Qingliu smiled, then bowed and withdrew.
The wet nurse apologized and took the large bowl of pig's trotter and peanut soup to the side to eat.
Although the wet nurse did not eat in front of her mistress, being in the same room, the aroma still drifted faintly over.
Ren Yaoqi tilted her head, looked up from her book, and glanced toward the wet nurse.
"Was medicine added to the soup?" she asked after the wet nurse finished eating and the bowls were cleared away.
The wet nurse was taken aback, then replied, "Yes, some herbs to promote lactation were added, but the cook in the mansion is skilled, so the medicinal taste is hardly noticeable. You have a keen nose, Miss."
Ren Yaoyin also looked at Ren Yaoqi in surprise. "I didn’t smell any medicine either."
Ren Yaoqi smiled. "I was ill for a long time before and had to take medicine three times a day, so I’m quite familiar with the scent of herbs."
This explanation was reasonable, so no one found it strange.
Ren Yaoqi lowered her head to continue reading, but she couldn’t shake a lingering sense of unease.
The afternoon passed uneventfully, yet Ren Yaoqi felt that beneath this calm surface lay unseen undercurrents.
Ren Shijia returned just before dusk. As soon as she entered the room, she hurried over to see her son. Seeing him sleeping peacefully in the cradle, she immediately felt relieved.
After changing her clothes and washing her hands and face, she came back and stared at the child in the cradle for a long time.
"Aunt, what’s wrong?" Ren Yaoyin also noticed something amiss with Ren Shijia.
Ren Shijia gave a bitter smile, shook her head, and sat down on the kang. "When I visited the Lei Family today, I saw their child and felt truly sorry for her."
Ren Yaoqi recalled the clever and spirited little girl, Lei Pan'er, whom she had seen at the Lin Family.
"Her mother passed away not long after she was born, and she’s been with her great-grandmother ever since. Now even her great-grandmother is gone, and I don’t know what will become of her. Today at the Lei Family, she ran over and asked me where her great-grandmother had gone. My eyes welled up right then." As a mother, Ren Shijia had a tender heart for other children as well.
A maid nearby comforted her, "Madam, don’t be too sad. The eldest master of the Lei Family will surely remarry, and then someone will take care of her."
Ren Shijia shook her head. "The head of the Lei Family is in mourning, so remarrying will likely be delayed. And even if a new wife enters the household, since the child isn’t her own, there will always be a distance. If she happens to be a harsh one, it’ll be even worse..."
She paused and looked at her son in the cradle. "So, if only for my child’s sake, I must stay healthy. A child without a mother has a hard life."
Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin exchanged glances, unsure how to comfort their suddenly sentimental aunt.
Fortunately, Lin Cen woke up just then, and it was time for his feeding. Ren Shijia hurriedly went to pick up her son, instantly forgetting her earlier worries.
The wet nurse took the child, unbuttoned her clothes, and began to nurse him.
After chatting a while longer, Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoyin rose to take their leave. With Ren Shijia back, their task was complete.
Before stepping out, Ren Yaoqi glanced back unintentionally and saw the wet nurse finishing feeding the child, closing her clothes while covering her mouth to stifle a weary yawn.
As they walked out, they could still hear Ren Shijia’s cheerful voice coaxing her child from inside the room. Ren Yaoqi’s footsteps paused once more.Ren Yaoyin, who had been walking beside her, glanced back. "Fifth Sister?"
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment. "I need to visit my maternal grandmother’s house the day after tomorrow. I just remembered there are some matters I’d like to discuss with Aunt. Fourth Sister, you may go ahead."
Ren Yaoyin nodded and walked away.
Ren Yaoqi turned back toward the room.
Seeing Ren Yaoqi return, Ren Shijia was surprised. "Qi’er? Is there something else?"
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I’d like to discuss a few matters with you."
Ren Shijia glanced at her son, who was full and yawning, then patted the kang with a smile, inviting Ren Yaoqi to sit. "Of course. All of you, step back for now."
Seeing Ren Yaoqi’s expression, Ren Shijia thought she might need help or had encountered some difficulty. She dismissed the maids, elderly servants, and the child’s wet nurse, leaving only a trusted maid to hold the child.
"Is there something you need my help with?" Ren Shijia asked warmly, her gaze sincere.
Ren Yaoqi first casually discussed arrangements for her upcoming trip and asked Ren Shijia’s opinion on the gifts she planned to bring to her maternal grandmother’s house.
Ren Shijia answered each question patiently.
Finally, Ren Yaoqi said, "Aunt, there’s one more thing."
Ren Shijia nodded, waiting for her to continue.
Ren Yaoqi hesitated. In truth, she only had a vague suspicion without solid evidence. But for a defenseless child, even a small oversight could be fatal.
Ren Yaoqi had seen how much Ren Shijia cherished her son. Moreover, unlike most members of the Ren Family, Ren Shijia was simple-hearted and kind. Even though Ren Yaoqi disliked most of the Ren Family and despised her grandparents, she would not take her anger out on the innocent.
