C9

Xiu Ying was sitting next to the fan, and could see the main hall from the outside.

Shen Guan was chatting with her on the side, but she didn't hear a word of it. Her gaze fell on the little girl in Feng's arms.

It was her little brother, whom she recognized, but who had touched her heart at the sight of such a small person. If she hadn't lost her baby to Li Qingzhao, she would have had such a fat and white child, just like him. She would have just let him hug her and let him babble to her. He smelled of milk.

Xiu Ying immediately stood up. Without realizing it, she walked to the front door of the shop and squatted down in front of Madam Feng, quietly watching her brother.

Elder brother Xiang had also seen Xiu Ying often, so he was familiar with her. When he saw her coming over, he grinned and clapped happily.

The child's smile was the most adorable, and the pain in Xiu Ying's heart seemed to have disappeared quite a bit. She stretched out her hand and gently caressed his face. Brother Xiang thought that she was playing with him. With just a few words, he grabbed her hand. Then, he actually grabbed her finger and bit down on it.

Madam Feng cried out in alarm and quickly pulled her daughter's hand away, leaving a shallow bite mark on Xiu Ying's finger. Brother Xiang already has four teeth.

Seeing this, Aunt Wang stood up and nervously stared at the mother and daughter pair. Xiu Ying, on the other hand, laughed. He laughed and felt like crying. Luckily, he managed to hold it back.

Madam Feng was so close to her daughter that she naturally discovered her slightly red eyes. "Did you bite me?"

"It doesn't hurt …" Xiu Ying then held onto Xiang'er's hand. "Xiang'er is really amazing. But you can't bite your finger in the future. It's dirty, and you'll get sick."

It was unknown if Brother Xiang understood what she was saying, but he chuckled. Xiu Ying couldn't bear to let go of his soft hands. I might as well squat there and play with him.

Only then did Lady Feng see the guilty look on Aunt Wang's face. She smiled and asked her to sit down again, but she didn't dare sit down no matter what. Earlier, she was a little scared. Madam's pain was so deep that it seeped into her bones. Since Brother Xiang had bitten her, and he had even bitten her until she turned red, she felt a lingering fear even as she thought about it. Fortunately, the lady did not throw a tantrum, and the lady did not blame him.

Madam Yu saw that Xiu Ying really liked Xiang'er, so she was slightly surprised. Then, thinking of something, she smiled and continued to drink her tea.

When Aunt Cui saw the deep affection between Xiu Ying and Xiang Mo, her eyes flashed with ridicule. She looked sideways at Aunt Wang and thought of a plan. Shen Lian's face had been cold the moment Xiu Ying appeared, and she was staring at her fiercely. If she did not pull a face, she would not have revealed herself.

Her mother punished her, and her grandmother punished her as well. If her father hadn't gone to plead with her at the end, she might really have knelt at the entrance of the ancestral hall for the whole night. Thinking about her swollen knees and the red marks on her face, Shen Lian wanted to jump onto Xiu Ying and grab her face. I can't, I don't dare!

Now that his first mother allowed Aunt Wang to sit, yet still allowed him and his mother to stand, Shen Lian's eyes turned red from anger.

Madam Feng and her daughter teased Xiang Ge for a while. Under the reluctant gaze of her daughter, she returned Xiang'er to her wet nurse.

Xiu Ying then sat down next to her mother, and looked up to see Shen Lian staring at her, her eyes cold and fierce. Shen Lian did not think that Xiu Ying would look over at this moment. Their eyes met, and after a moment, her resentful pupils contracted, and she lowered her head in panic.

Her heart was beating fast, and her mind was in a mess.

Shen Ying smiled at her? Why did she smile so eerily? Just now, her lips moved, and she seemed to have said something?

Shen Lian thought about it and raised her head again. Xiu Ying turned her head and said something to her mother. There was no sneer that frightened her at all.

