The little dog naturally couldn’t answer her words, only sticking out its pink tongue to lick her fingers. Jirong looked around and, seeing no one passing by, held the little dog in her arms and said softly, “Little dog, be good and don’t move around. I’ll take you to eat meat bones.”

She had been in the mansion for so long and had never heard of any madam keeping a small dog, and the young masters were even less likely to do so. Therefore, this dog’s owner should be a servant in the mansion. If a servant’s dog went missing, it wouldn’t cause any major disturbance.

The little dog seemed to truly understand her or not, remaining motionless as she carried it. The dog was already small to begin with, and with the concealment of her sleeves, no one noticed along the way.

Returning to her room, Chunxiu happened to be there too. Today the work at the woodshed was unusually light, so she had come back to rest for a while and have lunch here. The meals provided to the woodshed were coarse and rough, far inferior to what was available here.

Seeing Jirong enter, she smiled and said, “Sister, you’ve returned at just the right time. I have free time today, so let me accompany you to the kitchen to get our meal.”

“No rush!” After closing the door, Jirong placed the little dog in her hands on the ground. Chunxiu said in surprise, “Whose dog is this? Sister, did you bring it here to raise yourself? But… would Nanny Yang agree to this?”

“No need for agreement.” While speaking, Jirong had already taken out a small silver knife from the medicine box under the bed, saying coldly, “Find a rope to tie it up, and tie up its mouth too, so it doesn’t make any noise.”

Her appearance startled Chunxiu, who said in horror, “Sister, what are you going to do?”

Jirong said expressionlessly, “Naturally, test the medicine. Tomorrow I have to give the medicine to the First Young Master, and the wound on my arm has already healed, so I can only use it to test the medicine.”

Chunxiu looked down at the little dog that was earnestly licking her feet and said somewhat reluctantly, “It’s only so small. One cut might kill it. How about… let’s not test it?”

“Not test it?” Jirong sneered, “Then if something goes wrong tomorrow, will you take responsibility? Or are you saying you’ve already gotten used to the work at the woodshed and don’t want to return to the music workshop?”

“That’s not what I meant.” Before she finished speaking, Jirong had already thrown a rope over to her. “If that’s not what you meant, then hurry up and tie it up.”

Chunxiu had no choice but to follow her words and tie up the unsuspecting little dog. After its limbs and even its mouth were bound, the little dog finally sensed something was wrong and struggled desperately, but it was too late. It couldn’t even make a sound and trembled constantly in fear.

As the silver knife cut across its belly, crimson blood immediately gushed from the wound, dyeing the nearby fur red. The little dog made weak whimpering sounds.

Jirong tremblingly took out the Muscle-Mending Powder that she had exhausted her heart and soul to make over these forty days, having read countless medical texts and notes, murmuring, “Please… please be effective.”

As the bottle tilted, the medicinal powder sprinkled evenly on the little dog’s wound. After waiting for a while, the blood that had been continuously flowing gradually stopped. Although it wasn’t as fast as the ancestral bottle, it wasn’t much slower either.

Seeing this scene, Chunxiu said joyfully, “It worked! Sister, it worked!”

A smile also appeared on Jirong’s face as she nodded, “Finally, all these days of hard work weren’t in vain. The Muscle-Mending Powder…” She didn’t continue, only staring tightly at the porcelain bottle in her hand. The unremarkable medicinal powder in the bottle would change her fate. The fallen Ji family would not only be revitalized in her hands but would become more prosperous and glorious than before!

After the joy subsided, Chunxiu remembered the little dog. Looking down, she discovered it had already died. Although the Muscle-Mending Powder stopped bleeding quickly, unfortunately this dog was too small, and Jirong’s cut had been somewhat deep, injuring its internal organs, so it couldn’t survive. She said in panic, “Sister, it’s dead. What should we do?”

Jirong wiped the blood from the silver knife clean and said indifferently, “If it’s dead, it’s dead. What’s there to make such a fuss about? First wrap it in some old clothes, and after dark, take it to the back to bury it. Don’t let anyone see, and if anyone asks afterward, just say you’ve never seen it. Don’t let anything slip, and don’t panic either.”

Chunxiu nodded frantically and wrapped up the little dog according to her words. Still feeling uneasy, she stuffed it into the cabinet.

Seeing her constantly looking unsettled, Jirong patted her shoulder consolingly, “It’s just a little dog, not a person. What’s there to be afraid of?”

Chunxiu said uneasily, “That may be so, but what if this dog belonged to some master, and they trace it back to us? Wouldn’t that be trouble?”

Jirong smiled and said, “Don’t worry. No master in the mansion keeps dogs. Moreover, as long as you don’t tell and I don’t tell, who could trace it back to us?” Without waiting for Chunxiu to speak, she continued, “What’s most important now is curing the First Young Master’s foot condition. When that time comes, I can speak to the First Young Master and ask him to transfer you back to the music workshop.”

Chunxiu thought this made sense and said, “My affairs are entirely entrusted to you, sister.”

Jirong smiled and said, “Alright, tell me yourself—from childhood until now, which of your affairs have I ever stood by and watched without helping?”

After cleaning up the room, the two went to the kitchen together to get their lunch. While passing through the back garden, Jirong unexpectedly saw Li Zhiyun leading several servants searching through the garden, looking very anxious.

Jirong walked over and said, “Second Young Master, what are you looking for?”

Li Zhiyun said anxiously, “Amu is missing.”

“Amu?” Jirong repeated in confusion. There didn’t seem to be anyone in the mansion with this name. Just as she was about to ask more, a servant beside them said, “Amu is the little dog that the Fifth Young Master brought back. It was previously at the Yuxiu Pavilion, but in a moment of inattention, it ran out, and we don’t know where it went.” Saying this, he stared at Jirong and said, “Oh right, you were also at the Yuxiu Pavilion at that time. Did you see Amu?”

Jirong’s eyelid twitched as she shook her head, “When I came out, I didn’t see any little dog.” Saying this, she asked carefully, “Fifth Young Master, what does Amu look like? We can help look for it together.”

“Amu is only a little over two months old, very small, with yellow and white fur.” Before Li Zhiyun finished speaking, a “clang” sound reached their ears. Looking toward the sound, they saw that the food box in Chunxiu’s hands had fallen to the ground, with the food spilling out and scattering everywhere.

Useless thing who can’t keep her composure! Jirong cursed silently in her heart, while outwardly showing concern as she supported Chunxiu, saying, “I already told you that if you’re feeling unwell, you should rest in the room and not run around, but you just wouldn’t listen. Where does it hurt? Is it serious?”

The sharp pain from her arm brought Chunxiu back to her senses. She forced herself to compose herself and said, “It’s alright, just weakness in my hands and feet. I think I caught a chill yesterday from not covering myself properly with the blanket.”

“You just don’t know how to take good care of yourself. When we get back, I’ll brew some ginger tea for you to drink. Once you sweat it out, you’ll be fine.” Saying this, she continued, “You sit and rest nearby for a while. After I help the Fifth Young Master find Amu, I’ll accompany you back.”