In the end, the Old Madam glanced at the stone mill in the courtyard before her gaze returned to Shen Lingwei.
But the moment her eyes met Shen Lingwei’s face, her entire body stiffened, her pupils instantly dilating tenfold.
“You… you are?” Her voice trembled, disbelief written all over her face.
Shen Lingwei quickly bowed. “This servant, Shen, greets Old Madam.”
Nanny Zhang promptly added, “Reporting to Old Madam, the egg cake Chen Shitou bought last time was from her stall.”
The Old Madam’s eyes widened as her expression shifted. She scrutinized Shen Lingwei from head to toe for a long while.
That gaze—Shen Lingwei couldn’t quite describe it. It was as if the Old Madam was looking at her, yet also looking through her at someone else.
After a long moment, the Old Madam sighed softly and told her to rise.
“Get up. I’ve heard your skills are quite good. Even Ke’er is willing to eat the egg cakes you make. Seeing you today, you are indeed steady and proper.”
Shen Lingwei lowered her eyes. “This servant dares not take credit. It is the Second Young Master’s own fortune.”
The Old Madam gave a bitter smile, her eyes reddening slightly. “This child… what fortune does he have? In five years, this is the first time someone has been able to calm him so quickly.”
Her gaze sharpened with curiosity. “This stone mill… how did you think of it?”
Shen Lingwei answered calmly, reciting what she had prepared. “When this servant was in her hometown, she once saw a child who had been frightened and wouldn’t stop crying. The elders ground beans with a stone mill, and as the child listened, he gradually quieted down. Just now, seeing the Second Young Master in distress, I had no other way, so I thought… I would try it.”
The Old Madam pondered.
“The sound of grinding beans… can calm people?”
Shen Lingwei nodded. “The elders in the countryside say the sound is like a mother’s heartbeat. When children hear it, they feel at ease.”
As her words fell, the room fell silent.
Everyone looked at Shen Lingwei in surprise.
Was this new cook truly foolish, or pretending to be?
Everyone knew that the Second Young Master’s mother—the Marchioness—had died in childbirth after giving birth to the Second and Third Young Masters.
Wasn’t this remark reopening old wounds for the Old Madam and the Second Young Master?
Was she implying that the Second Young Master’s lack of a mother was the reason for his fear and unrest?
Nanny Zhang’s expression changed. She hurried forward to smooth things over. “Old Madam, Lady Shen only spoke in urgency. Please don’t take it to heart. The stone mill is still turning—perhaps we should let the Second Young Master rest a bit longer?”
As she spoke, she shot Shen Lingwei a look, signaling her to follow along.
But the Old Madam raised her hand, clearly moved.
“She’s right…”
The servants in the room were all stunned.
The Old Madam sighed slowly. “Ke’er lost his mother at a young age. I’ve always feared neglecting him, feared frightening him, holding him in my hands lest he fall. Yet in the end, he has still suffered so much…”
She looked at Shen Lingwei, her eyes now softened with genuine warmth.
“You are the first to say this.”
“What is your name?” the Old Madam asked.
“Reporting to Old Madam, this servant is Shen Lingwei.”
The Old Madam nodded. “I’ve heard you have a daughter, and that she has entered the residence with you?”
Shen Lingwei’s heart tightened slightly, though her expression remained respectful. “Yes. My daughter, An’an, is five this year. With no one to care for her, this servant dared to bring her along. I am deeply grateful for Old Madam’s permission.”
“Five… the age when children cling to their mothers.”
The Old Madam seemed to recall something, her tone tinged with emotion. “Ke’er is also five. If he were well, he should be like his mischievous younger brother—running around the courtyard, demanding sweets.”
The younger brother, the Third Young Master Pei Ye, was someone Shen Lingwei had heard of.
It was said he was a troublemaker who could catch fish in the river and climb rooftops—utterly unmanageable.
