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Ruyi Rouge Pavilion
"Grandma?" Yunxi looked at Xing Ruyi in confusion, her finger unconsciously pointing in a direction. "On the day of the incident, Father-in-law ordered the butler to remove Grandma's body from this courtyard. Later, when the officials arrived, that young lady's stepbrother was also present. He found it suspicious that Grandma had died and ordered her body to be sent to the Yamen's mortuary."
"Is it possible for the Young Lady to confirm?"
Yunxi nodded slightly in surprise.
"That day, my husband was also in a very bad mood. When he returned home, he kept his head down and said nothing. After I asked him, he told me about what had happened in the manor. The young lady knows that Yunxi is somewhat involved in these matters, so she felt uneasy and asked more carefully. Fortunately, my husband was troubled at the time and didn't pay much attention, so he told me everything he knew. My husband never lies; if he said Grandma's body was sent to the mortuary, then it must be true."
"If Grandma's body has already been sent to the mortuary, then who is lying in that room?"
"What? There's still someone lying in that room..." Yunxi's expression changed slightly as she stood on her toes and glanced inside. "Are you saying that Grandma is still lying on that bed?"
"To be honest with you, Young Lady, on the day Luo Fu got married, I saw this Grandma from a distance on the street. I recognized her then. Now, hearing what you said, Fox Demon hopes that my eyes have deceived me."
Yunxi bit her lip and said to Xing Ruyi, "Ruyi, please wait a moment." With that, she turned and left.
After a while, Yunxi hurried back inside with someone following her—a child who had previously led Xing Ruyi and Deer Lady into the house. Upon seeing Xing Ruyi, the child respectfully lowered his head but did not speak.
"Although Grandma was married before, she did not live like a Fox Demon and never bore any children. This child is considered her adopted son raised outside the manor; he would only come back during festivals to visit Grandma. Bringing him here to identify someone may be a bit cruel, but after all, she is his adoptive mother. Even if others might mistake her identity, he would never be wrong."
Yunxi pushed the child forward to stand in front of Xing Ruyi.
Xing Ruyi bent down slightly and looked into the child's eyes. "You are still young; what you might see inside may not be suitable for you. But just like Young Lady said, if the person lying here really is your adoptive mother, then there may be more truths hidden regarding her death. So I will give you some time to think about whether you are willing to enter this door or not."
The child did not hesitate much and nodded directly.
Xing Ruyi stood up and took the child's hand, leading him into the room.
"Sister Ruyi, you need to listen carefully to what I am about to say. The person on the bed has been dead for a long time, and the body has already begun to decay. Besides the unpleasant smells in this room, her appearance has changed and is quite terrifying. After seeing her, you might even have a few nightmares. However, Sister Ruyi assures you that aside from being a bit scared, you will not suffer any harm. Also, if you cannot recognize her, do not force yourself; after all, that person's appearance has changed so much that even an adult might not be able to identify her clearly. So please do not feel any psychological burden, okay?"
The child nodded and then looked up at Xing Ruyi again. "Miss, it was so frightening just now. When you came in to look, did you feel scared?"
"Of course not!" Xing Ruyi looked into the child's eyes, surprised that he would ask such a question at this moment. "Did you forget? I am a doctor. As a doctor, I have seen all kinds of patients, including dead ones. In fact, no matter how terrifying a dead person may be, they cannot do anything to you. It’s some living people who can be much more frightening than the dead."
The boy's eyes suddenly flashed, and he replied, "I've heard that it's hard to gauge a person's heart. Don't worry, sister; I’m not that timid. Besides, I've seen quite a few dead people myself."
The child said this and quickly took two steps forward. Upon seeing the corpse lying on the bed, he instinctively turned around and covered his eyes with his hands.
Seeing this, Xing Ruyi felt a bit sorry for him and quickly walked over. "If you're scared, we can go outside. There must be others in this house who know the Nursemaid besides you."
"I'm not scared! I'm not afraid! I can't be afraid!"
The child muttered to himself and turned back around. He first opened his fingers slightly to create a gap and then slowly lowered his hands.
After looking for a while, the child turned around and looked into Xing Ruyi's eyes. "You're right; this person is my Stepmother. Although her face is swollen and distorted, I can recognize her; she is my Stepmother because she looks just like this in the countless nightmares I've had."
The boy then revealed a strange smile.
Xing Ruyi looked at him in confusion but heard him exclaim in a loud voice: "She’s dead! She’s really dead! That's great! She can never come back to life!"
