Sécurité

Chapitre 19

Before she could finish speaking, she noticed Cheng Mutian standing at the door, looking at her with a complicated expression.

Xiao Yuan was furious at the sight of him and deliberately repeated the last sentence heavily: "If anyone should be punished, it should be the master."

Cheng Mutian, who always believed that parents are always right, was furious upon hearing this. "Is this how you act as a daughter-in-law? You side with outsiders instead of your father-in-law?"

Xiao Yuan's tears flowed again, and she choked out, "I'm just feeling sorry for Ding Yiniang. Seeing what happened to her, I thought that if I were to give birth to a daughter, would Father still have to wash her himself? If that were the case, what should I do? You might as well divorce me right now, so that I won't be beaten after giving birth."

The more she thought about it, the sadder she became, and she lay down on the bed and cried again. Cailian was deeply moved by what she had just heard. She deliberately did not try to comfort her, but stood up and went outside to call out loudly to the other two maids who had accompanied her: "Ayun, Acai, this is not a place for women to live. They will eat people. Let's quickly pack our clothes and go to the mountains."

Cheng Mutian then realized what Xiaoyuan was really hurting about. Thinking about how he had spoken harshly to her without thinking, he wished he could turn back time and rewrite the sentences. But no matter how much he regretted it, he couldn't learn to use sweet words to coax her. He simply walked up to Xiaoyuan, patted her gently, and said with a smile, "Look at the girl you've trained. She's so sharp-tongued that she's not even afraid of me."

After he finished speaking, seeing that Xiaoyuan did not react, he reached for her hand again. Xiaoyuan struggled a few times but could not break free. She looked up and said, "I am stupid and clumsy and I am being bullied. Can't you stand up for me?"

Cheng Mutian laughed and picked her up. "So you were just being stubborn. I thought you were serious. You scared me so much I broke out in a cold sweat. If you don't believe me, feel it." He grabbed her hand and pressed it against his head. Xiao Yuan couldn't break free, so she touched it. To her surprise, she found it was indeed covered in cold sweat. Her anger subsided considerably because of the sweat, but she deliberately said, "That's because you were worried about your father."

Seeing that she didn't believe him, Cheng Mutian was eager to refute her, but he opened his mouth and didn't know what to say—should he say that he wasn't worried about his father? Or should he say that he was worried but not to the point of sweating?

Seeing him scratching his cheeks and ears in such a hurry, Xiao Yuan burst out laughing: "You're not a monkey, why are you scratching around like that to catch lice?"

When Cheng Mutian heard her laugh, his heart, which had been pounding, finally settled down. He hugged her tightly and said, "You scared me to death. I really thought you were asking me for a divorce. Don't do that again."

Xiao Yuan broke free from his embrace, glaring at him and saying, "Who said it's fake?"

Chapter 53 The Mistress Unleashes Her Power (Part 1)

Hearing her laugh, Cheng Mutian's heart, which had been pounding in his chest, finally settled down. He pulled her tightly into his arms, saying, "You scared me to death! I really thought you were going to ask me for a divorce. Don't do that again!"

Xiao Yuan broke free from his embrace, glaring at him and saying, "Who said it's fake?"

This time, Cheng Mutian no longer believed her. He reached out and pulled her back into his arms, whispering, "You all say that Father is biased towards sons and that's why he wanted to throw away Fourth Sister. But that's not the case at all. Eldest Sister is also a daughter, and he dotes on her dearly. When she got married, he wanted to give her all the family property. Father lost face and couldn't swallow this insult. For the past ten months, everyone has been saying that Aunt Ding was carrying a son. It's been spread among all our relatives and friends. Now that the son has become a daughter, he's afraid people will laugh at him, so he's thinking of washing the baby. If you had given birth to a daughter, he would have been overjoyed."

Xiao Yuan still wouldn't listen, saying, "Stop saying nice things. Just tell me, if that situation really happened, what would you do?"

Cheng Mutian was reluctant to think the worst about his own father, but Xiaoyuan wouldn't let it go, so he had no choice but to tell the truth: "You underestimate me, Cheng Erlang. If I can't even protect my own wife and daughters, I might as well jump into West Lake."

Xiao Yuan, reassured, stopped talking and just smiled at him. Cheng Mutian, however, felt that he had said something outrageous, blushed, and pulled the door open to go outside: "I'm going to see if Dad has woken up yet."

When the maids saw that Cheng Mutian came out with a flushed face, they all breathed a sigh of relief. "Madam won, everything is alright."

