Although Lei Ting had brought his daughter to the estate, as the head of the Lei Family, he had many matters requiring his personal attention each day, leaving him little time to spend with his daughter. Meanwhile, Yuegui still had no opportunity to get close to Lei Pan'er.
Yuegui knew her chances were dwindling. Once they returned to Yunyang City, Lei Pan'er would move back to Second Master's courtyard, and it would be nearly impossible for Yuegui to make any move without alerting the people there. Moreover, Lei Zhen's courtyard had two clever and capable senior maids, originally gifted to Second Master by Madam Lei, whose standing was no less than her own.
After careful consideration, Yuegui decided she must deal with Lei Pan'er's wet nurse before returning to Yunyang City.
The wet nurse had served Lei Pan'er for several years, and getting her dismissed would not be easy unless she was found negligent and unfit to continue serving by Lei Pan'er's side.
Today, after Lei Pan'er parted ways with Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua and returned to the estate, Yuegui used the wet nurse's earlier excuse that Lei Pan'er disliked having too many people following her to send several maids away. Then, while the wet nurse and a few young maids were crouched on the ground catching crickets for Lei Pan'er, Yuegui lured the child away with a small myna bird with a broken wing and secretly hid her.
Yuegui had no intention of harming Lei Pan'er, as she might still need to use the young lady in the future. After knocking her unconscious, she didn't hide her far, simply concealing her within the estate. She planned to wait until Lei Ting returned, have the negligent wet nurse punished, and then "accidentally" discover Lei Pan'er, who had "unintentionally" fallen into the dry well in the backyard and fainted, thereby earning credit for herself.
After all, no one would expect Lei Pan'er to go missing in such a small estate. So when it was discovered that Lei Pan'er was missing, the Lei Family's maids and elderly servants assumed the young lady had run off to play mischievously.
Yuegui's plan was originally sound, but she hadn't anticipated running into Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua, who were just returning.
Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua had already followed the young maid inside. The Lei Family's estate was a small three-courtyard residence, not particularly large, but in this prime location where land was at a premium, it was quite respectable.
"Gather all the maids and elderly servants from your estate," Ren Yaohua said after a moment's thought, deciding not to immediately lead her own people to search. This was someone else's estate, not her own territory.
The young maid, flustered, forgot that Ren Yaohua was not her master from the Lei Family and went to gather people without a second thought. Earlier, the wet nurse had taken all the maids and elderly servants who attended closely to Lei Pan'er, leaving only those who did rough work on the estate.
Seeing this, Yuegui knew the situation was about to escalate. After all, the servants doing rough work on the estate were originally from there and knew the place well. If they were sent to search, it wouldn't take long for them to find Lei Pan'er unconscious in the dry well.
But Lei Ting hadn't returned yet. If he didn't experience the anxiety and anger of his daughter's disappearance, his punishment for the negligent wet nurse wouldn't be severe enough, and Yuegui's scheming would have been in vain.
Today's events were the result of Yuegui's great determination and long planning. If she missed this opportunity, the wet nurse would surely become even more vigilant about Lei Pan'er's safety. Given the wet nurse's shrewdness, Yuegui would have no chance to act again.Thinking this, Yuegui's expression also turned cold as she raised her hand to stop Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi: "Miss Ren, we are very grateful that you are willing to help us find our young lady. However, this is the Lei Family's villa, and we currently have no way to entertain you two. Moreover, the one residing in the villa now is our master. For the sake of you two young ladies, it would be better for you to avoid any impropriety."
Since there were no female family members at the Lei Family's villa, only a male master, it was indeed inappropriate to entertain female guests. Yuegui's words directly invoked propriety and a woman's reputation, making them quite damaging.
If Yuegui had said this in front of other young ladies, they would surely have blushed and fled in embarrassment. Unfortunately, standing before her today were Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua.
Ren Yaoqi, having experienced the world, possessed a resolute nature and would not be thrown off balance by a mere maid's words. She usually understood and observed etiquette because she was well-versed in it, but this could not be used as leverage against her.
As for Ren Yaohua, she did not even regard a maid as worthy of her attention. Moreover, Yuegui's strange reaction had already aroused her suspicion, making her even more determined to ignore Yuegui and focus on finding Lei Pan'er.
