"Fine," A Cai sighed. "But you must promise me to be careful, little miss. Don't make a sound."
"Okay~" Su Yun Mo readily agreed, her voice drawn out. Then, she trotted towards the door with her short legs.
Unseen by A Cai, a cunning glint flashed in the little dumpling's eyes.
The door creaked open.
Su Yun Mo tiptoed inside.
Zhou Wan You lay on the bed, fast asleep. Her face was unnaturally pale, her lips devoid of color, giving her a sickly appearance.
Su Yun Mo softly called out, "Mother," but Zhou Wan You didn't stir.
A sharp light flickered in Su Yun Mo's eyes. She reached out and felt Zhou Wan You's pulse, silently praying it wasn't what she suspected.
After a moment, the little dumpling withdrew her hand, her face darkening with a grim expression.
Excellent! Very good!
She hadn't even gone to deal with the Wang family, and Wang Yi had already come knocking!
"Little miss, are you done?" A Cai called softly from outside.
"Just a moment, Mo Mo will be out soon," the little dumpling replied. She took a small white bottle from a glazed lock, extracted a pill, and popped it into Zhou Wan You's mouth.
Then, she stealthily poured some water and helped Zhou Wan You swallow the medicine. Once done, she exited as if nothing had happened.
"How is it? Is Madam awake?" A Cai asked anxiously.
The little dumpling closed the door behind her and shook her head. "Mother isn't awake yet, but Mo Mo thinks she'll wake up soon."
A Cai looked surprised. "How does little miss know?"
The little dumpling tilted her head, adorably. "Do you think Mo Mo can divine the future? Besides, Mo Mo cast a spell on Mother to help her get better."
A Cai blinked, then helplessly shook her head, ruffling the little dumpling's hair. "Our little miss is so amazing."
Children were so good, so innocent and cute, believing in spells.
The little dumpling chuckled and continued, "Does A Cai sister want to know what spell Mo Mo cast?"
A Cai didn't really want to know, but she nodded along with the little dumpling's wishes.
The little dumpling smiled at her, but a fleeting, undetectable danger flashed in the depths of her eyes. "Then A Cai sister must first tell me what happened between Mother and Wang Yi yesterday."
A Cai paused, about to speak.
A red light flashed in Su Yun Mo's eyes.
As if entranced, A Cai recounted everything that had happened yesterday.
It turned out that Zhou Wan You had recently acquired a medical clinic. The contract was supposed to be signed that day, bringing the clinic under her ownership. However, Wang Yi had suddenly appeared and caused trouble.
The contract was not signed, and the clinic remained unopened.
Today was the last day for the contract signing. If the General's Mansion couldn't send someone to handle the matter, the clinic would be handed over.
This wouldn't have been a major issue, except that the clinic was an old establishment, well-known in the business world.
Whoever acquired it would not only inherit the clinic's esteemed name but also its ancestral medicinal formulas.
Zhou Wan You had intended to use this clinic as a stepping stone to break into the pharmaceutical business.
But now, with her illness preventing her from attending, no one in the entire General's Mansion could stand against Wang Yi. The clinic was destined to fall into the Wang family's hands.
"A medical clinic? Heh, things that are within reach shouldn't be snatched away by others," Su Yun Mo sneered.
The red light in her eyes faded.
A Cai suddenly regained her senses, looking at the little dumpling with a hint of confusion. "Did little miss say something just now?"
Su Yun Mo immediately resumed her innocent expression and shook her head, blinking her eyes. "No, Mo Mo didn't say anything. A Cai sister must have misheard."
A Cai frowned, skeptical. "Really?"
"Mhm," Su Yun Mo nodded, standing on tiptoe as she ran towards the courtyard. "Mo Mo has something to do today and needs to go out. A Cai sister, please stay at the mansion and take good care of Mother!"
Seeing the little dumpling disappear in a flash, A Cai shook her head and smiled helplessly, attributing it to a child's playful nature and not thinking much of it.
Meanwhile, the little dumpling left the mansion. Lin Lang had a carriage prepared for her.
The mistress and servant set off together towards the medical clinic.
Before leaving, Su Yun Mo specifically sent someone to the academy to find Lin Si Zhuo.
A crowd had gathered at the entrance of the medical clinic.
Most of them were residents from the street.
They were mostly there to witness the spectacle of the Wang family and the General's Mansion vying for the clinic.
The owner of the clinic had set up two tables in front of it.
It had been agreed upon at a banquet the previous day that the contract would be signed on-site today.
However, as Zhou Wan You was nowhere to be seen, Wang Yi's side was already clamoring to sign the contract.
The clinic owner, unwilling to offend either party, kept delaying, hoping for a bit more time.
Servants milled around behind Wang Yi.
A man in his forties, Wang Yi, sat ostentatiously on a chair, a thumb ring on one hand and a teapot in the other.
He sneered and declared loudly, "How long are we going to wait like this? I'm a newly appointed official with many matters to attend to. I don't have time to waste here."
The clinic owner looked troubled. "But the General's wife agreed that she would come today. Perhaps something has delayed her?"
"If she's delayed by other matters, it means signing this contract isn't important to her. In that case, it's better to sell the clinic to me," Wang Yi waved his hand.
His servants immediately stepped forward, intending to forcibly escort the clinic owner to sign the contract.
"I never thought that even officials of the imperial court would resort to strong-arming and selling these days," a childish voice echoed from the street.
Everyone turned to look.
A carriage bearing the General's Mansion's insignia had stopped in the middle of the road.
Lin Lang alighted and pulled back the carriage curtain.
The anxious crowd rejoiced, "Look, the General's wife is here!"
They jostled each other, eager to catch a glimpse of the General's wife.
But as the curtain was pulled back, a little dumpling emerged.
Her legs were very short, requiring an adult to carry her down from the carriage.
The crowd's expressions froze.
The clinic owner also blinked in surprise. "Where is the General's wife? Why is there a child?"
The little dumpling was carried down from the carriage by Lin Lang and walked towards them from behind the crowd. "My mother is unwell today, so I've come to sign the contract on her behalf."
"This..." The clinic owner's expression was complex.
Before he could speak, Wang Yi burst into laughter, his face filled with mockery. "It seems the General's wife is afraid to face me and has sent a mere child, not yet out of diapers, to block me."
"Is there no one capable of managing the General's Mansion in Su Qing Tian's absence from the capital? Hahaha..."
Others joined in the laughter.
Su Yun Mo didn't get angry. She merely cast a cool glance at him. Once the laughter subsided, she curved her lips and said, "It's not that there's no one to block you."
"It's just that after Mother returned that day, she carefully considered and felt that someone of your caliber, Lord Wang, could be dealt with by a child like me, who isn't even out of diapers yet."