Xiao Yuan, who was inside, heard this and laughed, scolding, "You two really know the young master and his wife inside and out. Be careful not to anger me and get a beating."

The maids, as expected, understood the lady perfectly. They all knew she was joking, and they dispersed amidst laughter, leaving only Cailian to come in and give her reply.

Cailian entered with a frown and said to Xiaoyuan, "Madam, I have found out what you asked us to do. It was Steward Guo who sent people to beat Aunt Ding."

Xiao Yuan said, "So it was him. He's someone close to the master, so it's not surprising that he did this."

Cailian then said, "Doesn't Madam find it strange? If Master wants to wash the baby, he can do it himself. Why drag the young master and Madam into it? I heard it was this Steward Guo who's causing trouble. He advised Master to let the young master and Madam wash the baby, firstly so as not to affect Master's reputation, and secondly as a way to show goodwill to the young master and Madam."

"Trying to curry favor with us?" Xiao Yuan scoffed. "We dare not accept such a gesture."

Cailian raised her eyelids: "Madam, this person cannot be kept."

Xiao Yuan tapped the table: "The master himself kept his indenture. Besides, he's the master's most favored servant. If the master wakes up and can't find him, won't he come looking for him?"

Cailian was, after all, a maid who came with the dowry. She revealed her plans to Xiaoyuan without reservation: "What if he wants to leave on his own? Aunt Qin said that today he spoke up for the master but was scolded instead. He's served the master for many years; although he's not exactly angry, there's still a little resentment. And I've also heard that in recent years he's secretly acquired quite a bit of private property in Quanzhou, planning to return the indenture to him when the master passes away."

When the elders of wealthy families die, if their servants are about to pass away, the younger generation will usually return their indentures to them out of respect for the filial piety they showed them. Therefore, Xiao Yuan wasn't surprised that Steward Guo had planned to acquire property early. Instead, she laughed: "Go and quietly tell Steward Guo that we intend to send him back to Quanzhou to enjoy his retirement ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, the master is in a coma; we don't know where he hid his indentures."

Cailian smiled knowingly: "It is a capital offense for Steward Guo to acquire private property behind the master's back. Now he has stolen his own indenture. It is only right that you give him a few slaps on behalf of the master before selling him."

Xiao Yuan clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her flesh. "Master wants to bathe the baby. Not only did he not try to dissuade us, but he also tried to sow discord and frame us. Such a wicked servant should be punished severely. Also, we need to be quick. We have to sell him before Master wakes up."

Cailian understood and turned to find Steward Guo, telling him what Xiaoyuan had said. Steward Guo's mind raced. It seemed the young master and mistress wanted to seize power and found him a hindrance. Fine, the Quanzhou properties were almost settled anyway; he might as well leave. Thinking this, he repeatedly said, "Master promised to return my indenture; why should I take that risk?" Cailian knew he was being disingenuous and didn't try to persuade him further. She turned and left. Sure enough, less than half an hour later, Steward Guo returned with the indenture, only to find the maid saying that Sister Cailian had gone to the woodshed.

Steward Guo intended to come another day, but suddenly slapped his forehead, realizing his mistake. Such matters naturally required a secluded location. He casually strolled to the woodshed, the indenture in his sleeve, but before he could even step outside, several strong young servants grabbed him, seizing the indenture from his sleeve. Steward Guo was both shocked and furious, shouting, "Are you blind? I am Steward Guo, serving the master!"

Upon hearing this, the servants burst into laughter: "We thought we had arrested the wrong person, but it turns out it was you. When the master heard from his bedside that you were so audacious as to acquire property privately and steal a contract of indenture, he was so angry that he ordered us to beat you to death."

"Nonsense! I just came from the master's place. He's not even awake yet!" Manager Guo realized this was Cailian's trap and struggled desperately, wishing he could bite someone like Aunt Ding.

Those servants were all handpicked by Cailian, so they wouldn't listen to his arguments. They took the rope, tied him up in a few quick movements, threw him onto the bench, and started hitting him with a board.

Cailian listened to his screams from the next room, each one softer than the last, until they fell silent. Then she came out and ordered, "Give him to the slave trader, but don't take his money."

She watched as Steward Guo was lifted onto the slave trader's cart, then went to find Xiao Yuan to report: "Madam, Steward Guo, the front yard steward, and the servants who beat Aunt Ding yesterday have all been sold."

