Xie Nanjia was shocked and had nowhere to hide in panic, so she had to bury her head deeply in Zhao Jingyu's arms, and Zhao Jingyu's lips were imprinted on the top of her head.
Even so, it was enough to make people nervous. Xie Nanjia felt embarrassed and annoyed, but she couldn't do anything to him because her whole body was in Zhao Jingyu's arms. If she moved too much, they might both fall down.
Zhao Jingyu noticed her stiffness and helplessness, smiled silently above her head, and tightened his hands around her waist even more.
Xie Nanjia raised her head and glared at him fiercely, but he didn't restrain himself. Instead, he asked in a low voice: "You want me to kiss you again now?"
Xie Nanjia's face suddenly turned red, she lowered her head again, opened her mouth and bit his shoulder.
"Hiss!" Zhao Jingyu gasped in pain, "It hurts, let go."
Xie Nanjia wanted to teach him a lesson and refused to let go.
Zhao Jingyu suddenly lowered his head and licked her earlobe with the tip of his tongue.
This sudden move made Xie Nanjia angry and embarrassed. She opened her mouth and slapped him in the face.
Zhao Jingyu was busy dodging, and his body swayed, and both of them fell from the tree.
Wei Jun jumped out from somewhere and caught Xie Nanjia steadily from below.
Xie Nanjia panicked and hugged Wei Jun's neck, saying with lingering fear: "Thank you, Brother Wei."
Fortunately, the group of people had already passed by and no one noticed what was happening here.
Wei Jun said: "No thanks, are you okay?"
Xie Nanjia shook her head: "It's okay."
Zhao Jingyu coughed heavily beside him.
Wei Jun then realized that he was still holding Xie Nanjia. His face turned red and he quickly put her down.
Zhao Jingyu said unhappily, "You bite me when I hug you, but you thank Wei Jun when he hugs you. What do you mean?"
Xie Nanjia rolled her eyes at him and thought to herself that no one was as shameless as him.
Zhao Jingyu opened the collar on his shoulder, looked at the circle of deep red teeth marks, and said angrily: "The people I met today were all dogs. They bit the big ones and the small ones. They looked at my good temper and thought I was easy to bully, right? Humph!"
Xie Nanjia knelt down to apologize to him: "I was wrong, please punish me, Second Master."
Zhao Jingyu didn't expect her to kneel so neatly, as if she was drinking cold water. He couldn't tell what he felt in his heart, and his face became serious: "Get up, I told you to kneel, so you kneel, do you want to die?"
Xie Nanjia stood up.
She didn't really want to kneel down to Zhao Jingyu. She just accidentally discovered last time that Zhao Jingyu didn't seem to like her kneeling. He kept saying he wanted to kill her, but as soon as she knelt, he would let her go easily. She didn't know what was wrong with him.
Zhao Jingyu glared at her and waved his hand impatiently, "Hurry up and leave. It's annoying just to look at you."
Xie Nanjia bowed and said, "I'll take my leave."
Just as he was about to leave, he heard someone in the garden shouting, "Go and ask Miss Cousin to come over, the young master is vomiting again."
When Xie Nanjia heard this, he turned around and walked back.
She had been waiting for a long time at the banquet just to hear this sentence.
Zhao Jingyu grabbed her and said, "You are not my cousin, what are you going to do?"
Xie Nanjia said, "I know a recipe for curing children's spitting up milk. It's very effective. Go tell Madam."
Zhao Jingyu laughed and said, "Weren't you scared and crying just now? Now you're rushing back to make trouble."
Xie Nanjia said: "The young master is the most important. I really want the best for him. Madam will not blame me."
After saying that, he broke free from Zhao Jingyu's hand and walked away without looking back.
Zhao Jingyu put away his smile and said to Wei Jun, "Let's go back and take a look. I have to see what she is planning today."
When Xie Nanjia returned to the banquet, Qin, the second lady, the third lady, and several concubines and young ladies had all gone to the side hall to look after the children. Only the old lady, a few masters, and the younger generations of the East and West Mansions were left at the table.
