“What is it?” The old lady was trying her best to raise her spirits.
Madam Zhang said mysteriously, “I remember you saying that your little granddaughter back home is the young woman who got pregnant with a few children out of wedlock. Is her name Qi Qingyao?”
“Yes, what about it?” Why was she bringing up that accursed person? The old lady’s mood dropped even lower; she found herself unwilling to listen any further.
“I just wanted to make sure,” Madam Zhang said excitedly.
“Make sure of what?” The woman’s words were not making any sense.
Madam Zhang first took a sip of water then said, “My uncle is responsible for feeding the horses in the stables of Young Master Han’s home. According to hearsay, something happened in the Upper East these past few days.”
“What does that have to do with me?” She had no interest in the matters of the rich; they had nothing to do with her.
Madam Zhang continued, “In the northern region, the Lu family runs the Senluo Chamber of Commerce and is the richest in the entirety of Northern Liang!”
“Why are you saying all this?” The old lady’s mood was deteriorating even further.
“Just listen to everything I have to say first.” Madam Zhang’s demeanor was energetic. “A few days ago, something happened at the Jiang residence. Heir Pei had a maid who embarrassed Master Lu at the Jiang residence. I also heard that yesterday, the young lady of the Jiang Family unwittingly bumped into Lu Yan and that same little maid. She was then ruthlessly humiliated by the maid. And guess what, my uncle heard some gossip when he was at Young Master Han’s mansion saying that the maid was not actually a maid; she is in fact a little girl from Linquan Village of Baishui Town called Qi Qingyao!”
“Qi Qingyao?” The old lady instantly got to her feet, her cloudy and fuzzy eyes also widening a little.
Madam Zhang said, “That’s right, she’s called Qi Qingyao, and that’s why I asked you. Could the name Qi Qingyao be very common?”
The old lady muttered as she paced, “How is that possible? I have never heard anyone else have that name before. As for our Qingzhu, I have heard of a few others with that name.”
Madam Zhang asked with agitated nervousness, “Then do you think, this Qi Qingyao, could she be your granddaughter?”
The old lady pondered for a moment and eventually felt that it was too improbable. “But you just said that she was with Heir Pei. In that case, I don’t think it’s my granddaughter.”
“Madam, it doesn’t matter if she’s your granddaughter or not. I heard that the little lady is now living in a big mansion on Eight Street in the Upper East District. Don’t you want to go take a look? What if she really is your granddaughter? Wouldn’t you then… also be granted a meteoric rise in society and can go live in the Upper East District?” Madam Zhang pressed.
The old lady thought it made sense as well.
Madam Zhang egged her on. “Let’s go, let’s go, I’ll go with you to take a look.”
The two then walked out arm in arm. The moment they left the house, they saw that the sky was dark and that snow was falling heavily. They realized that it was already night.
“Why don’t we take a look tomorrow morning?” suggested the old lady.
Madam Zhang, “…” Agreed!
…
Qi Qingyao suddenly thought of something before she fell asleep! She immediately snuck to the front of Si Jin’s door and knocked on it. After Si Jin opened the door, Qi Qingyao crept in stealthily.
She looked at Si Jin who was still dressed neatly as before. “Why haven’t you gone to bed?”
Any ordinary person would return the question and ask why she was not asleep either, but Si Jin was simple and naive. The question immediately made him startled and a little embarrassed. “I… tend to sleep less at night!” The truth was that he had planned to sneak out to swim one round in the pond tonight! However, he dared not say this to her…
Qi Qingyao said into his ear, “Since you can’t sleep and don’t have anything to do at night, go and keep an eye on Jiang Bai for me.”
Si Jin instantly clenched his fist and said, “Alright, I’ll do as Sister says.”
After confirming his agreement, Qi Qingyao decided to turn around and head back to her room. She had just taken her first step when she turned around again and asked, “Will you be able to keep an eye on him without getting caught?” If Si Jin were to get caught, they would be finished.