Xiao Yuan's lips curled up: "With so many people gone all of a sudden, what will the master do without servants? Quickly call the slave traders back, and you help pick a few reliable ones. As for the manager of the front yard, have Aunt Qin's husband go."

The lady was about to truly take charge of the household, and Cailian was secretly delighted, so she went out to run errands without stopping for a moment.

Xiao Yuan had just leaned back in her chair to rest for a while when a maid came to report that Master Cheng had woken up. She hurried to the kitchen to fetch the medicine she had personally prepared and brought it to Master Cheng's room. Master Cheng was lying on his back in bed. The first thing he saw when he woke up was his eldest son by his side. Now, seeing his daughter-in-law personally bringing him medicine, he felt a great deal of remorse when he thought about his past actions.

But he himself often acted like a petty person, and couldn't help but speculate with a petty mind: the youngest son was hopeless, and the doctor said that he was suffering from diabetes and would have to rely on his eldest son's family in the future. If he didn't show goodwill now, he was afraid that he would not have a good life in the future.

The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. Ignoring the pain in his neck, he said, "Tell Steward Guo to bring me my little brass box."

Chapter 54 The Mistress Unleashes Her Power (Part 2)

Master Cheng grew increasingly frightened, ignoring his neck pain, and said, "Tell Steward Guo to bring me my little brass box." Xiao Yuan hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Father, Steward Guo twisted his back, I told him to go and rest."

Manager Guo had just been here, and he didn't look like he had twisted his back at all. Cheng Mutian glanced at Xiao Yuan in confusion, but didn't say anything.

Master Cheng had intended to use the several estates and shops he had secretly hoarded to curry favor with his son and daughter-in-law, but seeing that Steward Guo was not there, he had to put the matter aside for the time being. Seeing that they were still standing by the bedside, he hurriedly urged them to go back and rest. Cheng Mutian originally wanted to stay by the bedside and be a dutiful son, but he was also curious about Steward Guo, so he excused himself and came out with Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan was also eager to talk to Cheng Mutian. Before he could ask, she told him in detail how Steward Guo had secretly acquired property and how she had punished him by selling it. "Steward Guo wanted to harm us. The reason why Father asked us to wash the baby was his idea."

She had barely finished speaking when she saw Cheng Mutian's face darken like a cloud suddenly appearing on a sunny day, his expression shifting rapidly. She quickly looked away, thinking that she couldn't blame Erlang for being angry; she had indeed been too rash. Steward Guo was one of Father's men, and to harm him while Father was seriously ill was unfilial. If Father's illness worsened because of this, she would have made a grave mistake. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. She secretly glanced at Cheng Mutian again and cautiously said, "I didn't mean to upset Father. I just felt that if he woke up, he would definitely protect Steward Guo, and then it would be difficult to deal with this matter. Think about it, if Father has a wicked servant who sows discord between him and us, our future will be even more difficult."

Would Xiao Yuan, who always hides a needle in cotton, mind having a wicked servant sowing discord in front of her father-in-law? Even if Master Cheng were still full of energy, she would probably have a thousand ways to get rid of this person. The reason she was in such a hurry was that she was afraid of missing such a great opportunity to seize power. After all, Master Cheng would eventually recover, and there was no guarantee that he wouldn't marry a housekeeper. This was called striking first to gain the upper hand. She would cut off his left and right hands first, and then replace all the servants in the front yard. By the time he got angry, the Cheng family would have already changed.

Cheng Mutian clenched and unclenched his fists in his sleeves, wanting to scold Xiaoyuan for being unfilial, but remembering that since she entered the family, she had never had a comfortable day with him except for being wronged, he couldn't bring himself to say those words.

Seeing that Cheng Mutian remained silent with a stern face, Xiaoyuan grew increasingly anxious, fearing that this would affect the relationship between the couple. She hurriedly tugged at his sleeve and said, "Erlang, I was wrong. I will go and apologize to Father right now. If he doesn't forgive me, I will kneel in front of his bed and not get up."

Cheng Mutian flung her hand away. "A woman like you always rushes to the front in everything. Even if you're wrong, there are always men to cover for you. It's not your place to take the lead." After saying that, he noticed that Xiaoyuan's eyes were red and thought she was wronged. He quickly took a breath and said, "Go back and rest. Remember, you know nothing about this. It was all my doing. If Father wants to hit me, don't stop him, and don't let it slip."

