Chapter 444

Chapter 451 Obsession (Part 2)

"Aunt Qin said... Chun Ge died? And the fourth wife miscarried?" The elder madam glanced at Madam Du.

Madam Du stood nearby with a faint smile, her expression utterly unchanged.

Lian Jiao nodded timidly, her gaze flickering toward Eleven Miss, who kept her eyes lowered. "Y-yes, that's what Aunt Qin... said."

"It seems Qin Yi has truly lost her mind." The elder madam sighed and dismissed Lian Jiao before asking Madam Du, "Where is Yuge now?"

The second young master had returned from Le'an at noon the previous day, paid his respects to the elders, and then left for Luoyeshan. He had only just returned this afternoon, prompting the elder madam to summon Lian Jiao for answers.

Madam Du smiled. "Lord Xu is speaking with the second young master in the study."

The elder madam nodded and turned to Eleven Miss, who had remained silent. "Father and son seldom get to see each other. It seems their conversation won’t end anytime soon. Let’s not wait for them." She then instructed the maids to serve dinner.

Eleven Miss assented and accompanied the elder madam to the eastern chamber, where they had a light meal before she took Xu Sijie back to her own courtyard.

Along the way, Xu Sijie kept sneaking careful looks at Eleven Miss’s expression.

She smiled and asked, "What’s the matter?"

After hesitating for a moment, he replied, "Mother... are you upset?"

Eleven Miss was surprised.

Her silence confirmed his guess, and he quickly added, "Mother, let me play the flute for you! Playing always cheers me up. It’ll make you happy too."

Touched, Eleven Miss felt her earlier melancholy lift.

She patted his cheek and smiled. "Alright."

Xu Sijie brightened and tugged at her hand. "Let's go home quickly—"

Nanyong’s wife quickly stopped him. "Fifth young master, be careful! The madam is expecting!"

Xu Sijie immediately released Eleven Miss’s hand, his face tense. "Mother, Mother—did I hurt you?"

"It’s fine." Ever since her morning sickness inexplicably vanished, Eleven Miss had been eating and sleeping well. Though not quite as nimble as before, she was far from clumsy. To reassure him, she took his hand. "I’m alright."

Relieved, Xu Sijie skipped beside her back to their rooms and played several flute pieces for her.

Eleven Miss was surprised.

With all the recent attention on Xu Sizhun, she hadn’t paid close attention to Xu Sijie’s flute practice. She hadn’t realized he'd picked up so many new songs.

A twinge of guilt hit her, and she pulled him into an embrace. "Jie Geer, you’ve improved so quickly!"

He grinned proudly. "The teacher says I’m very talented. What takes others a month to learn, I master in three or four days. And soon, he’ll begin teaching me the zither." He paused, then added, "But he said... he needs Father’s permission first."

"For learning the zither?" Eleven Miss was puzzled—when Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie had first begun learning the flute from him, there had been no such formality.

"Yes!" Xu Sijie nodded. "The teacher asked if I’d be willing to formally apprentice under him to study the zither. I said yes, and he was very pleased. He ruffled my hair and said he’d discuss it with Father first."

A proper master-disciple relationship?

Eleven Miss grew curious.

This Mr. Zhao seemed not only erudite but also accomplished in multiple arts. Just as they were speaking, Lord Xu returned.

His face was stern, but softened considerably upon seeing Xu Sijie nestled in Lady Eleven’s arms, chatting. Noticing the flute in Xu Sijie’s hand, he assumed the boy had just been practicing and gently reminded him, "Don’t play so late in the future," before having the wife of Nan Yong take him to rest.

After Lord Xu finished washing up, the couple leaned against the headboard to talk.

"Has my lord paid respects to Mother yet?"

"Yes."

This meant he already knew about Qin Yi’s situation, so certain explanations were unnecessary.

Lady Eleven pondered for a moment before asking, "What did Chun Ge say?"

Lord Xu was silent for a while before replying softly, "He asked me outright—did Qin Yi use witchcraft to curse Chun Ge?"

This child, once merely clever, had now grown sharp.

"And how did my lord respond?"

"Since he guessed, I didn’t hide it from him," Lord Xu said. "He sat quietly for a moment, then asked how the matter was being explained to outsiders. Seeing his clarity of thought, I shared the key details. After hearing them, he knelt and bowed deeply three times, begging me to let him go to Luoye Mountain to attend to Qin Yi until her passing." He sighed with regret. "He spoke and acted with the composure of an adult."

Compared to Xu Sizhun, who still behaved like a child, how could Lord Xu not feel melancholic?

Xu Siyu felt his robes were soaked with sweat.

It was the first time he’d initiated a conversation with his father. And for the first time, his father’s gaze held not just approval—but admiration.

He collapsed onto the bed.

Wen Zhu crept forward to remove Xu Siyu’s shoes. Seeing his eyes closed, his face etched with exhaustion, she hesitated before quietly draping a thin blanket over him. Suddenly, Xu Siyu spoke: "Prepare your belongings. We leave for Luoye Mountain at dawn tomorrow." He added, "Have Lian Jiao accompany me."

