Ziyu quickly chimed in, "That's right, Big Sister. As the saying goes, a wife follows her husband. From now on, we few will take care of Young Mistress. You just need to focus on looking after Young Master Dabao."

Ziqing glanced at Ziyu, acknowledging internally that the girl had a point. Once she moved to the Lin family estate, she wouldn't be able to stay by Young Mistress's side as often. The most she could do for her was help look after her family back home—something Ziyu knew had weighed heavily on Young Mistress's mind for years.

As the women were chatting and laughing, Shun Cai suddenly arrived with a report: "Young Mistress, someone named Xiao Jun is here to see you, claiming to have urgent business."

Xiao Jun was here? Lin He immediately instructed Shun Cai to bring him in. Upon entering the courtyard and seeing Lin He, Xiao Jun hurried over. Without even taking a moment to settle down, he blurted out, "Sister He'er, I've come today because something needs telling. It seems the recipe for our shop's pastries has been leaked. Look at this pastry I bought elsewhere—it’s alarmingly similar to ours." As he spoke, Xiao Jun opened the box in his hand, presenting the contents for Lin He to examine.

Lin He looked at the pastries inside the box—they were Sachima. Just by looking at the surface, they were indeed identical to those from her shop. Lin He motioned for Ziqing to try one. After tasting it, Ziqing remarked, "The taste is acceptable, and the ingredients seem the same as ours, but the heat control is off; it’s a bit too stale, with a slight bitterness. However, it's clear the formula originates from our shop."

Lin He frowned and asked Xiao Jun, "Which shop did you buy this from?"

"From a small town next door. It's a food vendor, mostly selling pastries and the like. Besides the Sachima, several other pastries are quite similar to what we sell, and they charge the exact same price as we do," Xiao Jun replied.

This Sachima was a pastry from her previous life; she had essentially pioneered it here. Moreover, this pastry couldn't be replicated merely by looking at it; the specific combination of raw materials required the exact recipe to achieve that distinctive flavor. It was evident someone in the shop had betrayed the formula.

Lin He pondered for a moment, then inquired, "Xiao Jun, among the girls who make pastries in the shop recently, has anyone seemed off in any way?"

Xiao Jun thought for a moment and shook his head. Those girls had been at the shop for a long time; they certainly wouldn't do such a thing. Furthermore, the maids rarely went out, so even if they wanted to, leaking information would be difficult.

"Then think carefully. Has anything unusual happened at the shop recently, or has anyone notable visited?" Lin He continued to press.

Xiao Jun racked his brain, initially shaking his head, saying no one special had come. Then, as if a memory struck him, he snapped his head up, but quickly a look of difficulty crossed his face, as if hesitant to speak. Seeing this, Lin He’s stomach tightened. "Say whatever you need to say. Even if it involves my own family members, just speak plainly."

Xiao Jun gathered his thoughts and finally spoke, "Recently, Young Mistress Yunqi has been visiting the shop quite often. Besides her, she brought her sister a few times. But mostly, she went alone, claiming she was returning a large cat to the shop for Aunt Hongyun. Sometimes she would stay there the entire afternoon."

Yunqi? Why was she suddenly so diligent about visiting the shop? Lin He didn't press further. She simply dismissed Xiao Jun, telling him to return to the shop, keep watching everything, pay close attention to the pastries, and monitor the maids. She would handle the other matters. Just before Xiao Jun left, Lin He asked one last time for the name of the shop selling the imitation pastries.

After Xiao Jun departed, Lin He sent Ziyu out to call Ling Xiao back, then dispatched him to that town to investigate. She instructed him to find out the shop owner's name and thoroughly investigate every member of their household, digging deep, even tracing the owner's relatives if possible.

At this point, Lin He already had a strong premonition that this matter was likely connected to Yunqi. Lin He vaguely recalled a past casual conversation with Yunqi, where Yunqi had mentioned that the family her sister was betrothed to owned a shop in a certain town, selling foodstuffs, including pastries. Back then, it was just idle talk, and Lin He only vaguely remembered Yunqi mentioning it; she couldn't be certain if it was the same place.

Still, Lin He hoped fervently that Yunqi hadn't done something so foolish. She had truly done a great deal for Yunqi since she married into the family, partly because she was kin and partly out of sympathy for her misfortune of being unable to bear children. But if Yunqi had indeed committed such an act, Lin He vowed she would not spare her this time.

Ziqing, observing the worry etched on Lin He's face, softly tried to reassure her, "Young Mistress, the matter isn't clear yet. Perhaps it was one of the other maids in the shop; maybe it has nothing to do with Young Mistress Yunqi. Young Mistress hasn't been up to much recently, so it’s unlikely she’d do something so reckless. Besides, why would she harm our family's business for the sake of her sister's future in-laws? Don't worry so much."

Ziqing's logic was sound, but in this world, some people simply couldn't distinguish between what should and should not be done, which led to constant mistakes. Some who erred were given a chance to correct themselves, but others were not.

As Ziqing finished speaking, Ziyu, standing nearby, shot Ziqing a glance, as if wanting to say something. But seeing Lin He's stomach, she bit her lip and remained silent. Lin He, however, noticed Ziyu's reaction and asked with a faint smile, "Ziyu girl, if you have something to say, speak up. Why the wronged expression? If Ling Xiao sees you like that, he'll feel sorry for you and cause trouble for me, which wouldn't be appropriate."

Since the kidnapping of Master Wen was resolved, Ling Xiao had formally proposed to Ziyu through Lin He. The two of them had somehow arranged to marry after Lin He gave birth. Lin He, Ziqing, and Qingzhu often teased Ziyu, who had since developed a skin thicker than city walls.

Unfazed by Lin He's teasing, she didn't even blush. She simply pursed her lips, shot Lin He a mild glare, then spoke with a serious expression, "Young Mistress, I actually disagree with Big Sister's assessment. I think this incident is very likely connected to Young Mistress Yunqi. Do you remember what Young Mistress Yunqi said after the Old Madam punished her with the cane last time? She said she would find some way to bear a child, but she never finished her sentence. I always felt that her unfinished statement wasn't a good thing—definitely something more extreme than just trying to have a child."

"Big Sister says she hasn't been up to much lately—couldn't she just be pretending? I think sometimes the calmer things appear, the larger the scheme might be brewing underneath. If Young Mistress Yunqi is behind this, it’s not entirely inexplicable."