“Who is it?”
Qing Yuan and Da Liu also looked at Han Feng curiously.
“A girl you do not know,” Han Feng replied.
“If you do not say the name, how do we know we do not know her?”
Da Liu’s gossiping heart was completely aroused. He grabbed Han Feng and asked, “Quick, tell us. What is her name?”
“She is called… Shi Lingyun…” Han Feng’s expression looked a bit guilty.
“Shi Lingyun. I have never heard of her.”
Da Liu and Qing Yuan exchanged a glance, both shaking their heads slightly.
Neither of them had heard this name.
Jin Feng, however, showed a thoughtful expression.
Da Liu had always been nosy. Back at Iron Can Mountain, even knowing he would get thumped by Jin Feng, he still wanted to poke his head in to see who was in his room.
Now, suddenly hearing such explosive news, how could he let it go easily?
He grabbed Han Feng’s sleeve and pressed, “Where is the girl from? How did you meet?”
Then he turned to Chen Wenyuan, “Young Master Chen, did Old Han tell you about this girl, and that is why your story was written this way?”
“No, this character was added after Mr Jin asked me to modify it.”
Chen Wenyuan shook his head repeatedly.
Da Liu turned to Jin Feng, “Master, do you know?”
“You are so well-informed and do not know. How could I know?”
Jin Feng turned to Han Feng and asked with a half-smile, “Old Han, this Miss Shi, is she related to someone we know?”
“What do you mean, master?” Da Liu asked, scratching his head.
“If she were just an ordinary girl, do you think Old Han would be so shy about it?”
Jin Feng glanced at Da Liu, “You can still laugh. If this Miss Shi turns out to be your great-aunt, let us see if you still laugh then.”
“That would not happen. My parents and ancestors have never been to Xichuan for generations. But the master is right. This kid is guilty, so there must be a reason.”
Da Liu grew even more excited. He pushed Han Feng, “Quick, tell us. What is the background of this Miss Shi you fancy?”
He also sneaked a glance at Qing Yuan and Chen Wenyuan.
Among those present, only they were from Xichuan.
Jin Feng also asked with some concern, “This Miss Shi, she would not have any connection to the Qing family, would she?”
Qing Yuan and Chen Wenyuan did not come from high backgrounds. Even if Han Feng fancied one of their relatives, he would not need to hide it.
The biggest possibility Jin Feng could think of was a connection to the Qing family.
The Qing family had been in Xichuan for some years. It would not be strange if some relatives lived outside the city or were captured by cavalry while handling affairs outside.
Hiss!
Da Liu could not help drawing in a cold breath, “Old Han, the master would not have guessed right, would he?”
The more he thought about it, the more possible it seemed.
“No connection to the Qing family!”
Han Feng quickly shook his head. After hesitating, he said, “Lingyun is… Mr Zhou’s… great-aunt!”
When Jin Feng and Da Liu heard it was not related to the Qing family, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
Mr Zhou’s great-aunt was fine. If it were the great-aunt of Qing Mulian and Qing Xinyao, that would be serious trouble.
“Old Han, you are impressive. Quietly getting hold of someone’s great-aunt.”
Da Liu punched Han Feng in the chest.
“Indeed impressive. Mr Zhou wants to be brothers with you, but you want to be his great-uncle!” Jin Feng also laughed, “It should be great-uncle, right?”
“What it is called is not important. Anyway, it is two generations apart.” Da Liu laughed loudly, “Old Han, does Mr Zhou know about this?”
“I… Lingyun and I have not told him yet…” Han Feng answered shyly.
“Brother, take care!” Jin Feng patted Han Feng on the shoulder, “When Mr Zhou comes at you with a knife, try to run faster!”
“Hahaha, from brother to grandpa… I am quite looking forward to Mr Zhou’s reaction when he finds out.”
Da Liu clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he could not stand straight, “No, no, let me laugh a bit more.”
Qing Yuan also laughed until her eyes narrowed into slits.
Chen Wenyuan laughed a few times too and asked, “Hero Han, this Miss Zhou… how old is she?”
Gah!
Da Liu, who had been clutching his stomach and laughing hard, suddenly stopped laughing, “Exactly. Old Han, your taste is a bit unique…”
Qing Yuan’s eyes widened suddenly, and she instinctively stepped back a few paces.
As if to keep distance from a pervert.
“Old Han has discerning eyes. This Miss Shi definitely cannot be too old,” Jin Feng said, waving his hand.
“As expected, the master is clever. Lingyun is only seventeen this year.”
Han Feng said, “She and Mr Zhou’s grandmother are only from the same clan branch, not a real great-aunt.”
“It is not just the same clan branch, is it?”
Jin Feng asked sideways, “Has this Miss Shi gone beyond the five degrees of mourning with Mr Zhou’s grandmother?”
“No… no…” Han Feng shook his head.
“Whoa, not even beyond five degrees, and you say she is not a real great-aunt?” Da Liu asked with wide eyes.
There are degrees of closeness even among clan relatives.
Some share the same grandfather, others the same great-great-grandfather.
The so-called five degrees of mourning means tracing back five generations to a common ancestor.
For example, the Shi Lingyun Han Feng mentioned being within five degrees of kinship with Zhou Youda’s grandmother means that Shi Lingyun’s grandfather and Zhou Youda’s grandmother’s grandfather were likely brothers.
At least cousins.
This was very common in feudal times.
Many wealthy men had great-grandsons yet still took teenage girls as concubines.
If such a concubine bore children, though young in age, her generational rank would be high.
For instance, Prince Jin and the Ninth Princess were about the same age, yet Prince Jin was her biological uncle.
Shi Lingyun and Zhou Youda’s grandmother were probably in such a situation.
“There is no helping it. Lingyun is a good girl. When the master discussed adding such a character with me, the first person I thought of was her.”
Han Feng said, “Lingyun is educated and sensible. In the prisoner camp, she really helped a lot. During the fight for the military horse camp, she also killed a cavalryman.”
“Hearing it this way, the character that Chen and I created was somewhat accidentally spot-on?”
Jin Feng was stunned, “No wonder when I discussed it with you back then, I felt your expression was odd. So you really knew such a heroic woman!”
Many parts of the female protagonist’s role in the stage play were provided by Han Feng.
At the time, Jin Feng even thought Han Feng had talent for storytelling. Now he realised it was because he knew the real person.
“Something like that. Only, Lingyun has a strong personality. She never thought of suicide. Instead, she long wanted to become a female escort.”
Han Feng said, “I… I want to marry her! Since we are on the topic today, I might as well ask the master.”
“It is between the two of you. Why ask me?”
Jin Feng said, “As long as you are willing and the girl is willing, get married if you want. No need to ask anyone.”
“No, what I mean is, everyone is curious about who the prototype of the female protagonist is right now. Can we make use of this?” Han Feng asked.
“This is a very good idea,” Jin Feng nodded slightly, “but does Miss Lingyun agree?”
