Chapter 382: Having a baby is for playing!

Du Shanü slept this nap for an extremely long time.

Logically, it's rare to have such a long dream, and not being entangled by the dream, she should be at peace.

But in a hazy moment, she faintly felt a person come to her bedside, leave straight away, then return again.

This back-and-forth movement, the wind stirred by the swaying curtains, disturbed a clear dream.

Du Shanü finally woke before the night grew darker.

Outside, dusk gathered; inside, the candlelight was dim.

Upon opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was the sweetly sleeping little melon baby beside her.

The infant is still young, reeking of milk that hasn't dried; perhaps he woke midway, just having fed, so his swaddling still holds a lingering milk scent.

Du Shanü looked left and right, her playful heart rising; seeing no one around, she kissed that delicately carved little face, then secretly opened her sinful mouth—

She aimed well...... and immediately took half of her baby's little face into her mouth!

The baby's temperament is not small, but his skin is tender and smooth; just kissing him almost made Du Shanü dizzy with fragrance.

After pressing for a few breaths, Du Shanü, about to run out of air, happily released that half of the face, preparing to give the other side a 'fair' kiss; sitting up slightly, she saw through the dim outer candlelight what seemed like a bloodstain on the swaddling.

That glance was startling, making Du Shanü's heart jump, but it quickly settled.

If something had happened, Chinu and Afang would have been anxious sooner; they wouldn't have left the baby to sleep here.

Moreover, when she just kissed him, the baby's breathing was steady, with no sign of blood, not looking injured.

What exactly was that......?

This is no small matter; although she is a new mother, Du Shanü still changed expression.

She instinctively lifted her upper body to undo the swaddling; upon close inspection, she breathed a sigh of relief—

It wasn't blood, but a trace of vermilion ink.

Inside the tent, the light was faint; the child was in deep sleep.

Yet his palm was completely stained with a deep vermilion red.

Fingers curled, the red stain followed the lines of his palm, as if a blood-colored mark had been innately branded.

This child was clearly born only a few days ago, his sleeping face tranquil and innocent, yet now his hands are covered in bright vermilion, faintly bearing a gravity unbefitting his tender age.

Du Shanü rewrapped the swaddling, wondering why her baby's hand bore vermilion, when the not-fully-closed window let in a fresh breeze.

The wind moved the curtains, thus allowing a glimpse of a corner of heaven and earth.

And what Du Shanü glimpsed of the mystery was……

On this quiet night, outside the bead curtain, two sneaky ghosts were whispering.

One alluring ghost, one fierce ghost.

They whispered to each other, their silhouettes cast by the candlelight onto the curtains, slanting into two narrow, dark shadows.

They seemed to have been whispering before Du Shanü woke, their voices kept extremely low, intensely focused, yet they discussed back and forth without reaching any conclusion.

Du Shanü focused and looked several times, but couldn't help shaking her head, lying back down, and gave a soft cough.

This sound startled the outer conversation; Chinu hurried, quickly lifted the bead curtain, then raised the curtains and came in, asking softly:

"Wife Master, have you awakened?"

"Rui'er woke once an hour ago; seeing you asleep and not crying, he rolled his eyes, so I had Afang take him downstairs to feed him once...... Wait! Afang! Afang! How did the baby's face get two rows of tooth marks?"

Chinu's voice was practically panicked, even rousing Chen Weifang, who had been resting with tea outside.

Chen Weifang rushed over anxiously, while Chinu's reproachful voice continued:

"Did these tooth marks just appear? Who bit them? How could you be so careless as to let others touch Rui'er!"

"With such inattention, I will never dare to entrust Rui'er to you again!"

Chen Weifang felt it was like snow in June, more than just a 'grievance'; she hurried to the bedside to examine:

"No way? I just held the baby to look for a wet nurse, and there were none then."

"Moreover, how could that wet nurse dare to bite Rui'er...... but she actually did! Indeed, there are two big rows of tooth marks!"

Their overblown reaction truly made Du Shanü a bit embarrassed.

