"Do you know that after you were taken away by the Grand Madam yesterday, the maid who came to deliver the soup was beaten twenty times with a bamboo stick and driven out of the mansion," Qinghe said in a low voice, breaking into a smile and hugging him tightly in her arms.
"Madam was also summoned by the Grand Madam and scolded. I heard that the Grand Madam smashed several teacups," Shi Huai thought to himself.
This old lady really acts vigorously and resolutely.
But at the same time, it also meant that Madam's hatred for him would only grow deeper and wouldn't fade away because of the Grand Madam's intervention.
Days passed by like this in the Hall of Longevity and Peace. Shi Huai's appearance gradually improved, with a fixed monthly increase in his looks.
The birthmark on his face was fading at a visible rate, and his facial features were gradually taking shape.
At six months old, more than half of the birthmark had disappeared, revealing a pitted little face.
If it weren't for the fact that Shi Huai looked at himself in the mirror every day, he wouldn't have believed that this was the same ugly baby that used to make people want to vomit.
Well, he was still quite ugly, though.
Every day, Qinghe held him in her arms and couldn't help but whisper to Nanny Zhou, "Nanny, look! The more our young master grows, the less prominent that birthmark becomes. He doesn't look as ugly as he used to at all."
Nanny Zhou took a quick glance and then immediately shifted her gaze. She said expressionlessly,
"For children, as their faces grow, if the birthmark doesn't grow proportionally, it's only natural for it to seem less noticeable. There's no need to make a fuss about it."
At eight months old, Shi Huai could stand up while holding onto the wall and utter indistinct syllables like "ah".
Every evening, the Grand Madam would ask Nanny Zhou to bring him over to play on the couch for a while, saying that she wanted to see if the child was an idiot.
Of course, Shi Huai wasn't an idiot, but he couldn't act too smart either.
If an eight - month - old baby could speak eloquently, he'd probably be burned as a monster the next day.
So he just sat obediently on the couch, looking at the Grand Madam with his grape - seed - like eyes.
Occasionally, with the Grand Madam's permission, he'd reach out to grab the corner of her robe and make some indistinct sounds.
At first, the Grand Madam just looked at him coldly, but as time passed, the frost in her eyes gradually melted.
One evening, when Shi Huai was playing with a cloth tiger on the couch, the Grand Madam suddenly reached out and stroked his face, saying in a very soft voice,
"This child is so quiet. He neither cries nor throws tantrums. He's much better than his father when he was a kid."
Nanny Zhou chimed in, "You're right, Madam. The Marquis was such a handful when he was a child that they had to change wet nurses seven or eight times."
The Grand Madam snorted,
"His personality was spoiled by his grandmother since childhood. Even when he grew up, he was good - for - nothing. He's turned the Marquis Mansion into a complete mess."
Shi Huai pricked up his ears and thought that the old lady's attitude towards the Marquis's father was quite interesting.
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the courtyard, followed by a maid's voice announcing, "The Marquis is here."
Shi Huai immediately became alert.
This so - called father of his hadn't shown up since he'd dumped him on the old lady. His sudden appearance in the Hall of Longevity and Peace today definitely wasn't to see him.
When the Marquis, Shi Yuanzhi, walked in, his face was beaming with a smile. He was holding a food box in his hand and placed it in front of the Grand Madam attentively.
"Mother, this is the osmanthus cake that Madam specially asked the kitchen to make. Please have a taste," he said.
The Grand Madam didn't even glance at the food box. She said indifferently, "Come on, what's the matter?"
The Marquis forced a smile. His eyes swept across Shi Huai on the couch and paused for a moment.
A flash of disgust crossed his eyes, and then he rubbed his hands and lowered his voice.
"Mother, I want to discuss something with you. It's about this child... You see, it's really inconvenient for him to stay here with you."
The Grand Madam stopped in the middle of reaching for her teacup. She lifted her eyelids and glanced at him. "In what way is it inconvenient?"
The Marquis leaned closer and lowered his voice even more.
"Mother, you don't know. Recently, there have been gossips in the mansion saying that this child doesn't look like me. Instead, he looks like... like Second Brother."
"Where can I put my face if these words spread?"
Shi Huai pretended to be playing with the cloth tiger on the couch, but his ears were perked up.
The Grand Madam put down her teacup with a distinct click.
"Gossips? Who's spreading them? Tell me who that blabbermouth is, and I'll cut out her tongue."
The Marquis was taken aback and coughed twice.
"Mother, that's not the point. The point is, don't you have any idea whether this child is really mine or not?"
"You said he was your grandson when you brought him back, but now you're saying he doesn't look like me."
The Grand Madam sneered. "Shi Yuanzhi, are you just unwilling to accept that you've been cuckolded, or are you just looking for an excuse to get rid of this child?"
The Marquis's face flushed red, and his voice involuntarily grew louder. "Mother! What you're saying... I'm just... I'm just not at ease."
"If you're not at ease, go and find out. Come back and talk to me after you've got it sorted out," the Grand Madam said, picking up her teacup, a clear sign that she wanted to end the conversation.
But the Marquis didn't seem to want to leave. Instead, he took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, unfolded it carefully, and handed it to the Grand Madam.
"Mother, please take a look at this. This is a letter that Second Brother sent someone to deliver yesterday."
The Grand Madam frowned, took the paper, and glanced at it. Her face instantly changed.
From the corner of his eye, Shi Huai saw that the old lady's hand holding the letter was trembling slightly.
"Did he say he wants to adopt this child?" the Grand Madam's voice suddenly rose, and the air in the room seemed to vibrate.
The Marquis quickly waved his hands. "It's not adoption. It's... it's just to recognize the child as his godson. Second Brother said that he's all alone in the manor and wants to have a child around to liven things up."
"Think about it, Mother. If this child goes to Second Brother's place, the gossips in the mansion will naturally stop, and Madam will also calm down. Isn't it a win - win situation?"
"A win - win situation?"
The Grand Madam slapped the letter on the table. Her voice was as cold as ice shards in the coldest winter.
"Shi Yuanzhi, do you think I'm senile? Second Brother has kept away from women for so many years, and suddenly he wants a child to raise. Don't you find it strange?"
The Marquis was stunned. "Well... what's so strange about it? He's just lonely, that's all."
The Grand Madam closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress an impending outburst of emotion.
"What kind of person your brother is, haven't you known after being his elder brother for so many years? If he really couldn't stand being alone, would he have remained unmarried for so many years?"
The Marquis was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.
Shi Huai listened on the couch, and his curiosity grew.
This Second Uncle, Shi Yuanping, seemed to be a very interesting character.
The Grand Madam opened her eyes, and her gaze fell on Shi Huai. After a long silence, she finally said,
"This child isn't going anywhere. He'll stay right here in the Hall of Longevity and Peace. Go back and tell your Madam to give up this idea."
The Marquis panicked. "Mother, how should I reply to Second Brother?"
