Transmigrated Genius: Fragile Heiress Reigns Supreme-Chapter 462 - 465: Visitor (3)

Xiqiu lowered her head to look at Min and quietly winked at him.

Min pursed his lips and unconsciously tightened his grip on Xiqiu’s hand.

The family of three sat around the table having dinner. The nurse stood behind Min serving the dishes, secretly observing Fourth Master Xiao’s expression. Seeing that he wasn’t angry, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief and gratefully looked at Xiqiu.

After finishing the meal, the three of them moved to the Warm Pavilion for tea.

Min sat next to Xiqiu, and Xiqiu asked him, "What did the teacher teach today?" Min replied, "Still teaching the ’Thousand Character Classic,’ we learned the 93rd sentence, ’Kind and compassionate, unwavering in times of emergency...’" Min, following Xiqiu’s daily habit, recited these lines according to Mr. Song’s explanation and added his own understanding.

Xiqiu nodded and was about to speak, but Fourth Master Xiao asked, "What does ’External tutoring and guidance, internal observance of mother’s etiquette’ mean?" This was the 85th sentence Min had already learned!

Xiqiu listened and sighed quietly.

Min’s expression froze for a moment, then he lowered his head and replied word by word, "Outside, heed the teachings of your mentors; at home, adhere to your mother’s guidance."

The topic that had just been dropped was raised again.

Fourth Master Xiao, his face expressionless, asked calmly, "Do you know where you went wrong?"

"I know." Min bowed his head, slid down from the kang, respectfully performed a deep bow to Xiqiu, and said apologetically, "I was wrong; please punish me, Mother!"

Worrying about Min’s embarrassment but unable to refute Fourth Master Xiao’s words, Xiqiu smiled and nodded, "It’s good that Min knows his mistake, Mother is not angry!"

However, Fourth Master Xiao, with a stern face, said, "Go and copy these two lines ten times and hand them in to your mother tomorrow morning."

Min bowed his head and agreed, "Yes!" He then bowed to Xiqiu again and retreated.

Once Min had left, Xiqiu smiled at Fourth Master Xiao and said, "Fourth Master, he’s still young and you might scare him like this."

Fourth Master Xiao was unmoved but didn’t argue back.

Xiqiu continued, "Fourth Master, you probably want to say that at his age, you were already learning martial arts day and night under the guidance of your master, and that Min, in comparison, is being raised in a sheltered environment, is that right?"

Fourth Master Xiao glanced at Xiqiu, raised his eyebrows but didn’t speak.

"Fourth Master!" Xiqiu’s tone softened, and she smiled, "You’re not entirely wrong in thinking that way, but Min is different from other children. He is very sensitive and mature for his age. If you punish him with a stern face, other children may cry for a while and forget it, but he might keep it in his heart, becoming more withdrawn over time!" After saying this, Xiqiu moved to sit opposite Fourth Master Xiao and looked at him.

Fourth Master Xiao drank a sip of tea, remained silent for a long time, then said, "I see!"

With just a nod, Xiqiu changed the subject and asked Fourth Master Xiao for a favor, "Could I request something from Fourth Master?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

She shifted her attitude, smiling on her face.

Fourth Master Xiao felt content at heart and raised his eyebrows as he looked at her, "Hmm?"

Xiqiu’s earlier "education" suddenly seemed justified!

"I would like Fourth Master to send someone to investigate the kind of family the Tongzhou Mansion belongs to." They were her next-door neighbors, and since their estates were adjacent, they would inevitably have interactions. Knowing more about Zhu Sancheng’s dealings there would give her some peace of mind.

However, even if she really wanted to do this, she didn’t necessarily need to ask Fourth Master Xiao; she had many avenues.

Fourth Master Xiao nodded and replied, "I’ll send Tiancheng tomorrow to check it out and let you know when there’s news."

Xiqiu smiled, looked at Fourth Master Xiao, and said, "Thank you, Fourth Master!"

Fourth Master Xiao squinted his long, almond-shaped eyes, looked at Xiqiu with her full-face smile and bright big eyes, and his demeanor softened as he smiled, "An old friend will come to visit tomorrow. You should entertain them."

This time, Xiqiu was stunned. She didn’t have many acquaintances with Fourth Master Xiao’s friends, nor did she know anyone, so she asked in confusion, "Friend? What friend?"

"Nurse Zhang," Fourth Master Xiao said calmly, "She will arrive in the Capital tomorrow and said she wants to see you."

Xiqiu was surprised and blurted out, "Nurse Zhang?" After thinking for a moment, she said, "Is she the Nurse Zhang who treated me at the manor back then?"

Fourth Master Xiao nodded.

"I understand," Xiqiu nodded, considered for a moment, then asked, "Does Fourth Master have any instructions?"

Fourth Master Xiao shook his head, "Handle it as you see fit. Although she appears aloof, she is quite easy to get along with once familiar." He paused and seemed to realize he should tell Xiqiu more about Nurse Zhang’s identity, "Mr. Zhang’s family line has only one heir, and Nurse Zhang is his daughter-in-law. A few years ago, Mr. Zhang’s son died in an accident, and she became a widow. Mr. Zhang took pity on her, living alone, and because of her remarkable talent in medicine, he defied societal norms to make her his disciple..." He paused again, "She has been traveling to various places over the past few years and seldom returns."

Xiqiu nodded, showing a thoughtful expression. Fourth Master Xiao seemed to have high regard for Nurse Zhang, which made her curious. She recalled the day she met her, her elegant and noble temperament, and the way she looked at people with pure eyes, devoid of any judgment or selfishness.

She smiled, "I still must thank Fourth Master." Fourth Master Xiao looked surprised as Xiqiu continued, "Without Fourth Master’s help, how could my illness have been cured so easily? I must thank Nurse Zhang, but even more so, Fourth Master."

Fourth Master Xiao’s lips curved into a smile, not at all surprised that she knew he had invited Nurse Zhang for assistance, saying, "With your condition being so severe, helping you was my duty as your husband, no need to thank."

Xiqiu smiled behind her sleeve, resting her cheeks on her hands, looking at him in a daze.

For a long time, Fourth Master Xiao found her gaze unsettling and coughed dryly, asking, "What are you doing?"

Xiqiu smiled and said, "Compared to Nurse Zhang, Fourth Master is the real noble soul, a kind-hearted and all-seeing sage."

Fourth Master Xiao looked at her playfully and couldn’t help but laugh out loud, tapping Xiqiu’s nose with his finger, "You little girl!"

Xiqiu looked at him, warmth filling her heart.

After Fourth Master Xiao went to freshen up, Xiqiu left the room and headed to Min’s room. Min was sitting properly at his desk, writing his "homework" as assigned by Fourth Master Xiao with one stroke at a time. Seeing Xiqiu come in, he put down his pen, bowed to her, and called out, "Mother!" He added, "I only have two more copies to go and I’ll be done."

The nurse quietly stepped aside and the young maid, Dongling, serving Min, went to make tea for Xiqiu.

Xiqiu saw the neatly stacked pile of completed Xuan papers on the table, smiled, and patted his head, "Finish writing and go to sleep early, otherwise you won’t have the energy for class tomorrow."

But Min shook his head and said, "The teacher’s assigned homework isn’t finished yet."

"Then you hurry and write!" Xiqiu sat beside him and told Chunliu to go back and bring over her embroidery frame, "I’ll sit here for a while."