Nanny Yun and Old Madame Ruan’s eyes both flashed with light again. Qin Ruolan’s eyesight was truly excellent, even from such a distance.
“Old Madame, it’s the character ‘Mian.'”
“Mm, indeed.”
“It seems it really was Ruan Mianmian who hurt Xue’er.” Qin Ruolan clapped her hands in feigned surprise, and to solidify her claim she added, “Now I understand.”
“Oh? What do you understand?”
“Grandmother Ruan, I know what happened. Mianmian wanted to put a bell on Xue’er, but it didn’t want that, and he accidentally hurt it.”
Fabricating something out of nothing, Qin Ruolan was framing her again. Ruan Mianmian’s eyes widened, flames of fury bursting from them—unfortunately, she couldn’t move.
She had wanted to rush into the room and argue right from wrong, but never expected the little milk dumpling to be scooped up single-handedly by Ruan Geng, who also covered her mouth.
Glancing at the struggling Ruan Mianmian, Ruan Geng whispered in her ear: “Grandfather knows you’ve been wronged. Don’t make a sound—let’s listen and see what other tricks she can come up with.”
Unwilling to let it go, but still having to give her grandfather some respect, Ruan Mianmian nodded to show she understood.
Teachable indeed. Seeing Ruan Mianmian instantly regain her composure—such a small child, yet able to keep calm even after being wronged—Ruan Geng clicked his tongue in amazement, his fondness for his little grandson rising steadily.
The old and the young remained silent, standing quietly outside the door listening to the conversation within.
“Nanny Yun, do you think when Ruolan and the others saw that child, it was Mianmian?” Old Madame Ruan’s tone carried doubt.
“Grandmother Ruan, please don’t blame Mianmian.” Qin Ruolan was well-versed in the tactic of retreating to advance. “He’s still young, it wasn’t intentional—just naughty and immature.”
The physical evidence hung right on Xue’er’s neck. Ruan Mianmian had definitely come into contact with the cat, and claiming it had nothing to do with him would certainly not hold up.
Nanny Yun was worthy of her reputation. She bowed slightly and said: “Old Madame, even if the bell belongs to the young master, it’s too early to draw a conclusion. In this servant’s opinion, it would be better to summon the young master and question him clearly before deciding.”
Qin Ruolan’s hand clenched and then released. Nanny Yun was truly a hindrance. Protecting the little mute like that—who knew what ulterior motives she had? She would definitely report her to Auntie later.
“Ayun speaks sense.” Old Madame Ruan recalled the scene of Ruan Mianmian being wronged that day. “We must question clearly before drawing conclusions.”
“Then this servant will send someone to summon the young master.”
“No need to summon anyone.” The one who spoke was Ruan Geng.
“Grandmother, I’ve been here all along.” The one who followed up was Ruan Mianmian.
Grandfather and grandchild stepped over the threshold into the side hall. Qin Ruolan’s pupils violently contracted as she stared fixedly at their two hands, still clasped together.
In the Marquis, the one who treated Qin Ruolan most coldly was Lao Houye. Auntie often said he didn’t even favor his own grandson, and told her not to take it to heart.
In truth, Qin Ruolan was afraid of Lao Houye deep down. His eyes seemed capable of seeing through everything. Fortunately, he was often absent from the household, and she did her best to avoid meeting him.
Now, seeing Ruan Geng so close to Ruan Mianmian, Qin Ruolan felt both envy and jealousy—the little mute had actually won Lao Houye’s favor.
“Greetings to Grandmother.” Ruan Mianmian performed a bow.
After Old Madame Ruan told Ruan Mianmian to rise, she rushed over: “Meowmeow, Meowmeow, what’s wrong with you?”
“Meow—!” Xue’er looked at Ruan Mianmian and let out a soft, aggrieved cry.
Ruan Mianmian’s small hand gently stroked Xue’er’s round head, and it responded with a low whimper.
“Grandmother, let me first see where Xue’er is hurt?”
“Grandmother Ruan, listen, listen—it was him who hurt Xue’er…”
“Shut up!” Ruan Mianmian shouted, then turned and glared fiercely at Qin Ruolan.
