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Chapter 645: Overbearing

Fang Yuying commanded sternly, “Take her away.”

Chu Qingyue faced her with a cold expression, “Second Aunt, she belongs to our main family’s household. It wouldn’t be right for you to take her away, would it?”

Fang Yuying glared at Chu Qingyue, her gaze as if she wanted to devour her alive, “The authority to manage the Ning family still lies in my hands; the people here must listen to me.”

Chu Qingyue, suppressing her inner fear, retorted, “Even so, Grandfather has said that each branch should not interfere with the others. Now that she is with our family, you cannot take her away.”

Chu Qingzhi and Chu Qingning were both surprised to see Chu Qingyue’s assertiveness. Second Sister was showing her mettle!

Fang Yuying clenched her fist, furious inside, “Chu Qingyue, you’re a junior; are you trying to contradict your elder?”

“I meant no disrespect; I was merely stating the facts. Second Aunt, I believe you wouldn’t want to disturb Grandfather with such a trivial matter, would you?”

Fang Yuying internally gnashed her teeth. The old master was just looking for an excuse to hand over the management rights to Chu Qingyue. If this issue were to reach the old master, it would serve as just the excuse he needed.

“Chu Qingyue, I’ll remember today’s incident,” Fang Yuying seethed with anger and pointed at a maid with ulterior motives, “Xiaoling, come and serve me.”

A petite maid ran over, timidly lowering her head, “Second Madam.”

Fang Yuying glanced at the woman in gray and walked towards Grandfather Ning’s courtyard with Xiaoling, “You’re also of marriageable age now; you should be on the lookout for a suitable husband.”

Seeing this, the woman in gray slowly let go of Chu Qingzhi’s clothes and turned to walk away.

Chu Qingyue puzzled, “Why did she leave?”

Chu Qingzhi said, “Let’s follow her.” Then she asked Chunli, “Who is she?”

Chunli whispered, “Her name is Xu Hehua. She was First Madam’s accompanying maid, growing up together with deep affection. After First Madam’s tragic death, her mental state deteriorated. Soon after, her daughter went missing, and her husband, thinking she lost their daughter and went mad, abandoned her. She hasn’t been seen since.”

A few sentences encapsulated the tragic life of a woman, eliciting sighs.

Xu Hehua walked at a steady pace into the most secluded courtyard of the back yard and then sat on a bench to daydream, murmuring softly, “Xiaoling, Xiaoling…”

At the courtyard entrance, Chu Qingzhi told Chu Qingyue and the others, “Wait here for me; I’m going to talk to her.” She had a hunch the woman wanted to tell her something but changed her mind due to Fang Yuying’s appearance.

“Okay.”

Chu Qingzhi entered the courtyard and sat opposite Xu Hehua, “If you tell me what you know, I’ll draw a portrait of your daughter for you.”

Xu Hehua’s eyes brightened, “Really?”

“Truly. I never lie.”

Chu Qingyue and Chu Qingning exchanged glances. Their sister had never seen Xu Hehua’s daughter; how could she draw her?

Chunli was also puzzled but seeing Chu Qingzhi’s confidence, she too became curious.

Xu Hehua began to smile, which soon turned into crying. Her sobs were filled with deep sorrow and suppression, as if she had been holding back for a long time and finally found an outlet.

She revealed…

A year ago, First Madam was overjoyed to discover she was pregnant. At the age of thirty-six or thirty-seven, it was considered late for childbirth, so to avoid any mishaps, First Master Ning decided to take her to see a very famous doctor.

The doctor was a nun residing in a nunnery, only accepting patients who came to her.

The weather was fine when they left, but on the return journey, a downpour started.

While passing a road with a steep slope on one side, a huge rock rolled down, striking their carriage directly.

Xu Hehua was sitting on the carriage shaft at the time and saw the rock falling. In a split second, she jumped off the carriage and dodged it, but the others were not so fortunate.

Though she survived, she felt immense guilt, suffering under the weight of psychological stress until her mental state deteriorated.

Chu Qingzhi was puzzled. After she saved NingYuting, he said that his parents died on the way to visit friends. “Weren’t they visiting friends?”

“To avoid jinxing the pregnancy, it was indeed said to be a visit to friends.”

Chu Qingzhi checked Xu Hehua’s pulse, finding her normal at the moment, “So, what do you want to tell me?”

Suddenly terrified, Xu Hehua began to tremble, “In the rain, I saw two people running down from the slope. I was terrified and never spoke of it…”

Chu Qingzhi’s expression grew stern, “You mean, the rock didn’t fall because of the rain but was deliberately pushed down?”

Xu Hehua nodded, clutching Chu Qingzhi’s clothes tightly, saying with a sense of relief, “Yes, they had sticks in their hands and ran very quickly…”

“Do you remember what they looked like?”

Xu Hehua shook her head hopelessly, “It was pouring; I only saw two figures, not their faces.”

The investigation was becoming increasingly complex…

After comforting Xu Hehua for a while, Chu Qingzhi asked, “You were about to confide in me just now, but why did you then leave?”

Xu Hehua burst into tears, emotionally distressed, “My daughter is also called Xiaoling. Second Madam threatened me with Xiaoling; I was afraid to speak…”

It seems Second Madam is intricately connected to the incident involving Ning Yuting’s parents.

“It’s okay now, you rest. I’ll investigate this thoroughly.”

Xu Hehua knelt down before Chu Qingzhi, overflowing with gratitude, “Thank you, Miss, thank you…” Once the truth is uncovered, First Madam and Master can rest in peace.

Chu Qingzhi fetched ink, brush, paper, and inkstone to draw a portrait of a little girl, coloring it. Once the ink dried, she handed it to Xu Hehua, “Does this look like your daughter?”

“Like, like, very much so…” Xu Hehua held the drawing tenderly, greedily gazing at it.

Chu Qingyue couldn’t help but ask, “Fifth Sister, how could you draw her without ever seeing Xiaoling?”

Chu Qingzhi explained, “This drawing is actually of Xu Hehua as a child. Daughters generally resemble their parents to some extent. By drawing based on Xu Hehua’s features, the little girl in the drawing should resemble her daughter by at least sixty to seventy percent.”

Chu Qingyue nodded, admiringly, “Fifth Sister is indeed clever.”

“I have one last question,” Chu Qingzhi asked Xu Hehua, “Why did you choose to confide in me?”

“I heard everyone say you even dared to strike a princess and are brilliant at solving cases. I figured you must be a fearless and very intelligent girl, so it’s fitting to seek you out.”

“Since you trust me, I’ll arrange a new place for you to live. Would you like to go?”

Xu Hehua was a crucial eyewitness, and Second Madam had clearly become suspicious. If Xu Hehua was left unprotected, it’s likely she wouldn’t survive much longer.

“I’m willing.”

Chu Qingzhi took Xu Hehua away from the Ning residence, to a location known only to Chu Qingzhi.