As soon as Lingzhi pushed the door open, she saw Chuncao and Zishan surrounding Ning'er who was sitting on the couch, chattering non-stop.

She walked over and said with a smile: "It's so lively. What's going on?" Zishan stood up quickly and said with a smile: "Sister Lingzhi, come and see!"

She leaned over to take a look and saw that Ning'er was holding a very cute puppy in her arms. The puppy's hair was fluffy and looked like a ball of wool. Its two round black eyes looked around curiously, and its front paws kept fiddling with the girl's sleeves.

Lingzhi couldn't help but exclaimed: "What a cute dog! Where did it come from?" She reached out and touched its round head, smiling: "Huh? Such a familiar little fellow."

Zishan covered her mouth and laughed: "Don't blame me, it looks familiar. This was sent by the eldest young master."

Lingzhi suddenly realized: "So it is this! That day I saw Master Ying holding it like a treasure, how come he was sent to you, young lady?"

Ning'er was stretching out her hand to gently scratch the puppy's chin, listening to its delicate cries, her eyes and brows tinged with a faint smile.

Chuncao explained, "Master Ying said that he is not at home most of the time, and the puppy will be lonely if he leaves it there. Miss Yao doesn't like cats or dogs. So he sent someone to bring the dog house to Miss Yao."

Lingzhi smiled and said, "That's great. Our room is quiet anyway, so one more won't make a difference. Miss, can you give it a name?"

Ning'er lifted the puppy in her arms high up and said softly, "What should I call you?"

Its short hind legs pawed in the air a few times and it cried out twice. Ning'er stared at the two round spots above its eyes and said thoughtfully, "How about just calling you Plum?"

Chuncao asked: "Thrush? Isn't that the name of the bird?"

Ning'er took the plum back into her arms and said, "It's not the thrush, it's the edible plum." As she said this, she made a sour expression.

Lingzhi smiled and said, "Little Plum, this is a good name. Now is the season of green plums."

Ning Er smiled and said nothing, only lowered her head to tease Xiao Huamei. Liu Ying just lifted the curtain and came in, and saw this scene, and smiled and said: "It seems that the girl has got a treasure."

When Ning Er saw her coming, she carefully handed the dog in her arms to Chun Cao and said with a smile, "Sister Liu is here."

Seeing that she still looked listless, Liu Ying knew that Ning'er had not recovered yet. She approached and teased the puppy for a while before saying to her with a smile, "How are you feeling now, young lady? The second master sent someone to say that he has brought the person here personally. It's just that it's not convenient for us to meet in your boudoir."

Ning'er closed her eyes slightly and went over the whole thing in her mind. When she opened her eyes again, she was clear-headed: "I think the Second Master has made all the arrangements."

Liu Ying said, "The back house to the south of the main courtyard of Delinzhai is quiet and secluded. The second master has asked Xiangming to clean it up, and he is waiting there for the young lady to come over."

Ning'er nodded and said, "This is a very appropriate arrangement." She waved her hand and said, "Chuncao, come with me. Lingzhi, go and clean up Huamei's room. We will move back with her when the time comes."

----

Before entering the main courtyard, Xiang Ming came forward to greet Ning'er. Ning'er smiled and said, "Sister is not with the Marquis, why did you come out?"

Xiang Ming smiled and welcomed her in: "The second master told me that the young lady wanted to use the room. So I came here eagerly, hoping to see you."

Ning'er followed her inside and asked with a smile, "What advice do you have?"

Xiang Ming said hurriedly, "I dare not give you any advice, but I am just passing on a message from our Lord. Miss, now that you are done with your work here, do you have time to visit the Lord? I see that the Lord is thinking about you."

When the Marquis was mentioned, Ning'er's mind came up with the cold and distant Shen Chongyan in her nightmare, and she felt indescribably awkward. She curled her lips and smiled, neither agreeing nor refusing, but just saying, "Thank you for your hard work, Sister Xiangming."

The back house is different from other courtyard houses. Its doors and windows face north, and there is a small tall window on the south wall. Although its opening is limited, it can still let in some light, so that the house is not too dark.

Chuncao carefully helped Ning'er in. Shen Chongyao was sitting in an armchair on the south side, looking very worried. When he saw her, he slightly relaxed his brows and said, "Young lady, you are here. Please sit down."

Ning Er bowed to him, sat down on the chair on the right, and asked softly, "Thank you, Second Master. Where is Madam Li?"

Shen Chongyao looked at Ning'er and saw that she looked pale and timid. He hesitated and advised her, "The steward is inside. If you have anything you want to ask, just tell me and I will pass on the message, how about that?"

Ning Er assured him, "Second Master, don't worry, I will never joke about my body. Just stay by my side and keep an eye on me."

Shen Chongyao couldn't persuade her, so he clapped his hands. Feixing came out with his hands down, followed by a thin woman. He whispered, "Master, the person is here."

Ning Er immediately said, "Look up."

She suppressed her inner disgust and looked at her appearance carefully. She had a pair of inverted eyebrows, slightly bulging eyes, and sharp thin lips under her long nose.

Except that she was a little younger, she looked exactly like the Lady Li she saw in her nightmare when she was unconscious.

Shen Chongyao stared at Ning'er nervously, fearing that she would see that Madam Li was unwell. Seeing that Ning'er looked normal, he finally put his mind at ease.

She spoke slowly, as if she was thinking about how to start: "What is your relationship with Qiu Yun?"

The lady in charge secretly groaned, why did it end up with her after all the twists and turns?

As soon as she hesitated, Shen Chongyao slammed the table and glared at her, "How did you learn the rules? You don't even know how to answer the master's question!"

Shen Chongyao had great prestige in the servants' hearts. Seeing him so angry, Li was afraid and leaned over and said, "Let the young lady know that there is really no Qiu Yun in our laundry room. The master has also checked this matter."

Ning Er said, "You are wrong. What I asked was about your relationship with Qiu Yun, not whether she was in the laundry room."

"Lingzhi told me that Qiujun is the daughter of Master Ying's wet nurse. Coincidentally, her last name is also Li." She said affirmatively: "You must know her, right?"

Li had a lot of grievances to complain about, but now they were all stuck in her throat and she could not help but stammer twice.

Seeing her like this, Shen Chongyao knew that Ning'er had hit the nail on the head, and he said in surprise, "Mrs. Li, I've seen your name list, and your background is crystal clear. It doesn't say that you have a past with Madam Li. How dare you lie and conceal it?"

Falsifying one's identity was a very serious matter for a slave. Madam Li hurriedly defended herself, "Master, please understand. I dare not lie! I am not a relative of Madam Li. If I really wanted to fake my identity, why would I keep this suspicious surname?"

Ning Er glanced at her and said, "You don't have to tell me this. Just tell me and the Second Master, do you know Qiu Yun?"

Shen Chongyao added quietly, "Ms. Li, I advise you to think carefully before you speak on this issue."

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