Chapter 53 Stepmother

Aman was unaware that Fu Yunxiu and Fu Changze had made other deals, and she was skeptical of his words.

The second young master is not one to give up so easily.

However, for several days in a row, Aman's stall remained quiet. Not to mention the people from Lirenfang, even people from ordinary rouge shops stopped coming to seek cooperation.

This left Aman completely baffled.

"Perhaps they know your determination and don't want to waste any more time," Fu Yunxiu said calmly after hearing this.

Aman knew that this couldn't be the reason, but she couldn't find any other reason, so she had to give up.

At least she had some peace and quiet.

With her flower dew business booming, she wants to take advantage of this time to earn more money.

The flower cuttings she propagated in the backyard are now starting to bud. Master He said that these first batch of buds should not be kept and must all be pinched off. Only by making the branches grow thick and strong can there be a continuous stream of flowers.

Following her advice, Aman spent the next few days selling rouge in the morning, going to De'an Hall in the afternoon to receive acupuncture treatments from Master Cheng, and then going to the backyard to pick flower buds after dinner, repeating the same routine.

Mantou has been taking over the cooking duties at home for the past few days. Although the presentation isn't great, with Ah Man as the master chef, at least the taste is passable.

Today happens to be the Dragon Boat Festival. For dinner, Mantou specially made a lot of delicious food, waiting for Aman to come back and eat together.

But the sun had already set, and there wasn't a trace of Aman.

"Young master, why don't you eat something first?" Mantou said.

"No," Fu Yunxiu turned a page of his book, "Let's wait for Aman to come back and do it together!"

A family reunion dinner is only considered a reunion if all the family members are present.

Seeing that Fu Yunxiu insisted, Mantou had no choice but to go to the door to see if Aman had returned.

Ah Man, as usual, always came back early, and even if he didn't, he would have his apprentice deliver a message. But today, he's nowhere to be seen, and hasn't said a word.

If this dish gets any hotter, it really won't be edible.

Mantou stood at the door, gazing and gazing, but as darkness fell, no one came into view.

The steamed bun panicked a little.

If Aman had run into trouble at De'an Hall, he would have at least sent someone to inform him. But there's been no word from him yet, so something must have happened.

Mantou became increasingly frightened as he thought about it. After informing Fu Yunxiu, he went straight to De'an Hall.

The apprentice told them that Aman hadn't come at all today.

Unable to find anyone selling steamed buns, they went to Aman's stall. However, the stall was deserted, and even the shops next door were closed and dark; there wasn't a soul in sight.

Where did they go?

Mantou ran around several more streets but still couldn't find Aman. He asked the nearby residents, but they all said they hadn't noticed or seen him.

Left with no other choice, Mantou had to go home and inform Fu Yunxiu.

The steamed buns took at least two hours to arrive and return, and Fu Yunxiu, unable to wait any longer, was already waiting at the door.

Seeing that Mantou had returned alone, he immediately realized that Mantou hadn't found anyone. "Is there no one at the stall either?"

"It's Dragon Boat Festival today, and all the shops on the street closed early. People nearby said they didn't notice either." Mantou sighed. He should have gone to look for it earlier.

Fu Yunxiu pondered for a moment, a thousand thoughts flashing through his mind amidst the commotion.

Fu Changze has already gotten what he wanted, so it's likely that Aman's disappearance has nothing to do with him. As for the others, Fu Yunxiu really can't say for sure.

Aman's popularity was so high that countless people were envious and jealous. Although Fu Changze promised to protect Aman, there were always areas he couldn't cover for her.

"Let's go to the Marquis's residence." The only way forward is to use the Marquis's power to find out Aman's whereabouts.

“Young Master…” Upon hearing this, Mantou hesitated for a moment, knowing how much the young master was reluctant to step into the Marquis’s residence.

But now, for Aman's sake, he can't care about anything else.

Mantou entered the door and hurriedly picked out a lantern. He handed the lantern to Fu Yunxiu and was about to push him to the Marquis's residence when he suddenly heard a soft but familiar voice.

"Young master, steamed buns? Where are you going so late at night?"

"Aman?" Mantou was afraid he had misheard, so he raised the lantern and shone it forward. Aman's figure appeared right in front of him.

Aman stepped forward with a puzzled look, glanced at the tightly closed door, then looked at Mantou who looked hurried, and asked, "Where are you going so late?"

"Where did you go?" Fu Yunxiu didn't answer Aman's question, but asked directly.

Their tone was cold and heavy, which made Aman pause slightly. She then realized that the two of them were probably going out to look for her, and she quickly explained, "Oh, I met a woman on the road today who had fainted from heatstroke, so I took her to the clinic." This back and forth had delayed them.

Aman's voice trailed off, and upon hearing this, Mantou couldn't help but complain, "Then you should have sent someone to deliver a message. Do you know how worried the young master and I were about you?"

"I was so anxious to save people that I forgot," Aman apologized in a low voice, her tone very sincere. "I'm sorry, young master, for making you worry. But I swear, next time, next time I will definitely report in advance."

Aman raised three fingers to swear, but Fu Yunxiu ignored her, only glancing at her indifferently and saying, "Let's go inside."

This lukewarm response left Aman feeling like she was suspended in mid-air, neither up nor down. She would rather the young master had just given her a good scolding; that would have made her feel better.