Shen Lian secretly sized up the young mistress, thinking that she might have been beaten by her, making her too nervous. At this moment, Xiu Ying turned back to look at her, her gaze was ice-cold, colder than a winter's day, and Shen Lian finally knew what she said — Shen Ying was saying, "I won't let you go."

Each word was spoken silently but clearly, with an intense hatred, as if he would pounce on her and devour her flesh and blood in the next moment.

Suddenly, Shen Lian felt a chill all over her body, her scalp went numb, and she immediately held on tightly to her aunt's hand.

Aunt Cui suddenly felt the pain of her daughter's hand grabbing her. She looked down to see that Madam Feng had already wrapped up the bird's nest with the mandarin plum. She told them to take their leave.

Aunt Cui had no time to investigate before she took her daughter's hand and left.

It was only after they had left the courtyard that Aunt Wang finally let out a sigh of relief. Aunt Cui laughed softly behind her. "It's better if little sister keeps a close eye on Xiang-ge. I think madam and elder miss like him very much."

When Aunt Wang heard this, she paused and walked over to the wet nurse. She looked at Elder Brother Xiang, who was dripping with saliva, and covered her mouth with a handkerchief as she laughed again.

"Brother Xiang looks really likable." After she finished speaking, her gaze intentionally or unintentionally fell upon the nest in the girl's hand as she led her daughter away.

Esteemed Empress Dowager Wang stood in her original spot, carefully thinking about her words. When the wind blew past her, she shivered. It was unknown when he had actually sweated his clothes, but he felt cold in the open ground.

She turned her head to the side and called out to the wet nurse, "Hurry up and go back, don't let your big brother get blown away by the wind."

"Aunt, what do you mean by that?" The wet nurse asked worriedly as she covered Brother Xiang's small cloak with her hands.

"Whatever she means." Aunt Wang's gentle expression turned solemn as she pursed her lips and walked in front. The nanny did not dare to ask anymore, and followed him step by step.

At lunchtime, Xiu Ying was still somewhat absent-minded. Xiang'er reminded her of her own tragic death. The pain of her flesh being ripped off seemed to persist. She could only muster up her spirit.

Madam Feng just thought she might be tired.

Yesterday, she insisted on taking care of Master Shen in the Kang Ning Yuan. In the morning, she was even caught writing big words.

After a meal and a cup of tea, Madam You said goodbye. Shen Qingrui was already leaning against her body, yawning non-stop.

Lady Feng didn't stay any longer and smiled as she got up to send her off. Before crossing the threshold, Madam You suddenly whispered to her, "I see that Brother Xiang is pretty good, and Miss Ying also likes him a lot. If you're willing, you should have discussed this with Uncle earlier."

Madam Feng was stunned for a moment, and quickly understood what she meant. She smiled gratefully at her: "Thank you for your reminder."

"You're being polite with me!" Eunuch looked at her reproachfully, not allowing her to see him off.

Madam Feng went back into the house and called for the screen to tell her to take Xiu Ying to rest first. Xiu Ying's mood was downcast. Her mind was filled with the scenes from her previous life before she died. She could only let Ping'er lead her to the east, take off her outer clothes, and get into bed.

Looking at her daughter's back as she left, Madam Feng felt that her daughter was indeed very lonely. However, she had just seen Brother Xiang's eyes shining. This meant that her daughter really did like Brother Xiang.

Madam Feng couldn't help but sink into deep thought.

It was impossible for her to add a little brother or sister to her daughter's company. Her daughter would slowly grow up, and if there was a brother helping her in the future, she would feel more at ease.

Brother Xiang, huh … Aunt Wang did indeed take it easy, but she didn't know if she really could carry it clearly or not.

"Madam, you should rest as well. You didn't sleep well last night either." When she saw the green in Madam Feng's eyes, she softly advised her from the side.

"Do you think I like you?" Madam Feng raised her head to look at her, causing her to be shocked. Thinking of the scene where Xiu Ying and Brother Xiang were together, she hesitantly said, "This servant sees. I think she likes it."

Madam Feng did not say anything else. She stood up and headed to the inner room.