Zhan Xiaofeng nodded vigorously, "I think so too! Although Great-Grandfather has closed his eyes now, his soul must be watching us, watching us grow up, and watching Father."
Zhan Xiaoli kept his head down, not speaking.
His eyes were swollen shut.
Last night, when Xiao Jing and the others were asleep, he had actually been pretending to sleep. After returning to his room, he had cried continuously.
He had had the exact same dream as last night.
He felt that it was because he had a bad dream that Great-Grandfather had left them.
It was his fault.
Zhan Tianye listened to their words and gently stroked them.
Then his hand touched the ice coffin.
It was as if he could feel Old Master Qin through the ice coffin.
At this moment, Old Master Qin lay peacefully in the ice coffin.
"Grandfather, I promise you, I will take good care of myself, as well as Yun Shu and the children. Rest in peace," Zhan Tianye said softly, with a sense of release in his voice.
Yun Shu, who was standing at the door before entering, felt a great deal of relief upon hearing their father and son's conversation.
She had been questioning her medical skills since last night.
At this moment, she suddenly understood. With Old Master Qin's cheerful and bright disposition, he would absolutely not want to see her blaming herself.
He wouldn't want to see Zhan Tianye suffering because of him.
Therefore, she had to look forward.
Avenge Old Master Qin.
She stepped inside.
"Mother," Yun Xiao Jing and Zhan Xiaofeng called out softly.
They were afraid of disturbing their Great-Grandfather, so their voices were very, very low.
Zhan Tianye looked up.
Yun Shu had already walked up to him in a few steps. She first paid her respects to Old Master Qin and then stood to the side.
She said softly to the three little ones, "You've done very well. Hearing your words, Great-Grandfather will surely travel on the road to the underworld with joy and peace of mind."
"Mm!" Yun Xiao Jing and Zhan Xiaofeng nodded together.
Yun Shu keenly sensed that Zhan Xiaoli's emotions were extremely low, and he hadn't spoken. She seemed to have been focusing on how sad Zhan Tianye was, and had overlooked Zhan Xiaoli.
He had grown up under the watchful eyes of Old Master Qin. Their bond was deep, and he must have been more severely impacted than Li and Feng.
"Xiaoli, your Great-Grandfather would surely wish for you to grow up happy and healthy. Only then will your Great-Grandfather rest easy," Yun Shu gently comforted Zhan Xiaoli.
Zhan Xiaoli looked up, his eyes red and swollen. He stubbornly pursed his lips and said, "Great-Grandfather was especially good to me. I don't want Great-Grandfather to leave me!"
Yun Shu sighed inwardly. It seemed he couldn't accept it for now. She would spend more time with him these next few days. She gently stroked his head.
Then she looked at Zhan Tianye, "Have you eaten?"
Zhan Tianye shook his head, "Not yet. Let's eat together."
Yun Shu nodded, then looked at Old Master Qin in the ice coffin, "Old Master, we'll go and eat first, and we'll come back to accompany you later."
If it were in the past, when Old Master Qin was still alive, he would surely have waved his hand at Yun Shu, saying, "Go quickly, go quickly. Don't skip breakfast for your health. You can forget anything else, but don't forget breakfast."
Yun Shu was momentarily lost in thought.
But the coldness from the ice coffin brought her back to her senses.
She walked out with Zhan Tianye and the others.
Little Zhan Xiaoli walked behind them. When he reached the doorway, he looked back at his Great-Grandfather and suddenly felt that Great-Grandfather looked very lonely.
It was his fault, so he didn't want Great-Grandfather to be lonely.
...
Two hours later.
Xiao Ju, who had been eagerly waiting for a long time, had not seen the Young Master return.
Just as she was about to report to the Madam, the Madam arrived.
Qian Le'er hurried over, her steps somewhat anxious. She held an oil-paper umbrella in her hand.
It had been raining intermittently since last night, which made people inexplicably agitated.
After lunch, she had taken a short nap. She had initially thought Yi Zixing would return soon, but she hadn't expected him to still be absent. After so long, he should have returned.
With no sign of him for so long, she couldn't help but panic.
"Madam!" Xiao Ju quickly went forward and took the oil-paper umbrella from Qian Le'er's hand.
Qian Le'er looked towards the door, "The Young Master hasn't returned yet? Has anyone sent word?"
"I've been waiting by the door, and I haven't seen the Young Master return, nor have I seen any of the servants accompanying him. Madam, has something suddenly happened to the Young Master that he hasn't returned?" Xiao Ju guessed.
Qian Le'er's heart was pounding like a wild horse. She felt a sense of panic and confusion. "No, the Young Master was clearly going to seek justice for me. How could he be so late in returning? Even if something had happened, he should have sent his servant to inform me of the reason. He wouldn't make me wait like this."
There must be a reason!
Could it be that Yi Zixing believed Yun Shu and not her?
She touched her neck. The finger marks there still stung intensely.
She was already in such a pathetic state. Wasn't it enough?
A wave of lingering fear washed over her.
She couldn't stay put any longer.
"Immediately order someone to prepare a carriage. I'm going to the Marquis's mansion. I must see the Young Master today!" Qian Le'er hurriedly instructed.
...
After lunch, Yun Shu asked the servants to take the three little ones for their afternoon nap.
She stayed with Zhan Tianye to keep vigil over Old Master Qin.
The two spoke in soft voices.
"You suspect Prince Ning?" Zhan Tianye asked.
Yun Shu nodded, "Prince Ning is indeed suspicious."
Zhan Tianye hummed in agreement, his gaze fixed on the ice coffin. "If it's him, I'll make him be buried with Great-Grandfather."
A low exclamation came from outside the door, "Where has the Young Master gone? He was just napping, and now he's gone?"
"Did the Young Master go to relieve himself?"
"I just checked. The Young Master is not here."
Yun Shu didn't pay much attention at first. The three little ones were quite self-sufficient. She thought they had gone to relieve themselves. When she heard that Xiaoli hadn't gone to relieve himself, her heart skipped a beat. "I'll go and see."
"He is familiar with the Qin manor. He must be very sad right now. Perhaps he's hiding somewhere in the manor. There's no need to rush," Zhan Tianye said.
Yun Shu thought this was reasonable. However, a hunch told her that Xiaoli wouldn't just be finding a place to grieve by himself. Given Xiaoli's disposition, he wouldn't do such a thing. She smiled and said, "I'll go and see."
After going out, she asked the servants, "What happened? Where has everyone searched in the manor?"
The servants immediately replied respectfully, "Replying to Miss Yun, we've searched almost everywhere, but we still haven't found the Young Master. We've also searched the places the Young Master used to frequent with the Old Master. Could the Young Master have left the manor?"
Yun Shu shook her head. "Xiaoli would never leave on his own without reason. Tell them to keep searching the manor."
She knew Xiaoli was a sensible child and wouldn't do anything that would make them worry.
However, her heart was still uneasy.
A moment later.
Several servants returned, shaking their heads at Yun Shu. They still hadn't found him.