Shen Lingwei said, “Old Madam has done good all her life and is deeply blessed. With your protection, the Second Young Master will surely recover little by little. Speaking of which, my daughter and I survived only because last winter, Old Madam set up porridge distribution at the city gate.”
She raised her head, her gaze sincere. “Your kindness moves heaven and earth—if even plants and trees can benefit from it, how much more so your own flesh and blood?”
“The Second Young Master is only temporarily troubled. With proper care, one day he will emerge from the clouds and run and laugh like any other child.”
The Old Madam’s heart softened, her eyes growing moist again.
“You child, you certainly know how to speak.”
At the side, Nanny Zhang wiped the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief and laughed. “Old Madam, listen to her—Lady Shen is practically worshipping you as a living bodhisattva.”
The Old Madam waved her hand, her tense expression easing.
“Enough, rise,” she said, looking at Shen Lingwei with more kindness. “From now on, take more care of Ke’er. If you need anything, speak to Nanny Zhang.”
Shen Lingwei stood and bowed. “Yes. This servant will do her utmost to serve the Second Young Master well.”
At this moment, Hu Wang, who had remained silent, stroked his goatee and smiled gently.
“The Old Madam is greatly blessed, and the Second Young Master is extraordinary by birth, protected by higher forces. Though the sound of the stone mill seems crude, it coincides with the natural order of heaven and earth. It just so happens to align with my talisman for warding off evil.”
He looked at Shen Lingwei, a trace of condescension in his eyes.
“Lady Shen stumbled upon this sound by chance—it is fate indeed. Had it been any other noise today, the Second Young Master might have relapsed, with unpredictable consequences.”
His words were skillfully spoken—praising the Old Madam, elevating the Second Young Master, and seemingly complimenting Shen Lingwei. Yet with one phrase—“by chance”—he reduced all her efforts to mere luck.
To others, it sounded like admiration.
But Shen Lingwei understood—it was a warning.
If she refuted him, she would appear ungrateful.
If she did not, his words would stand as truth.
Shen Lingwei lowered her head, her voice respectful. “Master Hu speaks reasonably. This common woman merely happened upon it—how would I understand the principles of heaven and earth?”
A flash of understanding flickered in Hu Wang’s eyes before disappearing.
The Old Madam, unaware of the undercurrent, nodded in relief. “With the Master here, I am at ease.”
…
After all the commotion, Pei Ke happened to be hungry.
However, due to his long illness and weak constitution, he was coaxed into eating only half a piece of poria cake and some millet porridge before refusing to eat more.
As for the pigeon soup prepared by Cook Liu, Pei Ke didn’t even glance at it.
In the kitchen, Cook Liu was waiting for news.
Soon, the curtain was lifted, and Granny Guo entered with a grim expression.
“Sister Liu, word from the young master’s room—Second Young Master only ate half a piece of poria cake and half a bowl of millet porridge. As for your pigeon soup… he didn’t even look at it.”
“What?!” Granny Tian sprang to her feet.
“Sister Liu spent the whole morning making that soup, and he didn’t even look at it?”
Granny Guo stepped forward and sat on a low stool by the stove. The three women formed a triangle.
“Not only that—I heard that Shen just now, by some chance, used an unknown method to calm the Second Young Master during an episode. Now even the Old Madam is full of praise for her.”
Then Granny Guo recounted everything she had heard from the front courtyard, embellishing it as she went—emphasizing how shameless Shen Lingwei was, how she relied on her words to win the Old Madam’s favor, and how the servants now treated her with respect.
By the end, Cook Liu’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, her nails digging into her palms.
Granny Tian’s eyes shifted, landing on the chopped scallions. A plan formed in her mind.
“I have an idea…”
She leaned in and whispered into Cook Liu’s ear.
After listening, Cook Liu frowned. “Will that work?”
Granny Tian smiled meaningfully. “It won’t hurt to try. If it works, the Second Young Master won’t be able to do without us. If it doesn’t—well, it won’t be our fault anyway.”
…