Lian Jiao knew too much—she surely wouldn’t survive. Rather than drag anyone else into this, it might as well be her.

Wen Zhu was momentarily taken aback before softly replying, "Yes," then asked with concern, "Second Young Master, have you had dinner yet? Yesterday, I asked the kitchen for some fresh wheat flour. Shall I make you a bowl of noodles..."

"No need," Xu Siyu interrupted Wen Zhu. "I ate with Father in the outer courtyard!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Xiang entered. "Second Young Master, the eldest young miss is here!"

At this hour?

Xu Siyu sat up in surprise and had Qin Xiang invite Zhenjie to the main hall. He then allowed Wen Zhu to assist him in washing up and changing before going to meet Zhenjie.

After several months apart, Zhenjie looked even fairer.

"I heard Second Brother had returned," Zhenjie said with a faint smile, "so I brought a few black-rind watermelons from Pangge Village to help you cool off."

Xu Siyu thanked her with a smile and instructed Wen Zhu to fetch well water to cool the melons. "Big Sister, don’t rush off. Let me return the favor—stay and share the watermelon."

"Of course!" Zhenjie agreed readily before asking about Qin Yi. "...Is she doing alright?"

"She’s... fine." Beyond this, Xu Siyu didn’t know how else to respond.

"That’s good." Zhenjie nodded with a smile and then chatted with Xu Siyu about Le’an. "...Have you seen Ninth Miss Jiang? She must have grown taller, right? Is she studying with Mr. Jiang or learning needlework from Aunt Jiang? Where do you usually go with your classmates?" She had many questions.

Xu Siyu answered politely. "I’ve seen her a few times when consulting Mr. Jiang on studies. I didn’t pay close attention, so I’m not sure if she’s grown. She doesn’t study with Mr. Jiang but with his wife." At this point, he recalled something and chuckled faintly. "Once, the madam even called me over to ask if Mother’s needlework was truly exceptional. She said that back in Yanjing, she often heard people praise Mother’s embroidery as number one in Yanjing."

"Number one in Yanjing?" Zhenjie laughed. "This is the first I’ve heard of it."

"I’d never heard it either," Xu Siyu admitted, amused, his eyes smiling. "I even said it was an exaggeration. But the madam seemed concerned and hired the best seamstress in Le’an to teach Ninth Miss needlework at home." Wen Zhu served the watermelon.

The siblings ate a couple of watermelon slices and shared some interesting anecdotes about Xu Siyu's time in Le'an. Seeing it was getting late, Zhenjie got up to leave.

Xu Siyu walked her to the door.

The whole time, Zhenjie never mentioned why she'd come, as if she really just came to deliver two watermelons.

He found this strange.

Back in his room, he saw Wen Zhu and Qin Xiang organizing the luggage—luckily they'd just returned and hadn't fully unpacked, so they just needed quick straightening.

It was always like this. Never in a hurry to unpack, like he'd be going back to Le'an soon and would have to repack everything.

Somehow, Xu Siyu's mood improved considerably.

Then he stopped short.

Why did he feel "improved again"...

He remembered how he'd done most of the talking earlier while Zhenjie had mostly listened quietly.

Did Zhenjie come just to cheer him up?

How much did she actually know?

Xu Siyu stood frozen in thought.

The next day, he went to Luoyeshan.

Madam Yang couldn't help saying, "Having a son is such a blessing. When you're sick, someone attends to you."

Yang Shi looked at the embroidered satin—only two more children to complete—and smiled faintly.

By July, this piece would be ready to send!

Qiao Lianfang just gave a small nod. She discussed with Xiu Yuan, "Maybe I should ask Steward Bai again. Madam Du doesn't know those young servants, but Steward Bai must know them!"

It wasn't that he didn't know—he just didn't want to get involved!

Xiu Yuan said carefully, "I heard the mistress's Goldfish Lane residence is nearly done, and Steward Bai's swamped. He wouldn't have time for this. Let's drop it." Then she added, "Should we send congratulations?"

"It's not a housewarming—why send gifts?" Qiao Lianfang dismissed it. "Lady Wen will make a big deal there. Let's not bother."

Then she had an idea. "Let's talk to Lady Wen! The Wen family has many stewards—they must have someone suitable!" She went to see Lady Wen.

Lady Wen was thinking about Qin Yi.

"It's been over a month, and the second young master's back. Qin Yi probably doesn't have long..."

Hearing Qiao Lianfang wanted to see her, she collected herself and went to the hall.

Learning Qiao Lianfang's request, Lady Wen was torn.

A few years ago, this wouldn't have been a big deal. Helping Qiao Lianfang would've made a friend. But recently, the Wen family was upset she wouldn't help—even her Jinan business had suffered. Yet outright refusal would seem uncooperative.

All she could do was smile and say, "Let me ask around in a few days. I'll have an answer for you in two or three days."

Qiao Lianfang smiled her thanks and left.

Two days later, news came from Luoyeshan—Qin Yi had died of illness!