Chapter 91
Chapter 91: Did Eldest Grandson Young Master and Xiao Man Finally Do It?
Outside the door, Lin Qing Xuan still hadn’t moved far. He stood in the corridor, straight as a pine, expression heavy.
In his arms, Tuan Tuan had gone unnaturally quiet. The black cat lay obediently, golden eyes fixed on the door as if he could see through wood and silence.
Then Tuan Tuan lifted his head and rubbed his forehead against Lin Qing Xuan’s chin, purring smugly.
The look in his eyes was practically a drumroll.
“I told you she wasn’t ordinary. Wasn’t I right?”
“Before, I thought that crappy relic bead of yours only sensed a soul from another world. Who knew we’d get a bonus like this!”
Lin Qing Xuan looked down at the too-clever cat, and his thoughts churned like a storm-tossed sea.
Last night’s absurdity flashed through him in sharp, humiliating fragments.
He was certain of one thing: inside Xiao Man was a soul that didn’t belong to this world.
And yet the presence spilling from the room just now—pure, compassionate, fragrant with lotus—had resonated with the relic bead against his chest.
What was it?
It was nothing like spiritual power, nothing like Buddhist power, nothing like devil qi.
How could such opposite qualities exist in a single person?
Questions circled him until his reason felt stretched to breaking.
But he couldn’t chase answers now.
All he could think about was Xiao Man’s body.
She had endured too much last night. What state was she in?
He turned and strode toward the small kitchen at the far end of the courtyard.
Granny Chen was sweeping fallen leaves. Seeing the Eldest Grandson Young Master approach, she dropped the broom and hurried forward.
“Young Master, up so early.”
Lin Qing Xuan didn’t slow. “Matron, cook some meat congee for Xiao Man.”
Granny Chen’s smile froze. Her eyes went round—then she smoothed her face into concern with the speed of long practice.
“Oh? Eldest Grandson Young Master, she’s resting today? Still asleep?”
Lin Qing Xuan gave a brief nod, face cool. “Perhaps she was too tired last night.”
“Keep the congee warm. Don’t disturb her.”
Those words exploded like fireworks behind Granny Chen’s eyes.
Too tired last night.
Her inner self was already dancing, but she pinched her lips into an even more solicitous smile and ventured, “Young Master… shall this old servant prepare something for you as well? You must have worked hard.”
Lin Qing Xuan frowned slightly. Suppressing that wicked heat last night had taken real effort; exhaustion sat heavy behind his ribs.
He nodded. “I am a bit tired.”
Granny Chen’s face bloomed into an expression that screamed, I understand everything, even without saying it out loud.
Oblivious, Lin Qing Xuan continued, “Also send plain congee and some small dishes to my room. And add a few eggs.”
“Yes, yes, Young Master. I’ll prepare everything at once!”
Granny Chen nodded so fast her hairpin nearly shook loose. She watched Lin Qing Xuan leave, wrinkles lifting into a grin like a flower.
The moment he was gone, she gathered her skirt and rushed into the back courtyard like a gust.
Old Chen Tou was watering a row of precious orchids when her frantic approach startled him.
“What are you doing? Got ghosts chasing you?”
Granny Chen seized his arm, voice low but shaking with excitement. “Old man! The Eldest Grandson Young Master and Xiao Man—something happened!”
The scoop slipped from Old Chen Tou’s hand and clanged to the ground, splashing water.
He stared at her, disbelieving. “What nonsense? Those two are the most proper, self-disciplined people in the manor. How could anything happen?”
“It’s true! Absolutely true!” Granny Chen stamped her foot and reenacted the earlier conversation, adding her own fat layer of seasoning.
“Think about it—Xiao Man was tired all night and is still in bed! Young Master came out himself to order food for her, and it was meat congee! And he even warned everyone not to disturb her!”
The more she spoke, the more delighted she became. She slapped her thigh.
“Eldest Grandson Young Master is so thoughtful! Good grief, to tire Xiao Man out all night—our Young Master is really something!”
She shot Old Chen Tou a disdainful look. “Not like you. Back then, you were useless. Our first night, I hurt so badly I thought I’d die, and you rolled over and fell asleep like nothing happened!”
“Tsk. Men who read are different. They know how to care for someone. Xiao Man’s life as a maid is truly lucky.”
Old Chen Tou tapped her head with the scoop, half exasperated, half resigned. “Put away those filthy thoughts. We’ve been married half our lives—I see your posture and I already know what nonsense you’re thinking.”
Granny Chen only cackled. “I’m going to cook congee! Eldest Grandson Young Master was tired all night—can’t let him go hungry!”
But as she hummed her way toward the kitchen, Old Chen Tou’s smile thinned into worry.
If this wasn’t confirmed… it couldn’t be spoken of.
Granny Chen’s mouth had no door. Once she blurted it out, half the manor would know by noon. If she was wrong, Xiao Man’s reputation and the Eldest Grandson Young Master’s name would both be ruined.
He hurried after her.
In the small kitchen, Granny Chen was already bustling.
Four delicate side dishes sat plated. A flower roll and two steamed buns warmed over the fire. On the counter lay six boiled eggs, gleaming and peeled.
“A man who sells his strength needs eggs,” she muttered happily. “Supplement form with form—egg with egg.”
Old Chen Tou grabbed her and hauled her into the corner by the stove, face stern. “Listen to me. There’s no proof yet. Don’t go yapping to your sisters. Once it leaves your mouth, the whole manor will know. If it isn’t what you think, Xiao Man—a miss—will be finished.”
Granny Chen snorted. “Finished? Becoming a concubine to the Eldest Grandson Young Master would be a blessing earned over eight lifetimes. Why would she complain?”
“You woman—long hair, short sense!” Old Chen Tou’s voice sharpened. “If Xiao Man wanted to climb, would she have waited this long? Remember Miss Zheng drugged Young Master? If anything had happened then, the whole manor would’ve known, and Young Master would’ve had to take her in. But what did Xiao Man do? She smashed Young Master’s head open rather than lose her chastity!”
He breathed hard, frustration simmering. “You call her ungrateful, but don’t ruin her by running your mouth. We didn’t see it. It doesn’t count. And if it truly happened, with Young Master’s character, he’d have reported it to Madam and Old Madam already.”
That cold water doused Granny Chen’s heat. She pouted, shoulders drooping.
“So when will it happen? I heard her contract is about to expire. If she pats her butt and leaves, what will our Eldest Grandson Young Master do?”
Her eyes suddenly lit. “Old man—what if we put that medicine Madam gave into Xiao Man’s congee?”
Old Chen Tou nearly choked. “Stop. Right now. There are still months before the contract ends—why are you rushing? Let them take it naturally. If Xiao Man is fierce and decides to die over it, then what?”
Granny Chen stared at the bubbling pot as if it had personally betrayed her.
The two of them fell into uneasy silence, working with their hands and keeping their mouths shut.