"The wet nurse said Cen’ge is very well-behaved at night and never wakes up startled."
Ren Shijia was taken aback, not expecting Ren Yaoqi to bring up her son. But she loved talking about her child and nodded, her gaze full of affection. "He was fussy right after birth, but lately he’s become more and more well-behaved, often sleeping soundly through the night."
Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but frown. "Do children this age usually sleep this much?"
Ren Shijia thought for a moment, uncertain. "Come to think of it, other children don’t seem to sleep as much as he does. But I’ve heard that children sleep a lot because they’re growing."
Ren Yaoqi nodded, pondering. "I once heard from my old nanny that the food a wet nurse eats can affect her milk and, in turn, the child. Could it be that there’s something in the wet nurse’s food that makes him drowsy?"
Ren Shijia was stunned, then instinctively denied it. "That’s impossible, right? The wet nurse’s daily meals are all according to the menu I set. Those ingredients follow a prescription, and that prescription was copied for me by Mother…"
At this point, Ren Shijia suddenly thought of a possibility and fell silent. There might be nothing wrong with the prescription Old Madam Ren gave her, but that didn’t mean the wet nurse’s food was safe. What if someone had tampered with it?
Her face paled at the thought, and she immediately stood up to check on the child in the maid’s arms. Lin Cen had just finished nursing and was asleep again, breathing steadily and looking peaceful."How long has he been sleeping today?" Ren Shijia asked anxiously.
The maid was Chunlan, the senior maid left to care for the child that day. She replied, "He's been sleeping all along, only waking once in the middle because he wet the bed." The maid was also frightened by now, her voice trembling.
Ren Shijia quickly picked up the child and softly called to him, "Brother Cen? Brother Cen?..." Her voice gradually grew louder, but the child remained sound asleep, oblivious.
Ren Yaoqi hurried over. "Aunt, don’t panic. This is just speculation. Don’t let yourself get flustered."
Ren Shijia was so frightened her eyes turned red. Just then, the curtain was lifted, and someone walked in.
Ren Shijia looked up and, as if finding her pillar of support, immediately walked over with her son in her arms. "Husband, look at our son. Why is he always sleeping? Is there something wrong?"
Lin Kun took the child and glanced toward Ren Yaoqi, comforting his distraught wife. "Don’t worry, I’ll get to the bottom of this. The child... will be fine."
Ren Yaoqi frowned at the glance Lin Kun gave her. She was wary of this uncle. Lin Kun hid his depths too well and sometimes resorted to unscrupulous means to achieve his goals.
Moreover, judging by his reaction, he might have already overheard her conversation with Ren Shijia.
Under Lin Kun’s continuous reassurance, Ren Shijia finally calmed down. Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at the sight.
"Qi'er, why do you think the wet nurse’s diet is problematic?" Lin Kun made no attempt to hide that he had overheard them, addressing her as Ren Shijia did.
Ren Yaoqi lowered her head. "Earlier, when I noticed Brother Cen was always sleeping, I asked about it. The wet nurse said children tend to sleep a lot. Later, I saw that some medicinal herbs had been added to the wet nurse’s food, and she didn’t seem very energetic either. That struck me as odd."
The maid standing nearby added, "Now that the young miss mentions it, I recall the wet nurse has seemed drowsy these past few days. I even suspected she was sneaking out at night to gamble with the gatekeeper’s wife and watched her for a few days. But I found she went to bed early every day, so she shouldn’t be so tired."
Ren Shijia, no longer caring about Ren Yaoqi’s presence as a junior, clung to Lin Kun with the child in her arms, her lips trembling. "Quickly, send for a doctor. Have a doctor come to the residence to examine him. If... if someone really drugged him... it’s all my fault. I was guarding against direct harm to the child but forgot to guard against them targeting the wet nurse."
Though Lin Kun’s expression was also grim—Ren Yaoqi even noticed his hand clenched into a fist at his side, veins bulging—he remained outwardly composed.
"Alright, trust me, everything will be fine. Leave it all to me. I’ll give you and the child an explanation." Lin Kun’s voice was slightly hoarse, but its steadiness and certainty reassured Ren Shijia once more.
Ren Yaoqi knew she had done what she could. There was no need to stay any longer; the rest should be left to Lin Kun, the child’s father.
"Aunt, Uncle, I’ll return to my room now," Ren Yaoqi said.
Lin Kun looked over, softening his expression. "Alright, thank you, Qi'er."
Ren Shijia, her eyes still red, said, "Good child, you may go back now."
Ren Yaoqi pressed her lips together. "This is all just speculation. If I’m wrong, I hope you won’t blame me, Aunt and Uncle." Ren Yaoqi bowed and withdrew.Outside, the rain had completely stopped. Although Ren Shijia's courtyard was large, the square patch of sky overhead remained confined, narrow, and oppressive, no different from any other inner courtyard elsewhere.
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