Old Madam Zuo pursed her lips and said, "No matter how good others are, they aren't my great-grandson. I still think my Jiu Ji is the smartest and most handsome!"
Jiu Ji chuckled, "Great-Grandma, you'll really like little Ye when you see him! I like him a lot."
"Husband, what kind of business does that family run?" Madam Wang asked.
"They're merchants," Zuo Siming smiled. He hesitated, then frowned, "However, I noticed some strange things."
"What things?" Madam Wang's heart tightened. Her husband was an innocent old man, and she feared someone might be setting a trap for him.
Zuo Siming rose to close the doors and windows, lowering his voice, "This matter is very strange. The more I think about it, the more wrong it feels."
"Oh, what is it? Hurry up and tell me!" Madam Wang urged. She was impatient and couldn't stand people beating around the bush or keeping secrets.
Zuo Siming whispered, "Wife, do you still remember what Baili Ranran, the eldest daughter of the Baili family, looked like?"
Madam Wang furrowed her brows, thinking, "I remember some. That young girl was truly beautiful. Although I only met her a few times when she was engaged to our fourth son, I have a deep impression of her."
"Baili Ronghe, the eldest son of the Baili family, and I were childhood friends. I used to visit the Baili family often and was very familiar with that young girl. Yesterday, I went to the Lu family, and I inexplicably felt that their three sons all looked very much like Baili Ranran," Zuo Siming said.
"But... wasn't the Baili family exterminated, with no survivors?" Madam Wang also found it unbelievable.
Old Madam Zuo sighed, her eyes brimming with tears, "Hundreds of people, not a single survivor. Madam Baili, my good sister!"
Old Master Zuo, lying on the bamboo chair, perked up his ears, his eyes also showing a look of confusion.
Zuo Siming exclaimed, "This is just one strange thing. There's another, and I'm afraid it will frighten you if I say it."
"Oh, stop keeping me in suspense, just say it," Madam Wang slapped Zuo Siming.
Zuo Siming took a deep breath and whispered, "The Lu family has another daughter, thirteen years old this year. If the three boys resemble Baili Ranran, then this young girl is even more astonishing. She looks exactly like my fourth brother!"
"Fourth brother?!" Old Madam Zuo's body trembled, almost sliding off her chair.
Old Master Zuo strained his neck, tilting his head to look at Zuo Siming.
"Since ancient times, daughters resemble their fathers and sons resemble their mothers. Our fourth brother has been missing for many years. Could that young girl be fourth brother's child?" Madam Wang was extremely shocked.
Zuo Siming sighed, "I thought so too at first. But I asked Young Master Lu, and he said his father's name is Lu Dajiang, from Tianshui Town in Tasha County of Bianzhou. He's a father with a proper name and surname, not our fourth brother at all."
"That makes it even stranger," Madam Wang hissed. "These boys resemble their mother, and the girl resembles her father. Moreover, Baili Ranran and our fourth brother had a marriage engagement. Fourth brother ran away from home and was never heard from again. This... is truly too bizarre!"
Old Madam Zuo shed tears, "Da Mingzi, you promised Mother that you would still find time to look for your fourth brother. You can't give up on him!"
"Mother, don't be sad," Zuo Siming immediately comforted Old Madam Zuo. "Although this is strange, it... it's a clue, isn't it? Don't worry, I won't give up looking for fourth brother."
Madam Wang got up and walked to Old Madam Zuo's side, taking a handkerchief to gently wipe her tears, and said in a soft voice, "Mother, don't be sad. Fourth brother has good fortune on his side. Maybe he'll come back one day."
Lying beside them, the former Marquis of Wenshan, Zuo Tai Zheng, Old Master Zuo, also had two tears slide down his eyes, making "ah ah ah" sounds.
"Great-Grandpa, what's wrong?" Jiu Ji grabbed his great-grandfather's hand, his face filled with worry.
Zuo Siming walked over, sat beside Old Master Zuo, and gently patted his father's shoulder. "Father, don't worry. I will definitely investigate this matter slowly. That little girl named Lu Hua not only resembles fourth brother, but also resembles our family's girls in some ways. There must be an unknown reason behind this."
Only then did Old Master Zuo nod with teary eyes.
The school in the mansion was being renovated by Jin, Mu, Shui, and Tu. Lu Ye continued to investigate the Baili family case. Bai Sheng and Consort Mei would visit the Red Powder Beauty shop to investigate what other medicines customers needed when they were tired from refining medicine.
Lu Qi helped Lu Yin sell underwear and sanitary napkins on the second floor, while Lu Hua sold various intimate medicines with Su Jinfeng on the third floor. The first floor was mainly managed by Ding Xiang, Ga Mei, and Lu Hua.
Bai Sheng went to the second floor to check out the new line of erotic lingerie she had developed. She personally bought several sets, planning to try them out when she got back. She wondered if Lu Ye would get a nosebleed.
She also gave two sets to Consort Mei. Consort Mei blushingly said she didn't have that kind of life and didn't need them.
Bai Sheng insisted on pushing the lingerie into her hands, firmly stating that she would definitely need them in the future.
Bai Sheng was already planning how to get Consort Mei out of the palace permanently, so that she and her third uncle could finally be together, and then have a litter of cubs for the Baili family.
As the two were whispering, a quarrel suddenly erupted from downstairs. They exchanged confused glances and hurried downstairs.
They saw Su Jinfeng arguing with two boys.
Bai Sheng remembered the two boys; they were Su Jinfeng's sons.
Upon seeing Bai Sheng, Su Jinfeng said embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, Madam, for disturbing the shop's business. I'll take them out now."
The older boy, about thirteen or fourteen, forcefully shook off Su Jinfeng's hand and yelled loudly, "What is there to be ashamed of? I'll say it here! You don't even raise your own sons, are you afraid of being talked about?"
Su Jinfeng looked at her elder son with extreme disappointment and said sarcastically, "Didn't you call me promiscuous and say the money I earned was dirty? Why, now you don't find me dirty anymore?
I raised you with my own hands, changing your diapers. Back then, your father colluded with outsiders to bully me. As my own sons, did you ever say a word for me, your mother?
The night I was divorced, I came back specifically to find you, hoping you would come with me. But you didn't even look at me and told me you already had a new mother and to get lost.
From that moment on, I considered myself to have never given birth to you two, and I was heartbroken to have given birth to two ungrateful brats. So, get out. I am not your mother, and don't expect me to raise you!"
The elder son bit his lip, remaining silent, his face sullen.
The younger son, about eight or nine years old, cried, "Mother, don't abandon us. Father already abandoned us. He and his new wife have a son, and his new wife beats us every day and doesn't give us food, boo hoo..."
"Serves you right!" Su Jinfeng said coldly, tears welling in her eyes.
The elder son glared at Su Jinfeng with intense hatred, "You are our biological mother, you should raise us!"
Su Jinfeng smiled sadly, "Your father is your biological father, and your new wife is your biological mother. I am not your biological mother. Moreover, your father's divorce letter clearly states that you belong to him and have nothing to do with me. So, hurry up and get lost."