Wei shi, upon hearing Qing Shu’s question about the stone in the courtyard, said, “What’s so strange about it? There are often stones in the courtyard.” 

Chen Mama immediately chimed in, “I swept the courtyard clean, including all the stones, branches, and dry leaves.” 

She had taken on the task of sweeping the courtyard herself because of Gu Xian’s pregnancy, fearing that an untidy courtyard could pose a danger. 

Rutong said, “Who knows, maybe you just missed a spot.” 

“I swept the entire courtyard and carefully checked it. There were no stones or dry branches,” replied Chen Mama. The stones on the ground were as big as longan pits and were located right in the center of the courtyard. She hadn’t overlooked them. 

Qing Shu, with an unfriendly tone, said, “Aunt, stones can’t just fly into the courtyard on their own.” 

Jiaoxing hesitated and said, “I saw Third Miss pick up a few stones when she came in from outside.” 

Zhang Qiaoqiao hugged Rudie and apologized to Gu Xian, “Sister-in-law, I’m sorry. If I had kept a closer eye on Rudie, this wouldn’t have happened.” 

Gu Xian, in a good mood, said, “It’s okay. She’s still a child and doesn’t know any better.” Rudie was even younger than Qing Shu, so what could she understand? 

But Qing Shu was not ready to give up and turned to Rutong, asking, “You took Rudie out just now. Didn’t you know she had so many stones in her hand?” 

Seeing the fire burning on Rutong, Wei Shi immediately changed the subject: “If you listened to me and didn’t come into contact with the disaster star, this matter wouldn’t have happened at all.” 

Gu Xian, who was being annoyed by the commotion, said, “Let it go. This matter is in the past, and there’s no need to dwell on it.” 

Wei Shi snorted coldly, “Elder sister-in-law, mark my words, don’t let her have her way with everything. Otherwise, if something goes wrong in the future, you’ll deeply regret it.” 

The child of a mother is like a treasure, and a child without a mother is nothing, so Gu Xian’s death was the deepest pain in Qing Shu’s heart. 

Seeing the anger on Qingshu’s face, Gu Xian hurriedly said: “This matter is over, and there is no need to talk about it anymore, brothers and sisters.” 

She was afraid that Qing Shu would say something shocking again, which would only lead to more trouble. 

When Old Master Lin returned and saw a yard full of people, he asked, “What’s everyone doing here in the courtyard?” 

Old Madam Lin quickly explained, “Chengyue’s wife slipped earlier, but luckily she’s fine.” 

Afterward, Old Master Lin waved his hand and said, “Since everything is alright, everyone can disperse.” 

Back in their room, Qing Shu asked Gu Xian, “Mother, you don’t actually believe what Aunt Wei said, do you?” 

Gu Xian smiled and replied, “We’ll be leaving in a couple of days; you don’t need to worry about what they say.” 

This reassured Qing Shu. She couldn’t afford for Gu Xian to be disgusted with her over this matter. 

In the Lin village, there was a tradition of releasing lanterns by the river every year on the Dragon Boat Festival evening. After releasing the lanterns, people could make wishes to the River God. 

In previous years, Qing Shu had to stay home to take care of the house. But now, she could go to the riverbank with Gu Xian to release lanterns. 

When they arrived at the riverbank, there were already many lanterns in the water. These lanterns were made of paper and had a simple box-like shape. 

Gu Xian released a lotus-shaped river lantern with a candle inside. After placing it in the water, she closed her eyes and made two wishes: one for a son to continue the family line and another for Lin Chengyu to pass the imperial examination. 

Qing Shu released a wishful river lantern, hoping for a future filled with happiness and contentment. 

Lin Rutong saw the beautiful lanterns held by Qing Shu and Gu Xian and clutched her own lantern tightly. 

After releasing the lanterns, Gu Xian and Qing Shu didn’t hurry back. They admired the night scenery by the river before returning home. 

