to avoid talking to him again, which is a real hassle; and Second Brother is very protective of Lan Muhe, so if he can't accept it and makes a scene, things will get even worse.

The situation at home is already very complicated.

Su Yuzhao originally thought that her mother-in-law liked Qin Yan, and that once the matter was clarified, everything would be resolved. But then Du Rongfei's incident happened.

Since Lan Er insisted on inviting him, and it wasn't easy to refuse, he went.

The second young mistress, quiet and gentle, asked them, "Are you tired from going out?"

"They're tired from playing?" Lan Er laughed. "Aren't we, the ones who do the work, even more tired?"

"Playing is just as tiring," the second young mistress said. "When Muhe comes back, ask her if she's tired from playing."

"She'll probably complain," Lan Er said.

The second young mistress asked him, "Let me tell you a joke: If Mu He Ruo isn't your sister, then it's Mrs. Cheng. What do you say we do then?"

Lan Er was slightly surprised: "What kind of joke is this? It's ridiculous."

"Just kidding."

"If she isn't, tell her to get lost," Lan Er said.

Lanxiu suddenly turned her head to look at him.

His reaction was too much; Lan Er was startled by his expression: "What are you doing?"

"...I thought you and Mu He had a very good relationship, and that you would be reluctant to part with her," Lan Xiu said. "If something were to happen, you would insist on helping her. I didn't expect you to be so carefree."

Lan Er was baffled: "Wasn't this a joke?"

"Even if you jokingly tell her to get lost, she'll still get angry," Lanxiu said.

"No way. She's said even more outrageous things in her jokes sometimes. Is it that she's allowed to say it, but I'm not allowed to say it?" Lan Er said.

"Second brother, what if it's true?" Su Yuzhao chimed in.

"Are you hiding something from me?" Lan Er slowly sensed something was amiss. "Mrs. Cheng does indeed resemble my mother, and you're making jokes like this again. Could it be...?"

"What if it's true? What will Muhe do?" Su Yuzhao asked him.

Lan Er hesitated for a moment, then answered very carefully: "If it's true, tell her to leave. She didn't spring from a rock. She should go back to where she came from."

"But she's still my sister..."

"Didn't you say 'really'? If it's really true, then she's not my sister," Lan Er said. "Don't her family want her back?"

"She's lived in our family for so many years, there must be some attachment to her. We'll be reluctant to let her go," Lanxiu chimed in.

"What can you do if you can't bear to part with her? You can't take someone else's daughter for yourself. You have to be reasonable. You're so wishy-washy. Your sister-in-law is much more straightforward," Lan Er scolded her younger brother.

Lanxiu: "..."