With that, the child smiled but tears streamed down his face as he squatted on the ground and began to cry softly.
"Can you tell me why you acted that way just now? Do you harbor some resentment or fear towards your Stepmother in your heart?"
The child looked up at Xing Ruyi's eyes and asked her, "Do you know what a Stepmother is? Have you ever seen a Stepmother?"
Xing Ruyi nodded her head and said, "I am not married yet, but I have a child, just like you, a boy."
"Then will you hit him?" the Boy asked hesitantly.
Xing Ruyi seemed to understand something. She looked back at the Boy with a serious expression and replied earnestly, "If I have never scolded him, then it must be false. But at the same time, I love him very much because he is the first person in this world to call me Mother."
"Then he is much luckier than I am. Miss, you are also a very good Stepmother," the Boy said, pointing behind him. "But she is not. Although she raised me, I have always hoped deep down that she would die soon. But now that she is really dead, I am not as happy as I thought I would be. Miss, you are a doctor; can you tell me what is wrong with me?"
"It’s not your fault!" Xing Ruyi gently patted the Boy's back. "No matter what you have experienced in the past, from this moment on, I hope you remember her goodness in your heart and not her faults. Because she is already dead, and she died so tragically; she has paid the price for everything she did in the past. You are a good child; you should not bear the consequences of her abuse nor should you live forever in the shadow of her actions. Do you understand what I mean?"
The Boy pressed his lips tightly together and remained silent for a while.
"Come on, get up. Sister will take you out. From now on, you don't need to come into this room or this courtyard anymore. I will talk to Young Lady and let you stay with the Luo Family. You are still young and can read and write; even if the future doesn’t hold better outcomes, at least it will allow you to live better in the Luo Family."
"Ruyi!" As the Boy hurried to the door, he suddenly grabbed Xing Ruyi's arm. "Sister Ruyi, there’s one more thing I want to tell you."
"Sure, as long as it’s something I can do, I will agree to it."
The Boy shook his head first and then asked, "Are there really ghosts in this world?"
"If your heart is clear, there are no ghosts in this world; but if your heart harbors guilt, then you will see countless ghosts around you," Xing Ruyi looked directly into the child's eyes. "Next, do you want to tell Sister that you have seen a ghost?"
The Boy shivered slightly and then nodded. "In recent days, I've been seeing my Stepmother between dreams and reality. No, it's not that I see her; it's that I hear her. Just before dawn each day, I hear a strange sound of footsteps followed by knocking on the door, and then I hear my Stepmother calling my name. I asked the butler about it; he said that it was a ghost calling for someone. If I respond, my soul will be taken by my Stepmother to the Underworld."
Fear quickly surfaced in the Boy's eyes.
"Sister Ruyi, to be honest, I am not afraid of the dead, nor am I afraid of ghosts, but I am afraid of becoming a ghost myself. I fear that while I am alive, she will hit me and scold me, and after I become a ghost, she will continue to drag me into the Underworld to keep hitting and scolding me."
"If you are worried about this, then I can assure you, sister, it won't happen. Even when you die in the future and go to the Underworld, you will not encounter your Stepmother. You won't be hit or scolded by her." Xing Ruyi said, raising one hand. "Sister Ruyi guarantees it!"
The Boy looked at Xing Ruyi's gesture, paused for a moment, then pointed to a puddle by the bed. "Sister Ruyi, did you notice that puddle just now?"
Xing Ruyi nodded patiently, waiting for the Boy to continue.
"Every time the Stepmother's knocking stops, when I open the door, I see a puddle like that left in front of the door. I know there are ghosts in this world; the Stepmother really did come to call on me." The Boy clenched his hands tightly and bit his lip hard before saying to Xing Ruyi, "Sister Ruyi, I... I know who killed the Stepmother."
"What?" Before Xing Ruyi could respond, Yunxi rushed in from the doorway after listening to their conversation. She stood beside the Boy, one hand protecting her stomach and the other resting on his shoulder. "Did you just say you know who killed Grandma?"
The Boy nodded.
"Yes! I know! Not only do I know, but I also saw with my own eyes how he killed the Stepmother and how he deceived everyone and switched her body. When Young Lady came to find me earlier, I knew she was coming to this courtyard and that someone must have discovered something about the Stepmother. Because long before Young Lady came to find me, that person had already come to see me and threatened me not to let this matter get out."
"Who is that person?"
Yunxi asked anxiously, her face turning pale due to the emotional distress causing her abdominal pain.
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