Seeing that the Ren sisters paid her no heed, Yuegui trembled with anger.
By now, the little maid had called over seven or eight Coarse-Working Matrons, awaiting Ren Yaohua's instructions.
Yuegui immediately vented her anger on these matrons: "Who told you to come out? Get back inside at once!"
The Coarse-Working Matrons were startled, looking fearfully at the little maid who had summoned them. The little maid, who usually did not dare to offend Yuegui, now stared awkwardly at Ren Yaohua, at a loss for words.
Only then did Ren Yaohua turn her gaze to Yuegui, looking down at her with an air of superiority: "Are you a maid from Master Lei's courtyard? What is your name?"
When Ren Yaohua asked the names of maids in the Ren Family in this tone, it usually meant the maids had made a mistake and were to be sent to the steward for punishment.
No matter how formidable Yuegui was, she was still just a servant. Hearing this, she felt a pang of guilt followed by humiliation, resenting that she had once again been intimidated by an outsider.
The little maid beside her quickly replied: "This is Yuegui, the head maid from our Eldest Master's courtyard."
Yuegui glared fiercely at the maid, about to scold her, when Ren Yaohua said coldly: "You're just a servant, yet you put on more airs than your master! I am standing here today because I have taken a liking to your young lady—I am her guest! What right does a maid like you have to see guests out? As for you, a mere maid... when your young mistress is missing, instead of urgently searching for her, you drive away guests who have come to help. I must ask what your intentions are!"
Those around who did not understand the situation could not help but look at Yuegui.
Yuegui's face turned pale, and she nearly fainted, pointing at Ren Yaohua: "You... you are slandering me!"
Ren Yaohua did not even want to look at her: "What are you that I would bother to wrong you? Why are you all standing there foolishly? Waiting for your master to return and punish you? Pair up in twos and start searching from the first courtyard." The latter part was directed at the matrons.
Intimidated by her commanding presence, the Lei Family's matrons hastily complied.Yuegui's mind was in a daze, her eyes reddened. Without thinking clearly, she stepped forward to grab Ren Yaohua.
Ren Yaohua hadn't expected her to resort to physical force and nearly stumbled while trying to avoid her, but fortunately, Ren Yaoqi caught her in time.
Just as Ren Yaohua was about to lose her temper, a deep male voice suddenly sounded behind them.
"What is going on here?"
Hearing this, everyone present turned around to see a young man in his twenties standing behind them. The man was handsome in appearance, with a steady demeanor, and his furrowed brows carried an air of authority.
His gaze swept over Yuegui before settling on the sisters, Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua. He raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Ren Yaoqi immediately recognized him as Lei Ting, the head of the Lei Family and father of Lei Pan'er.
Ren Yaoqi subtly pinched Ren Yaohua's arm and pulled her along to greet Lei Ting.
Yuegui glanced at Lei Ting, then at Ren Yaohua, before suddenly covering half her face and bursting into tears, rushing to Lei Ting's side. "Master, you've finally returned! Miss went out with the wet nurse to play with the young ladies of the Ren Family, but after coming back, she disappeared again. I was just about to arrange a search for her when they... they showed up at the door. I told them today wasn't a good day for visitors, but they wouldn't listen and insisted on coming in... If this delays the search for Miss, what are we to do?"
Ren Yaohua had never seen such a shameless servant who dared to twist the truth in public. Her face immediately turned cold with anger.
After crying for a while without hearing Lei Ting speak, Yuegui couldn't help but sneak a glance at him. To her surprise, Lei Ting didn't even look at her, his expression unreadable. Her heart skipped a beat, and her sobs abruptly stopped.
Ren Yaoqi spoke up, "Master Lei, it was presumptuous of us sisters. Since your daughter and we get along so well, we heard she had suddenly gone missing and that your villa was short-handed. In our haste, we took it upon ourselves to come and help search. We were inconsiderate and offended your maid, and we ask for your forgiveness. However, the most urgent matter now is to find your daughter. The wet nurse has taken some people, along with a few of our maids, to search outside the estate. I thought that since Pan'er is still young, she couldn't have gone far and might be hiding somewhere in the estate on purpose. So, my sister asked the women in your courtyard to search around the estate."
