Good Ending: She Swears She Will Not Let Him Die!

Chapter 210: Chapter 209: Inquiry

Du Yunluo observed quietly. It wouldn’t be good to have Jin Ling accompany her to Lianfu Garden or Qinghui Garden, as there were enough sharp eyes around Old Mrs. Xia and Mrs. Zhen. Less trouble is better than more, so it was better to leave Jin Ling at Anhua Courtyard, but Du Yunluo was concerned she might overthink things alone.

Jin Rui took a lotus-shaped collar button and pinned it on Du Yunluo, then held up a mirror for Du Yunluo to see her hairstyle from various angles: "How does it look, Miss?"

With a thought, Du Yunluo nodded in satisfaction.

"Jin Ling," Du Yunluo picked up the paired lotus design that Jin Rui had sketched yesterday and shared her thoughts with Jin Ling, "I’ve been thinking about the color scheme for a while, but it still feels like something is missing. What do you think?"

Jin Ling, suspecting nothing, examined the design closely and offered her opinions.

"Sounds reasonable," Du Yunluo smiled, "Then you can split the thread for me, and I’ll embroider it when I return. Oh, there’s a sachet in the embroidery basket that’s half done; please help me finish it as well."

Jin Ling’s embroidery skills were excellent, and besides Du Yunluo’s items, she often helped with things in other rooms and courtyards. She immediately nodded in agreement: "Leave it to me, Miss."

Du Yunluo gave her a few more instructions.

Embroidery is a meticulous task; as long as Jin Ling’s hands are busy with needle and thread, she won’t have time for idle thoughts. She’s particularly serious, never multitasking when working on embroidery.

Du Yunluo paid respects to Old Mrs. Xia and then went to Qinghui Garden.

Under the veranda, Nanny Zhao stood with a stern face, and the maids and nannies in the courtyard dared not breathe loudly, their heads down as they swept the fallen leaves from last night’s heavy rain.

When she saw Du Yunluo, a smile appeared on Nanny Zhao’s face: "Miss is here."

Du Yunluo greeted her as "Mama" and asked: "What’s going on? Who upset you today?"

"Look at you talking," Nanny Zhao chuckled, her eyes twinkling, "The workers are slow; the rain stopped an hour ago, and the courtyard isn’t cleaned up yet, so I said something."

Du Yunluo only smiled without a word.

Nanny Zhao was a dowry servant of Mrs. Zhen, and Du Yunluo knew her temperament well. Nanny Zhao’s temper followed her mistress; she was generally very amiable, and as long as others were sensible, they would seek to get along with Nanny Zhao. Even if someone made a mistake, she seldom scolded them.

The uncleaned courtyard alone wouldn’t cause Nanny Zhao to pull a long face.

Since Nanny Zhao wouldn’t say, Du Yunluo wouldn’t press her for answers. It must be related to Mrs. Zhen, and checking Mrs. Zhen’s expression would give her a clue.

Outside the main house, Nanny Zhao announced: "Madam, Miss is here."

"Come in quickly, Nannan." Mrs. Zhen’s voice came from inside.

Du Yunluo lifted the curtain and entered. In the East Wing, Mrs. Zhen was reclining on the couch and patted the seat beside her, signaling Du Yunluo to sit.

Once Du Yunluo was seated, Mrs. Zhen glanced at Nanny Zhao.

Nanny Zhao understood and withdrew to stand guard in the middle room, leaving only Shui Yue to serve in the East Wing.

Du Yunluo blinked and asked softly: "Mother, what’s wrong?"

Mrs. Zhen, unhurried, asked: "When Yun Ru first got pregnant and I visited the Shao Family, you asked if Yun Ru was being neglected by them, if it was Yuanzhou’s sister... Nannan, do you know something?"

Du Yunluo was momentarily stunned but quickly recalled the situation. At the time, seeing Mrs. Zhen return with a sullen face, she thought Du Yunru had been wronged at the Shao Family, prompting her urgent question. Little did she know that Mrs. Zhen was worried due to Du Yunru’s severe morning sickness.

