Chapter 97: The Night

Jiang Caiping failed to notice the fleeting glint of coldness in Yunyi’s eyes. Big-hearted? Heh—quite the opposite. She had a small heart, and whoever wronged her would face double retribution.

Meanwhile, Ji Rong was surprised to see Chunxiu bringing in another food container. She set down the small scale she had been using to weigh medicine and asked, “Why have you brought another portion? Are you hungry again?”

“I just ate so much earlier—I couldn’t possibly be hungry now.” As she spoke, Chunxiu casually tossed the food container aside and recounted everything that had happened in the kitchen. Then, clapping her hands with satisfaction, she laughed, “It’s been such a long time since I’ve felt this good. Imagining Jiang Caiping seething with anger but unable to do anything makes me feel utterly relieved.”

Ji Rong’s gaze darkened as she scolded, “How many times have I told you to change your temperament? Stop being so reckless and confrontational all the time—it won’t do you any good. Are my words just falling on deaf ears?”

After the incident with Ah Mu, Chunxiu had developed a slight fear of Ji Rong. Chastised, she stammered, “I remember what you said, Sister, but I’ve been so miserable lately that I couldn’t help myself this time… I promise, it won’t happen again.”

“Good.” With that, Ji Rong turned her attention back to the table, where a small scale and dozens of medicinal herbs were laid out. She carefully weighed each herb and poured them into a silver tray.

Chunxiu approached and asked softly, “Sister, when will the Young Master’s foot ailment heal?”

Without looking up, Ji Rong replied, “Doctor Xu said it would take about a month to see results. By my calculations, it should be around the tenth day of next month.”

Chunxiu counted on her fingers. “That’s still half a month away.” Glancing at Ji Rong, she added, “Does that mean I can return to the music hall by then?”

Ji Rong shot her a glance and answered indifferently, “You’re hardly doing any work in the firewood shed anymore. Are you still uncomfortable there?”

“No matter what, it’s still the firewood shed—it’s not pleasant at all, Sister…” She tugged at Ji Rong’s hand playfully. Ji Rong, having finished pouring the last herb into the silver tray, said, “Alright. If the Young Master’s injury heals well, I’ll ask him to let you return to the music hall. I won’t forget.”

“Thank you, Sister.” As she expressed her gratitude, Chunxiu proactively fetched the mortar and pestle for Ji Rong, allowing her to grind the herbs into powder. However, this wasn’t yet the tendon-repairing muscle-regenerating powder—it would require further steps like drying and sifting before completion.

Seeing Ji Rong finish grinding the powder, drenched in sweat from the effort, Chunxiu suggested, “Sister, leave the rest for tomorrow. After all, the medicine isn’t due to be delivered until the day after tomorrow.”

“Agreed.” Ji Rong was indeed tired. Brushing off the medicinal powder from her clothes, she said, “I’m sticky and uncomfortable. Let’s go to the kitchen to heat some water for a bath.”

Chunxiu had the same idea, so they both went to the kitchen to boil water. Not long after they left, a shadow slipped into the room under the cover of darkness. From their sleeve, they retrieved a paper packet and carefully sprinkled its contents into the silver tray, mixing it with the powder Ji Rong had ground.

No sooner had they finished than they heard movement at the door. The shadow quickly fled through the window, barely closing it behind them before the door was pushed open again. Another person entered, searching the room by the light of the lamp.

“How strange… Where could it be? Where did she hide it?” the person muttered softly. After rummaging for a while, they finally found a handwritten notebook hidden in a secret compartment of the dressing box. Flipping to the last page, they exclaimed with delight, “This is it—I’ve found it!”

As they tore out the page and replaced the notebook in its hiding place, they prepared to leave. But before their hand could reach the latch, the door was suddenly pushed open. Caught off guard, they had no time to hide and were forced to meet the intruder’s gaze.

Ji Rong was astonished. “Chenyue? What are you doing in my room?”

The intruder was none other than Zhang Chenyue. Her mind raced as she plastered on a smile. “I came specifically to find the two of you, but when I saw no one was here, I was about to leave. Then you returned—what a coincidence.”

Chunxiu stepped forward, suspicion etched on her face. “Is that so?”

Zhang Chenyue laughed lightly. “Of course. You don’t think I came to steal something, do you?”

Chunxiu snorted. “Not necessarily.” Since being sent to the firewood shed, her attitude toward Zhang Chenyue had shifted significantly; she was no longer as close as before.

“Sister, you’re joking,” Zhang Chenyue replied smoothly. “If you don’t believe me, check if anything is missing.”

Before Zhang Chenyue could finish, Ji Rong interjected, “Chunxiu is just teasing you—don’t take it seriously. By the way, why did you come looking for us?”

Zhang Chenyue’s eyes flickered. “Nothing important. I just wanted to ask, Sister, how is Lady Two’s investigation into Ah Mu’s death going? Has she found any evidence implicating Wu Meixue and Jiang Caiping?”

“How would I know about Lady Two’s affairs? I haven’t heard anything recently, so there might not be any progress yet.”

Zhang Chenyue nodded. “I hope she finds the evidence soon and expels them from the residence—it’s tiresome seeing those annoying faces every day.” Smiling faintly, she added, “Well, I won’t disturb the two of you any longer.”

“Take care, Sister.” As Ji Rong spoke, Chunxiu cut in sharply, “No, you’re not leaving!”

Zhang Chenyue suppressed her panic and asked, “Do you have something else to discuss, Sister?”

Chunxiu stepped closer, her face cold. “Tell me, why did you enter our room?”

“I already told you—it was…” Before she could finish, Chunxiu interrupted, “If that’s true, why did you close the door behind you?”

Zhang Chenyue’s heart raced, but she forced herself to remain calm. “I intended to wait for you inside, so I closed the door. But after waiting for a while and not seeing either of you return, I decided to…”

“Liar!” Chunxiu cut her off harshly. “Look at you, acting so suspicious—you clearly had ill intentions. If you don’t tell the truth, we’ll go straight to Aunty Yang and see what she has to say.”

Zhang Chenyue quickly defended herself, appealing to Ji Rong when Chunxiu didn’t believe her. “Sister Ji Rong, I’m telling the truth. Please believe me.”

“I trust you.” After reassuring Zhang Chenyue, Ji Rong said, “Chunxiu, stop causing trouble. Look how frightened you’ve made Chenyue.”

Chunxiu refused to back down, lifting her chin defiantly. “If she hasn’t done anything wrong, why is she so scared? She won’t leave tonight until she explains herself clearly!”

Zhang Chenyue feigned deep sorrow. “I’ve already told you everything. It’s you who doesn’t believe me, thinking I’m lying.”