The twins' singing and dancing successfully made Madam Fu dislike the child even more.
"You'll recuperate here, and don't come out unless it's necessary."
She didn't want to look at Nuonuo any longer. Although she didn't say it outright, her reluctance was too obvious. Nuonuo, with a pale face, watched her leave the room with the twins.
She could even hear her great-grandmother coaxing the twins with a gentle voice.
She bit her lip and tears welled up in her eyes. As she looked up, she saw Shen Qingqing was still there. Not wanting to cry in front of her, she forced herself to hold back.
Shen Qingqing, however, merely glanced at her calmly and turned to leave.
She didn't want to make things difficult for a child, but that didn't mean she would deliberately make things difficult for her own child.
Madam Fu felt that the twins had been wronged. To compensate them, she decided to take them to a nearby park. There were many elderly people like her in the park, and they greeted her as soon as they saw her.
"Old Fu, you're here."
"Alas, you haven't been here for days. Didn't a few children come to your house? How are they? Doesn't being surrounded by your descendants feel wonderful?"
Madam Fu didn't want to air her family's dirty laundry, so she simply pushed the twins forward. "You can see for yourselves."
As soon as the elderly people saw the exquisitely carved twins, who looked like little wealth gods, they were smitten and couldn't wait to hold them and dote on them.
Most importantly, the twins were obedient and sweet-talked, which made the elderly people adore them even more.
Madam Fu smiled from the side. Although these elderly people didn't seem very proper, their identities were actually quite extraordinary. If they liked the twins, the children's future paths would be smoother.
...
Meanwhile, Lu Wanying also came out of her room and entered Nuonuo's room.
The moment Nuonuo saw her, her first reaction was to flinch and weakly call out, "Mommy..."
Lu Wanying walked to the bedside and looked down at her. "Didn't I tell you to use your illness to appease your great-grandmother? What did you do?"
"Mommy, I..."
Before Nuonuo could finish speaking, Lu Wanying slapped her. The child immediately fell silent, her fair and tender cheek quickly swelling up.
Nuonuo covered her cheek, tears falling silently. "Mommy, I know I was wrong..."
"I told you, admit your mistakes, don't argue with me." Lu Wanying was experienced and used a clever force that only caused pain but left no handprint. Even the redness and swelling would disappear quickly because she took out a medicinal paste from her pocket and threw it to her. "Apply it yourself. If you leave any trace, I won't spare you."
Nuonuo grabbed the medicinal paste, tears streaming down her face, not daring to cry out loud.
Lu Wanying felt no pity, in fact, she was very annoyed. "What are you crying about? You only know how to cry all day. You don't know how to please anyone. What's the use of pleasing Fang Ruo? You need to please your great-grandmother and Jing Shu. They are the ones who have the final say in this household!"
Nuonuo quickly nodded, her voice choked. "I know, I'll try to please them."
"You just know how to talk!" Although Lu Wanying hadn't entered the room earlier, she had been eavesdropping at the door. Not only did she not feel sorry for her daughter, but she felt she was useless. "You don't know how to use the methods I taught you, and you even let that old woman know you were faking it. I see how you'll manage in the future!"
Nuonuo was terrified. "Mommy, what should I do? Teach me..."
She knew that if she didn't do well again, she would be beaten again, and might even be sent away... No, she didn't want to be sent away. She had food and drink here, a big house to live in, and so many toys.
She couldn't bear to leave.
"Then you'll behave and try to please them. If you mess things up again, I'll send you away!"
This threat clearly scared Nuonuo. She didn't even dare to cry and quickly nodded, begging meekly, "I know, I know, Mommy, I won't mess it up, I definitely won't..."
Shen Qingqing, leaning against the wall by the door, heard everything. A hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.
This attitude didn't seem like that of a biological mother.
Otherwise, how could she bear to treat her child like this?
As she was thinking, footsteps could be heard from inside the room. She quickly slipped into the adjacent guest room and closed the door, leaving only a tiny gap.
She didn't come out until she saw Lu Wanying leave through the gap. She didn't make a sound, and even when Madam Fu returned, she didn't say anything.
When Fu Jingshu returned from work that evening, he was very surprised to see her waiting at the door and couldn't help but quicken his pace.
"Why are you out here?" Seeing her thin jacket, he immediately took off his own. Although it was still summer, it was close to autumn, and the wind at night was already a bit chilly. "Quick, put it on."
She didn't refuse and pulled the collar of the jacket tighter with both hands.
His voice became deeper and gentler. "Is there something you need to tell me?"
Shen Qingqing glanced at the driver and the servants who were coming and going nearby. She didn't intend to say anything here. "Let's go to the study. I have something to tell you."
"Alright."
Without hesitation, he took her into the study.
Lu Wanying saw this scene and her eyes turned red with jealousy. There were many rooms in the Fu family mansion, but only one place was off-limits to everyone.
Fu Jingshu's study. Only he was allowed in. Even when the servants cleaned, it had to be when he was present.
But he had let Shen Qingqing in long ago.
She had been very angry when she saw it last time, as if all his rules were broken for Shen Qingqing. Even she herself had never been such a unique exception.
In the study.
They sat down on the sofa, and Shen Qingqing got straight to the point. "I saw Lu Wanying hitting Nuonuo today."
Fu Jingshu frowned. "Are you serious?"
"Do you think I would lie to you?"
Her simple rhetorical question made Fu Jingshu realize he had said the wrong thing. He was just a little shocked. How could a mother bear to treat her child like that...
Suddenly, he thought of Shen Yaoyao.
At that time, wasn't she just like this?
"Could it be that she's not Nuonuo's mother?"
Shen Qingqing couldn't conclude, so she could only say what she had seen. "And I don't see much motherly affection from Nuonuo towards her. Instead, it's like..."
She paused, recalling Nuonuo's first reaction of flinching when she saw Lu Wanying.
"...fear."
Fu Jingshu mused. "It seems I need to investigate this matter."
Shen Qingqing glanced at him, and before he could look at her, she lowered her eyes, took off her jacket and placed it on the sofa, then got up and walked towards the door.
"Remember to come down for dinner later."
Fu Jingshu watched her retreating figure and sighed almost inaudibly.
Before dinner, he went to Nuonuo's room and spent some time talking with her. Of course, it was mostly her talking, and he occasionally responded, but it was enough to make Nuonuo feel flattered and not care at all.
Later, Lu Wanying arrived. Her eyes lit up when she saw Fu Jingshu.
When they went downstairs, the mother and daughter walked in front, with Fu Jingshu following behind. But even without him speaking, it was enough for Lu Wanying to cast a triumphant glance at Shen Qingqing as she went downstairs.