Chapter 15 Adding Something to the Ink

Everyone in the family stopped using their chopsticks and looked at Ruo Xuan.

Madam Zhao was so shocked that she even retracted her hand!

How on earth did she find out? Her menstruation had only just started!

Could it be that she saw her changing her sanitary pad just now?

Ruo Xuan took another sniff with her little nose, smelled the scent, and asserted, "Third Uncle's wife's stomach pain is caused by menstruation, not hunger!"

This was still when a fox spirit that had transformed into a human shape came to the Ruoshui Riverbank to fetch Ruo Shui. She smelled blood on her and thought she was injured, wanting to heal her.

But she was told that it was menstruation, not an injury, a natural occurrence in the body of an adult female, once a month.

Madam Zhao was furious, this wretched girl kept undermining her authority, how could she continue to eat like this?

Snapping back to reality, Madam Zhao jumped up and started to make an unreasonable fuss, "You little dead girl, stop talking nonsense! What do you know about menstruation, being only three years old? Did Madam Liu teach you? You did this on purpose, didn't you? You whole Ruo Family wants to divorce me, that's why you taught a three-year-old girl to say these things! Ruo He, you ruined my reputation. That day when I woke up, you and I were lying together naked, don't try to deny it now!"

Everyone in the room was made angry by Madam Zhao's words!

What is she talking about?

The children are all here!

Ruo Xuan's little brows furrowed, "I didn't talk nonsense."

If her spiritual power hadn't been exhausted, she would have wished to bestow an Immortal Technique upon herself!

Ruo He was so angry that his face turned dark. Just now, he had a suspicion. He stood up, grabbed Madam Zhao's sleeve, and pulled her, "You're coming with me to see the doctor!"

If it turned out to be true, it would prove that nothing had happened that day! Madam Zhao had deceived him! He would divorce Madam Zhao!

Madam Zhao's face turned pale, "Why should I go see a doctor? Don't you know what you did yourself? I won't go! Wait until the child is born, and you will know if I am truly pregnant. You Ruo Family people are too bullying!"

With that, she yanked her sleeve free and, frightened, ran out of the courtyard, back to her parent's home!

She had to wait until her period was over before coming back!

Ruo He wanted to chase after her, but Granny Lei hurriedly said, "Stop, third son! It's getting dark, if you can't see clearly at night, don't run around recklessly!"

Ruo He was anxious to get to the bottom of this, but whether there's a pregnancy or not couldn't be faked, there was no rush for the moment!

"Mother, if Madam Zhao's pregnancy turns out to be false, it means the Zhao Family has plotted against me, and nothing happened that day, I will divorce her!"

Granny Lei sighed, "But after all, Madam Zhao's reputation is ruined, and you're not unaware of the Ruo Family's family rules."

With Madam Zhao's reaction, the whole family knew her pregnancy was fake!

But anyway, Ruo He and she were already married. Even if it was a plot, Madam Zhao's body had been seen by Ruo He, and that was a fact that couldn't be changed.

The Ruo Family's family rules don't permit irresponsible descendants.

Ruo He got flustered and still wanted to argue his case, "Mother, at that time I…"

Ruo Xuan saw that he was getting anxious and quietly reached out her little paw to tug at his sleeve, "Third Uncle, don't worry!"

Ruo He took a deep breath, indeed he shouldn't rush his mother. He picked up Xuanbao, "Xuanbao, thank you Third Uncle!"

He meant those words he sincerely expressed.

He had always suspected that nothing had happened that day, he just lacked proof.

Now he was certain!

Ruo He finally felt a sense of relief deep down, at least he hadn't done anything to be sorry for Xiao Yi.

Ruo Xuan's little head leaned in close to Ruo He's ear and whispered, "Third Uncle, you and Third Aunt are not bound by a marriage line, your Hongluan Star has only just moved, don't be in a hurry, ha!"

After speaking, she also comforted him by patting his head.

Ruo He felt warmed inside, then calmed down again.

Xuanbao was too young, and she probably heard something about marriage lines and the moving of the Hongluan Star in the temple to comfort him.

"Third Uncle isn't worried anymore, let's eat!"

