He was driven out by his aunt but still managed to overhear the conversation by lurking secretly at the door. His aunt had sobbed with suppressed voice and had only just fallen asleep after much difficulty.
Jin Yuyu did not know what the doctor had said, but she could feel the aura of sadness and depression that clung to the little boy. Jin Yuyu glanced at the door, where only two maids stood, their eyes demurely cast down, quietly attending to their duties.
"Come on, Shi Wen, let your sister take you to the study to draw." After glancing at what Jin Shiwen had drawn on the ground, something that could have been either a cat or a tiger, Jin Yuyu smiled gently and reached out her hand.
Jin Shiwen hesitated for a moment before timidly reaching out his hand. His sister’s hand was so soft, warm, unlike his aunt’s, which were always cold.
No sooner had Jin Yuyu taken Jin Shiwen away than the room door opened, and a frail woman who seemed like she would fall over with a puff of wind staggeringly moved, bracing against the wall. Watching the receding figures of Jin Yuyu and Jin Shiwen, she managed a faint smile. Then, supported by her maids, she made her way to Lady Hong’s room. Her life was not long for this world; it was time to make plans for her son.
In Jin Lingling’s room, Lady Ruan pushed her daughter inside, and rubbing her painfully pinched arm, Jin Lingling whined, "Mother, what are you doing?"
Ignoring her daughter’s complaint, Lady Ruan scolded, "What am I doing? You tell me what you’ve been up to!"
Seeing Jin Lingling fall silent, Lady Ruan jabbed her long finger against her forehead repeatedly, scolding, "Tell me, do you even have a brain? The Old Mistress has acknowledged Miss Lin’s status, and what are you doing tampering underneath? Calling her an impostor—I think you’re the real impostor!"
"She was just a village girl, I didn’t..."
"Silence!" Lady Ruan burst out with widened eyes, and with that, she flopped down into a chair, infuriated even more as Jin Lingling pouted in discontent and took a seat herself.
Being quite cunning, Jin Lingling quickly changed the subject to distract her mother, shaking her arm with a teasing smile, "Mother, how did you know that the Old Mistress also planned to make Xiao Nini a concubine for Great Uncle? You had no idea; I was almost scared to death that Xiao Nini would let something slip and reveal us all!"
Lady Ruan gave her a disdainful look, speaking smugly, "Your mother has eaten more salt than you have eaten rice; of course, I would know such matters—or there would have been no need to involve her in the first place."
The Old Mistress hadn’t noticed anything amiss indeed; after all, the initial plan to have Xiao Nini become a concubine for the Boss was known only to the two of them, and even Mother Feng had not mentioned it. Had Lady Ruan not happened upon Xiao Nini crying surreptitiously under the rockery that day, she would have remained ignorant as well.
Thus, she was enticed to swap the wooden pegs of the wheelchair. With the Old Mistress injured, her mind was sure to be elsewhere. Then, Lady Ruan took the opportunity to suppress the senior household,—would they then dare refuse to find a decent man for Xiao Nini?
The two struck a deal, and subsequently, the wheelchair incident occurred. Unfortunately, Mother Feng, the old hag, unexpectedly threw herself under the Old Mistress to act as a human cushion, thereby leaving the Old Mistress unharmed.
The first step of the plan had failed, and with the arrival of Lin Yuan, all their plans had gone awry. Thinking about the failure of her plans, Lady Ruan directed all her anger toward Lin Yuan.
But what could she do? Lin Yuan was the Boss of Fuman Building, and even Jin Xucai couldn’t wait to curry favor with her. What could she, a mere woman, accomplish against her?
Lady Ruan was unaware that Jin Lingling had once bribed bandits to attack Lin Yuan. Had she known, she would have come up with a foolproof plan, one that wouldn’t have allowed Lin Yuan to escape unscathed and nearly exposed Jin Lingling herself.