Chapter 45 I just want to ask you, my niece, if you know to whom this inkstone screen belongs?
Su Ying hurried back to the side courtyard and saw white steam rising from the small kitchen. She knew her aunt must be cooking for her again.
The weather was getting colder, and the hot air from the kitchen merged with the cold air outside, making it even thicker. As Su Ying approached the kitchen, she was surrounded by the white mist and couldn't see where her aunt was. She could only call out, "Aunt, are you in there?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard her aunt ask her to go out first: "Ying'er, it's very smoky here, go back to the room and wait, your aunt is making chicken soup for you!"
Su Ying was a little anxious at the moment. If it were usual, waiting for a moment wouldn't be a big deal. But for some reason, she felt uneasy, as if something was about to happen.
She did not leave, but went to the kitchen and said, "Aunt, I have something to tell you."
Before she could finish her words, her aunt interrupted her: "Go back to the house if I tell you to. The stove is too hot and it's too cold outside. Don't make yourself sick from the sudden change of temperature. The chicken soup will be ready soon. Be good and go back quickly."
Su Ying had no choice but to return to her room, mentally reassuring herself to remain calm. The origins of those valuable items in the library were still just speculations. If her aunt truly knew nothing, even if she wanted to return them tonight, it wouldn't necessarily be possible without a trace.
About half an hour later, my aunt asked Xiuyu to bring the stewed chicken soup into the house: "Ying'er, come and try it."
Su Ying responded and took a seat at the dining table. Seeing her aunt serving her soup, she seemed to want to say something but stopped herself.
Rong Shi placed the soup bowl on Su Ying's table and noticed that her niece's expression was not right. Su Ying was always tactful and rarely lost her composure. Rong Shi saw that something was wrong and found an excuse to send Xiu Yu away.
"But what happened?"
"Aunt," Su Ying had just begun to speak when Xiu Yu, who had just left, called out from outside the door, "Madam, the eldest mistress has sent a little maid to invite you and my cousin to come over and have a chat."
Rong raised her hand towards Su Ying and said, "I don't know what your aunt wants to talk to us about. Don't worry, we can talk to you when we get back."
Rong, supported by Su Ying, went out and saw the little maid from Cheng's courtyard waiting outside. Rong asked, "Did the eldest lady say anything?"
Before the little girl arrived, Xue Yuan had pulled her aside and given her some instruction. She seemed to be reciting every word: "The eldest lady said that she would soon be bringing the young lady and the cousin to manage the household affairs. The eldest lady wanted to invite the second lady and the cousin over to sit down and talk."
Rong Shi nodded without any doubt when she heard this. When her mother-in-law asked Su Ying to copy the scriptures, she had indeed mentioned that she wanted Su Ying to learn housekeeping from Cheng Shi as well.
She patted Su Ying's hand and said, "Maybe the eldest lady wants to know whether you have ever managed the household in Yueqing."
Having said that, he asked the little girl to lead the way and left the side yard with Su Ying.
But who would have thought that as the little girl walked, she turned east and walked into the library.
Two maids were standing outside the library. Xue Yuan had been waiting inside the door for a long time, and seemed to have been waiting for a long time.
"Second Madam, Miss Cousin, Madam is ready to digest her food after dinner and wanted to go for a walk in the garden. I heard that Miss Cousin has been taking care of the library recently, so I came in to see her."
Rong frowned slightly, feeling something was strange. Over the years, she and her husband had only invited her mother-in-law and brother's wife to come when they hung a plaque in the library. After that, her sister-in-law had never set foot in the library. What day was it that she was interested in it today?
But why did he bring not only the maidservant but also the servant when he went for a walk, and they stood guard like door gods?
Su Ying also noticed something was amiss. She didn't know why the Cheng family was in the library. A faint voice in her heart told her that they were up to no good and were definitely after the items. But another voice struggled, saying that she hadn't yet fully understood the matter. It was Wanyi who had noticed something, and she didn't believe Wanyi had said anything to cause the Cheng family to come with such a grand ceremony.
Xue Yuan seemed a little anxious, and with an impolite smile, she urged, "Second Madam, it's cold outside. Please come in quickly and don't keep Madam waiting."
Now that they were here, there was no reason to stop. Rong gathered her thoughts and led Su Ying into the library. She had been cautious and content with her own little corner over the years, but that didn't mean she was weak and vulnerable, especially now that she had her niece with her. She wanted to see what Cheng was up to tonight.
As the night deepened, although there was only one glass lamp on in the library, the lamp was transparent and the lamp oil was pure, so it illuminated most of the huge library.
Cheng was sitting upright in front of the desk. When she saw someone come in, she didn't stand up. She just looked up at Rong and Su Ying and said, "Sister-in-law, there is only one chair in the library. I am not feeling well today, so I won't give it to you."
Seeing this, Rong Shi restrained her expression and bowed, saying, "Since that's the case, sister-in-law, it would be better for you to return to the courtyard and rest early."
Cheng smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, I also want to go back and rest early, but I'm a little worried today. If I don't invite you to come, this worry will not be solved."
Upon hearing this, Rong smiled and replied, "Sister-in-law, you are too kind. I don't know when I developed this ability to relieve worries."
Cheng snorted coldly, "Sister-in-law, there are still many things you don't know. Why not let your niece explain everything to you one by one?"
Rong was startled and stretched out her hand to protect Su Ying behind her. She frowned and said, "Sister-in-law, I respectfully call you sister-in-law. Although Ying'er is my niece, I treat her as my own daughter. If you have anything to say, please speak directly. There is no need to beat around the bush."
"Good!" Cheng raised her eyebrows and said loudly, "What you said, sister-in-law, is exactly what I want!"
After saying this, he picked up the snow-bamboo ink screen from the desk and stared at Su Ying, who was blocked behind Rong Shi, with a pair of sharp eyes: "I just want to ask you, my niece, do you know who this ink screen belongs to?"
Rong took a closer look and was stunned. Isn't this Heng'er's inkstone screen? How did it appear in the library?
Seeing Rong's expression change, Cheng became even more certain and scolded, "Su Ying, don't play dumb. I'll ask you again, who does this inkstone screen belong to? Do you know?"
Cheng's question was truly powerful. If Su Ying answered that she knew, then knowing clearly that this thing belonged to Du Heng, and yet allowing it to remain in the library, wouldn't that be tacitly admitting to a private exchange? But if she said she didn't know, how could she not know about this inkstone screen, which sat on her desk every day? Every step forward was a trap; no matter how she answered, it was wrong.
Su Ying didn't want to quibble, nor did she want to just say she knew nothing. Her aunt's hand was still protecting her. Even if she couldn't argue, she couldn't make things difficult for her aunt.
She let go of her aunt's hand and walked out, her head held high and her chest puffed out. Her voice was low, but every word was clear and powerful: "I didn't know who this thing belonged to. It wasn't until noon today that I learned that it was a pair with Wanyi's Proud Snow Red Plum Inkstone Screen."
"Su Ying also wants to know how these items appeared in the library without anyone noticing. Aunt, please investigate. If you can find out the reason, Su Ying will be very grateful. We can also return the items to their original owners to avoid misunderstandings."
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