With that said, Sheng Lengshuang, Madam Sheng, and Mo Lingxi all had different expressions: one was quite helpless, one found it amusing, and the other felt like it was another day to beat his son.
Xiao Feng argued logically, "If Father wasn't so useless, none of this would have happened. Father, you're so useless, you shouldn't even think about getting back with Mother. I'm afraid Mother will be harmed by you again."
Mo Lingxi's hands itched terribly, but considering his mother-in-law and wife were present, he gave Xiao Feng a look of "we'll settle this later" and said, "Xiao Feng, children shouldn't talk."
Understanding his father's look, Xiao Feng shrunk his neck and clung to his grandmother's arm to complain, "Grandmother, Father is going to hit me."
Madam Sheng lightly tapped his forehead twice and chuckled, "If you say that about your father, who else would he hit but you?"
Xiao Feng pouted and grumbled, "Grandmother, I'm just stating facts. Isn't it allowed to speak the truth these days?"
"Mother-in-law, I'll take Xiao Feng out for a walk." Before Madam Sheng could say anything, Mo Lingxi picked up Xiao Feng and walked out.
"Grandmother, save me!" Xiao Feng wailed.
Madam Sheng was a little worried and wanted to follow, but Sheng Lengshuang stopped her, "Mother, Mo Lingxi has his limits. Besides, this is just roughhousing between father and son. Mother doesn't need to worry."
Madam Sheng understood this too and said with a smile, "They say grandparents dote on their grandchildren. Xiao Feng is my only grandson, so I can't bear to see him wronged in any way."
Sheng Lengshuang could understand, "Mother, you shouldn't spoil Xiao Feng too much. This child has developed some bad habits, and his temper is growing."
Madam Sheng said she would pay attention, "I'll talk to your father later. Don't you think your father is very strict with Xiao Feng? Actually, he dotes on Xiao Feng even more than I do. He wants to make up for all the shortcomings he has towards you by showering Xiao Feng with affection."
Sheng Lengshuang understood and smiled softly, "Mother, you and Father owe me nothing. You can't be blamed for this."
Madam Sheng dabbed her eyes with her embroidered handkerchief, "Even though you've returned, every time I think about this, I feel extremely guilty and distressed. If your father and I had paid more attention back then, these things wouldn't have happened."
Sheng Lengshuang didn't think so and coaxed Madam Sheng softly for a while.
When Mo Lingxi returned with a dejected Xiao Feng, Sheng Lengshuang saw the housekeeper hurrying in and asked, "Did you find anything?"
The housekeeper bowed and replied, "Reporting to Miss, we found someone living in a courtyard."
Sheng Lengshuang and Madam Sheng exchanged a glance, then followed Mo Lingxi and his son to the courtyard the housekeeper mentioned.
It was a secluded courtyard on the northwest side of the Sheng family estate.
The Sheng family didn't have many masters, only four in total, so there weren't many courtyards in use. Many courtyards were vacant, and even guest courtyards were rarely used. Therefore, some secluded courtyards were basically not cleaned, and no one paid much attention to them.
Sheng Lengshuang and the other three entered the courtyard.
There were some weeds and fallen leaves in the yard, as well as footprints, making it look somewhat desolate.
"Madam, someone has been in the house," the housekeeper said.
Sheng Lengshuang and the other three entered the house and immediately noticed something was wrong.
The rooms that were not inhabited were relatively clean, some tables and chairs were quite new, especially the inner rooms which were meticulously cleaned, with books and other items. It was evident that someone had been living there for a long time.
"Have you found out who was living here?" Sheng Lengshuang asked.
The housekeeper shook his head, "Not yet, but judging by the situation, there's likely a mole within the estate. Otherwise, there's no explanation for why this place wasn't discovered."
Sheng Lengshuang thought the same. She looked at the inner room and said to the housekeeper, "Summon all the servants in the estate."
The housekeeper took his orders and withdrew to carry them out.
Sheng Lengshuang said, "The person hiding here might be Zhou Wenxing. We truly underestimated Zhou Wenxing; he managed to hide here for so long."
Mo Lingxi replied, "It's not surprising. People die for wealth. As long as Zhou Wenxing offers enough benefits, there will be plenty of people willing to do his bidding."
Sheng Lengshuang understood this, "A large estate isn't always a good thing; you can hide someone without anyone knowing. Search the entire estate again; perhaps you can find some useful clues."
Madam Sheng agreed, "We'll be more careful from now on, and I'll instruct the housekeeper to pay more attention. However, until Zhou Wenxing is caught, we can't rest easy."
Sheng Lengshuang comforted her, "Mother, Zhou Wenxing is a rat in a sewer. No matter how powerful he is, we will catch him. Let's wait patiently."
Madam Sheng knew that this was the only way for now and sighed with a worried expression, "This all started because of me."
Sheng Lengshuang put on a stern face, "How can this be your fault, Mother? It's Zhou Wenxing who is too despicable. It has nothing to do with you."
"Mother-in-law, Sheng Lengshuang is right. You can't be blamed for this," Mo Lingxi said.
Xiao Feng nodded vigorously, "It's all the fault of that big bad guy, Zhou Wenxing, not Grandmother's fault."
Madam Sheng chuckled, "Alright, alright, it's all Zhou Wenxing's fault. Now, I just hope we can catch Zhou Wenxing soon and get rid of this menace."
Sheng Lengshuang and the others hoped so too.
"Mother, let's go and interrogate those servants," Sheng Lengshuang said, supporting Madam Sheng as they walked towards the main hall.
Mo Lingxi handed Xiao Feng over to a hidden guard and asked the guard to take Xiao Feng back to his courtyard. He then followed Madam Sheng and her daughter.
In the main hall.
Sheng Lengshuang glanced at the servants standing below, her expression indifferent, revealing no hint of emotion. "I want to know who helped Zhou Wenxing hide in the estate. If you confess honestly, I will give you a quick end. If you are not honest..."
The servants flinched.
After waiting for a while, seeing that no one was willing to confess, Sheng Lengshuang instructed the housekeeper to use torture, "Whoever reports will receive a reward. If anyone can identify the mole, I will return their deed of sale."
This was a significant incentive, and many servants began to consider it.
Just as the housekeeper was about to use the torture device, a maid with small freckles on her face stepped forward two paces and said timidly, "Miss, what you said is true? Will you really return the deed of sale to the servants?"
Sheng Lengshuang raised her eyelids slightly, "It's true, provided that the person you name is indeed the mole."
"Her!" The maid suddenly pointed at a maid dressed refreshingly and charmingly, "Miss, I personally saw her with quite a few new accessories and silver. Those accessories alone are very valuable, not something a maid could afford."
"Furthermore, she's been dressing up so nicely recently and acting like a concubine, bossing us maids around."
Several other maids nodded in agreement.
"Yes, yes! I can't stand her arrogant attitude. We're all maids, yet she thinks she's something special."
"Didn't you hear her? She said she's about to become a concubine in a wealthy family and is different from us maids. She told us to fawn over her properly, or she'd make us pay later."
"I knew why she's been dressing so beautifully lately. So that's the reason."