Ren Yaoqi spoke very politely, but Ren Yaohua was less courteous. With a cold expression, she said, "Your maid insisted that Pan'er couldn't possibly be in the estate and accused us of meddling. Since it concerns a child's safety, we'll shamelessly meddle this once."
"I never said Miss couldn't be in the estate, I just..." Yuegui hurriedly defended herself. After all, she knew better than anyone whether Lei Pan'er was in the estate or not.
Lei Ting nodded to Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua, then said to the women, "Listen to this young lady of the Ren Family and search every corner of this courtyard." He had already heard about his daughter's disappearance on his way back.
As soon as he spoke these words, all color drained from Yuegui's face.
Had the master returned while they were arguing? She wondered how much he had heard.Although Lei Ting was not old, he had experienced many things. When he encountered the wet nurse outside, he had already inquired about the situation and guessed that his daughter could not have gone far. Therefore, although he was somewhat worried, he did not panic.
After the servants had left to search for the child, he turned to Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua apologetically and said, "Thank you both for today. Please do not take offense at the rudeness of our household servants."
Ren Yaohua saw that he was reasonable. She had always been more responsive to kindness than to harshness, so her expression softened immediately. She nodded and said, "At the time, there was no one in charge in your residence, so we took matters into our own hands. We were also at fault."
Ren Yaoqi said, "Now that Master Lei has returned, we should still go outside to help search." With Lei Ting back, it was no longer appropriate for them to stay. With him present, there was no fear of anyone causing trouble again.
Lei Ting thanked them repeatedly and then instructed his steward, Liu Gui, who was standing behind him, to personally escort Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua out.
Before leaving, however, Ren Yaohua paused in front of Lei Ting. She glanced at Yuegui, thought for a moment, and said, "Master Lei, although Pan'er is only four years old, she should not become a stepping stone for those who are unworthy. She is young and does not understand, but do the adults not understand either?"
Without waiting for Lei Ting to respond, she turned and walked away.
Lei Ting was taken aback by her words and stared at Ren Yaohua's retreating figure for a long time, unable to react.
Ren Yaoqi looked helplessly at Ren Yaohua, truly speechless at her sister's audacity to openly lecture the head of the Lei Family for not understanding the situation.
Once they left the estate and the Lei Family steward had departed, Ren Yaoqi said to Ren Yaohua, "Third Sister, you..."
Before she could finish, Ren Yaohua hurriedly interrupted, "Alright, don't lecture me. I know I went too far today. It's just that when I think of Pan'er being so young and already... I really couldn't stand it!"
At this point, Ren Yaohua sighed. "I know our own family affairs are a tangled mess, and we really shouldn't meddle in other people's household matters. I promise you it won't happen again."
Ren Yaohua's straightforward admission of fault and willingness to apologize took Ren Yaoqi by surprise.
"Forget it, I'm not blaming you for meddling. Lei Pan'er's situation is indeed somewhat special. If we can help, we should," Ren Yaoqi said. She did not consider kindness and compassion to be flaws, as long as they were not misplaced.
"Let's go check on the wet nurse," Ren Yaohua said, unaccustomed to apologizing. Seeing that Ren Yaoqi was not going to lecture her, she immediately started walking.
Ren Yaoqi followed and asked, "Third Sister, did you notice that the maid named Yuegui was suspicious?"
Ren Yaohua looked puzzled. "Wasn't it you who thought she was suspicious? I noticed you were suspicious of her, so I paid attention to her. After that, she repeatedly tried to stop us from entering the estate to search. If she wasn't guilty of something, what else could it be? As for what exactly she's guilty of..." Ren Yaohua glanced sideways at Ren Yaoqi. "How would I know? Why don't you tell me?"
Ren Yaoqi: "..."
Should she be moved by their sisterly telepathy?