Xie Nanjia also wanted to see the child, but she didn't go. Instead, she went straight to the old lady.
The old lady's maid stopped her and said, "Aren't you the little cook from before? Why are you back again?"
Xie Nanjia lifted her skirt and knelt on the ground: "I just walked to the gate of the garden, and heard that the young master vomited milk, so I came back."
The old lady glanced at her calmly, without any expression.
The maid asked again: "What does it have to do with you if the young master spits up milk?"
Xie Nanjia replied calmly, "I have heard about the young master vomiting milk several times recently. He must be vomiting frequently. The young master is too young to take medicine. I will make a medicinal soup for the wet nurse. After the wet nurse eats it, the young master will get better."
When the old lady heard this, she looked at her seriously, and did not say whether she believed it or not. She just asked her, "You have a good prescription, why don't you tell Madam?"
Xie Nanjia said bluntly: "I'm afraid my wife won't believe it."
The old lady seemed to be curious about this: "Why is this?"
Xie Nanjia said, "Please allow me to whisper to you, Madam."
"If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you talking so mysteriously?" the nanny beside the old lady scolded.
The old lady raised her hand to stop him: "Let her talk."
"Thank you, old lady." Xie Nanjia stood up, moved closer to the old lady, and whispered a few words to her.
The old lady's face changed several times, and she called the nanny again and whispered a few words to her.
The nanny's expression also changed, and she hurried away with the two maids.
The old lady said to Xie Nanjia, "Go and make the soup. Bring it over when it's ready."
"Yes!" Xie Nanjia responded and left.
The banquet was already coming to an end, and the old lady sent someone to inform the people from the East and West Mansions, asking them to return to their respective residences. Those who were not involved in the Marquis' Mansion were also sent away.
Only the family of Marquis Dingyuan was left in the garden.
Perhaps Qin Wanru was afraid of being laughed at for her identity, so she did not come to the banquet today. She told others that she had caught a cold and only asked her wet nurse to bring the young master here.
Hearing that the little boy was vomiting milk again, she dragged her sick body over, looking like a mother worried about her son. If you didn't know her, you would actually think she was the child's biological mother.
They were busy in the side hall for a while. When the little boy stopped vomiting, Qin asked the wet nurse to wrap the child tightly and went back with Qin Wanru.
After coming out, I was unexpectedly stopped by the old lady.
The old lady said, "Please wait a moment. I'll ask someone to prepare some nourishing medicinal food for the nurse. It won't be too late to leave after she drinks it."
Qin couldn't help but become alert and said with a smile: "Mother is thoughtful. The child is not feeling well. Why don't we let them go back first? When the medicinal food is ready, it will be the same if we ask someone to send it over there."
The old lady's face showed no emotion: "Why don't you ask what kind of medicinal food it is, and whether it's good or bad to eat it?"
Qin suddenly had a bad feeling and said awkwardly, "Since mother ordered it, there is no reason why it is not good."
The old lady sneered: "That may not be the case. As the old saying goes, you should not have the intention to harm others, but you must be on guard against others. You are so careless, no wonder you can't raise your child well."
Qin knelt down hurriedly and said anxiously: "My daughter-in-law is stupid and I don't know what I did wrong. Please tell me clearly, mother."
At this time, the nanny came back with two maids, holding a package in her hand. She went over to the old lady and presented it to her: "Madam, this is the powder we found in the wet nurse's room."
Qin Wanru and her wet nurse's faces changed drastically. Qin Wanru was able to keep her balance, but her wet nurse's legs went weak and she knelt on the ground.
She was still holding the child in her arms. The third aunt loved to show off, so she hurried over to take the child, held the child in her arms, and patted him like a darling.
When Qin saw the nurse's reaction, she had a bad premonition and raised her hand to slap the nurse: "Bitch, you are nursing the child. Why didn't you ask the doctor in the mansion about the medicine you took first? Why didn't you tell my cousin?"
As expected of the Marquis’ wife, she cleared herself and her niece of all charges with just one sentence.
"Madam, please spare me, Madam, please spare me." The nurse kowtowed repeatedly, "The medicine I took is not to harm the young master, please understand."
