Chapter 433 I’m fine here alone

Miss Xingxing returned to the small courtyard, her brow slightly furrowed.

Fan Pingfang had already managed to calm Ling Jier down, and Master Hao was cradled in An Ningxin's arms, his loud wails finally subsided.

Master Hao wrapped his chubby arms around An Ningxin's neck, sniffling and sobbing, "Mom, I really heard Sis calling me 'little brother' just now..."

An Ningxin's face fell as she gently patted Master Hao's back, softly comforting him, thinking he must have missed his sister so much that he imagined her voice.

But Master Hao was insistent, growing increasingly frantic, clutching his mother's clothes tightly, "Mom, I really heard it! Really!"

Master Hao fussed for a long time before finally crying himself to sleep, exhausted. Miss Xingxing gathered An Ningxin and Fan Pingfang and shared her earlier discovery outside the gate.

An Ningxin's first reaction was to cover her mouth in shock and excitement, "...Are you saying Master Hao didn't mishear? Was it really Sis Cheng calling him? ...Has Sis Cheng been here? Is she alright?!"

With that, An Ningxin was so overwhelmed that she wanted to run out to look for Sis Cheng.

Miss Xingxing and Fan Pingfang each grabbed one of An Ningxin's arms, "Don't get too excited yet."

Miss Xingxing quickly explained her theory to An Ningxin, "...To sum up, it seems someone has taken Little An Cheng for some purpose. When Little An Cheng tried to call out to Master Hao, they covered her mouth and took her away."

An Ningxin felt as if her heart was being torn apart at the thought of that scene.

She trembled, "...So, it really was that bandit... He took Sis Cheng; he must be trying to get revenge on me..."

An Ningxin's tears streamed down her face as she rushed out of the courtyard, shouting in despair at the overcast sky, "Second Boss! If you want to seek revenge on me, come at me directly! ...Sis Cheng is still so young, let her go, come at me!"

An Ningxin collapsed in the courtyard, sobbing uncontrollably on the ground.

Fan Pingfang and Miss Xingxing helped the distraught An Ningxin back into the house.

Despite her independence, Fan Pingfang had never faced such a situation.

She frowned, whispering to Miss Xingxing, "What are we going to do? ...The Shuntian Prefecture has been talking about bandit suppression, but nothing has come of it."

Miss Xingxing pressed her hand on the table, coming to a decision, "...Starting today, I'll hire a few guards from the security bureau to keep watch over this small courtyard in shifts. If that bandit comes again, try to hold him off as long as possible while waiting for reinforcements..."

Miss Xingxing paused, then said to Fan Pingfang, "Sister Fan, if this small courtyard is really being targeted by bandits, it could be very dangerous. You and Ling Jier..."

Before Miss Xingxing could finish, Fan Pingfang shook her head, "That bandit probably wouldn't dare to make a big scene. Otherwise, since our courtyard is full of women and children, if he wanted to kill, he would have done so already."

That was indeed true.

"But..." Fan Pingfang hesitated, unwilling to risk Ling Jier's life, "For the next few days, could Ling Jier stay at your house for a while?"

An Ningxin suddenly walked up to Miss Xingxing and knelt down, her voice hoarse, "Miss Xingxing, since we met, you have saved me time and again... I humbly ask you to help me one last time. Master Hao is innocent in this matter. Could you take Sister Fan, Ling Jier, and Master Hao to stay at your residence for a few days? Since the bandit's target is me, I will stay here alone."

Miss Xingxing tried to pull An Ningxin up, "Madam An, you don't have to do this..."

But An Ningxin stubbornly kowtowed to Miss Xingxing several times.

Miss Xingxing saw An Ningxin's determination and, after a slight pause, solemnly agreed.

Fan Pingfang could only sigh deeply.

The matter was temporarily settled.

That evening, Fan Pingfang, Ling Jier, and Master Hao accompanied Miss Xingxing back to the General of the Western Garrison's residence, staying in her small courtyard.

Xingxing also hired people from the bodyguard service to guard the courtyard in shifts, day and night.

The next day, the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.

After informing Wei Pozi, Xingxing changed into simple, unadorned clothing, ready to accompany Cen Yueyi to visit the grave of her late mother outside the city.

When they met outside the city, Cen Yueyi's eyes were red, clearly having cried already.

Xingxing glanced at the procession behind Cen Yueyi's carriage. The offerings from the Marquis of Jiangtai's household were so sparse they bordered on being inadequate—just some paper replicas of gold and silver ingots, a few paper replicas of utensils, and nothing more. Moreover, the Marquis of Jiangtai did not make an appearance.

Xingxing pressed her lips together and handed over some memorial items she had prepared to Cen Yueyi's maid, asking them to add her incense, candles, and paper money to the Marquis of Jiangtai's offerings.

"It's okay," Cen Yueyi said, perhaps sensing Xingxing's sadness, attempting to comfort her. However, the rasp in her voice revealed her true feelings.

Xingxing got into the carriage to keep Cen Yueyi company.

Xingxing patted her own small shoulder: "Sister Cen, if you're upset, you can lean on me."

Cen Yueyi tried to smile gracefully, as she always did.

However, Xingxing's clear, dark eyes watched her silently. Cen Yueyi pursed her lips and slowly, slowly leaned on Xingxing's shoulder.

The carriage was silent except for the crack of the coachman's whip.

It seemed even the heavens felt Cen Yueyi's grief, as the sky gradually darkened.

The horizon was hazy, signaling more snow.

The grave of the late Marchioness of Jiangtai was in the family's ancestral burial grounds, deep in the mountains.

During the New Year, the Marquis of Jiangtai and his family had visited to pay their respects, and most of the graves had traces of burnt paper and incense.

Thus, the Marquis of Jiangtai reasoned that since they had recently paid their respects, there was no need for a grand ceremony today, even though it was the anniversary of his former wife's death.

To the Marquis of Jiangtai, permitting Cen Yueyi to visit today was already a significant concession!

The wind picked up, sounding almost like a lament.

Cen Yueyi knelt at the grave, her eyes downcast as she burned incense and paper money.

Her face was impassive, but her eyes brimmed with grief.

A few unburnt pieces of paper money swirled and drifted past Cen Yueyi's hem, then flew away.

Xingxing knew that what Cen Yueyi needed most at this moment was quiet companionship.

On the way back, although the wind had picked up outside and it looked like it was about to snow, Cen Yueyi's mood had clearly improved.

As they rode back, she murmured to Xingxing: "I actually don't know what my mother looked like... but at my grandfather's place, I saw a portrait of my mother when she was a young girl, and she looked very much like me. So I thought, if I miss my mother, I can just look in the mirror..."