Tuoba Yan recounted his story with animation:
"He stared at me for a full fifteen minutes, even circling me. Old Master Wang's eyes went wide. Then he grabbed me and insisted I was his son." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"And then?"
"Then, Old Master Wang was also startled. He praised how alike we were, how incredibly alike. You know how timid I am, Sister A Jiu. I was frightened. Afterward, I was interrogated for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. In any case, the information didn't match the supposed son of that prince at all. Only then did they let me go. Otherwise, you wouldn't be seeing me."
"So that's how it was. You're lucky to be alive. People in official circles are unpredictable. One moment they're patting your chest with promises, the next they might be after your life."
A Jiu listened with a mix of alarm and surprise. Although Tuoba Yan had become a ghost, there was no reason for him to forget events from his life.
Since the information didn't match, it must simply be a case of resemblance.
"I don't understand officialdom. I only know I had to bring Sister A Jiu back. So, my face, unintentionally, played a significant role."
Tuoba Yan felt quite pleased with himself.
"When I returned with this document, our boss was shocked. He asked how I managed to sweet-talk the prince into a stupor."
Hearing this, A Jiu's shoulders shook with laughter.
"However, there's some bad news." Tuoba Yan's tone shifted.
A Jiu lost all desire to laugh. "Did something happen to my parents?"
"That's not the main issue. Your grandmother couldn't find you and came looking. But your parents tied her up, saying if she ran off again while you were gone, they'd have to search for her too. The bad news I'm referring to is that I promised our leader, Zhang, that I'd bring him a few catties of fruit when you returned."
As A Jiu listened, she wondered if Tuoba Yan had mixed up the important and trivial matters.
"Just a few catties of fruit, it's not a big deal."
"This time, it's free, Sister Jiu'er."
"Free is free. Besides, didn't you help us exchange so much grain before?" A Jiu didn't take it seriously. She was more concerned about her grandmother.
"A Xiao Yan, my grandmother has a temper. Did she cause any trouble after being tied up?"
"She did, but she couldn't die," Tuoba Yan said nonchalantly, sending a shiver down A Jiu's spine.
"Let's hurry," A Jiu urged, her heart pounding.
Horses were, of course, faster than carts, but the bumpy ride was nauseating. By the time they reached Heba Village, her backside was raw.
Fortunately, it wasn't long after dawn when A Jiu arrived home.
"Stop making a fuss. Tuoba Yan will figure something out about Jiu'er's situation. You're just worried about not being able to 'sit like a god' anymore. We'll tie you to this stone, and you can sit like a god to your heart's content. What else is there to regret?"
Just as she turned into the alley, A Jiu saw her mother and father forcing her grandmother, tied up like a zongzi with hemp ropes, onto a stone pedestal.
They forcefully bent her legs into a cross-legged position and then tied her to the grinding stone.
The grandmother, her mouth stuffed with a cloth, let out muffled groans with bloodshot eyes.
"Mother, your illness has worsened too quickly. Your unworthy son's actions are for your own good." Meng Shaode gritted his teeth and secured her tightly.
"Mother, Father," A Jiu called out, dismounting quickly.
Tuoba Yan, quick-witted, helped her down.
As A Jiu's feet touched the ground, she rushed towards her home.
Her parents, Cai Lihua and Meng Shaode, stared blankly at their daughter.
Wang Shi, tied to the grinding stone, thrashed restlessly, emitting muffled sounds from her throat.
"Daughter... you're finally back." Cai Lihua, tears in her eyes, embraced her daughter.
A Jiu felt like she couldn't breathe.
"Yes, yes, daughter. You don't know how much your father has been unable to eat these past few days." The tension that had creased Meng Shaode's face for days finally relaxed.
"Grandmother, are you alright? Aunt and Uncle are doing this for your own good. See, haven't I brought your granddaughter back?" Tuoba Yan said, pulling the cloth from Wang Shi's mouth.
"You ungrateful, filial descendants! How dare you tie me up? If I weren't in this state, I would have broken both your dog legs with a single blow, you beasts..."
Wang Shi, like a mad dog escaping its cage, cursed with red eyes. Her teeth gnashed, and she looked as if she wanted to devour her son alive.
A line flashed through A Jiu's mind: It's over, something big is about to happen.