It was a topic mentioned just once and never brought up again. Du Yunluo wasn’t sure why Mrs. Zhen asked about it now.

Seeing her daughter’s confusion, Mrs. Zhen explained: "On the day Yun Lang got married, Shui Yue overheard two nannies by Yun Ru talking. They said Yuanzhou’s sister often made things difficult for Yun Ru behind her back, and there was even a cousin involved. Shui Yue told me, and I’m thinking of visiting the Shao Family in a few days."

After hearing this, Du Yunluo looked up at Shui Yue.

Shui Yue nodded solemnly: "That’s what the two nannies said. They followed the Grand Madam to the Shao Family; they’re from our Du Family and wouldn’t speak carelessly."

When Shui Yue heard about it, she was both angry and worried, thinking it was terrible for their Grand Madam to be bothered by an inconsiderate sister-in-law while pregnant.

Shui Yue told Mrs. Zhen the very next day.

As soon as Du Yunru returned to her maiden home, Mrs. Zhen visited and subtly inquired. The Shao Family might suspect Du Yunru of complaining behind their backs.

Not wanting Du Yunru to be misunderstood, Mrs. Zhen patiently waited a few days before remembering what Du Yunluo had mentioned months ago, leading her to ask now.

After a moment’s thought, Du Yunluo replied: "I heard it from my eldest sister during the New Year."

"Then why didn’t you mention it to me?" Mrs. Zhen was anxious.

"Eldest sister said that at the Shao Family, her grandmother and in-laws treat her well, it’s just the little sister-in-law who likes to cause trouble behind her back," Du Yunluo hurriedly explained, afraid Mrs. Zhen would worry, "My eldest sister said it’s just childish antics, not worth mentioning, even laughable, and will pass once married off in a couple of years. I saw how relaxed my eldest sister was, not angry at all, so I didn’t tell you."

Mrs. Zhen listened and pondered carefully.

Having visited the Shao Family, Mrs. Zhen knew that Du Yunru’s mother-in-law treated her excellently, even making Mrs. Zhen herself feel inferior. She was confident she hadn’t misjudged, and the nannies had remarked on how good the Shao Family’s Madam was.

The problem lay with Shao Yuanzhou’s sister.

Hugging Du Yunluo, Mrs. Zhen said: "Nannan, you don’t know, but having or not having a pregnancy changes a woman’s temperament. Even those who are usually broad-minded can become irritable when expecting. I’m only worried that your sister, being pregnant, might be upset by someone clueless."

Resting against Mrs. Zhen, Du Yunluo fell silent.

She truly didn’t understand. Not having been pregnant, she had no idea what mood swings or unchecked tempers felt like...

She mumbled, "I really don’t know..."

Feeling both frustrated and wronged, Mrs. Zhen couldn’t help but laugh: "You’ll understand in a couple of years. Don’t be upset."

Du Yunluo pouted, then earnestly nodded after a pause.

Mrs. Zhen found it even more amusing. This silly child, it’s unclear if she’s frank or thick-skinned. Before marriage, Du Yunru would have blushed and hidden away from such words, but Du Yunluo just nodded along in agreement.

Now that she knew the Shao Family’s situation, Mrs. Zhen was determined to visit Du Yunru.

Du Yunluo wasn’t worried about her eldest sister. She knew Du Yunru would live comfortably at the Shao Family, blessed with a good mother-in-law and husband, full of children, admired by everyone as Mrs. Quanfu. A young girl like Shao Family’s second miss couldn’t trouble Du Yunru.

But such words couldn’t be shared with Mrs. Zhen. Seeing that Mrs. Zhen was set on visiting, she insisted on accompanying her.

Unable to refuse, Mrs. Zhen thought it was a family visit, and even if she intended to subtly admonish the Shao Family’s second daughter, bringing Du Yunluo wouldn’t make the Shao Family feel she was there to start trouble.