She has this bad habit. She acts like this when she can't figure something out.
He still remembered the little girl when she was still a chubby little ball, chubby and adorable, like the dolls in New Year pictures. In the blink of an eye, she had grown into a slender young woman. Luo Shenyuan himself didn't know when he started to feel different. Perhaps it was when the grown-up Yi Ning hugged him from behind after returning from the capital, and he suddenly realized she was no longer a child. Or perhaps it was when she fell asleep in his arms, curled up in his arms, clutching his sleeve, relying on and trusting him immensely.
Or maybe it was the moment he heard that Lin Mao wanted to marry her, and his heart instantly became tense and gloomy.
But that was impossible. He was nominally Yi Ning's older brother. Even though he knew Yi Ning had no blood relationship with him, and even secretly investigated her biological father, Yi Ning's identity could never be made public. Even if he wasn't Yi Ning's older brother, he was eight years older than her. He was already a young man, ready to start a family, but Yi Ning was still childish.
His honed rationality told him that he had to pretend that nothing had happened. But how could this be done so easily?
As if sensing someone looking at her, Yi Ning suddenly raised her head and said, "Third Brother——"
Luo Shenyuan had already turned his eyes away and asked calmly, "What's wrong?"
She hesitated for a moment before walking over to him: "I don't understand the meaning of this part of the book." Her lips were red from biting them just now.
Luo Shenyuan forced himself to focus his gaze on what she was pointing at and explained, "Zhuangzi is difficult to understand. You're still young, so it's best if you read it less. 'The Greatest Joy' talks about life, death, and reincarnation, and it's actually in accordance with the will of Heaven..."
Yi Ning listened attentively. She was deeply interested in the story because of her own experiences. By the time the story was finished, it was already noon, and a message came from the kitchen saying that dinner was ready.
Luo Shenyuan had just put down the book and was about to lead her out when a man dressed as a servant hurried over. He bowed and said, "Third Young Master, Madam Qiao has brought someone into the mansion. She said it's a distant relative of one of her maids, and they're here to visit."
After hearing what the servant said, Yi Ning looked at him. He had actually been monitoring Aunt Qiao?
Aunt Qiao was full of tricks, so he naturally had to keep an eye on her. Luo Shenyuan asked him as they walked, "What's going on?"
The servant immediately said, "I sent someone to watch, and it was clearly a seriously ill woman being carried into Aunt Qiao's room. If she were a relative visiting, why would she leave when she had one foot halfway inside the coffin? I thought it was strange, so I came back to report to the Third Young Master."
What did Aunt Qiao want to do by inviting a seriously ill person into her home? Yi Ning was also confused. Aunt Qiao had been in a bad mood recently, and Xuan Ge'er's matter had pushed her to the brink. But with such confusing actions, it was really hard to guess what she was up to.
Luo Shenyuan paused, thought for a moment, and said, "Go check the identity of this woman, but don't alarm Auntie."
The servant immediately took the order and went down.
Yi Ning asked him, "Have you been keeping an eye on Aunt Qiao?"
Luo Shenyuan just smiled slowly and said to her, "I asked the kitchen to prepare your favorite cured goose meat. You can eat more later."
Aunt Qiao paced back and forth in the room, extremely anxious.
Luo Yilian sat on the bed in silence. She felt her mother had gone mad over her brother, believing even such nonsense. But whenever she opened her mouth to explain, Aunt Qiao would interrupt her. Whether it was true or not, she had to try it to find out. If it was false, forget it, but if it was true... then this was going to be a big deal!
It wasn't until the servants came and told her that the girl had been taken in and settled in the east warm room that Aunt Qiao finally breathed a sigh of relief and said to her, "Yilian, if she wasn't your father's biological daughter, but a bastard from an affair, then you would be the only daughter of the second house. Who would dare to treat you badly in the future?"
Luo Yilian didn't know what to say. She and Concubine Qiao were mother and daughter, but Concubine Qiao had grown up in the marketplace, while she was a illegitimate daughter of the Luo family. Sometimes she couldn't stand the words her mother used. In her eyes, Luo Yining was indeed a grudge against her. If it weren't for Luo Yining, she wouldn't have ended up in this situation. But she wouldn't use the word "bastard" to describe her.
Aunt Qiao straightened her hair and went to the east warm room with her maid.
The eastern warm room was thick with the scent of ointment, and the lighting was dim. A maid announced her arrival, and Aunt Qiao had to squint to see clearly. On the bunk bed lay a woman with a withered face, dressed simply. She stared at her face for a long time, trying to imagine if this person had once served Gu Minglan. But after so many years, she had almost forgotten what Gu Minglan looked like, so how could she remember a humble servant?
Liu An's wife leaned over and said, "Auntie, this is Zhang." She bent down and patted Zhang's shoulder, "Auntie is here to see you."
Zhang slowly opened her eyes, her gaze dazed for a moment. Then she saw a beautiful woman in elegant clothes sitting on an embroidered cushion, looking at her. She could vaguely remember her face: it was Aunt Qiao. She hadn't changed much since she was a decade or so ago. It was they who had changed: the old, the dead. Zhang closed her eyes, and began to tremble.
"I cannot stand up to greet you, Madam... forgive me..." Zhang said slowly, "Thank you, Madam, for sparing Xu Si. I, I will tell you what happened back then."
Aunt Qiao felt an eerie silence in the room; no one dared to speak. The East Warm Room, unused for years, smelled of rotting wood. Aunt Qiao, holding a cup of tea, looked at Zhang and said, "Go ahead, I'm listening. If what you say is true, I will not only spare Xu Si, but also ensure you have a life of plenty."
Zhang's expression was a bit complicated again. She slowly recounted the events of the past: how Gu Minglan was abducted from the nunnery, and how her premature child died from excessive worry... She choked up as she spoke, and Aunt Qiao's expression grew increasingly tense.
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