Chapter 38 Buried in the Soil

Although the Eldest Young Mistress was not particularly pleased, she found it difficult to refuse directly when her brother-in-law made the request in such a setting. She replied, "Of course, go ahead and give it to Yueya."

Though she had agreed, she did not explicitly say it was a gift. Meng Wenxuan understood her hesitation; if it were him, he would never give away a jade pendant that Tangtang had gifted him to anyone else.

"Thank you, Sister-in-law. Wenxuan is too indulgent with Yueya. I happen to have a high-quality piece of raw stone; I will have Qingguo deliver it to you later, so you can have a pair of bracelets crafted," Lin Yuntang said quickly.

Knowing that her daughter was the one making the request and that her husband had acted rather shamelessly in borrowing the pendant from his sister-in-law, she immediately offered a conciliatory gift. It must be said that Meng Wenxuan and his wife worked together perfectly, and the Eldest Young Mistress felt much better immediately.

Her tone became much more sincere. "There is no need for you to send any stone, Seventh Sister-in-law. Let Yueya play with it; she can just return it when she is done. If it weren't for the fact that this was a gift for your eldest brother during our wedding, I would have given it to Yueya entirely."

Even with her sister-in-law speaking this way, Lin Yuntang would not truly take advantage of her; the stone would still be sent. Although she had been pampered in the Lin family, she was not ignorant of social graces. Having traveled far and wide with her eldest brother, she was well-versed in the ways of the world.

Meng Wenxi glanced at his younger brother and caught a meaningful look from him. Thinking of Jiaoyue’s unique abilities, his heart sank; he realized that his own jade pendant likely had a problem.

He immediately took the pendant off and handed it to Jiaoyue, saying jokingly, "You little girl, you certainly have a good eye, taking a fancy to the pendant your eldest aunt gave me. Play with it carefully and don't break it. If your aunt cries, I won't be able to console her, and I'll have no choice but to give you to your aunt as her own daughter to make up for it."

Everyone laughed.

Master Meng looked at his young granddaughter and then at his eldest son, his gaze darkening. It seemed that his promise to gift the Lanzhi Mountains to her after Jiaoyue’s coming-of-age ceremony was not enough to satisfy the culprit, who had now struck again. And to target his eldest son—this time, they were truly trying to destroy the Meng family!

Jiaoyue’s tiny hands could not hold such a large jade pendant, so she merely gripped the cord while Meng Wenxuan helped his daughter hold it. Jiaoyue yawned, and Meng Wenxuan caught the signal immediately; his daughter wanted to return to their courtyard.

"Father, Mother, Yueya is sleepy. I will take her back to rest," Meng Wenxuan said.

Jiaoyue cooperated by yawning again, then closed her eyes, her little hand still clutching the cord of her uncle's jade pendant.

Master Meng nodded. "Go ahead. Children grow fast when they get plenty of sleep."

Meng Wenxuan glanced at the table where the women were sitting and exchanged a look with his wife, signaling her to continue eating in peace, before carrying his daughter away.

Lin Motang had been keeping a close watch on his younger sister and brother-in-law. Seeing Meng Wenxuan’s every move today, he knew this was not a performance for his benefit; this was simply how they were in their daily life. For a woman in her husband's home to be able to let her husband look after the child without any complaints from her parents-in-law was something even their own Lin family could not achieve. He sighed inwardly, marveling once more at his sister’s sharp eye; the husband she had chosen for herself was indeed exceptional.

***

Meng Wenxuan carried Jiaoyue back to their courtyard.

Jiaoyue immediately became spirited. She pointed her tiny finger toward the room where her parents stayed, and Meng Wenxuan quickened his pace into their quarters. Once in the outer room, Jiaoyue pointed toward the bedroom. Meng Wenxuan entered, and Jiaoyue then pointed toward the orchid pot where the pink jade was buried.

Meng Wenxuan was stunned. Could it be that his daughter wanted to bury his eldest brother's jade pendant in the orchid pot as well?

"Yueya, do you want to bury your eldest uncle's jade pendant in the orchid pot?" Meng Wenxuan asked.

Jiaoyue immediately let out an "ah."

Meng Wenxuan hesitated, then asked again, "Does it have to be buried in there?"

After all, this jade was a gift from his sister-in-law to his brother; it could not stay there forever. Once the problem was resolved, it would have to be returned. Yet, his daughter wanted it buried in the soil. He was unsure if she had discovered a danger or if she simply liked burying things in flowerpots.

He tried asking, "Is there something wrong with this jade?"

Jiaoyue let out an "ah."

Meng Wenxuan's gaze turned cold. "Is this jade poisonous?"

Jiaoyue made an "oh" sound. The black energy wasn't poison; it was something that drained human fortune, but she couldn't explain that. Seeing that it wasn't poison, Meng Wenxuan felt a bit of relief, completely unaware that it was far more dangerous than poison. Poison would only harm his brother, but this threatened the entire Meng family.

He had been worried that the pendant was poisoned, which would mean his brother was already afflicted. If it wasn't poison, then what was the problem?

Meng Wenxuan asked again, "Does this jade pose a danger to your eldest uncle?"

Jiaoyue let out an "ah."

Meng Wenxuan understood instantly, and his heart tightened again. "Yueya, by burying it in the pot, do you want us to realize there is something wrong with the jade? Is that it?"

Jiaoyue let out another "ah," this one filled with delight, clearly happy that her father had understood her meaning. It must be said that his father had become Jiaoyue’s brain and voice.

***

Having learned this much, there was no point in asking further. Since his daughter could not speak, knowing this much was already remarkable.

Meng Wenxuan held his daughter with one arm and used the other to bury his brother's jade pendant next to the pink jade. Recalling the pink jade, he remembered the scene where his daughter had insisted on burying it in the pot, and he realized belatedly, "Yueya, is there a problem with the pink jade, too?"

Jiaoyue let out an "ah."

Meng Wenxuan’s expression darkened. If there was a problem with the pink jade, it meant Zhao Chengye had tampered with it. After all, besides his father, his brother, and himself, only Zhao Chengye had touched it, as he had carved it himself. It wasn't poison, so he couldn't imagine what kind of trick could be played on the jade.

"Is the problem with the pink jade the same as the one with your uncle's?"

Meng Wenxuan realized then that this was not just a plot against his daughter and brother, but likely the prelude to an attack on the entire Meng family.

"Ah."

Meng Wenxuan took a deep breath; his father and brother had to know about this.

"Yueya, we are going to your maternal grandparents' house with your eldest uncle today. It will take a long time. Is it okay if we leave this flowerpot for your grandfather and eldest uncle to watch over?"

His brother-in-law had come to take his wife and daughter to the maternal family's home. He couldn't possibly feel at ease letting them go alone with the long distance, and since someone was targeting his daughter, he would be going along as well. He didn't know if burying the jade in the pot would cause changes that would make them understand the problem, but he had no other choice than to leave it to his father and brother.

He looked at the orchid. The pink jade had been buried for seventeen days. The orchid didn't seem to have changed, but perhaps it was his imagination—it seemed a little less vibrant.

Jiaoyue did not object and cooperated with an "ah." As long as they discovered the problem with the two pieces of jade, it didn't matter if it was her father or her grandfather and uncle who found out.

"Yueya is wonderful and very smart. You must be tired; go to sleep. We'll leave the rest for your grandfather and uncle to handle." Meng Wenxuan unceremoniously pushed the burden onto his father and brother.

Jiaoyue thought to herself that her grandfather and uncle couldn't handle this either; she would still have to find a way, otherwise, she wouldn't feel safe with these two jades anywhere.