Chapter 267
Chapter 267
Nanny Luo listened carefully again but heard no more crying. Only then did she furrow her brows and step into Liangqi Courtyard.
She was still muttering to herself, thinking she must be getting old. Otherwise, why would she have heard a baby crying?
After all, the little Heir was the only child in Prince An's Manor.
And since the Prince and Miss Li had not yet married, it was impossible for them to have a child at this time.
At this thought, Nanny Luo sighed. She hoped the Prince and Miss Li would marry as soon as possible and add a few more children to the manor. It would certainly be lively then.
Realizing where her thoughts were going, Nanny Luo quickly shook her head and silently scolded herself. What was she thinking about?
Right now, she was supposed to be asking the little Heir why he had returned so early today.
Looking around Liangqi Courtyard, Nanny Luo did not see Xu Qingshi.
"Young Heir?" Nanny Luo called out.
"Have you hidden her well? She is about to come in!" Xie Yanzhi said nervously to Xu Qingshi, who was on the bed.
"She is hidden. But what if she cries?" Xu Qingshi was incredibly anxious.
He had no idea how this little creature could cry so much.
She had even managed to attract Nanny Luo's attention.
If Nanny Luo discovered there was a baby in his courtyard, he would not know how to explain it.
"Can you not just cover her mouth?" Jiang Yu asked cautiously.
Hearing this, Xu Qingshi quickly reached out, intending to cover Gu Nuonuo's little mouth. However, the tiny infant grabbed one of his fingers and pulled it into her mouth.
"Mmph..." Xu Qingshi was about to cry out but, remembering that Nanny Luo was about to enter, he quickly bit back the sound. He then realized that the little one had actually grabbed his hand, shoved it into her mouth, and started sucking on it.
Not hearing the baby cry anymore, Xu Qingshi ignored everything else and breathed a sigh of relief.
Besides, it did not hurt when this little rascal bit him anyway.
"Young Heir, what is wrong?" Nanny Luo asked nervously as she stepped into the inner chamber and saw Xu Qingshi lying on the bed.
"Nanny, I am fine. I am just a little tired and want to sleep for a while," Xu Qingshi said guiltily, sweating bullets.
"Young Heir, why are you sweating so much?" Nanny Luo looked at the beads of sweat on Xu Qingshi's forehead in confusion. She stepped forward, wanting to wipe his brow.
"I am fine!" Xu Qingshi shouted in panic. He was terrified that if Nanny Luo got any closer, she would discover his hidden secret.
Standing to the side, Xie Yanzhi and Jiang Yu were also wiping their sweat incessantly, praying in their hearts that the baby would not cry at this exact moment.
"Young Heir, have you fallen ill? I will call for Dr. Zhang to come and take a look at you in a moment! Look at how red your little face is." Nanny Luo completely forgot to ask why Xu Qingshi had returned so early, assuming that the Young Heir must have come back ahead of schedule because he was feeling unwell.
However, she then glanced at Xie Yanzhi and Jiang Yu nearby. For some reason, it seemed to her that they were also feeling quite hot.
"Are you two feeling hot?" Nanny Luo asked in confusion.
"No!"
"No, not at all!"
"Do not feel hot at all!"
Three voices rang out simultaneously without a second thought.
"Then why are your foreheads covered in sweat?" Nanny Luo asked, still puzzled.
"We were just playing outside, and we got hot from playing," Xu Qingshi said without missing a beat, his eyes darting around.
"Yes, exactly!"
The other two boys quickly chimed in their agreement.
Nanny Luo frowned. Although she felt that something was off, looking at the boys' earnest faces, they did not seem to be lying. Children loved to run around and cause a ruckus, so this was not anything unusual.
Was she overthinking things?
With this in mind, Nanny Luo remembered that the Dowager Princess was probably waiting for her report, so she decided to head back first.
"Since the Young Heir is fine, I shall take my leave for now. I will return shortly with Dr. Zhang to have him examine you," Nanny Luo said with a smile.
"Nanny, hurry and go back. Grandmother must be waiting anxiously," Xu Qingshi quickly urged Nanny Luo to leave.
Nanny Luo stood up, cast one last glance at Xu Qingshi on the bed, and turned to leave.
However, just as she was about to step out the door, Gu Nuonuo on the bed finally realized that what she was sucking on was not the milk she usually drank. She was still hungry.
"Waaah... Waaah... Waah!" A baby's cries echoed through the room.
This sent all three boys into an absolute panic!
Xu Qingshi's first reaction was to try and cover the baby's mouth!
Xie Yanzhi and Jiang Yu simply covered their ears.
They hoped against hope that Nanny Luo had not heard it.
"What is that sound?" This time, Nanny Luo heard it clearly—it was the cry of a baby.
Seeing Xu Qingshi pressing down on the quilt, she completely forgot her place as a servant. Without a second thought, she marched straight over and threw off the covers.
There, lying on Xu Qingshi's bed, was a tiny infant barely a month old.
The baby was crying so hard that her face had turned red. Her little body was covered in moisture—it was hard to tell if it was sweat or tears—likely caused by being smothered under the quilt when Xu Qingshi hid her.
Seeing that the child was unharmed, Nanny Luo breathed a sigh of relief. Yet, she could not believe her eyes. How could there be a baby in the Young Heir's room?
Nanny Luo quickly picked the baby up.
Xu Qingshi stared with wide eyes, completely forgetting to react for a moment.
Only one thought echoed in his mind: It is over. Nanny Luo found her!
Xie Yanzhi and Jiang Yu stood frozen to the side, completely at a loss for what to do.
As Nanny Luo held the baby, she realized that the child was actually wrapped in Xu Qingshi's clothes. She sighed inwardly, completely baffled as to where this infant had come from.
However, right now, it was obvious that the child was hungry.
With this in mind, Nanny Luo decided she needed to prepare some goat milk to feed the baby first, otherwise the poor thing would starve.
As for where the baby came from, Nanny Luo figured she would let the Dowager Princess ask the Young Heir later. It was not a question a servant like her had the right to ask.
"Young Heir, and you two young masters, please make your way to Ci'an Hall shortly!" Nanny Luo said with a heavy sigh. She then turned, ready to take the little pink dumpling to find some food.
Who knew how long the child had been hungry? With such a beautifully delicate baby, how frantic must her family be, knowing she was lost?
"Nanny Luo, where are you taking her?" Seeing Nanny Luo about to leave with the baby, Xu Qingshi finally snapped out of his daze. He hastily jumped out of bed, grabbed the hem of Nanny Luo's clothes, and asked anxiously.
At that moment, Xu Qingshi was terrified that Nanny Luo was going to throw Gu Nuonuo away.
"I am just going to find something for the child to eat first," Nanny Luo replied truthfully.
"Then leave her here." Xu Qingshi was unwilling to let Nanny Luo take the baby away.
He was afraid that once the baby left his sight, she would be abandoned.
"Young Heir, then why do you and the two young masters not accompany me to Ci'an Hall?" Nanny Luo thought for a moment. Instead of putting the baby down, she decided to take the child with her to Ci'an Hall.
Xu Qingshi bit his lip and glanced at Xie Yanzhi and Jiang Yu. He knew that going to Ci'an Hall meant he would inevitably face a scolding from his grandmother.
He figured it would be better if he just went alone.
"I will go with you. This has nothing to do with them," Xu Qingshi said quietly.
"We will go with you," Xie Yanzhi and Jiang Yu said without hesitation as they walked over.
After all, the three of them had found and brought the baby back together. Whether they were right or wrong, they all shared the responsibility.