"Young General, why have you come at this hour? The Old Master has just fallen asleep."
Steward Wu, recognizing the familiar voice from afar, hurried forward. He saw Ling Mohan standing at the entrance and quickly asked.
"How is Grandfather's health today? Did he have any spirit after we left?"
Ling Mohan inquired with concern. He had truly angered his grandfather today and wondered if the Old Master had calmed down.
"Young General, you may not know, but after you left, the Old Master threw a major tantrum. He punished several young servants and was so angry that he barely ate anything for dinner. He only just fell asleep after drinking some calming soup. Young General, perhaps you should return first. The Old Master is still furious, and even if he were awake, he might not see you. It's best to wait a couple of days until the Old Master's anger subsides, then you can come."
Ling Mohan craned his neck to peek inside. Seeing that the lights were out and there was no sound from the room, he figured his grandfather might indeed be asleep.
After a moment of hesitation, he spoke softly, "Then I shall take my leave. If anything happens, report to me immediately."
Even if he went in now, he wouldn't get a pleasant reception and was destined to be scolded severely. It was better to avoid trouble. He should go back first and apologize properly after his grandfather's anger had cooled.
At that time, his grandfather might not punish him harshly, but going in now would surely result in a beating.
"Rest assured, Young General. If anything happens to the Old Master, this old servant will inform you immediately."
Steward Wu agreed repeatedly. As he was escorting Ling Mohan to the door, he suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Young General, there is something else I have been contemplating for a long time, and I feel I must tell you. I beg the Young General's forgiveness for my presumption."
"Steward Wu, you have served in my Ling family your entire life. I have never treated you as an outsider. Steward Wu, whatever you have to say, please speak freely."
"Young General, then I shall be bold. The Old Master truly dotes on the two young masters, but he is indeed spoiling them. However, Young General, you must still bring the young masters to see the Old Master from time to time. This old servant truly cannot bear to see the Old Master miss his young masters too much..."
He spoke these words wholeheartedly for the Old Master's sake and because he couldn't bear to see him miss his young masters so deeply every day.
Ling Mohan sighed softly, "I understand what you mean. Let things calm down for a while. In a couple more days, I will bring the children to see Grandfather. However... Steward Wu, the Old Master trusts you the most. I will trouble Steward Wu to persuade Grandfather a bit more, asking him not to show such favoritism towards the children. If he continues to spoil them like this, he will truly ruin these two children."
He could understand his grandfather's affection for the children, but he also knew the saying that spoiling a child is like killing a child. If his grandfather continued to raise the children in this manner, these two would truly be spoiled.
Once their personalities developed, it would be very difficult to correct them. He couldn't persuade his grandfather, and he believed only Steward Wu could.
"This is natural. This old servant will do his best to persuade the Old Master."
"Good!" Ling Mohan nodded. With Steward Wu's promise, he could finally feel at ease. He gave a few more instructions before he left.
...
When Ling Mohan returned to the courtyard, the candle in the room, which should have been extinguished, was relit. As he pushed open the door, he saw Feng Jin sitting at the desk, lost in thought.
Hearing the movement at the door, Feng Jin finally lifted his eyes and turned his gaze towards Ling Mohan.
"Young General is back. The winter nights are cold and dewy. What matter is so important that you must travel so late? Or is it that this matter... you wish to keep from me, so that I won't know, and therefore resorted to such tactics?"
Feng Jin's tone was light, but a deep anger could be heard within it.
Ling Mohan did not dare to delay, and immediately walked over to Feng Jin and sat down, clearing his throat lightly, "I... I went to see Grandfather. We really angered him today. I was worried about his health and also worried that you would be unhappy, so I went secretly. I didn't expect you to know."
"I've told you everything. Please don't be angry with me over these matters... I really didn't intend to hide it from you..."
He had acted secretly precisely because he was worried Feng Jin would be angry. If Feng Jin was still angry after all this, then his efforts would have been in vain.
Feng Jin sighed with a hint of helplessness, his gaze slowly shifting to Ling Mohan, "I am not angry with you, but I feel that you even hide such trivial matters from me, which shows a lack of trust in me."
"Or do you think I am such a petty person, who would haggle over such things? Your actions truly make me feel incredibly disheartened."
In Ling Mohan's heart, was she that petty and calculative, unable to tolerate such things, and thus had to act so secretly, deliberately avoiding her?
Thinking about it now, she felt an unbearable tightness in her chest.
"This is my fault. I was inconsiderate, and I judged a noble person with a petty mind. Please be magnanimous and overlook these small matters. It's not worth getting sick over. If you are angry, just hit me a few times to vent. Don't keep it bottled up and ruin your health, that would be a great loss."
Ling Mohan gently coaxed Feng Jin, lowering his stance. This was the first time he had ever spoken so softly to someone.
He was truly worried that one wrong word would ignite Feng Jin's anger, and then it would be very difficult to resolve.
Given Ling Mohan's sincere apology, Feng Jin did not dwell on the matter further. He finally sighed in exasperation, gave Ling Mohan a fierce glare, and squeezed out a few words, "I'll let this slide this time. If..."
"There will absolutely not be a next time, you can rest assured!"
Before Feng Jin could finish speaking, Ling Mohan accurately predicted her next words and immediately promised.
"Alright, let's go to sleep. I'm tired."
She had initially fallen asleep. If Ling Mohan hadn't made such a loud noise closing the door, she wouldn't have woken up. Having waited for so long now, she was already feeling sleepy and had been forcing herself to stay awake.