"Then tell me, what's wrong with you?" Qin said angrily.
The nurse said in a trembling voice, "I am not sick at all. Yes, the food in the mansion is too good. Since I came here, I have gained a lot of weight, so I made some fat-removing powder to drink with water. I asked about it, and this powder will not affect breastfeeding."
"Ridiculous! If you say it won't affect you, then it won't affect you. Wait until I call a doctor to ask. If it does affect you, I will kill you!"
Qin angrily ordered someone to call a doctor, then turned around and kowtowed to the old lady: "Mother, it was my daughter-in-law who failed to supervise. Please punish me!"
Qin Wanru also knelt down and said, "Old lady, this matter has nothing to do with my aunt. It is all Wanru's responsibility. Please punish Wanru!"
Zhao Jingping was confused the whole time. If he felt sorry for his son, he did. But he didn't understand what was wrong with the wet nurse taking some fat-burning drugs to maintain her figure. Why did this one have to kneel and that one have to be punished? Was it that serious
Zhao Jingyu didn't even come forward. He sat far away at another table, rolling his eyes and guessing about Xiu'er's connection with this matter.
The old lady hated Qin Wanru so much that she didn't even want to look at her. She sneered and said to Dingyuan Hou, "Look how smart your daughter-in-law is. I haven't said anything yet, and she has already solved the problem."
Marquis Dingyuan never liked to meddle in matters of the rear quarters. Mainly for the sake of his grandson, he reluctantly sat and watched the show for a long time, which gave him a headache. He didn't understand why these women always had endless troubles.
Being suddenly called out by his mother, he didn't know what to say, so he scolded Qin, "Say less, everything is up to mother."
Qin had said everything she needed to say and she said respectfully, "It is my fault for overstepping my authority. Please forgive me, mother."
The old lady was very dissatisfied with her son's attitude and showed no mercy to him. She pointed at his nose and scolded him: "Useless thing, the sage said that those who want to govern their country must first govern their family. You are the opposite. You don't care about anything at home and push it all to your mother. I manage you, your son, and your grandson. Do you think I'm not dying fast enough?"
When Marquis Dingyuan saw that the old lady was angry, he stood up and bowed, saying, "Mother, please calm down. I am unfilial and have caused you to worry. I was thinking that you are the most devoted to our family and have no second thoughts, so I can make fair decisions on everything. If it were someone else, I wouldn't be so confident, right?"
The old lady said, "Don't try to fool me. How can I be sincere? I think your daughter-in-law is sincere. She treats your niece well, even better than her own daughter."
The topic then turned to Qin. Qin was really aggrieved. She gritted her teeth and cursed the old man inwardly, "You are not happy with this and that. Why don't you just kick your legs and close your eyes and let everyone be quiet?"
At this time, the servant brought the doctor over.
The doctor looked at the powder carefully, identified it, asked the nurse some questions, and replied: "Old lady, Marquis, Madam, this powder is indeed used to reduce fat and oil, but most of the ingredients in it are cold medicines. It is fine for strong people to eat it, but if pregnant women eat it by mistake, it will cause miscarriage, and if nursing children eat it, they will have diarrhea and vomiting."
"You bitch, you heard it, and you still dare to say it won't affect the child!" Qin slapped the nurse again and was about to tie her up. Marquis Dingyuan said "hmm" unhappily. She then remembered that the Marquis had told her not to interfere, and quickly changed her words, "Please let mother decide."
The old lady said, "What should I do now? Even if I want to kill her, I have to wait until I find a new wet nurse, right?"
Qin said, "Mother is right. I will ask someone to find her right away. But can the child still drink the milk of this wet nurse?"
As she was talking, Xie Nanjia came over with a clay pot of soup, put the tray on the table, bowed to the old lady and said, "Old lady, I have cooked the soup."
The old lady nodded, and as the doctor was there, she called him over and asked him detailed questions. Only after the doctor said that the soup was suitable for her condition did she ask someone to take the wet nurse aside to eat it.
