Ren Yaoqi had also noticed the figures in the woods earlier, but due to the distance and the shadows cast by the bamboo, she hadn’t seen them clearly. When Granny Xu suggested going to investigate, Ren Yaoqi nodded and let her go. Ren Yaohua also sent her maid, Wujing, to accompany them.
“Who could that have been just now?” Ren Yaohua murmured with a frown. She often furrowed her brows, and even at her young age, two faint creases had already formed there, lending her beautiful face a serious air.
Ren Yaoqi walked slowly toward the bamboo grove, and after a moment’s thought, Ren Yaohua followed.
Spring was nearly over, and many newly sprouted bamboo shoots had grown tender green leaves. The soft, damp ground was dotted with small round holes left behind by the maids and older servants who had come to dig for bamboo shoots earlier. They hadn’t dug for the shoots out of greed but because this small bamboo grove was more of a decorative feature than a dense forest. The spacing of the bamboo had to be carefully maintained to prevent it from growing unchecked.
The soil in this small bamboo grove was soft and loose, leaving shallow footprints wherever one stepped.
Ren Yaoqi lowered her head to examine two sets of fresh footprints, lost in thought.
“These must have been left by those two earlier,” Ren Yaohua remarked.
The footprints were of two different sizes, both with the rounded, pointed tips typical of women’s embroidered shoes, suggesting they weren’t left by men. If it wasn’t a secret meeting between a man and a woman, why had they run away upon seeing the sisters approach?
“Let’s go to Aunt’s courtyard first. There’s no point guessing here,” Ren Yaoqi said, shaking her head.
“Miss, only the Madam’s courtyard is nearby. It’s possible those two fled there. We should keep an eye out for anyone acting suspiciously,” Xiangqin whispered as she leaned closer.
Xiangqin’s suggestion seemed plausible, and Ren Yaohua nodded, leading the way briskly toward Ren Shijia’s courtyard.
Several maids and older servants stood chatting softly in the courtyard. When they saw Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua enter, they hurried over to greet them. Ren Yaoqi glanced over them and recognized them as servants Ren Shijia had brought back from the Lin Family.
“Did anyone come in just now?” Ren Yaohua asked, carefully examining their shoes. Finding them all clean and free of mud, she pressed further.
The maids and servants exchanged puzzled glances. An older servant replied, “Third Miss, we haven’t seen anyone come in. It’s just been the few of us in the courtyard.”
Ren Yaohua looked disappointed.
“Third Miss, Fifth Miss, is something the matter?” the servant asked tentatively.
Ren Yaoqi smiled. “It’s nothing. We saw someone walking ahead of us earlier and thought it might be one of our sisters arriving first, so we asked.”
The servant quickly replied, “Earlier, only Eldest Young Madam and Fourth Miss came by to see the young master. They’ve already left.”
“Then we must have been mistaken. Is Aunt still resting? Is she receiving visitors now?” Ren Yaoqi inquired.
The servant smiled. “The Madam is likely still resting. Shall I take you two to see the young master? He’s quite lively.”
Ren Shijia had given birth in the early hours of the morning, so it was only natural she was still resting.The two sisters did not disturb Ren Shijia, instead following the maid to see the newborn. The baby had been handed over to the wet nurse prepared earlier and did not stay with Ren Shijia.
When Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua arrived, a wet nurse, four maids, and four older women were all in the room, keeping watch. The baby was still asleep, eyes closed, with a tiny, wrinkled, pinkish face. Resembling a little monkey, it was hard to tell where its spirit lay, and it certainly didn’t look particularly attractive.
Everyone in the room spoke softly, and Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua were also very careful not to wake the child.
Just then, it seemed someone else entered from outside. Ren Yaoqi turned and saw a young man of medium build with a square jaw.
Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua hurried forward to greet the newcomer, calling out, "Uncle."
It turned out to be Ren Shijia’s husband, Lin Kun.
Lin Kun smiled and nodded, glancing toward the baby before saying softly, "Newborns tend to sleep a lot. In a little while, he’ll be able to play with you." His words seemed to carry a hint of concern that Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua might find the baby uninteresting.
At that moment, the baby’s face scrunched up, and it began to cry softly, as if waking.
Hearing this, Lin Kun strode over, bent down, and gently picked up the child. In society, it was generally customary to hold grandchildren but not one’s own children, yet the wet nurse, maids, and older women in the room were unfazed by Lin Kun’s actions.
Though Lin Kun’s way of holding the baby was not yet practiced, it was correct, likely having been instructed by the wet nurse. He looked down at the child in his arms with a gentle smile, his expression soft.
The baby seemed to recognize its father’s scent. After a few delicate cries, it stopped, eyes still closed, unclear whether it was awake or not.
Lin Kun carried the baby over to Ren Yaoqi and her sister, explaining patiently with a smile, "He only opened his eyes once after birth and hasn’t been willing to since. Otherwise, you could see them. Right now, only his eyes are somewhat good-looking."
