Chapter 681 The Lost Earring

The taste of the medicine was truly unbearable, even for a good remedy. Every time it was time to drink it, he felt a pang of dread. After drinking, he would grab handfuls of candied fruit from the plate and stuff them into his mouth, barely managing to suppress the sour, unbearable taste.

He wondered how many more days he would have to endure this bitter medicine. It was agonizing.

As Ling Muzhu stood up, he felt his foot step on something. He quickly moved his foot and looked down.

Lying quietly on the ground was a single, solitary earring. Ling Muzhu bent down and picked it up.

To concentrate on preparing for the imperial examination, he had sent all the maids away from the courtyard, leaving only a young servant to attend to him. In recent days, only Chu Qing had entered his courtyard. Without much thought, he knew the earring belonged to Chu Qing.

After a moment's hesitation, Ling Muzhu looked at the earring in his hand and stood up, intending to return it.

...

"Why are you in such a hurry, and your face is a bit red, what's wrong?" Feng Jin noticed Chu Qing's unusual expression and asked gently.

"No... no... when I came back just now, I... I encountered a dog, and it chased me for a while. I was a little scared."

"Chased by a dog?"

There didn't seem to be any dogs in the manor, so how could Chu Qing have been chased by one? Feng Jin frowned in confusion. Just as she was about to ask more, Chu Qing hurried away.

"Madam, I... I still have porridge stewing in the kitchen. I should go check on it."

Chu Qing's nervousness was palpable. She quickly found an excuse and scurried away.

Only those inside the room were left bewildered, unsure of what had happened.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Madam, I don't know either," Cai Qing said, shaking her head.

"Mama... Mama..."

Da Bao tugged at Feng Jin's sleeve with his small hand, his chubby face tilted upwards. He said surprisingly, "Mama, can we catch that little dog that chased Sister Chu Qing later?"

Having a little dog to play with wouldn't be so bad. Da Bao had already begun to imagine a life with a puppy, but the small sprout of hope was quickly nipped in the bud.

"No, no puppies or kittens. Eat your food quickly."

If they wanted to raise a puppy, they should first focus on raising these mischievous rascals.

Feng Jin placed a chopstick full of vegetables onto Da Bao's plate. This child was a picky eater; he couldn't just eat meat and refuse vegetables.

"If you eat your vegetables, then you won't get any meat."

Feng Jin's tone was firm, with no room for negotiation. Under duress, Da Bao reluctantly picked up a piece of green vegetable and put it in his mouth. It really didn't taste good.

"Greetings, eldest sister-in-law." Ling Muzhu stepped forward and bowed slightly to Feng Jin. His gaze, however, was constantly searching for Chu Qing's figure, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the earring in his hand.

"Why have you come? Cai Qing, fetch a pair of bowls and chopsticks. Let Second Young Master sit and have something to eat."

"Yes, Madam."

Cai Qing nodded slightly in acknowledgment and turned to go prepare.

"No need, eldest sister-in-law. I've already eaten. I came here because..."

"Second Young Master, the bowls and chopsticks are ready. Please eat first."

Before Ling Muzhu could present the earring in his hand, Cai Qing had already set the table. At this point, he had no choice but to eat.

He ate two bites symbolically, and as Ling Muzhu was about to speak, Da Bao leaned in. "Second Uncle, will you take me out to play later?"

"Okay, after you finish eating..."

"Great, Second Uncle, let's go quickly."

After Ling Muzhu's perfunctory agreement, Da Bao jumped up impatiently, pulling Ling Muzhu's hand as he led him outside.

"Da Bao! Slow down!" Feng Jin called out, speechless. This Da Bao was like a runaway horse when he played, impossible to hold back.

"Got it, Mama!"

Da Bao shouted loudly, and still pulling Ling Muzhu, he ran out with no intention of slowing down.

"Mama..."

Er Bao called out softly. Feng Jin immediately understood his little thought and nodded, "Go ahead, go play with your brother."

"Thank you, Mama," Er Bao exclaimed excitedly and vanished in a flash.

Chu Qing entered with the prepared porridge, but the two children were nowhere to be seen. "Madam, where are the young masters? They've disappeared in the blink of an eye."

"They went out to play with Ling Muzhu," Feng Jin said casually, taking a bite of a shrimp. The shrimp was fried too lightly, not quite cooked enough; it would have been tastier if fried a little longer.

Upon hearing Ling Muzhu's name, a flicker of panic flashed in Chu Qing's eyes, but she quickly concealed it, unnoticed by anyone.

"You two shouldn't just stand there, sit down and eat together. There are so many dishes."

Feng Jin beckoned Chu Qing and Cai Qing to sit down. She couldn't possibly finish all these dishes by herself.

"Yes, Madam."

The two were used to this and didn't refuse, sitting down readily. As soon as they sat down, a loud argument erupted outside.

"Clearly, you are wrong..."

"Clearly, you are being unreasonable!"

"Who are you calling unreasonable..."

"I'm talking about you!"

The childish voices echoed throughout the room, instantly destroying Feng Jin's appetite. The delicious dishes on the table no longer seemed appealing, and she put down her chopsticks.

In the next moment, Chu Chenyi and Lin Yuwei appeared at the doorway. Without much thought, it was clear that the arguing voices belonged to them.

"You two, if you have too much time, go back to your own homes and argue. Don't cause trouble here. I want to eat my meal in peace."

This was her only request, and it shouldn't be considered excessive. These two had made it a habit to come to her whenever something happened.

Lin Yuwei would run away from home and come to her whenever something occurred, and Chu Chenyi would follow closely behind.

Seeing them arrive together now, she knew there would be no good news. They had arrived arguing, probably because they had disagreed about something, which was all too familiar.

They seemed to treat her place as a courthouse, a sanctuary, or a place to vent their bad moods. It seemed they all ran to her whenever something happened.