Shen Lingwei steadied herself and replied calmly and respectfully, “Reporting to the Marquis, this servant is the newly entered cook, Shen. Because the Second Young Master refused to eat in the evening, Chen Shitou came to ask this servant to persuade him. It was inconvenient to bring my daughter along, so I let her wait here.”
She held An’an tighter. “My daughter is young and does not understand the rules. She has offended the Marquis. This servant apologizes on her behalf and will take her away immediately, not daring to disturb the Marquis.”
After speaking, she prepared to leave with An’an, only wanting to escape this troublesome place as soon as possible.
“Wait.”
Just two simple words nailed Shen Lingwei’s feet to the ground.
Pei Jinzhi walked past her and stopped in front.
“Earlier today, Jinghe Courtyard was in an uproar. I heard it was you who managed to calm Ke’er down?”
His tone was calm, yet carried scrutiny.
She resembled his late wife closely, which was already suspicious. Now she also had a way to calm Pei Ke.
Was it truly just a coincidence?
Shen Lingwei steadied herself and replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, “Reporting to the Marquis, this servant does not dare claim credit. It was merely a coincidence. The Second Young Master’s calmness is entirely due to the Old Madam’s blessings.”
A faint curve tugged at Pei Jinzhi’s lips. “Dozens of people in this residence have served him for five years, yet none could calm him. The moment you arrive, it just ‘happens’?”
Shen Lingwei’s throat went dry, her brows knitting together.
This question was tricky.
Say too much, and it would be wrong. Say too little, and it would still be wrong.
In the end, she could only force herself to answer, “Marquis, please see clearly. Perhaps… this servant simply has an affinity with the Second Young Master.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the gaze on her seemed to grow heavier.
Shen Lingwei hugged her arms and shrank slightly.
After a long while, that gaze finally withdrew, and the voice above her sounded again, lighter than before.
“You may leave.”
Relief washed over her. Holding An’an, she bowed. “Yes, this servant takes her leave.”
As she walked away, she could still feel that tangible gaze fixed on her back.
Only after returning to her room and closing the door did Shen Lingwei finally feel her heart settle.
An’an climbed down from her arms, still visibly shaken. “Mother, who was that uncle? He looked so scary…”
Shen Lingwei crouched down and said softly, “That was the Marquis, the master of this residence. If you see him in the future, avoid him, understand?”
An’an nodded vigorously, then asked, “Will he punish us?”
“No,” Shen Lingwei rubbed her small head. “Mother did nothing wrong, and neither did you.”
Thinking of something, she took her daughter’s hand and examined her carefully. “When Mother wasn’t here just now, did they make things difficult for you?”
An’an shook her head. “No. I remembered Mother’s instructions. I didn’t move or speak. That uncle behind asked who I was, but before I could answer, you came.”
Shen Lingwei froze.
Had she misunderstood the Marquis?
In the dim night, she had seen An’an trembling from afar and instinctively thought she had been bullied, so she rushed over without regard for etiquette.
Yet the Marquis had not blamed her.
“Mother, that uncle was so strange. Why was he staring at your chest just now?”
As An’an spoke, she pointed at Shen Lingwei’s chest. “Here.”
Shen Lingwei looked down, and her mind buzzed.
The collar of her cotton clothes had loosened. From rushing earlier, her garment had come undone halfway. Under the moonlight, the pale skin of her chest was glaringly visible, along with the faint rise and fall…
Only then did she realize that in her hurry to leave earlier, she had forgotten to bind her chest.
Shen Lingwei had always known she had a very good figure—the kind that would attract any man’s attention.
So in daily life, to avoid unnecessary trouble, she would bind her chest and waist, deliberately making her figure appear straight and ordinary, no different from other working women.
It was all to avoid attention and trouble.
Yet she had never expected that tonight, due to a moment of carelessness, she would expose it.
