Chapter 21

It was soon lunch time and everyone at the table was thinking about eating. Xiao Ting ate deliciously with Xiao Mei looking at her from time to time. She had received a report that Xiao Ting had seen the courtyard and it stands to reason that she should have done something.

However, seeing that it wasn’t mentioned even now, she didn’t know what to do.

The meal was finished very quickly. When she left, Xiao Ting asked the Madam about Sevent Aunt’s condition.

The Madam didn’t expect her to talk about it. While helping the old lady, she quietly smiled and said: “Sixth girl, don’t worry, Seventh Sister has someone to take care of her, so you can go back with peace of mind!”

It had the rhythm of coercing people.

It was the first time Xiao Ting saw the gentle madam reveal her fierceness.

In the past, she took it for granted, but in this era of polygamy, there’s no peaceful back yard.

Xiao Ting smiled and said: “The Prince will come to pick me up…”

Before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by the old lady, “If the Prince is here to pick you up, why didn’t you say so earlier?”

She then let the ladies prepare.

Xiao Ting smiled silently, raised her foot to follow Xiao Mei, and when she was about to pass her, she said: “I haven’t thanked sister for helping me clean up my courtyard. After sister’s arrangements, it’s indeed much brighter than before. Can I also ask sister to put it back? Otherwise, it would be uncomfortable living there.”

Dare to touch my things, can’t you see my position?

After that, Xiao Ting left to see Seventh Aunt alone.

Only Xiao Mei was left sulking, wishing to eat her alive.

“Hmph, let’s wait and see.”

The desolate courtyard gave people a depressing feeling the moment you stepped in.

Xiao Ting said in her heart: Sevent Aunt is very sick but there’s no maid waiting by the door. These people are really…

Going all the way to the inner room, there was a sickly beauty lying on the bed with eyes tightly shut. In this hot weather, she had a thick quilt and half of her black hair was hanging by the bed and into the ground, but no one cared.

The windows were tightly closed and there were two braziers by the bed, so a wave of heat hit her face.

Xiao Ting slightly frowned, then walked a few steps forward. There was a soup bowl on the round chair by the bed and it smelled of medicine.

“With the windows so tightly closed, I’m afraid people would become even more sick.”

The room was too quiet, so even though Xiao Ting’s voice was not loud, she awakened the beauty on the bed.

Seventh Aunt’s small face was whiter than paper. Her whole body was thinner, her eye sockets sunken, making her eyes bigger, but she looked dazed at the moment.

With her dry lips moving, she seemed to want to speak, but she merely opened her mouth and didn’t say a word.

“Seventh Aunt, quickly lie down.”

Xiao Ting stepped forward to help her lie down, and when she touched her hand, her expression was shocked. How could this hand be so cold, almost like a dead person.

After pouring warm water, Xiao Ting helped Seventh Aunt have some, but no one came in during this time.

After a long while, Seventh Aunt said, “Sixth Miss is back, is Xin’er okay?”

The day before yesterday, she invited the master to let Hong Shao take Xiao Shi to play with Xiao Ting, because she was afraid that the child would see her like this.

Xiao Ting knew what she was worried about, so she gave her peace of mind, “Don’t worry, he’s playing with the little prince back in the mansion. They got along well.”

Knowing that her son was not here, Seventh Aunt was relieved.

“Seventh Aunt, are you sick?” Xiao Ting still couldn’t help but ask her.

Seventh Aunt shook her head, then said: “Sixth Miss is now a Princess, so Fourth Sister can rest assured.”

The Fourth Sister she’s talking about was the birth mother of the original owner, who died early.

Seeing that she didn’t want to mention it, Xiao Ting didn’t ask anymore, and just told her to rest well.

Seventh Concubine didn’t agree and dragged her to talk about household matters. After that, Xiao Ting was about to leave.

It could be seen that Seventh Aunt only had a few days to live.

When Xiao Ting was leaving, Seventh Aunt took her hand and said, “Sixth Miss, can you please help me?”

“Say it.”

“Can you let Xin’er leave here?”

When Xiao Ting met her hopeful gaze, Xiao Ting didn’t know how to answer. Xiao Shi was a young master of the Xiao Mansion, so naturally, someone would take care of him, and father would also care. Why would Seventh Aunt say this to her?

Sevent Aunt also seemed to feel that her request was excessive, so she explained: “I-I mean, before he is ten years old, can you help me take care of him? Just don’t let him stay in this house.”

Xiao Ting was in a thoughtful mood when she went out of the courtyard and ran into the Third Miss, Xiao Ya, who went into a daze.

Xiao Ya first looked at the yard to confirm that it’s the place where her mother lived, then sweetly called her Sixth Sister, before entering the courtyard.

Xiao Ting only took a few steps when she heard Xiao Ya’s screams from inside.

“Don’t nag. Do you think I don’t know what I’m doing?”

“Do you really think that I’m so unreliable that I should rely on you?”

“Don’t worry about me, just worry about yourself…”

She thought about Hong Shao telling her the day before yesterday that the Third Miss, Xiao Ya, was actually not birthed by the Seventh Concubine, nor the master’s. Few people knew about this, not even Xiao Ya herself.

On normal days, Seventh Aunt seldom interacted with people and was very low-key. The master rarely visited her place, so the Madam didn’t pay attention to her, but it became different ever since she gave birth to the tenth son.

She was the only concubine who gave birth to a male except for Madam’s son, the first son.

Therefore, Seventh Aunt’s illness was related to the Madam!

Although Xiao Ting didn’t know much about this backyard, she understood it now.

When Seventh Aunt asked her to take care of Xiao Shi, perhaps it’s because she’s afraid that the Madam would take care of Xiao Shi.