Old Master Ling grumbled, letting out a cold snort.
"The young madam brought the young master back in a hurry because it was getting late," the butler explained cautiously, inwardly thinking that the Old Master had kept the child since morning and wouldn't have returned him if the young madam hadn't come to fetch him.
"Is that so? I don't think so!"
He saw it clearly; the Old Master was clearly afraid he would take the child, which was why he rushed to bring the child away.
...
Feng Jin hurried back to the East Courtyard with the children, not daring to stop for a moment on the way.
"Young madam, please slow down..."
Nanny Lin trailed behind, panting heavily. Her old bones couldn't keep up with the youngsters. If she continued to run so recklessly, she truly wouldn't be able to hold on.
Feng Jin stopped, turning to look at Nanny Lin, who was struggling to catch her breath. In her haste, she had forgotten that Nanny Lin was advanced in age and was also carrying Da Bao. She couldn't possibly keep up with such a run.
"Rest for a while. We'll walk back more slowly."
After walking so far, no one from the Old Master's side had followed. They wouldn't pursue them now. Walking another hundred meters would bring them to the East Courtyard, so there was no need to rush this short distance. They could just walk back leisurely.
"This old servant is truly old and useless..."
This was the first time she had felt her strength failing her. After walking such a short distance, she already felt short of breath. No matter how much one resisted aging, it was no use. At her age, one should only do what is appropriate for their age; everything had been arranged long ago.
"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are natural human phenomena. There's no need to dwell on them too much. Overthinking them will only lead to needless worry and annoyance."
As a physician, she had witnessed countless instances of birth, aging, sickness, and death, the separation of yin and yang. She had long since become detached about life and death.
"What the young madam says is true, but when it concerns oneself, it's always hard to avoid feeling a bit sad," Nanny Lin sighed slightly. No one wished to face the reality of aging.
As the saying goes, it's better to live a meager life than to die a noble death. When faced with life and death, everyone desires to live.
"Even so, it cannot be avoided. This is the ultimate destination."
She was an absolute materialist, treating life and death with complete objectivity.
Although she understood that her words might be hurtful to Nanny Lin, Feng Jin still chose to speak directly.
In her opinion, facing reality with equanimity was always better and more beneficial than deceiving oneself.
Such false reassurations were merely a form of self-comfort, but eventually, the day would come to face reality.
At that point, it would be even harder to accept. Feng Jin still chose to lay bare the matter to Nanny Lin, believing that this way, she could see things more clearly.
Nanny Lin sighed softly, accepting it somewhat, but instinctively wanting to avoid the topic.
"Young madam, it's getting late. Let's go back."
With that, Nanny Lin picked up Da Bao and walked ahead. Ultimately, she still didn't want to face the topic so directly. Perhaps if she could avoid it for a day, that would be enough. This self-deception at least brought her some peace of mind.
With not much time left to live, she would prefer her remaining days to be comfortable and happy.
Feng Jin looked at Nanny Lin's slightly aged figure, a peculiar emotion flashing in her eyes. Kings, ministers, commoners, all instinctively chose to evade when faced with life and death. This was a common human behavior.
It was also a sign of inner weakness and timidity. The inherent flaws of human nature, when faced with life and death, were like shedding a false exterior, revealing the most base aspects of themselves to the world.
Without further delay, Feng Jin, carrying Er Bao, followed.
Upon arriving at the East Courtyard, both children were already clamoring to sleep.
Perhaps they were too tired from playing, but Feng Jin simply placed the two children down, and within a short while, they had fallen asleep on their own.
Feng Jin watched over them and lay down beside them, falling into a deep sleep.
Perhaps it was due to exhaustion, or perhaps the bed at home was more comfortable, but Feng Jin slept very soundly. She only woke up groggily the next day when the sun was high in the sky.
She stared blankly for a while, trying to recall. She hadn't slept with Da Bao and Er Bao last night, so why was she waking up in her own room? Could she have been sleepwalking?
She remembered that she didn't have a sleepwalking habit. How could she have changed rooms in the blink of an eye?
Feng Jin quickly got up, changed her clothes, and headed out. As she reached the courtyard, she spotted a figure she hadn't seen in a long time.
"When did you return?" Feng Jin walked up to Ling Mohan and asked. She hadn't seen Ling Mohan for two or three days, so why did he look so much more haggard than a few days ago, especially with such obvious dark circles under his eyes?
"Last night."
Feng Jin frowned slightly, "Then you were the one who carried me back to the room last night?"
The man nodded slightly in acknowledgment. When he returned last night, he hadn't found Feng Jin in their room. After searching, he found her in the children's room and directly carried her back to their room.
With the truth revealed, Feng Jin's doubts were dispelled. She had been right, she really didn't have the habit of sleepwalking.
However, she had slept so deeply last night that she hadn't even noticed when Ling Mohan carried her back.
"Why haven't you returned to the manor these past two days?"
Feng Jin asked with a slightly veiled tone, though she was desperately eager to know what Ling Mohan had been doing these past few days, and why he hadn't even returned home.
But upon seeing the dark circles under his eyes, her heart was slightly touched, and the questions she was about to ask softened considerably.
"Nothing, I've been staying at the military camp."
A flicker of exhaustion crossed Ling Mohan's face. From the moment he arrived in the capital, he had been staying at the military camp, never leaving.
Yesterday, he had managed to find some time to return to the manor to see Feng Jin, but there was still a mountain of work waiting for him.
"Go see Grandfather later."
Feng Jin recalled the disheartened look on Old Master Ling's face yesterday and couldn't help but remind Ling Mohan to visit him.
Old Master Ling had invested a lot of effort in Ling Mohan, his eldest grandson.
"Alright, I'll change my clothes and go."
He indeed hadn't seen his grandfather in a long time. If he went in his current state, it would only cause his grandfather more worry. It would be better to go after tidying himself up a bit.
"I'll go see the children first. Let's take them along."
She hadn't forgotten the promise she made to Old Master Ling yesterday. For these past few days, she had to at least put on a good show and often take the children to visit.