In her dream, Ye Yunniang returned to the first time she entered the Jiang Mansion.
Back then, she had timidly and curiously observed everything in the Jiang Mansion, looking up at the lofty Jin Huifang with awe.
She then dreamed of the scene at the wonton stall, where Jin Huifang was devouring the dumplings heartily.
Finally, she saw Jiang Tingjun sitting at the doorstep, crying.
Ye Yunniang opened her eyes—Jiang Tingjun was indeed crying.
"Don't cry, little master. Your nursemaid is here. Hush now." Ye Yunniang picked up Jiang Tingjun and gently soothed him.
At the same time, she reached out with one hand to softly pat Pan'er, who was still asleep, afraid he might wake up from Jiang Tingjun's cries.
"Hungry, hungry..." Jiang Tingjun wailed.
"You're hungry? Nursemaid will make you some rice paste."
Worried the children might get hungry at night, Ye Yunniang had added extra charcoal to the stove before bed. The water in the earthen pot on the stove was still warm.
She prepared a bowl of rice paste.
Jiang Tingjun sniffed the sweet aroma and eagerly opened his mouth to eat.
"It's hot, let it cool first." Ye Yunniang blocked his little hands from reaching for the bowl.
"Hungry~" Jiang Tingjun whined, clinging to her.
"Just a little longer, we'll wait." She soothed him, placing the bowl in a bucket of water to cool it faster.
Once the temperature was right, Ye Yunniang fed Jiang Tingjun spoonful by spoonful.
He drank eagerly, his big eyes fixed on her without blinking. Suddenly, he called out, "Mama."
"Little master, you're mistaken. I'm not your mama," Ye Yunniang corrected him.
But Jiang Tingjun persisted, calling her "Mama" again.
"Mama~" Pan'er, not seeing anyone, cried out fearfully.
"Here, Pan'er." Ye Yunniang entered with another bowl of rice paste.
"Mama, I want Grandma." The awakened Pan'er wanted to find Cai Damei.
"Grandma isn't feeling well. How about Pan'er sleeps with Mama tonight?" Ye Yunniang coaxed him. "Here, Pan'er. Mama made sweet rice paste. Have some, and let's go back to sleep."
Pan'er, usually easygoing during the day, was unyielding now. He insisted on seeing his grandmother.
"Grandma, Grandma... I want Grandma... Not Mama... Grandma..."
Pan'er burst into loud sobs.
Jiang Tingjun, now full and content, watched Pan'er cry and uttered a single word: "Ugly."
Pan'er cried even louder. "I'm not ugly!"
"Pan'er isn't ugly. You're very handsome, very pretty." Ye Yunniang pulled him close, comforting him.
Jiang Tingjun poked Pan'er's cheek and repeated, "Ugly."
"Oh, my little ancestor, please stop talking." Ye Yunniang wished she had an extra hand to cover Jiang Tingjun's mouth.
Cai Damei entered, wrapping her robe around herself. "What's wrong with Pan'er?"
"Grandma, hold me. Don't want Mama. Want Grandma, hold me." Pan'er stretched his arms toward Cai Damei.
Her heart ached as she gathered him into her arms.
"Don't cry, Pan'er. Grandma is here. I'll stay with you." Cai Damei comforted him.
"Ugly, ugly." Jiang Tingjun spat out the word twice.
Ye Yunniang clamped a hand over his mouth. "Don't call your brother ugly." The mischievous streak in this child was showing again.
"You're ugly! You're the ugly one! Black child!" Pan'er retorted between sniffles.
"Crybaby, ugly."
"Black child!"
"Ugly."
"Black child!"
...
The two children bickered back and forth.
Ye Yunniang and Cai Damei listened to their squabble, unable to suppress their laughter.
After finally getting both children to sleep, neither woman felt like resting. They sat by the bed, watching the little ones slumber.
"Mama, what did you see in Sheep Dung Lane today?"
At the mention of the day's events, Cai Damei sighed heavily.
That afternoon, Cai Damei had stormed into Sheep Dung Lane in anger. After locating the small courtyard Jin Huifang had rented, she slammed the door open.
"Jin Huifang, come out!"
No one answered.
A pungent, metallic scent of blood filled the air.
A terrible premonition gripped Cai Damei.
She wanted to leave, but the thought of Jiang Tingjun at home steeled her resolve.
"Jin Huifang, don’t hide! What do you mean by leaving your own child at my house? Jin Huifang, silence won’t save you!" Her fury mounting, she shoved the main door wide open.
What greeted her was Jin Huifang’s body, suspended midair, tongue lolling grotesquely.
On the floor, a pool of blood surrounded a woman’s severed head, frozen in terror.
"Ah—dead people—!"
Cai Damei shrieked, stumbling back before collapsing to the ground, weak with shock.
Her screams drew neighbors and passersby.
One after another, they entered—only to scream themselves, drawing even more onlookers. Cai Damei was jostled to the side, pressed against the courtyard wall.
The commotion caught the attention of patrolling constables.
They arrived swiftly, cordoning off the scene while sending word to the magistrate’s office.
With three lives lost, Bao Min personally led a team of constables and coroners to investigate.
The coroner’s initial assessment: Jin Huifang had hanged herself.
The female victim on the floor and the man in the inner room had both been hacked repeatedly. Whether the wounds were inflicted before or after death required further examination.
Three deaths—this was a grave matter.
Bao Min cleared a side room for interrogations, questioning everyone present.
Tie Xiong, as the head constable, maintained order, ushering people in one by one.
"Aunt Cai, what are you doing here?" Tie Xiong was surprised to see her.
By now, Cai Damei had steadied herself enough to explain she had come looking for someone.
"For whom?" Tie Xiong began to ask, but Bao Min called for the next witness.
Tie Xiong motioned for Cai Damei to enter the interrogation room first.
"This humble woman, Cai Damei, greets Your Honor." She curtsied respectfully.
"Rise, take a seat." Bao Min’s tone was gentle as he gestured for her to sit.
"Thank you, Your Honor." She perched on the edge of the stool.
"Don’t be nervous." He reassured her before asking, "Where do you live? Why did you come here?"
"I live in Sunset Lane on Willow Street. I... I came to confront Jin Huifang."
"Jin Huifang?" The name rang a bell for Bao Min.
"The fourth madam of the Jiang family," Cai Damei clarified, and recognition dawned on him.
"How do you know her?"
"My daughter-in-law was once the wet nurse for the fourth madam’s son. I met her once before."
"Where?"
"White Cloud Temple. Before the Jiang family’s misfortune, Jin Huifang took her child there to pray. I brought my grandson that day too. We crossed paths then."
"I see. After the Jiang family’s downfall, your daughter-in-law returned home?"
"Yes, she came back. Two days ago, while buying groceries, she ran into Jin Huifang. Jin Huifang said she was struggling—that her husband had eloped with his second sister-in-law, aban—"
"Wait." Bao Min cut her off. "You’re saying Jiang Mingrui ran off with Zhuang Meixue?"
