Ling Mo Han wanted to continue describing Da Bao’s good deeds, but under Feng Jin’s threatening gaze, he sheepishly shut his mouth, bringing his accusations against Da Bao to an end.
Er Bao, having calmly watched this rather uninteresting farce unfold, wore an expression of disdain, as if he found their pointless squabbles beneath him.
“What’s with that look!” Ling Mo Han noticed Er Bao’s disdainful expression, which seemed to carry a hint of mockery towards him.
“Wa… wa…”
Da Bao cried even harder, pointing at Er Bao with his finger, as if complaining to Feng Jin.
With Da Bao’s crying filling her mind, Feng Jin’s head began to ache. This child was far too prone to tears.
“Alright, alright, don’t cry… be good…”
Feng Jin gently patted Da Bao, trying to comfort him. He had just managed to stop crying, but with this commotion, he was now sobbing even more fiercely.
Da Bao, sniffling, rested on Feng Jin’s shoulder, contentedly enjoying his mother’s affection.
It truly lived up to the saying, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” In contrast, Er Bao was far too calm.
Ling Mo Han was also impressed by Da Bao’s dramatic performance. This child seemed to have a thousand tricks up his sleeve.
“Aren’t you supposed to be taking a headcount today and departing tomorrow?”
Feng Jin glanced at Ling Mo Han, her gaze seeming to usher him away.
“Watch them both, and I’ll be going.”
With that, Ling Mo Han rose and left.
Upon seeing Ling Mo Han depart, Da Bao seemed to lose interest in pretending. The look of grievance on his face vanished instantly.
Feng Jin also noticed the swift change in Da Bao’s expression but didn’t pay it much heed, assuming it was a coincidence. After all, in her mind, a child this age was supposed to be at their most innocent and pure.
Placing Da Bao and Er Bao together, Feng Jin picked up a small wooden doll from the side to entertain the two children.
This small wooden doll had been bought by Cai Qing from the market. It was like a modern-day robot, capable of running and jumping, and it was crafted with exquisite detail.
The creation of such an item was indeed not easy, especially one that could move on its own. Such skill would be considered exceptional even today.
It was a pity there were only these two wooden dolls. If there were more, she would have loved to buy them all to keep the children occupied.
…
The next morning, the group busied themselves with the journey. Having stayed at the posthouse for several days, they deliberately quickened their pace this time.
They traveled for several hours straight, only stopping for a brief rest around noon.
As Feng Jin settled down to eat, Cai Qing rushed over.
“Young Madam… disaster… disaster…”
“Speak slowly, your Young Madam is right here.”
Feng Jin’s tone was tinged with helplessness, Cai Qing’s urgency making her feel a little anxious.
“Young Madam…” Cai Qing panted, “Young Madam, it’s… it’s Granny Sun, she’s been stabbed…”
With a ‘bang,’ a sound of shattering interrupted Cai Qing’s words.
Chu Qing was stunned for a moment before coming to her senses: “Madam, please forgive me. This servant was careless and broke the bowl. Madam, please forgive me!”
“It’s alright, clean it up first.”
Feng Jin’s voice was calm, and she then turned her attention back to Cai Qing: “Continue what you were saying. Granny Sun was attacked, and then what?”
“Granny Sun was stabbed. She survived, but… but…” Cai Qing recalled the bloody scene and suddenly felt nauseous. Suppressing her disgust, she said, “But Granny Sun’s hand was cut off…”
“Ah…” Chu Qing shrieked in fright, her eyes wide with terror, her shoulders trembling slightly.
“Look how scared you are. Granny Sun deserves it. Who asked her to always trouble the Young Madam? Now that she’s lost a hand, let’s see if she dares to be so arrogant.”
Cai Qing truly couldn’t stand Granny Sun. For someone so wicked and malicious, losing a hand was the least of what she deserved; even losing both hands and feet would have been fitting retribution.
“Don’t speak nonsense. Have they found out who attacked Granny Sun?”
“This servant heard it was a palace maid from Xi Liang, what was her name…”
She was so forgetful. She couldn’t recall at a crucial moment…
She had specifically asked for the name before returning, repeating it to herself all the way. Yet, when it mattered most, she had forgotten…
“What was her name?” Chu Qing was also a little anxious, forgetting everything else and asking urgently.
Cai Qing frowned, thinking hard for a long time before finally remembering: “Right… her name was Yu Rong…”
She finally remembered, it had exhausted her.
Hearing it wasn’t Zhen Zhu’s name, Chu Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling immense gratitude.
This was within Feng Jin’s expectations. She hadn’t anticipated that her first use of hypnosis would be so successful.
Yu Rong cutting off Granny Sun’s hand was enough to show the depth of her hatred for Granny Sun.
“Cai Qing, go and fetch the Condensed Dew Stasis Paste from the last layer of the makeup box. We’ll go and see Granny Sun.”
“Young Madam, that bottle of Condensed Dew Stasis Paste was something you worked so hard to develop. Isn’t it a waste to use it on Granny Sun?”
“That medicine is for treating injuries and saving lives. It makes no difference who it’s used on. Go and get it now.”
Cai Qing reluctantly went to fetch the Condensed Dew Stasis Paste. Such a superior medicine being used on Granny Sun felt like a complete waste.
“Chu Qing, Granny Sun also took care of you before. You should go and see her too.”
“Yes, Young Madam.” Chu Qing nodded in agreement and followed Feng Jin.
When Feng Jin arrived, a physician was treating Granny Sun. Basin after basin of bloody water was carried out from the tent, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of blood.
Feng Jin couldn’t help but cover her nose. She stepped in and glanced at the situation, tutting inwardly. The wound was so unevenly cut, it looked like she had been stabbed several times before her hand was severed.
Granny Sun had certainly endured considerable suffering, but it was all her own doing.
“The way you’re treating her won’t stop the bleeding. If this continues, Granny Sun will die from excessive blood loss.”
Feng Jin watched his clumsy treatment methods and couldn’t bear it any longer, speaking up to remind him. If he continued to fuss like this, Granny Sun would die from blood loss before she was even finished off by Yu Rong.
“Who are you to point fingers at me, a dignified official?”
Having been openly criticized by Feng Jin, the physician felt his pride wounded and glared at her, puffing out his chest.
“Someone with better medical skills than you. Use this ointment on the wound, then bind it with bandages. It will stop the bleeding quickly.”
She couldn’t let Granny Sun die here. At the very least, she needed to hold on until they reached the capital.