Back at home, Qing Shu started grinding ink and practicing calligraphy, while Gu Xian sat beside her, watching her write. 

Chen Mama came in and said, “Madam, the bathwater is ready. You can take a bath now.” 

Gu Xian nodded and went out. 

After finishing two large characters, Qing Shu put down her brush and, after washing her hands, took off the longevity lock and handed it to Jiaoxing, saying, “Put it away.” 

Jiaoxing placed the longevity lock on the dressing table and then bent down to open the jewelry box beneath it. 

The jewelry box had three layers. The first layer contained small jewelry like pearl hairpins and earrings that Qing Shu wore. The second layer held bracelets, necklaces, and other jewelry. The third layer contained larger items like golden necklaces. 

Upon opening the first layer, Jiaoxing noticed that the plum blossom golden hairpin was missing, which made her panic. She quickly opened the second layer and found that Gu Xian’s white jade bracelet was also gone. The third layer, where the red gold necklace was kept, was empty as well. 

Qing Shu knew that the jewelry had been stolen and immediately ran to the main hall. 

However, she was intercepted at the door by Qi pozi, who said, “Miss, the old master and old madam have already gone to sleep. If you have any concerns, you can tell them tomorrow.” 

Qing Shu shouted loudly, “Grandfather, grandmother, our jewelry has been stolen. Grandfather, grandmother, we need to find this thief right away.” 

Old Master Lin, with a stern expression, looked at Qing Shu and asked, “Is what you just said true?” 

“Grandfather, I wouldn’t dare to lie about something so serious. Grandfather, my mother and I have been at home all day. Those pieces of jewelry were definitely stolen just now.” During the day, the house had not been left unattended, and there was no one in the house during the time of the theft. 

“Show me.” This thief had to be caught. He couldn’t allow his home to be treated like a vegetable garden, where anyone could come and go as they pleased. 

As they walked outside, they saw Lin Chengzhong and his two brothers, along with their wives and children, standing in the courtyard. 

Zhang Qiaoqiao grabbed Qing Shu’s hand anxiously and asked, “Qing Shu, your jewelry was stolen?” 

Tonight, she and Wei shi were responsible for staying home. If Qing Shu’s jewelry had been stolen, they would both bear some responsibility. 

Qing Shu nodded. 

Wei shi snorted and said, “I told you not to interact with that ominous star, but you didn’t listen. Now, you’ve brought this misfortune upon yourself.” 

Qing Shu truly admired Wei shi for trying to shift the blame onto the young boy in this manner. 

Old Master Lin, looking at the empty jewelry box, asked with a serious face, “How much is the total value of these items?” 

Qing Shu shook her head and said, “I don’t know; you’ll have to ask my mother about that.” She only knew the value of her own jewelry, not her mother’s. 

Gu Xian quickly arrived. Upon hearing the old master’s inquiry, she turned to look at Chen Mama. 

Chen Mama, responsible for Gu Xian’s jewelry, knew their value well. She explained, “Madam’s white jade bracelet was a gift from the Old Madam on her fifteenth birthday, and it cost 180 taels of silver at the time. Over the years, its value has at least doubled.” 

After a pause, Chen Mama added, “Miss’s plum blossom golden hairpin and gold necklace together are worth about 50 taels of silver.” One tael of gold was worth ten taels of silver. The plum blossom hairpin was hollow and lightweight, but the gold necklace weighed four to five taels. 

They had known that Gu Xian’s jewelry didn’t look particularly fancy, but they were all quite valuable. So, the result didn’t come as a surprise. 

Wei shi was a bit astonished and asked, “Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake? Your niece’s bracelet is worth more than Qing Shu’s gold necklace?” 

Chen Mama explained, “Madam’s bracelet is made of top-quality Hetian jade.” Fine jade was expensive. 

With over 400 taels of silver missing, the faces of everyone in the Lin family, except for Gu Xian and Qing Shu, looked grim.