Xiao Yuan stared at his retreating figure in astonishment. "Erlang doesn't blame me for being unfilial. Instead, he wants me to shoulder the burden?" Cai Lian gently walked to her side. "Madam, the young master is more reliable than those able-bodied men." Xiao Yuan couldn't hold back any longer. Standing in the courtyard, she burst into tears: "Foolish husband! You're a man, why do you have to stand up for me? What if Father beats me to a pulp again?"

Cailian smiled and comforted her, saying, "Madam, you're just worried. Have you forgotten Master's current situation? No matter how angry he is, he won't blame Young Master at all."

Xiao Yuan felt a little relieved upon hearing this. Supporting her hand, she led her to her room, glancing back every step of the way. Resting her chin on her hand, she recalled the moments she shared with Cheng Mutian. It seemed that every time she made a mistake, he would say unpleasant things while simultaneously taking the blame upon himself. It was both infuriating and heartwarming.

Meanwhile, Cheng Mutian planned to keep the matter of Steward Guo a secret for the time being, and apologize to Master Cheng after he recovered from his illness. When he returned to his room, Master Cheng was staring intently at a box in the corner. Seeing his son enter, he hurriedly called out, "Second Brother, you're back just in time. Take a look for your father. Has that box been touched?"

Cheng Mutian remembered that Steward Guo had opened that box before. Fearing that Master Cheng would find out the truth and get angry, thus aggravating his wound, he quickly said, "I've been guarding the room the whole time. No one else has come."

His point was that since no one else was in the room, the box must not have been touched. Unexpectedly, Master Cheng's eyes flickered; he seemed to have become suspicious of his son and insisted that he bring the box to examine it.

Seeing that his father didn't believe him, Cheng Mutian felt a surge of disappointment that choked him. He didn't take the box, but knelt down in front of the bed and said, "Father, that box was taken by Steward Guo. He secretly bought property in Quanzhou and stole the indenture. I'm an unfilial son. In a fit of anger, I sold him before you even woke up."

Master Cheng's eyes immediately widened to the size of copper bells. If it were any other time, Cheng Mutian would have already asked for the cane. But today he was really sad, so he learned from Xiao Yuan's tactic of avoiding the main issue and said, "Manager Guo is indeed hateful, but it would not be worth it for Father to get sick over a servant."

Master Cheng wasn't angry about that; he was furious that Cheng Mutian had used someone close to him to establish his authority while he was still unconscious. "Bring the family discipline. Don't think that just because I can't move, I can't discipline you."

The people inside were all replaced by Xiao Yuan, and no one dared to step forward to answer. Cheng Mutian hurriedly got up and fetched a rattan cane, ordering a servant to whip him a few times. He was in pain, but secretly glad that he hadn't called his wife to apologize, otherwise the pain would have been on her.

Master Cheng strained to look down. Although Cheng Mutian was leaning against the rattan cane, he did not stubbornly raise his head as usual. Instead, he hid his face in his hair, making it impossible to see his expression. Suddenly, the fear in his heart overwhelmed his anger, and he hurriedly ordered the servant to stop.

Cheng Mutian's silk cotton-padded jacket had already been torn to shreds by the thorny vines. Master Cheng was filled with regret. He had clearly planned to curry favor with his son from now on, so why did he get angry again? Now, he would have to give up one of his estates to please his son.

If Cheng Mutian knew that his father-son relationship with Master Cheng was measured in the number of estates, he would surely have wept bitterly. But at this moment, he could only see his father so angry that his breathing was unsteady and blood was seeping from the white cloth around his neck. He cursed himself for being disobedient and rushed over to pat Master Cheng's chest to help him catch his breath, and then loudly called for a doctor.

Master Cheng was eager to mend the relationship, so he quickly comforted him, saying, "Second Brother, it was my fault. I shouldn't have hit you for a servant. Besides, Steward Guo brought it on himself. If it were me, I would have called the slave trader too."

When had Cheng Mutian ever heard him say such heartwarming words? Even though he knew there was a lot of exaggeration in those words, he couldn't help but feel even more regretful for having offended him with his words.

When Xiao Yuan arrived with the doctor, the first thing she saw was Cheng Mutian's tattered clothes and red eyes. Her heart clenched, but she couldn't show it in front of her father-in-law, so she could only hide to the side and silently wipe away her tears.

