The late spring wind blew willow catkins across the west wing of the General's Mansion. Chen Weiwan squatted under the third pomegranate tree outside the storehouse, her fingertips picking at the grass roots, her ears perked up to listen to the surrounding sounds. Chuntao, cradling a basket of freshly picked roses, squatted beside her and muttered, "Miss, you've been squatting here for half an hour. Didn't you say you were looking for the mistress's jade hairpin? Why are you arguing with the storehouse?"
"Shh!" Shen Weiwan suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes fixed on the figure walking on crutches in the distance, "The old housekeeper is here, let's watch the show."
The old housekeeper was nearly sixty years old, with white hair and beard. He was an old man in the general's mansion and the most old-fashioned. When he saw Shen Weiwan squatting near the storehouse, his brows immediately frowned into a river shape: "Miss, what are you squatting here for?"
Shen Weiwan immediately put on her signature "silly and sweet" smile, her eyes shining like stars: "Grandpa Butler! I'm looking for my mother's hairpin~" She raised her muddy hand and shook it, "My mother said it was buried under this tree!"
The old housekeeper looked at the mud on the back of her hand, then glanced at the tightly closed storehouse door. He said in a serious tone, "When the madam was buried, this old servant personally collected the coffin, but I didn't see any jade hairpins. Miss, please don't believe the rumors. The storehouse is a restricted area and you must not approach it casually."
"But my mother told me in a dream that there are some!" Shen Weiwan tilted her head and poked the old housekeeper's crutch with her finger, "Grandpa Housekeeper, are there a lot of treasures in the warehouse? Are there any glowing night pearls? I want to give one to my aunt. Her hand is injured, and seeing the treasure will make it feel better!"
The old housekeeper: "..." He had lived for sixty years, and this was the first time he had seen someone try to coax his aunt with the night-shining pearls from the storehouse. Was this young lady truly foolish? But the other day, when the Second Madam rubbed her hands, she did it so skillfully, not at all like a fool.
"Miss, the storehouse is a key area of the General's Mansion. How can we tolerate such trivialities?" The old housekeeper said sternly, "Follow me back to my room. Don't make any noise here."
"No!" Shen Weiwan suddenly hugged the old housekeeper's legs, "I haven't found the hairpin yet! Grandpa Housekeeper, can you help me find it~ My mother said that if we find the hairpin, we can open the storehouse, and there are a lot of delicious preserves in it!"
The old housekeeper staggered in her embrace and almost fell. He looked down at Shen Weiwan's innocent face, his heart beating fast. Something was wrong, something was terribly wrong. Although the eldest daughter was silly before, she never dared to tangle with her like this. Now, not only did she dare to fight with the second wife, she also repeatedly wandered around the warehouse, and her words and actions were full of indescribable cleverness.
"Miss," the old housekeeper said solemnly, "the key to the storehouse is in your hands, so why are you looking for a hairpin?"
Shen Weiwan's eyes rolled, she let go of her hand, and took a half step back: "Key? What key? Oh! Is it the one that my aunt took to play with yesterday? She said it looked like a candied haws, and she said she would help me hide it!"
The old housekeeper was shocked. The key is in the hands of the Second Lady? Impossible! The general clearly gave the key to the warehouse to the eldest lady before his death. But looking at Shen Weiwan's ignorant look, it doesn't seem like she is lying. Could it be that the Second Lady really cheated the key from the eldest lady?
"When did the Second Madam take your key?" asked the old housekeeper.
"Just yesterday!" Shen Weiwan counted on her fingers, "Aunt said my key was pretty and gave it to my cousin to play with. Grandpa Butler, did my cousin hide the key? Can you ask her for me~"
The old housekeeper looked at her innocent face, his heart filled with suspicion. The Second Madam had long coveted the storeroom; if she truly got the key, wouldn't she be furious? But the eldest daughter's reaction... it was as if she had been tricked by the Second Madam, completely unaware.
"Miss," the old butler said slowly, "the key to the storeroom is the lifeblood of the General's Mansion. You must never give it to anyone else. Think carefully, where is the key?"
Shen Weiwan tilted her head and thought for a long time, then suddenly clapped her hands: "Ah! I remembered! I buried the key under the peach tree in the yard! When the peach blossoms bloom, new keys will grow!"
The old housekeeper: "..." He had lived for sixty years, and this was the first time he had heard of a key being grown. Could this young lady be possessed by a demon? But how could someone possessed by a demon cause the Second Lady to suffer such repeated setbacks?
"My dear Miss, I urge you to stop making trouble," the old housekeeper sighed. "Follow me back to your room. I will ask someone to find your hairpin for you."
"No!" Shen Weiwan stomped her feet, "I'm going to look for it here! Grandpa Butler, look what that is?" She suddenly pointed behind the old butler, her eyes widening.
The old housekeeper turned back subconsciously, but saw only an empty corridor. When he turned back, Shen Weiwan had already jumped away, and did not forget to turn back and shout: "Grandpa Housekeeper, wait until I find the hairpin, I will give you a candied fruit!"
The old housekeeper stood there, looking at Shen Weiwan's back, his brows furrowed even tighter. This young lady is neither as silly as before, nor does she seem to be possessed by evil. Her eyes are too bright, her movements are too flexible, and the words just now seemed silly, but every sentence was testing the warehouse and the key.
"Is this old servant getting senile?" the old housekeeper muttered to himself, "Could it be that the young lady... is pretending?"
The thought startled even him. If the eldest lady was truly feigning madness, then her intentions... were truly terrifying. But if not, how could she have such a docile control over the Second Madam?
The old housekeeper leaned on his cane and walked under the pomegranate tree, looking at the pit that Shen Weiwan had dug out. There was nothing in the pit except grass roots. He squatted down, brushed his fingertips over the soil, and suddenly found an inconspicuous piece of gravel at the bottom of the pit. The edges and corners were worn smooth, as if someone had deliberately left it there.
"Strange..." The old housekeeper picked up the gravel, his suspicions growing. The young lady was wandering outside the storeroom, definitely not looking for a hairpin. What on earth was she doing?
Back at Tinglan Courtyard, Chuntao couldn't help but ask, "Miss, what were you talking about with the old housekeeper just now? Isn't the key hidden under your pillow?"
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