"Xuanbao, come here, Daddy will hold you! Daddy will feed you meat, the lamb Daddy cooked is delicious!"

Xuanbao saw that her third uncle had completely relaxed, so she felt at ease, "I'll eat it myself, let's have dinner! I want to eat mutton and rabbit meat."

"Alright, dinner! Dinner..."

...

The family sat down to eat again.

Ruo Chuan recounted the incident of selling persimmons, and how the two butlers were vying for them, quickly lightening the mood.

*

As evening approached, the sun departed and the moon made its entrance.

Ruo Shui was copying books in Ruo Chuan's room.

Although the Ruo Family's house was made of blue bricks and tiles, there were many brothers in the household, and grandsons had been born, causing a shortage of living space long ago.

Ruo Shan and Ruo Chuan could only share a room.

After Ruo He got married, he also came to sleep with them to avoid the Zhao Family.

In the evening, to save some lamp oil, the brothers would huddle together in that room, lighting an oil lamp to work on various tasks to earn silver.

Xuanbao ran out of her room and saw light coming from the last room in the east wing. She ran over, leaned on the doorframe, and poked her little head out, knocking on the door.

Ruo Jiang and Ruo Shui were copying books for the bookstore, Ruo Chuan was weaving baskets, and Ruo He, who couldn't see at night due to eye trouble, was applying medicine.

Ruo Chuan immediately saw Xuanbao peeking her little head through the door and hurriedly set down the half-woven bamboo basket he was holding.

"Why has Xuanbao come?"

Xuanbao walked into the room, "What are you all doing?"

Ruo Chuan picked up Xuanbao in one motion, "Why isn't Xuanbao asleep yet?"

"Are you missing Daddy? Daddy is copying books to earn silver!" Ruo Shui put down his pen, reaching to hold Xuanbao, but Ruo Chuan wouldn't allow it.

Ruo Shan said, "Xuanbao, little kids who don't go to bed early won't grow tall, you know!"

Upon hearing his little niece's voice, Ruo He also showed concern, "Is Xuanbao hungry?"

Xuanbao shook her head, "No, I came to find my stone."

Ruo Shui hadn't expected his daughter to still remember the Dingmen Stone before bed, and he spoke softly, "I will have your third uncle polish and carve that stone a bit tomorrow, make some small animals like rabbits and goats to give to you, would that be nice?"

Xuanbao shook her head, "No need, it's fine just the way it is!"

The rabbits and goats were always eating her, so she definitely didn't want to have the Five-Colored Stone shaped into their figures, scaring Huamao!

Xuanbao's gaze fell on the books that Ruo Shui and Ruo Jiang were copying.

"How much money does Daddy and Second Uncle make for copying one book?"

"Fifty wen per book. It's late, Daddy will carry you back to sleep." Ruo Shui picked up that "treasure of the store."

"Wait, I want to see Daddy and Second Uncle copy books, I'll sleep in a bit."

Upon hearing this, Ruo Jiang immediately said, "Come, Second Uncle will teach Xuanbao to recognize characters."

"Okay, thank you Second Uncle!"

Ruo Shui then compromised, "Then let's recognize one character tonight, and then we must go back to sleep."

"Alright." Xuanbao obediently agreed.

Ruo Chuan then set Xuanbao down next to the desk, placing the "treasure of the store" on the table right beside her, with the inkstone next to it.

Ruo Jiang picked up a brush and wrote a neat and tidy 'Xuan' character on some discarded paper.

As he wrote, he explained to Xuanbao, "Second Uncle is writing the character 'Xuan,' it's the 'Xuan' in Xuanbao's name, and it's also the 'Xuan' for daylily. The daylily is worry-free, and our Xuanbao should be carefree and happy for a lifetime, understand?"

"I understand." Xuanbao nodded her little head and then, like a child quietly up to mischief, her little hand stealthily touched the stone and then dabbed the inkstone.

Ruo Shui pressed down Xuanbao's restless little hand, "Xuanbao, you can't touch this, see, your fingers are all black now, just like a little calico cat's paws!"

He took a cloth and cleaned the ink off her fingertips, failing to notice that under the lamp, the ink on the inkstone had smeared slightly, flashing a faint golden light.