Chapter 55 The Whereabouts of Fourth Sister (Part 1) [Revised]

Master Cheng had only aggravated his wound when he was angry, causing it to bleed a little. The doctor examined it and said it was nothing serious; he just needed to re-bandage the wound and apply some medicine. Cheng Mutian breathed a sigh of relief, then turned around and saw Xiaoyuan hiding in a corner wiping away tears. Knowing she was frightened, he immediately felt heartbroken and wanted to go over and comfort her. However, this was his father's room. After finally getting through to Master Cheng taking his medicine and falling asleep, the first thing he did was pull Xiaoyuan out and say, "It's cold, you're dressed warmly, it doesn't hurt."

Even in the 21st century, how many men would stand up for their wives in front of their own fathers? Xiaoyuan was both moved and heartbroken, and choked up as she said, "I've dragged you down."

"Nonsense! You're doing this for your father's good, but you're just acting a little hastily. Does that mean that if a servant makes a mistake, the mistress of the house should just pretend she didn't see it?" Cheng Mutian couldn't stand seeing his wife cry. As soon as he saw her red and swollen eyes, even if she had made a mistake, he would automatically ignore it.

Seeing that he held no grudge against her in this matter, Xiao Yuan excitedly hugged him tightly. Cheng Mutian panicked, realizing there were still many servants outside. He quickly pushed her away, saying he needed to go back to his room to change, and ran off as fast as he could. Xiao Yuan, with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, followed him back to his room. She took off his clothes and checked him over carefully, finding no injuries. Only then did she feel relieved. "Remember to wear an extra layer of clothing when you go to Father's place in the future."

Cheng Mutian glared at her. "I have already said many disobedient things today. How can you have any more unfilial thoughts? It is only natural for a father to beat his son. It is wrong of me to give him a hard time."

Xiao Yuan sighed inwardly upon hearing this. It seemed that Cheng Mutian would never be able to shake off the concept of fatherhood and sonhood in his lifetime. She should be more careful in her actions in the future and not make things difficult for him in front of his father.

She fetched a new cotton-padded jacket and helped him put it on. She heard Cailian knocking on the door outside and saying, "Madam, the deeds to the houses and fields that Steward Guo hid have been found." She was overjoyed, opened the door, took a small box, and handed it to Cheng Mutian, saying, "Put this in Father's private account, so he'll be happy and treat you better."

Cheng Mutian gave a bitter smile. He took the box and said, "Why should I care? I've done my best to have a clear conscience. If Father really doesn't like me, there's nothing I can do."

Xiao Yuan saw him off. Turning to Cai Lian, she asked, "Has Fourth Sister been found?" Cai Lian shook her head and said, "No. She's been busy with things in the front courtyard all day. She only sent A Yun and A Cai to check each courtyard."

There were only a few people at home. Besides Master Cheng and his wife Cheng Mutian, only Third Sister Cheng remained. Xiao Yuan asked, "Have you searched Third Sister's courtyard?"

Cailian replied, "The first place we went to was the land. We quietly checked all the houses in the courtyard. There were no children there."

Could it be that someone from outside the manor took it? Xiao Yuan wondered. Unfortunately, it was already dark. She could only make plans for tomorrow. She packed Cheng Mutian's bedding and clothes and personally delivered them to Master Cheng's room, where they were laid out on the floor. Only then did she return to her room to rest.

Early the next morning, she went to the front to pay her respects. She saw Cheng Mutian standing by the bedside, his head covered in cold sweat. She quickly made an excuse to pull him out and ask what was wrong. It turned out that the Cheng family hadn't installed a chimney. The fire in the room couldn't reach the blue brick floor. Cheng Mutian had slept on the floor all night. Although he was covered by bedding, his shorter leg had aggravated its old injury and was now in pain.

"Erlang, are you in a lot of pain? It's all my fault for not being careful; I completely forgot that we don't have a chimney at home." Xiaoyuan felt extremely guilty seeing Cheng Mutian's furrowed brows. She quickly ordered someone to fetch a craftsman. Since Master Cheng was ill and unable to move, they would turn over the floor of the next room and lay a chimney there first, and then move Master Cheng over after the work was completed. After explaining the details of the chimney, she went to Master Cheng's medicine chest to look for a blood-activating ointment, but after searching high and low, she found none. She had no choice but to ask Cailian to go back and get it.

Seeing her busy searching for people and medicine, Cheng Mutian stopped her, saying, "Father is still lying in the room. I'm not going to be so delicate. It's important for you to go back and find Fourth Sister." Xiaoyuan asked happily, "Father has given his mind?" Cheng Mutian frowned slightly, "No, you can go and find her. I've made the decision. How can the bloodline of our Cheng family be left to wander outside?"