She had wanted to ask something, but seeing the situation, she changed the topic and merely touched her nose as if nothing.

"It's nothing, it's nothing—I was the one who bit......"

"Why look at me like that? Having a baby is obviously for playing; otherwise what's the point?"

Chinu: "......"

Chen Weifang: "......"

The two almost simultaneously rolled two resentful white eyes.

Afterwards, Chen Weifang carefully took the child from Chinu's hands and scolded:

"The baby's skin is delicate; you can't play like that!"

"I'll go fetch the government doctor to see the baby, check if he needs some medicine, and bring him back shortly."

Having said that, without waiting for Du Shanü to stop her, she actually grabbed the baby and dashed away!

That look—she actually seemed afraid that Du Shanü, the birth mother, might bite the baby again!

Du Shanü stared at that retreating back, grinding her teeth silently; after a few breaths she remembered Chinu was still beside her.

"What were you and Afang just talking about? You were so absorbed."

She had nearly slept a day, also gone without food or drink for a day; now her spirits slightly improved, she wanted to get up and move about.

Chinu helped her up and dressed her, while ordering the attendants waiting in the side room to prepare a meal, and supported her as she walked slowly, step by step, inside the room.

"We two were discussing Bai Liren's matter...... Wife Master, have you noticed the vermilion on Rui'er's hand?"

Du Shanü approached the question indirectly, intending to ask whether the two matters were related.

But she hadn't expected Chinu to be this 'honest' this time, directly laying it out.

Looks like, after she said she would give Chinu authority, Chinu actually has some confidence now......

Du Shanü felt somewhat relieved in her heart and replied:

"Naturally I saw it, but what does that have to do with Bai Liren?"

"This time, he can't possibly have come to Yongzhou in person, can he?"

Du Shanü had just been speaking offhand, but as soon as her words fell, seeing Chinu's solemn expression, she secretly thought 'uh-oh' and exclaimed:

"Really?"

That's a Prefectural Judge—any transfer or reassignment is of great importance!

How could he just leave the bustling prosperity of Guangzhou for no reason and run to Yongzhou, such a godforsaken place?

Du Shanü, uncertain and doubtful, focused her gaze beside her, while Chinu still smiled:

"He did come in person, but the situation is probably not what you, Wife Master, imagined; let me explain it all."

"As soon as he arrived, he put on airs; Afang went to see him, and he demanded to see the person in charge, so I, following Wife Master's orders, went in her stead to meet him."

"I never expected that the moment he saw me, he stared without blinking, looking like a starving ghost reborn, and even said he wanted to buy me......"

Du Shanü had previously thought that this person, daring to demand ten thousand taels as a bribe, might next ask for her husband and children.

But she had only said it offhand; who would have thought this absurd thing could actually come true?

Then, right then, Du Shanü's face darkened a bit.

Chinu, on the other hand, felt relieved, with no trace of humiliation on her face, merely becoming more careful in supporting Du Shanü as she walked, and continued speaking:

"I thought, 'How dare you bully me like this! I'll go along with your words, trick you into the inner room, and leave you with no way out——!'"

Du Shanü raised her brows, and immediately couldn't help but chuckle:

"Sure enough, that's your temperament."

Chinu also smiled, lowering her brows with a tranquil expression, her gentleness like water:

"Because I know I now have Wife Master's backing; I know my kneeling is only temporary; even if I killed Bai Liren, should the two cities go to war, after Wife Master hears the full story and sees Ruier's face, she certainly wouldn't blame me......"

Actually......

Not even for the child's sake would she blame me.

Du Shanü silently added a sentence in her heart, stopped her steps, took a slight breath, and asked:

"Then what? Did you really kill him? But what does that have to do with the vermilion seal on Ruier's hand?"

As always, when she asks, Chinu answers.

But this answer was quite beyond Du Shanü's expectations.

Chinu recalled the previous scene, first letting out a scornful laugh, then speaking lightly:

"He refused my terms, saying he wanted to buy me because he is my biological father."