Ren Yaoqi couldn't clearly see what was inside the walnut. She lifted it to her ear and shook it gently.
After carefully examining it against the window, she discovered a very fine seam in the middle and tried to pry it open.
With a faint "crack," the walnut split into two halves. Fortunately, due to its hard texture, it didn't shatter.
Inside one half of the walnut shell was a paper ball folded to the size of two adult fingernails. When Ren Yaoqi unfolded it, she was momentarily stunned by the familiar handwriting.
There were only a few words on the note: Tomorrow at Si hour, Tanji Roast Duck.
Ren Yaoqi: "..."
Last time, Xiao Jinglin had said she wanted to go eat roast duck with her, but they were interrupted halfway when someone from the princely estate called her away. However, the familiar handwriting on this note reminded her of the writing on the paper Xiao Jingxi had given her to solve a riddle when Zhu Ruomei went missing last time.
Glancing down at the exquisite carved walnut she had placed on the kang table, she wondered: Was the one inviting her Xiao Jinglin or Xiao Jingxi? If it was Xiao Jingxi, then meeting her might not be as simple as just eating roast duck.
Ren Yaoqi recalled Dongsheng saying that his investigation into the Zhai Family had been prompted by Xiao Jingxi, and she also thought of the sudden death of the Lei Family's matriarch. Both matters were related to the Han Family.
After lunch, the light rain finally began to taper off.
Ren Shijia was going with First Madam Lin and Old Madam Lin to offer condolences at the Lei Family. Before leaving, she called both Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin over.
Since Ren Shijia couldn't take Lin Cen with her and was uneasy about leaving him at the Lin Family, she entrusted her two nieces with looking after the child.
"Don't let Cen'er out of your sight. Although the wet nurse and maids were carefully selected by Mother and me, I'm still a bit worried and afraid they might overlook something." Holding her sleeping son in her arms, Ren Shijia's eyes were gentle yet filled with concern.
Even someone as simple-hearted as Ren Shijia became shrewd when it came to her son's safety. Past lessons had forced her to become more cautious—this child was her life.
Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin solemnly agreed. Ren Yaoyin said, "Don't worry, Aunt. With Fourth Sister and me here, everything will be fine."
Ren Shijia handed the child to her senior maid to hold, patted her nieces' heads, and smiled gently. "I'll be back as soon as possible."
Ren Shijia chose Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin to stay with her because, in her eyes, these two nieces were the most gentle, obedient, and sensible. Even though they were young, they were reliable, so she felt at ease entrusting her child to them, especially with the wet nurse and maids present as well.
"You stay at home too. Stewardess Lu has to manage the courtyard affairs, so I'll leave the indoor matters to you. I'll just take Dujuan and the others with me." Ren Shijia instructed Chunlan, the senior maid holding the child.
Only when there was truly nothing left to arrange did Ren Shijia go to change her clothes and do her hair to prepare for the outing.
Ren Yaoqi followed Ren Shijia into the inner room. While helping her aunt choose earrings to match the plain hairpin, she said, "Aunt, Commandery Princess sent someone earlier to invite me out tomorrow."
Ren Shijia glanced at Ren Yaoqi in the mirror and smiled. "That's fine, you should go. I originally wanted to take you and Yin'er around Yunyang City, but I'm afraid we won't have time in the next few days."Ren Yaoqi selected a pair of pearl earrings for Ren Shijia, who nodded and handed them to a maid to put on for her.
"I also want to visit my maternal grandfather and grandmother."
Upon hearing this, Ren Shijia didn’t mind and nodded, saying, "Alright, when would you like to go? I’ll have Mama Lu arrange a carriage for you."
In her previous life, Ren Yaoqi hadn’t interacted much with Ren Shijia. Though she didn’t think Ren Shijia was particularly formidable, her agreeable nature still came as a relief to Ren Yaoqi.
"Then the day after tomorrow," Ren Yaoqi said.
Ren Shijia nodded and instructed a maid to inform Mama Lu.
After Ren Shijia finished tidying up, someone from Old Madam Ren’s side arrived. Ren Shijia gave careful instructions to the maids and servants in the room before leaving.
Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin stayed in Shijia’s room, watching over little Lin Cen with the wet nurse and maids.
The child was only about a month old, usually very well-behaved, sleeping after eating without crying or fussing, though he did sleep quite a bit.
Lin Cen slept in a large cradle placed in the eastern side room, while Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin sat on the kang in the same room. Ren Yaoyin was working on her tiger-head shoes, while Ren Yaoqi read a book Ren Shijia had asked a maid to fetch from the Lin Family’s study—a rather dull Taoist classic, but better than nothing.
Before long, Lin Cen woke up, letting out a soft cry. The wet nurse immediately came over, felt inside the cradle, and said with a smile, "Oh, the young master has wet himself."
Several maids then busied themselves in an orderly manner. Though Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin had been tasked with watching the child, they truly only watched, unable to help and not needed to. The maids had been well-trained and were adept at caring for the child.
After the child was changed into fresh diapers and bedding, he fell back into a deep sleep.
Ren Yaoyin put down her needlework and remarked with interest, "Brother Cen is so well-behaved."
The wet nurse smiled and said, "Indeed, the young master is the easiest child I’ve ever cared for. He doesn’t cry at night either."
Ren Yaoyin asked curiously, "But he sleeps so much. Is that normal for young children?" The Ren siblings were all older, and though the eldest brother, Ren Yiyan, was married, he had no children, so Ren Yaoyin had never seen a child as young as Lin Cen.
The wet nurse replied, "Children need to sleep a lot to grow." Privately, she also thought this young master slept more than others, but sleeping wasn’t a bad thing—at least the child remained healthy, so she didn’t dwell on it.
Soon after, a maid entered carrying a red-lacquered tray with a large blue-and-white lidded bowl on it, from which a faint aroma of food wafted.
The wet nurse sniffed and smiled, "I bet it’s pig’s trotter and peanut soup today?"
To ensure an ample milk supply, the wet nurse needed extra meals besides her three daily ones. When Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin first witnessed the wet nurse’s appetite at Ren Shijia’s place, they were both astonished. The wet nurse ate more in one meal than they did in an entire day.
The maid who entered placed the tray on the table, bowed to Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin, and then smiled, "Your nose is truly sharp."
The wet nurse stood up with a smile and said, "Thank you for bringing it over personally, miss."The maid who entered carrying the tray was Qingliu, who had previously served in Old Madam Ren’s courtyard. When Ren Shijia returned to Yunyang City this time, she brought Qingliu back with her. Everyone in the courtyard knew that this maid Qingliu was prepared by Ren Shijia’s natal family to be a concubine for the master. Although she had not yet been formally taken into Lin Kun’s household, everyone in the Lin Family addressed her as "Miss."
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