“What a clever little one!” Ruan Geng couldn’t help but chuckle, stroking his beard with a face full of smiles.
“Mianmian didn’t do it,” Old Madame Ruan said with certainty. “Never mind. Nanny Yun, from now on have the servants keep a close eye on Xue’er. Don’t let it run out of Fu’antang again.”
Chen Wanyu knew Old Madame Ruan’s temperament well. Hearing this, she understood at once that there was no hope of accomplishing anything today.
What trick was Ruan Mianmian playing? To be able to make Old Madame Ruan immediately believe it wasn’t him—if last time was a coincidence, then this time Chen Wanyu took notice. It seemed the difficult one in the third branch wasn’t Zhou Yunning, but this three-year-old child.
“Who says it wasn’t him? I saw it with my own eyes, and Xiaoxi saw it too.”
Qin Ruolan shouted loudly. Chen Wanyu couldn’t stop her even if she wanted to. Since that was the case, she might as well see just how formidable Ruan Mianmian really was.
A few days ago she’d fallen into Ruan Mianmian’s trap, and today her attempt at revenge not only failed but she’d been bitten by Xue’er. Qin Ruolan didn’t reflect on herself; instead she felt the fault lay entirely with the other party. Hearing that Old Madame Ruan intended to let matters drop, she was unwilling to accept it.
To expose the truth, thereby step by step revealing Qin Ruolan’s insidiousness, clearing her own name and avenging Xue’er—hearing her grandmother’s intent, Ruan Mianmian was just feeling regretful. Now this was perfect. It wasn’t she who was clinging to the matter; the other party had jumped out on her own.
“Are you sure it was me who hurt Xue’er in the garden?” Ruan Mianmian asked solemnly.
Qin Ruolan nodded emphatically. “Grandmother Ruan, I didn’t see wrong.”
“This servant didn’t see wrong either.” At this point, Xiaoxi could only go along.
Ruan Mianmian’s clever eyes darted about nimbly, and the corner of his mouth curved into a cold smile. Qin Ruolan caught sight of it and a bad premonition surfaced in her heart.
“Grandmother, the pair of butterflies embroidered on the shoe surface is really quite beautiful.” Ruan Mianmian pointed his small hand toward Qin Ruolan’s feet.
The little milk dumpling went from one thing to another—how did talking about the matter turn into talking about shoes? Everyone thought this inwardly, yet their gazes involuntarily fell on Qin Ruolan’s feet.
“Eh, the size looks about the same.” Ruan Mianmian muttered to himself in a small voice, neither too loud nor too soft—just enough for everyone present to hear clearly.
Qin Ruolan sensed something was wrong. Guiltily she shrank back, tucking both feet under her skirt.
“Nanny Yun, take Ruolan into the inner room, remove her shoes, and bring them to me for a look.” Old Madame Ruan’s gaze turned sharp.
“No!” Qin Ruolan frantically grabbed Chen Wanyu’s hand. “Auntie, I don’t want to. Why do you want to take off my shoes?”
Grandmother was brilliant. Ruan Mianmian sat back in her seat with a smile. There was nothing more for her to do—she could sit back and enjoy the show.
Ruan Geng was quite surprised. He had intended to clarify the facts and speak the truth, but he hadn’t expected Ruan Mianmian to resolve everything, and moreover link by link, in perfect order.
Watching Ruan Mianmian sitting smiling in the grand chair, swinging her little short legs, her face full of smugness, Ruan Geng fell into thought.
“Old Madame, what are you doing?” Chen Wanyu was both angry and alarmed. “Ruolan is a young lady…”
“It’s precisely because she is a young lady that I’m having Nanny Yun take her into the inner room.” Old Madame Ruan’s tone gradually grew stern.
“Old Madame, this action is improper. If this matter gets out, it will damage Ruolan’s reputation as a maiden. Besides, she is not a daughter of the Ruan family. If we do this, won’t we give people something to gossip about?”
There was some sense in that. Old Madame Ruan hesitated. Ruan Mianmian nearly clapped and cheered. Chen Wanyu’s words were truly watertight.
“Eldest Aunt, those words are mistaken. Grandmother is mindful of your dignity and finds it hard to speak, so I might as well say it. If I speak incorrectly, just treat it as a child’s careless talk.”
Chen Wanyu turned her face away. “When elders are speaking, it is not your place to interrupt.”
