Transmigrated Genius: Fragile Heiress Reigns Supreme-Chapter 761 - 762: Mourning (Part 2)

"Fourth Master may go and speak to First Master and Eldest Brother." This was also Fourth Master Xiao’s capability and intention. Whether the opposite party accepts it or not is one thing; whether they offer it, in return, is another. She may not care about these things but must consider the person or situation it’s about. In cases like the Ren Family, it’s better to lay things out on the surface.

Fourth Master Xiao nodded, stood up, and gently touched her face. "Rest early," he said, then paused and added, "Let Mrs. Zhou take care of Zhi. If you want to have him later, you can after the confinement period. Right now, your health is the most important."

"Understood." Xiqiu nodded and continued, "Please also have someone inform Second Brother. Xing will have to go eventually."

Fourth Master Xiao’s eyes flickered, he nodded without speaking further, lifted the curtain, and left.

Nanny Cen came in and reported to Xiqiu, "Preparing nine sets of sacrificial offerings at such short notice is not easy. I plan to go out early tomorrow to gather everything... Do you think it’s okay to go a bit late?"

"Do as you see fit." Xiqiu nodded and added, "Take Chunliu and Bihuai back, see if there’s anything at home needing help. If there aren’t enough hands, leave the two of them there to assist. If it still doesn’t work, go to the clinic and call Nanny Jin for errands."

Nanny Cen nodded in agreement and left. The mansion felt very quiet. Even Mrs. Zhou kept Zhi at a distance, for everyone knew that the lady’s biological mother had passed away, and the lady was naturally heartbroken and in sorrow. Nobody dared to cause a scene.

That night, Xiqiu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Nanny Qiu’s words kept circling in her mind. She hadn’t told Fourth Master Xiao that it was very likely the Lady was angered to death by Tong Xiyang. After all, it was not a glorious issue. Yet, when thinking of Tong Xiyang, she couldn’t help but sigh. The Lady was already in that state; was it necessary to go to such length, bearing such a reputation for nothing?

If word got out, she might not be able to find a footing in the Capital in the future.

Disobedience to a biological mother—who could bear such a crime!

After a night of scattered thoughts, Xiqiu dozed off in the latter half of the night. It seemed to her she heard Zhi crying, and she woke up with a start, calling Chunliu inside: "Is Zhi crying?"

"No!" Chunliu poured a cup of water for Xiqiu and handed it to her. "If you’re worried, I can go and check."

Xiqiu nodded. "Go and ask how many times he ate during the night and behaved... If it’s not okay, bring him back to me." Chunliu agreed and went out, returning shortly: "He ate twice during the night and had four diaper changes. He’s fine now. I saw him sleeping soundly, so I didn’t bring him over. Rest assured and sleep, everything is fine."

Xiqiu thought for a while and said nothing more. She lay down again but couldn’t fall asleep. As the sky was beginning to brighten, Nanny Cen came in to greet her before going out. She asked, "When did Fourth Master come back last night?"

"It seemed like the latter half of the night. When I went this morning, I saw Tiancheng fetching water for Fourth Master to wash up," Nanny Cen responded in detail. "I’ll be heading out now, so Fourth Master can go over earlier when I return promptly."

Xiqiu nodded, and Nanny Cen left.

Mrs. Zhou brought Zhi over, and Xiqiu held him in her arms. She saw him looking around, sometimes his eyes landed on Xiqiu’s face, sometimes on the ceiling. Xiqiu raised her eyebrows slightly and took a bright red headband from the bedside, waving it in front of him... Zhi’s gaze followed the red color, indeed.

Xiqiu breathed a sigh of relief. At least his eyesight wasn’t a problem, she said to Mrs. Zhou, "Try clapping your hands on his left side." Mrs. Zhou complied, clapping lightly near Zhi’s left ear, and he immediately turned to find the source of the sound...

Mrs. Zhou looked at Xiqiu perplexedly and asked, "Madam, what are you doing?" She didn’t understand.

Xiqiu smiled at her without answering her question.

Sometimes she felt she was overly anxious, but medical conditions here were far too primitive, not allowing her to let her guard down... The odds of having a healthy, smart child who could grow up were fewer than half.

Later, she asked, "Last night did he sleep in your arms, or was he put to sleep on the bed?"

"He was in my arms for the first half of the night; he’d cry if I put him down... He slept deeper in the second half, so I laid him on the bed," Mrs. Zhou replied, with her head lowered.

Hearing this, Xiqiu frowned and thought for a moment, "From today on, whenever he falls asleep, he must not be picked up, unless he needs nursing or changing, otherwise, never let him sleep in anyone’s arms." She paused and added, "If he cries, let him be. It’s not bad for a child to cry a little."

"This..." Mrs. Zhou looked at Xiqiu with some difficulty. After all, she was just a maid, how could she dare let the young master cry. Hearing Xiqiu’s words, she showed a troubled expression. Seeing this, Xiqiu waved her hand, "Alright, during this period, set up a small bed in the room, and I will take care of him at night."

In just a few days, he had developed such a habit. What would happen in the future!

While she was speaking, Fourth Master Xiao came in. He had caught parts of the conversation as he entered and felt a little unconvinced. Once Mrs. Zhou left and it was just him and Xiqiu in the room, he said quietly, "He’s still so small; if you’re teaching rules, there’s time for that later. Why make him cry now?"

"Rules should be taught now, and it’ll be too late to instill them once he understands," Xiqiu replied and didn’t want to continue the discussion with Fourth Master Xiao, so she asked, "Did Fourth Master go over there? How is everything at home?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Fourth Master Xiao sat on the edge of the bed, picked up Zhi from Xiqiu’s arms without resisting, and while looking at Zhi, he replied, "The mourning clothes and other supplies are ready, notifications have been sent to regular acquaintances, and everything is orderly." He looked at Xiqiu again and said, "I’ll go with Second Brother later. I’ve spoken to Mr. Song regarding Xing and Min."

Xiqiu acknowledged this, and as Fourth Master Xiao took Min to the Tong Mansion, she also had people pin a white flower on her, with mourning hanging on Zhi’s swaddling.

The Grand Dowager initially planned to return to the Marquis Mansion today to attend Tong Xihua’s clothing removal ceremony. However, this ceremony was not yet carried out, and the Lady passed away. Xing didn’t need to remove his mourning clothes. If the Second Madam’s maternal family were present, it wouldn’t have been necessary to mourn too long, as the Tong Family was no longer the legitimate maternal family. However, now the Second Madam no longer had a family to return to, so Xing needed to continue mourning for a year.

"She’s been ill for so long, I remember the last time I saw her was at the second son’s wedding..." The Grand Dowager spoke softly, a helpless look in her eyes. Unconsciously, she thought of the time she intended Xiqiu to marry Xiao Yanyi as a second wife. If that had happened, it would have been a different scenario now. Her thoughts wandered for a moment before she found them ridiculous and promptly changed the topic, "Have you asked how many days the body will be laid in state?"