With Cheng Mutian's support, Xiao Yuan felt much more at ease. Just as she was about to go back and assign tasks, she saw Uncle Cheng and his wife walking towards her from the courtyard gate, one after the other.

Master Cheng's injury was not honorable, so the family did not send any letters to their relatives. However, Uncle Cheng's second brother was Master Cheng's own brother and lived in the same prefecture as him. He must have heard the rumors about yesterday's events and rushed over.

Xiao Yuan helped Cheng Mutian to greet them and led them into Master Cheng's room. When Uncle Cheng saw the white cloth wrapped around Master Cheng's neck, he exclaimed in surprise, "The rumors outside are true? My elder brother was indeed bitten by that madwoman?" Master Cheng was very pleased that he called Aunt Ding a madwoman and said, "That's right, it's her. I used to treat her like a concubine."

Uncle Cheng nodded: "Rented concubines are useless. Otherwise, why would only poor families rent them? Once my elder brother recovers, it would be better to buy one."

Aunt Cheng, listening from the side, was tempted. She remembered the maids she had previously placed for Cheng Mutian, but none of them could compete with Xiao Yuan and thus failed to get into their master's bed. If she were to send a concubine to Master Cheng, her daughter-in-law would find it difficult to manage. Thinking of this, she recalled that when she came in earlier, Cheng Mutian's limp had worsened, which must be a relapse of his old injury. Why not use this as a starting point? Having made up her mind, she gave Uncle Cheng a wink.

Uncle Cheng had also been eyeing his elder brother's inheritance for a long time. Seeing Aunt Cheng's expression, he immediately understood and asked Master Cheng, "Has Erlang's old injury relapsed? The ground is so cold. It's hard for him to take care of his elder brother day and night."

Yesterday, Cheng Mutian served tea and medicine, taking better care of him than a servant. Master Cheng was quite grateful. Upon hearing this, he looked at his son with pity and said, "That's right, this child is honest. I told him to go back to sleep, but he just wouldn't."

Aunt Cheng sighed deliberately and continued, "My sister-in-law passed away early, and my brother is all alone. If Erlang doesn't take care of him, who will? It's just that this child has suffered. His legs must be in a lot of pain."

Seeing that Master Cheng was somewhat moved, Uncle Cheng knew that he was starting to feel sorry for his son, so he quickly turned to Aunt Cheng and scolded her: "There are only the younger generation in this family, so naturally they don't know how to worry about this. Since you know the reason, why don't you send someone to your eldest brother?"

Xiao Yuan listened to their back-and-forth and sneered inwardly. If someone else had said this, perhaps Master Cheng would have been happy to agree, but since Aunt Cheng's previous gift of Zhilan had harmed Xiqing, Master Cheng would certainly not allow her to reach into the family again.

Sure enough, Master Cheng snorted from the bed: "You can keep your own people to serve you. You don't need to worry about our family. Last time, the person you sent poisoned my eldest sister's maid, and she cried and made a scene for several days before she finally stopped. I'm an old man, and I can't take any more of that."

Seeing that Master Cheng was so blunt, Uncle Cheng and his wife could no longer sit still and slunk away. Xiao Yuan accompanied Cheng Mutian to the door and watched their backs as they left, saying, "Uncle, you've reminded me. Father is only over forty. Who knows, he might take a concubine in the future, or even bring home a stepmother." Cheng Mutian laughed and said, "What, are you afraid that Father will bring home a stepmother and set rules for you?" Xiao Yuan blushed and patted him a few times. She was also curious why he wasn't worried that Master Cheng would have the idea of taking a concubine again. When Cheng Mutian saw her ask this, he blushed even more than she did and refused to tell her the reason. He mumbled a few words and left her behind, running towards Master Cheng's room.

Xiao Yuan was completely baffled and had no choice but to put her doubts aside. She returned to her room and assigned people to search for Cheng Si Niang. However, they searched the entire house thoroughly, both openly and secretly, but still couldn't find the child. Cai Lian asked in surprise, "We've even searched the servants' rooms. Could it be that Si Niang was taken away by someone outside the mansion?" Xiao Yuan said, "There was a commotion at the gate at that time. It's possible that someone took the opportunity to come in and take the child. You should go and ask the gatekeeper."

Cailian sent someone to the front to question them as instructed, but the guards all said that the gate had been closed on purpose because there were many onlookers and they were afraid something might happen. Unless someone could grow wings, there was absolutely no possibility that an outsider could take Si Niangzi away.