Though Lin Kun’s words teased the baby’s less-than-pretty appearance after birth, they carried the joy of a father.
Because his tone was gentle and he carried no air of seniority, Ren Yaohua couldn’t help but chime in, "I heard from Nanny Zhou that newborns aren’t very good-looking at first, and their cries sound like a kitten’s meow. But after a few days, their faces fill out, and they become much prettier."
Hearing this, Lin Kun’s lips curved slightly as he nodded. "Yes, Third Miss is right. Then I’ll hold off on disliking him for now."
Ren Yaohua couldn’t help but chuckle, her fondness for this rarely seen uncle growing significantly.
An older woman hurried in joyfully, bowed, and said, "Young Master, our young lady has woken up. The first thing she said was that she wanted to see the little young master. Shall I take the little young master over for her to see?"
It turned out Ren Shijia had woken up.
Lin Kun smiled and asked, "Has she eaten yet? The old nanny said it’s best for her to have a bowl of medicinal porridge after waking."
The woman shook her head. "The young lady said she wants to see the little young master first."
Lin Kun handed the baby to the wet nurse behind him, shaking his head helplessly. "I’ll go check on her. Bring the baby over after she’s had the porridge." The last sentence was directed at the wet nurse.That matron was likely someone sent by Old Madam Ren to look after Ren Shijia. Seeing Lin Kun still concerned about his wife at such a time, she felt pleased and did not oppose his suggestion. Instead, she agreed, "What the young master says is right."
Before leaving, Lin Kun gently asked Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua, "Your aunt cannot be exposed to drafts for now, so the room isn't well-ventilated. You might find it uncomfortable. There's no need to see her today—I'll let her know you came." Though it was a refusal, his words sounded considerate.
Ren Shijia had woken up because she was worried about her newborn son. Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua wouldn't be so insensitive as to disturb her now, so they nodded in agreement.
Lin Kun left with the matron.
After staying a little longer, Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua stood up to take their leave.
At the doorway, they saw the matron who had followed Lin Kun out earlier returning—she had come to take the child to Ren Shijia.
Once outside, Ren Yaohua remarked, "Uncle is a good man." It was rare for Ren Yaohua to praise someone so directly.
Ren Yaoqi merely smiled without commenting.
A person's nature might not be one-dimensional. Having only met Lin Kun a few times, she found it difficult to judge him.
After leaving the courtyard, they found Granny Xu and Wujing, who had gone after the two suspicious individuals, waiting outside.
"Well? Did you find them?" Ren Yaohua walked over and asked softly.
Granny Xu sighed and shook her head. "We searched all around but didn't find any trace of those two."
Ren Yaoqi had anticipated this outcome and wasn't disappointed. She nodded and said, "Perhaps they were just two lazy slackers. Since we can't find them, let's forget it."
Even so, as soon as they returned to the main room of Purple Magnolia Courtyard, Ren Yaoqi called Pingguo over. "Did you find out?"
Pingguo stepped forward and whispered, "I took the measurements of those two pairs of footprints to Nanny Liu, who serves Eldest Young Madam. Nanny Liu found the measurements submitted by the inner courtyard staff for this year's summer clothing. The smaller footprint matched many maids in the mansion, so it couldn't be identified. As for the larger one, because the shoe size was unusually big and there was a slight difference between the left and right feet, I was able to trace it."
Ren Yaohua looked at Ren Yaoqi in surprise. "When did you send her to investigate this? Can two lines of footprints really identify someone?"
Ren Yaoqi smiled. "When I was examining the footprints earlier, I roughly measured them with my own foot and noticed the size was somewhat large, and the two feet seemed slightly different in length. That's why I secretly instructed her to go to Eldest Young Madam. You were walking ahead and didn't hear."
Ren Yaohua glanced at Ren Yaoqi and turned to Pingguo. "Who is it?"
Seeing Ren Yaoqi nod for her to speak, Pingguo said softly, "There are over twenty matrons with large feet in the mansion, most of them from the outer courtyard or coarse-working matrons. Only six are from the inner courtyard, and three of them have foot sizes similar to those footprints. The one with different left and right foot measurements is the cook in the young madam's courtyard, known as Sister-in-law Wen. Afterward, I went to the young madam's courtyard again. Sister-in-law Wen indeed returned only after you left, and she was wearing a blue jacket today."“Is she someone from Aunt’s courtyard?” Ren Yaohua frowned.
Ren Yaoqi recalled the Sister-in-law Wen she had seen in Ren Shijia’s courtyard that time, the one who prepared medicinal cuisine. A woman from Jiangnan, recommended to Ren Shijia by the Fang family’s Old Madam.
Ren Yaoqi had long suspected that the timing of Sister-in-law Wen’s discovery of the suspicious circumstances surrounding Ren Shijia’s previous miscarriage was far too coincidental, and since she had been recommended to Ren Shijia by the Fang family, it now seemed this cook must have some connection to Concubine Fang.
Fell asleep at the desk… opened my eyes to find it was already dawn… T___T!!!
(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
OpenNovel