Ruan Geng and his wife exchanged a glance mid-air, tacitly choosing not to speak. They both fell silent, and Nanny Yun kept her mouth tightly shut.
After yelling at Qin Ruolan, Ruan Mianmian turned back to face Xue’er, her small hand moving gently from its round head toward its body.
“Xue’er, bear with it. Let me see where you’re hurt.” Ruan Mianmian coaxed softly.
Unexpectedly, Xue’er really did stay still without moving. When Ruan Mianmian’s small hand pressed on its back, it grimaced in pain; when her hand slid to its tail, it let out a shrill cry and whipped its head around with its mouth wide open.
“Careful!” Ruan Geng couldn’t help but warn.
Everyone thought Xue’er would bite Ruan Mianmian, and Qin Ruolan was even waiting for her to cry. But to everyone’s surprise, it only lightly nipped her small hand, then stuck out its tongue and licked it a few times.
“Grandmother, Meow-Meow has a wound on its back, but it’s not serious. The tail is worse though.”
“Hasn’t the household physician arrived yet?” Old Madame Ruan looked toward the door.
Ruan Mianmian shook her head. “The household physician treats people, but he may not know how to treat cats. We should find a veterinarian.”
“A veterinarian? What’s a veterinarian?” Ruan Geng didn’t understand either.
It seemed finding a professional veterinarian in this era wasn’t easy. Ruan Mianmian had studied biomedical science, so she decided to do it herself.
“Meow-Meow’s tail must have been stepped on. Because it struggled with all its might, the bone ended up dislocated.”
“Hmph! Such a flowery speech, as if you could actually understand it.” Qin Ruolan snapped back after regaining her composure.
“I do understand.” Ruan Mianmian rolled her eyes at Qin Ruolan. “Grandfather, hold Meow-Meow tight and grab its four limbs. It must not be able to move.”
Nanny Yun kindly stepped forward to stop her. “Young Master, this is no joking matter. Better to wait for the household physician to arrive.”
Ruan Mianmian patted her chest confidently. “Don’t worry, Nanny. Grandfather, Grandmother, please trust me.”
Old Madame Ruan didn’t believe it at all. “Mianmian, don’t be ridiculous.”
Ruan Geng saw how serious Ruan Mianmian looked and suddenly felt the little dumpling might actually have a way. So he stepped forward and took Xue’er from Old Madame Ruan’s arms.
“Old man!” Old Madame Ruan looked at Ruan Geng in shock.
Ruan Geng held Xue’er tight and soothed, “Old woman, be patient.”
“Grandfather, sit down.” After directing Ruan Geng, Ruan Mianmian said softly to Xue’er, “Bear with it. It’ll be over soon.”
What exactly was Ruan Mianmian going to do? Everyone present was baffled and just stared at her.
Qin Ruolan, on the other hand, was gloating. Ruan Mianmian knew nothing and could do nothing, so whatever she did would only make things worse and provoke even greater disgust from Old Madame Ruan.
Ruan Mianmian’s expression was serious. Her hand still rested on Xue’er’s head, slowly sliding toward its back and gradually approaching the tail.
Her small hand quickly slid along the direction of the tail’s end. Feeling the protruding bone beneath her hand, Ruan Mianmian applied a clever force to press it. Up close, a cracking sound could be heard.
Xue’er let out a miserable scream. Old Madame Ruan abruptly rose from her seat, and Nanny Yun was also badly startled.
“You’ve hurt Xue’er.” Qin Ruolan blurted out.
“Insolent!” Old Madame Ruan snapped back to her senses, trembling with rage. “Ruolan said you hurt Xue’er, and I was originally half-doubting it. I never expected you’d dare to do it right in front of me.
Ruan Geng and Nanny Yun stared at Ruan Mianmian in astonishment.
“Who said I hurt Xue’er?” Ruan Mianmian said with perfect confidence. “Grandfather, let go of it.”
“Meow—!” Xue’er’s cry was completely different from before.
Ruan Geng loosened his grip slightly, and Xue’er shot out like an arrow. It came to Ruan Mianmian, leaped up, and landed steadily in her arms.