“When elders are speaking, I should not interrupt. But I am the one being falsely accused. Surely you cannot expect me to play mute and listen to only one side of the story?”
“That’s right, go ahead and speak.” Ruan Geng backed Ruan Mianmian up.
“Right now there is suspicion, so Grandmother asked Qin Ruolan to go inside and bring out her shoes for everyone to see, to prove her innocence. Who hasn’t taken off their shoes in their own room? It cannot be called damaging to a maiden’s reputation. Her refusal—could it be that she has a guilty conscience? I actually think that word getting out that even a cat bullies her is what would truly damage her reputation.”
“Well said. I won’t force anyone either. Whether you are willing or not is up to you.” Old Madame Ruan advanced by retreating.
Lao Houye and his wife immediately began to regard Ruan Mianmian with new eyes. With just a few sentences, she had not only defended Old Madame Ruan but also put Chen Wanyu in a bind.
“Ruolan, go inside and take off your shoes. I want to see what exactly can be proven.” Chen Wanyu had no choice but to yield.
Qin Ruolan, whose conscience was guilty, wept even harder. Xiaoxi, who was supporting her, went pale, her lips trembling slightly, knowing things were going badly.
From Qin Ruolan’s expression, Chen Wanyu knew the truth in her heart, but by now she was riding a tiger and could not get off.
She could not deal with Ruan Mianmian, and she had also caused the image Qin Ruolan had painstakingly built up before Old Madame Ruan over several years to be destroyed in an instant.
It was all this worthless creature’s fault. She had warned her long ago that failing to endure small things would ruin great plans, yet she insisted on courting trouble. Chen Wanyu was anxious but helpless.
A moment later, Nanny Yun brought out Qin Ruolan’s embroidered shoes from the room. She pressed the sole against Xue’er to compare. The size matched, and the patterns were exactly the same.
Chen Wanyu’s face went dark. Last time, Old Madame Ruan had already intended to send Qin Ruolan back, and after only a few days she had caused trouble again. What was to be done? She absolutely could not be sent out of the Marquis.
“The truth is out.” Ruan Mianmian’s smile was radiant. “Grandmother, have the servants wash Xue’er clean. It still has minor injuries on its back, so be gentle and don’t hurt it.”
Seeing Old Madame Ruan’s signal, Nanny Yun stepped forward, picked Xue’er up, turned, and instructed a young maid to carry it away.
At that moment, Qin Ruolan came out from the inner room with her head lowered, supported by Xiaoxi.
“Hurry up and kneel.” Chen Wanyu shouted. She herself knelt as well.
“Grandfather, Grandmother, there is nothing more for me here. Mianmian takes her leave.”
“Little one, don’t be in such a hurry to go.” Ruan Geng stood up. “I said I would give you a few little playthings. Come with me quickly.”
Grandfather and granddaughter left directly, chatting and laughing as they strolled leisurely in the courtyard.
Ruan Mianmian simply wanted to let Old Madame Ruan handle things as she pleased. She wanted to see just how important this young miss of the cousin’s family really was in Grandmother’s heart.
She had not expected that Qin Ruolan would already know how to scheme at only eight years old, and even less expected that the three-year-old Ruan Mianmian would parry every move and respond with such composure.
Back then, Ruan Qi had been the most outstanding of the three sons, and Ruan Geng had even planned to let him take charge of Ding’an Houfu. He had never expected fate to play such tricks.
Seeing that Ruan Mianmian was smarter and more formidable than her father, surpassing the master, Ruan Geng felt deeply comforted.
Looking at the three people kneeling in a neat row on the ground, Old Madame Ruan’s face was dark, and for a long while she said nothing.
“Old Madame, I have been lax in discipline. Every fault, every mistake, is mine.”
“Grandmother Ruan, I was wrong. I didn’t do it on purpose.” Qin Ruolan had long since thought of how to defend herself. “I accidentally stepped on Xue’er.”
“Accidentally?” Old Madame Ruan looked at Qin Ruolan. Connecting the whole sequence of events, she suddenly felt that the young girl she had doted on for the past few years seemed like a stranger.
Qin Ruolan did not dare deny it, but she continued to weave her lies. “Xue’er was in the flower bushes. I rushed in to pick flowers and accidentally stepped on it. At the time, I really didn’t see it.”
Old Madame Ruan’s face was full of disappointment. “Injuring Xue’er is one matter, but you should not have shifted the blame onto Mianmian.”