Not only Mrs. Ji, but everyone was stunned when they saw this baby.
Everyone had high hopes for Ning Ruonian. Whether Ji Shisu could change his mind depended entirely on her.
However, this child caught everyone off guard.
Ning Ruonian held the little baby who was still a bit wobbly while walking, and walked step by step into Cihua Courtyard under everyone's surprised gazes.
The old matriarch was sitting upright in the chief seat. Ning Ruonian saw her as soon as she walked in.
She let go of the child's hand.
The little kid realized that his mother had let go of his hand. He looked up, staring at Ning Ruonian with his black eyes.
Ning Ruonian smiled and nodded at him.
With his mother's approval, the little baby also started running towards the old matriarch. Before the nanny beside the old matriarch could stop him, the baby had already hugged the old matriarch's leg and shouted, "Great - grandma!"
Everyone was stunned again by this milky - voiced "Great - grandma".
The nanny beside the old matriarch was about to come forward and push this unknown child away. Unexpectedly, the child was very smart. He stretched out his little legs and tried hard to climb onto the old matriarch's soft seat. But his legs were too short and he couldn't reach it after stretching for a long time. He could only reach out his hands towards the old matriarch.
"Great - grandma, carry me."
The little baby was born fair and lovely. The old matriarch couldn't resist seeing this little guy in front of her. She waved the nannies away with her hand, picked up the little guy, and put him on her lap. Her eyes, tone, and expression all softened.
"Little guy, what's your name?"
"My name is Ji Jianhui."
"With the surname Ji? And from the 'Jian' generation?"
The next generation after Ji Shisu and the others was the 'Jian' generation. Those who were not from the Ji family didn't know this.
The old matriarch frowned and looked at the person standing in the middle of the hall.
At this moment, Cihua Courtyard was full of people.
The old matriarch, Mrs. Chen and her daughter Chen Chuliu, Mrs. Ji, the second Mrs. Ji, Lianxiang, and a group of maids and servants.
In this situation, an ordinary girl would have been so scared that she would tremble.
But Ning Ruonian was not flustered at all. She looked tenderly at the baby in the old matriarch's arms.
She was wearing a veil, so people couldn't see her face clearly. But her calm demeanor in the face of change made people involuntarily think of someone - Zhao Luoning.
It had to be said that this person's figure and demeanor were really a bit similar to Zhao Luoning's.
"Is this child really from my Ji family?"
Ning Ruonian nodded and finally said the first sentence since she came to the mansion: "Absolutely genuine."
Lianxiang couldn't sit still anymore.
"You're lying!"
Lianxiang remembered what her mother had said. The girl who spent the night with the second master in Tianxiang Tower that night was clearly a virgin. It had only been less than half a year. How could there be such a big baby all of a sudden!
Ning Ruonian glanced at her indifferently, obviously not taking Lianxiang seriously.
She curtsied to the old matriarch and said.
"Old matriarch, you can check the jade pendant."
Then, she gently said to Ji Jianhui, "Xiaohui, show your pendant to great - grandma."
Xiaohui was very obedient. He reached into his collar and fumbled for a while, trying hard to take out a jade pendant hanging around his neck. He took off the jade pendant, placed it in his palm, and showed it to the old matriarch.
The old matriarch reached out her hand, took the jade pendant from Ji Jianhui, and ordered the maid to bring a candle. She held it under the candlelight and took a look.
Suddenly, her face changed greatly. Holding the jade pendant, she looked at Ning Ruonian and then at Ji Jianhui.
She tightly hugged Ji Jianhui in her arms.
"Is this really my great - grandson? Oh, my dear great - grandson."
Everyone was confused by the old matriarch's reaction.
What was wrong with this old lady? An unknown woman brought a child and said it was her grandson, and she dared to recognize it?
Among the people present, only Mrs. Ji didn't show a shocked expression.
She knew what the jade pendant in the old matriarch's hand was.
It was the jade pendant of the eldest grandson of the Ji family for generations. It used to be worn by Shijun. Later, Ji Shijun disappeared and claimed to abdicate the position of the head of the Ji family. He left a bunch of things for Ji Shisu. Ji Shisu didn't say what he left and others didn't know either. But this jade pendant representing the eldest grandson of the Ji family must be among them.
Now that Ji Shisu had given this jade pendant to this little baby, it seemed that the identity of this baby was certain.
The old matriarch really liked this fair and lovely little baby from the bottom of her heart.
She seemed to think of something and quickly asked.
"Where is Shisu? Why hasn't he come back for such a big thing?"
"Replying to the old matriarch, the second master is in the Zhao Mansion now."
When mentioning the Zhao Mansion, the old matriarch's face didn't look so good. Holding Ji Jianhui and teasing him, she said to the maid beside her, "Go, send someone to call him back."
The maid took the order and retreated. Only then did the old matriarch remember to offer a seat to Ning Ruonian and carefully asked:
"Where are you from?"
"I'm from the south of the Yangtze River."
"How many people are there in your family?"
"My mother is still alive. There are also my eldest brother, second brother, and sister. There are five people in total."
Her father had passed away, and the mother and children had to support the family alone? It seemed that this girl's family background was ordinary.
The old matriarch had just felt a bit disgusted with Ning Ruonian when she felt a tug on her sleeve. She looked down and found that Ji Jianhui was grabbing the embroidered peach on her sleeve and drooling all over his face while chewing.
The old matriarch's heart instantly melted like a pool of spring water.
As long as a woman could give birth to such a lovely baby, the old matriarch didn't care about her background.
Lianxiang watched as the old matriarch was instantly conquered by Ji Jianhui. Thinking of the child in her belly, she suddenly felt aggrieved.
She had already shown all her cards. Who would have thought that she had recruited a rival for her son!
She stood up and said.
"Old matriarch, this woman is not the one!"
"Lianxiang, you brought this person here. Now you say she's not. Are you making fun of us?"
"That woman couldn't have given birth to such a big son! She's not. She's an imposter."
The old matriarch was too lazy to talk to Lianxiang.
"Whether she is or not, Shisu will decide when he comes. Whether this child is the eldest grandson of my Ji family or not also depends on Shisu. How can you make irresponsible remarks!"
Lianxiang slumped back into her chair.
She finally understood.
She had let a wolf into the house.
She originally thought that as long as she offered the virgin girl that night to Ji Shisu and let Ji Shisu himself break the vow of "only the second young mistress can give birth to my eldest son", then her child would surely be the eldest grandson of the Ji family. In the future, the Ji family would belong to the child in her belly.
But she didn't expect that this woman already had a child?!
No, it couldn't be like this.
Her mother clearly said that the girl who accompanied the second master that night was a virgin!
This woman had a child. No, she must not be the one.