Shen Lingwei hurriedly pulled her collar closed. Thinking of that man’s gaze lingering there just now, her cheeks flushed instantly, tinged with panic.
“An’an,” she pulled her daughter close and instructed, “you must not tell anyone about this, understand? If others find out, the two of us won’t be able to stay in this residence.”
An’an nodded as if half-understanding. “I understand, Mother.”
Holding her daughter, Shen Lingwei felt a mix of emotions.
The way the Marquis had looked at her just now was not right.
And the way he had called out “Yuniang,” along with how the Old Madam had looked at her during the day—it was the same expression.
Shen Lingwei was not foolish. With a bit of thought, she figured it out.
She likely shared an extremely similar face with the deceased Marchioness.
If it was only resemblance, it would be fine.
But if someone with ill intent used it against her, accusing her of imitating someone from the Marquis’s residence or using sorcery to bewitch the Second Young Master, then even with a hundred mouths, she would not be able to defend herself.
Shen Lingwei closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
If she wanted to gain a foothold in the Marquis’s residence, she could only rely on her one support—the Old Madam. She also had to do her best to take care of the Second Young Master, show her loyalty, and become someone indispensable to the household. That would be the best way to protect herself.
The next day, Shen Lingwei went to the kitchen as usual to cook, but was stopped at the entrance by Cook Liu and two other old maids.
“Oh, Madam Shen is here? Unfortunately, the Second Young Master has already had breakfast. Coming now—are you planning to cook for yourself and your little burden?”
Shen Lingwei frowned slightly. “Already eaten? Didn’t the Second Young Master usually eat at this hour?”
Old Madam Tian sneered, her tone sharp. “Last night, the Second Young Master didn’t eat a single grain of rice and went hungry all night. Naturally, he ate earlier today. It was Sister Liu who pitied the young master and worked through the night to come up with a dish. Not like some people—just because they got lucky once, they think they’ve become indispensable to Jinghe Courtyard.”
Old Madam Guo chimed in, “Now that the Second Young Master’s condition is improving, his meals must also be adjusted. From now on, we’ve already arranged all three meals a day, so there’s no need for Madam Shen to trouble herself.”
The implication was clear—they wanted to sideline Shen Lingwei.
Shen Lingwei did not respond. Her gaze passed the two women and glanced toward the kitchen.
Inside, Cook Liu was chopping vegetables with her back turned, not even looking back despite the commotion.
The two old maids stood on either side, blocking the doorway tightly.
She casually glanced at the slop bucket by the door. Inside were a piece of pork skin, several thick slices of ginger, and garlic stems.
A faint suspicion surfaced in her mind, but her expression remained unchanged.
“Since everything has been arranged, I won’t disturb you. However, the Second Young Master has a weak stomach, and the doctor said he should eat more light porridge. In that case, I’ll go in and prepare the ingredients for his lunch.”
Old Madam Tian gave a fake smile. “The young master is precious. All lunch ingredients must be the freshest and are only delivered a short while before mealtime. Even if you come, it’s useless.”
Shen Lingwei did not argue further. She only nodded lightly, a trace of coldness flashing in her eyes.
They wanted to push her out? Not so easily.
She stopped entangling herself with them and turned to leave the kitchen.
After she walked away, Old Madam Tian spat. “Bah! Thought she was capable of something great—turns out she’s nothing special.”
Old Madam Guo added, “Exactly. Just got lucky yesterday and now thinks she’s important.”
Shen Lingwei did not stop walking and went straight to the main house.
Chen Shitou was dozing under the corridor. Hearing footsteps, he quickly opened his eyes. “Madam Shen, what brings you here?”
“I heard the Second Young Master ate quite a bit for breakfast today, so I came to take a look.”
Chen Shitou’s tone carried some relief. “Yes, Sister Liu’s assorted minced meat dish was quite flavorful. The Second Young Master actually ate half a bowl.”
Shen Lingwei’s brows twitched slightly. “Assorted minced meat?”