When Qin saw Xiu'er again, she wished she had a knife in her hand so she could cut her into pieces right there and then to see if she could still get through every hole like a loach.
The old lady said to Xie Nanjia, "I think you are a reliable person who cares about the young master and understands dietary pharmacology. Why don't you come and take care of the young master?"
Xie Nanjia's heart was beating wildly. She saw the Third Aunt holding a child in her arms, standing just five steps away. She could even see the little face wrapped in pink swaddling clothes by just standing on tiptoe or leaning over. A voice in her heart was screaming, "Promise her, promise her quickly..."
But she still shook her head and replied in a voice that was almost choking: "Thank you for your trust, old lady, but I don't know anything except cooking, so I am not suitable for taking care of children. The old lady wants to find a reliable and caring person for the young master. I can dare to recommend someone to you."
The old lady was very surprised. She thought that she was working so hard just to get out of the kitchen and get a better job, but she didn't expect that she was wrong.
Others had the same idea as the old lady, and some even felt that Xie Nanjia's excuses were a tactic of playing hard to get, like Zhao Jingyu.
The old lady asked, "Tell me, who do you want to recommend?"
Xie Nanjia said, "Although I came late, I have heard a lot about what happened before. I once accidentally met Hualou, the maid of the Crown Prince's wife. In order to take care of the young master for the Crown Prince's wife, Hualou was willing to wash the toilet in Qingqu Garden and was unwilling to leave the house. I think there is no one better than her to take care of the young master."
When these words were spoken, everyone had different expressions.
When the old lady heard that the Crown Prince's wife still had a loyal maid in the mansion, she didn't have time to investigate why she ended up in Qingqu Garden, so she just asked someone to call her over quickly.
While waiting for Hualou to come over, the child suddenly woke up and cried loudly in the arms of the Third Aunt.
The Third Aunt couldn't coax the child, and no one else dared to take over, for fear that they would fail to coax the child and get themselves into trouble. They all asked the Third Aunt to hand the child over to Qin Wanru, because everyone knew that when the child cried, no one could coax him except Qin Wanru.
Qin Wanru hurriedly took the child, held him in her arms and tried to comfort him, but the child didn't recognize her at all and kept crying.
Xie Nanjia finally couldn't help but stepped forward and took the child over: "Let me try. If it doesn't work, we'll have to call a wet nurse."
Strangely enough, as soon as the child was in her hands, he suddenly stopped crying. His two big black and white eyes with tears in them looked at her curiously, and his little mouth opened and closed towards her chest, as if looking for food.
Xie Nanjia's heart instantly turned into a pool of water, and tears flowed out uncontrollably.
Son, I finally see you. I miss you so much that I am going crazy...
"The young master is so pitiful." She choked and tried to make excuses for her tears.
But the child thought she was talking to him, and he grinned and giggled, reaching out to grab Xie Nanjia's hair. A white jade fan pendant fell from his little hand and landed on the edge of the swaddling clothes.
Xie Nanjia was stunned. This fan pendant looked so familiar. It was exactly the same as the one Zhao Jingyu gave her. Could it be that this one was also given by Zhao Jingyu? Did he carry a fan pendant with him and give one to everyone he met
When everyone heard the child's laughter, they all gathered around curiously. The child was laughing happily in Xie Nanjia's arms. The laughter was like loud slaps hitting Qin Wanru's face. Qin Wanru's face turned red and white, and she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
At this time, Hualou came.
The maid who called her was afraid that her strange smell would offend her master, so she specially dressed her up. Although she was still thin, she looked much more energetic.
As soon as Hualou entered, she ignored all the masters in the garden and walked towards the child with her body straight. When she got there, she knelt on the ground with a plop, not caring who was around her, and burst into tears at Xie Nanjia's feet.
When the old lady saw her like this, she couldn't help shedding tears. She no longer had anything to worry about, and immediately appointed her to be the housekeeper in the young master's courtyard.
Everyone was sighing at first, but then they suddenly realized that the old lady was talking about the young master's yard, not the cousin's yard.
Qin Wanru's face turned pale. She knew that she was really going to leave this time.
(End of this chapter)