But it was indeed her fault. After closing up shop today, she originally planned to go to De'an Hall to learn acupuncture, and then go home early to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with the young master and the others.

Unexpectedly, on the way to De'an Hall, they encountered a woman who had suffered from heatstroke and collapsed by the roadside, holding a newborn baby in her arms.

Out of compassion, Aman took the person to the nearest clinic.

The doctor said that the woman fainted because she had lost her vital energy during childbirth, was weak, and suffered from heatstroke.

Unable to find the woman's family and worried about her, she had no choice but to stay and wait for the woman to wake up, while also looking after her child.

As a result, they waited for more than two hours.

When the woman woke up and learned that she had been saved, she was extremely grateful to her.

The woman's name was Wan Niang. She lived outside the city. Her husband was a soldier who went to the battlefield and was never heard from again, leaving behind only this unborn child.

Her parents-in-law had passed away long ago, leaving her to manage the entire household alone. This trip to the city was to buy some household supplies. Unexpectedly, she fell ill with heatstroke. Fortunately, she met a kind person like Aman; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

As a woman, Aman felt deeply moved after hearing her story. Adding to the charm of the adorable child, she became so engrossed that she lost track of time.

"Young master, you have no idea how adorable that little girl is. Those big, bright eyes are enough to melt your heart at first glance." Aman beamed with joy. "My mother said she wants that little girl to recognize me as her godmother!"

Aman chattered on and on, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling like a lake in spring. Even Fu Yunxiu, with his fierce temper, would fall silent upon seeing Aman like this.

Moreover, the woman did sound pitiful.

"Has she already gone home?" Fu Yunxiu asked.

"No, I saw it was getting dark, and Wanniang's home is far away. It wouldn't be safe for a widow and her child, so I let her stay at the inn first. Young master, if I wanted to give Xiaolingdang a gift, what would be a good idea?"

Little Bell is the stepmother's child.

“Since you said you want to adopt that child as your goddaughter, a longevity lock would be the best choice,” Fu Yunxiu suggested.

“That seems to be the case,” Aman clapped his hands. “Then let’s present you with a longevity lock. Would you like to come with me to take a look tomorrow, young master?”

Aman's eyes sparkled, which made Fu Yunxiu's heart flutter for a moment, but after seeing his own legs, he had a change of heart. "You go by yourself, I won't bother you."

He went, but besides causing trouble, he couldn't do anything else.

Fu Yunxiu didn't say anything more about Aman's late return, only telling Aman that if she was ever held up by something in the future, she should remember to send someone back to let him know.

"Don't worry, young master, I swear this will only happen once, and never again." Aman raised her hand as if to swear.

That night, the sky was clear and the breeze was gentle.

The stepmother coaxed Little Bell to sleep, carefully placed her on the bed, and covered her with a blanket.

If she hadn't met Aman today, she doesn't know what would have happened. It's also her fault; she should have listened to Aunt Liu and left the little bell at home.

Perhaps because she had never seen her father since birth, Xiao Lingdang was very attached to her. Whenever she woke up and couldn't see her, she would cry incessantly.

She brought her along because she really didn't want her daughter to suffer like this.

Looking at her daughter's features, so similar to that man's, Wan Niang felt a deep sorrow. Memories of the past flooded her mind, filling her with both hatred and resentment.

Thinking about the journey ahead the next day, Wan Niang brushed aside her resentment and forced herself not to think about it. Just as she took off her outer clothes and was about to go to sleep, she suddenly heard someone knocking on the door.

The familiar voice made Wan Niang's heart skip a beat, and she subconsciously opened the window to look downstairs.

The inn had already closed, so the man's knocking and shouting were particularly clear.

A moment later, the waiter went to open the door with a lamp, and two men in tight-fitting clothes came in.

The two appeared to be master and servant. The man in white was tall and elegant, exuding an air of nobility, while the man in black held a sword, his eyes piercing, and his face filled with anxiety.

"Waiter, are there any rooms available?" the man in black asked.

"Yes, yes, there's one more superior room. Please come in, sir." Seeing the two men covered in blood, the waiter woke up from his drowsiness and hurriedly welcomed them into the room.

"Bring out whatever good wine and food you have, and heat up a bucket of water; my young master wants to bathe and change," the man in black said again.

This put the waiter in a difficult position. "Sir, we've sold out of our best food and drinks. They won't be available until tomorrow morning. We only have some congee and side dishes left. What do you think..."

"If you sell out, go buy some more over there. My young master has been traveling a lot; how can he eat such coarse food?" The man in black suddenly challenged him, startling the waiter, who was in a difficult position.

"Sir...this..."

"Yan Qing," the man in white waved his hand to stop him, "the curfew is about to start. Where are we supposed to buy food now? Plain porridge and side dishes it is, thank you for your trouble, shopkeeper."

This man in white is much easier to talk to.

The waiter readily agreed and led the two upstairs.

As the footsteps drew closer, Wan Niang slammed the window shut in fright. The sound of the window closing caught the attention of the man in white, who looked in the direction of the sound and, as if guided by something, walked towards them.

Hearing the footsteps outside, the stepmother tightly covered her mouth to keep herself from making a sound, and just then, Little Bell woke up.

"Waaaaah..." The baby's loud cries were exceptionally clear in the night, and the man in white instantly snapped back to his senses and stopped in his tracks.

The waiter, unaware of what had happened, saw him stop and said gently, "Sir, this way."