Chapter 252: Chapter 252: Son (2)
The deep voice carried no emotion, leaving Xiqiu momentarily stunned, the scream caught in her throat. Her gaze returned to the wall, where his shadow loomed much taller than hers, slender and upright, with broad shoulders and his left hand resting on her waist... She stared wide-eyed, almost feeling her heart pounding rapidly in her throat...
"I’m fine!" Xiqiu spoke out, "I just accidentally knocked over the stool, there’s no need for you to come in, go rest."
Chunyan hesitated slightly at the door before saying, "Then miss, rest early. I’ll be outside, if you need anything just call me." Xiqiu responded softly with a "Hmm," and added, "Close the door for me."
Chunyan nodded, withdrew her hand, and closed the door again.
The room returned to silence, with a faint smell of blood spreading in the air. Xiqiu furrowed her brows and shifted slightly, "Fourth Master Xiao, what brings you to my room uninvited?!" As soon as she spoke, the grip on her waist loosened, allowing Xiqiu to break free from his embrace. She turned to look at the person behind her, and sure enough, she saw Fourth Master Xiao from the Xuanning Marquis Mansion, calmly standing in her room dressed in a light blue robe. His sharp features were handsome and resolute, with long phoenix eyes slightly raised at the corners, gazing at her without any avoidance...
"You knew it was me?" Fourth Master Xiao raised an eyebrow, showing no embarrassment about appearing in a woman’s room deep in the night, looking utterly composed.
Xiqiu narrowed her eyes as the initial shock gradually turned into outrage. She glared at Fourth Master Xiao, her voice as cold as frost, "Fourth Master Xiao, do you find this amusing? Sneaking into a woman’s boudoir in the middle of the night, playing tricks, is this fun?"
"Whether it’s amusing or not is not for you to define," he said calmly. "Besides, I wasn’t playing tricks, it’s just..." He lifted the bundle he had been carrying, "I wanted to ask Sixth Miss for a favor."
Only then did Xiqiu notice the unusual bundle in his hand, but she couldn’t immediately pinpoint what was strange about it. She watched as Fourth Master Xiao opened a corner of the bundle, leaving Xiqiu stunned and forgetting to be angry, full of surprise as she said, "A child?"
Fourth Master Xiao nodded, "You must have heard the noise outside as well. It’s inconvenient for me to carry him alone, so I wanted to leave him with Sixth Miss for one night. I’ll return to pick him up at this time tomorrow night."
"Me? Take care of a child for you?" Xiqiu looked at him incredulously, and Fourth Master Xiao nodded earnestly, "Much obliged!" He intended to hand the child over as he spoke.
Xiqiu waved her hands, stepping back, "How can I have a child here?" She was an unmarried lady, and if a child appeared in her room, it would ruin her reputation irreparably...
"Only your place is suitable," he looked at Xiqiu and said. "Yanzheng said you know medicine and are meticulous, I’m sure you’re capable of looking after a child. There’s no one more suitable than you." Xiqiu was dumbfounded, was she supposed to feel honored to be chosen?
Besides, taking care of a child isn’t easy. He spoke as if it were an object that could be casually tucked away in a corner somewhere!
"Fourth Master, if it’s inconvenient for you, why did you bring the child out? If there’s nowhere to settle, taking him back to the Marquis Mansion is more convenient than here, isn’t it?" She paused and continued, "I may know some medicine, but taking care of a child is a different matter. What if something happens to the child while he’s here with me? I can’t bear that responsibility!"
Fourth Master Xiao seemed unfazed, "Sixth Miss just needs to take care of him. I’ll handle everything else!" As he spoke, his furrowed eyebrows gradually relaxed. He was initially looking at Xiqiu, but suddenly shifted his gaze elsewhere. At this moment, the quiet inner courtyard of the Tong Mansion suddenly resounded with the rapid sound of drums, followed by the coarse-hand servant woman pounding on the courtyard door, "Sixth Miss, there’s been an intrusion by bandits in the courtyard, Sixth Miss..."
Perhaps due to the suddenness of the sound, the child nestled in Fourth Master Xiao’s arms squirmed, his mouth pouting as if about to burst into tears. Xiqiu was startled, knowing that a cry at this moment would be hard to explain to the servant woman outside the door.
"Shh..." She hurried to cradle the child and soothe him, only to see Fourth Master Xiao slowly raise his head, putting his index finger to his lips to silently hush the child. The child, with half-open eyes, looked at him, and surprisingly, obediently quieted down...
Xiqiu was taken aback, utterly unsure if it was luck or if even his stern demeanor could calm a newborn child?
Right then, Fourth Master Xiao leisurely lifted his head, handed the child to her familiarly without a word, "Thank you, Sixth Miss, I’ll come for him tomorrow night!" After finishing, he gave her a deep look and turned, leaping out the window and disappearing into the dense night.
Stunned, Xiqiu held the child, watching Fourth Master Xiao’s rapidly vanishing figure. Just now... she seemed... to catch a glimpse of a playful smile in his eyes.
"Damn it!" Xiqiu hurriedly hugged the child and ran over, the window already showing no sign of him. Fearing discovery by the servant woman outside, she quickly shut the window. The knocking continued outside, and in her fluster, Xiqiu placed the child on the bed, tidied her attire, and opened the door to head out. At this moment, Sixing and Xi’er came rushing in from outside, "Miss, the woman outside said there was an intrusion by bandits in the outer courtyard, telling us to be cautious and keep the doors closed, don’t go out!"
Sixing and the others were pale with fear, clutching Xiqiu’s hand, "Miss, what should we do?!" Xiqiu furrowed her brow, quietly wondering whether Fourth Master Xiao had escaped from the Tong Mansion safely.
Drumbeats blared in the courtyard, accompanied by the hurried footsteps and exclamations of servant women, which suddenly quieted down. After a short while, the servant woman outside began pounding on the door again, "Sixth Miss... Manager Lai says the intruders have been caught, please rest assured, Sixth Miss."
The group sighed in relief, but Xiqiu’s heart tightened, fearing that Fourth Master Xiao had been caught. She grabbed Sixing’s hand, "Go and ask what kind of person they caught." Without hesitation, Sixing rose, opened the main door, and called out to the outside, "Who did you catch?"
"I’ll go ask," the servant woman said, and she clomped off into the distance. After a while, she returned, saying, "Manager Lai said it was a notorious thief, they’ll be sent to the government office at dawn!"
In that case, it wasn’t Fourth Master Xiao. Xiqiu breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Fourth Master Xiao was Xiao Yanzheng’s brother, and the two mansions had been in-laws. Regardless of his purpose for coming tonight, getting caught would be embarrassing for the families!
Since there was no trouble now, she was still concerned about the child in the room. Her heart tightened as she stood up. Chunyan was puzzled and asked, "Miss, what’s the matter?"
Xiqiu shook her head, saying, "It’s nothing, since the intruders have been caught, I’ll go back and rest for a bit. You all shouldn’t run back and forth; just rest in the Warm Pavilion." Chunyan nodded, "Alright, just call if you need anything," she said, though there was a tremble in her voice!