"I just thought her expression seemed off, and she didn't seem worried about Pan'er's disappearance, which made me suspicious. But it was only a suspicion. You accused her of having ulterior motives to Master Lei without any evidence. What if you wronged an innocent person?" Ren Yaoqi sighed.Ren Yaohua actually trusted Ren Yaoqi's judgment, but she didn't say it outright. She merely remarked coolly, "So what if she was wronged? This maid strikes me as having ill intentions. Keeping her would only cause trouble in the Lei Family's inner household. Besides, I only offered a suggestion—it's not up to me to decide what to do."
Ren Yaoqi said nothing more.
The wet nurse and her helpers searched the entire vicinity but couldn't find Lei Pan'er. Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoqi then had the remaining maids and elderly servants scatter to look for her.
When they returned to the pondside, only Zhou Wen was waiting there.
Seeing Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoqi return, Zhou Wen hurried over. "I heard the Lei Family's young lady is missing. Are you both all right?"
Ren Yaoqi frowned. "Why would anything happen to us? We were just helping to search. Where are Miss Zhou and my Ninth Sister?"
Zhou Wen quickly replied, "When I saw the Lei Family searching everywhere, I worried the area might not be safe, so I had Brother Fang escort Miss Ren and my sister away first. I stayed here to wait for you. By the way, what exactly happened with the Lei Family? How could a child just vanish like that?"
Ren Yaoqi shook her head. "The child might have been playing and hidden somewhere."
Just then, the young maid from the Lei Family who had earlier led them into the estate came running over. She said Lei Pan'er had been found, and Master Lei, fearing they might worry, had sent her to inform them and put their minds at ease.
Meanwhile, Wujing and the other maids who had gone to help search also returned one after another.
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoqi both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Where was she found? Is she all right?"
The maid's expression turned somewhat odd. "She was found in an abandoned dry well in the backyard. The young lady scraped her head a bit and has some bruises on her body. Master examined her—fortunately, no bones were broken."
Ren Yaoqi gasped. "How could she have fallen into a dry well?"
The maid also seemed puzzled. "I don't know either. No one usually goes to that backyard, and I'm not sure how the young lady managed to wander there. Thankfully, those elderly servants are very familiar with the estate, so they found her quickly. Our master said we are truly indebted to you two young ladies today. However, as we are currently in mourning for our late matriarch, it wouldn't be appropriate to visit your residence openly to express our gratitude. We will certainly thank you properly when the opportunity arises."
Ren Yaoqi smiled. "It's enough that she was found. There's no need for thanks. Pan'er and I already hit it off, and today's help wasn't given for the Lei Family's sake. If thanks are due, it should be Pan'er herself thanking us once she recovers."
The maid offered a few more pleasantries before taking her leave.
Zhou Wen, who had been listening all along, exclaimed in surprise, "How could a child just fall into her own family's well? And to think the Lei Family's maids and servants were out searching everywhere."
Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoqi exchanged a glance but said nothing.
Now that Lei Pan'er was safe, Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoqi set their minds at ease and followed Zhou Wen back to the Zhou Family estate.
Although Ren Yaoying and Fang Shuzhou were absent, Zhou Wen remained as talkative as ever. He rode alongside the carriage, chatting with Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoqi, undeterred by their sparse responses.Speaking of which, although Zhou Wen was young, his temperament was extremely considerate. He was eloquent and could speak in a way that made it impossible for you to dislike him. Ren Yaoqi felt that in a few more years, this young man would undoubtedly become a charming gentleman pursued by many in Yunyang City.
When they returned to the Zhou residence, Madam Liu and Madam Zhou had already been waiting for quite some time.
Upon hearing about the disappearance of the Lei Family's young lady, they inquired a few questions. When they learned that she had ultimately been found in a well, they all sighed with regret.
Zhou Rong curled her lips and said, "No wonder you all disappeared as soon as you left, making us wait for so long. Turns out you were off playing the good Samaritan."
Ren Yaoying said softly, "So Third Sister and Fifth Sister also know the Lei Family?"
Ren Yaohua couldn’t be bothered to engage with them and responded casually with a few words. Ren Yaoqi sat to the side, pretending to be dull and inarticulate as she drank her tea, not participating in the conversation.
After having lunch at the Zhou family’s estate, Madam Liu finally took them back to the city.
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