🎎 Chapter Five: Return to Snow Manor 🎎
🌹 Red Rose Courtyard 🌹
The Snow Manor was alive again, though not as bustling as it had once been. The white roses of the courtyard glimmered in the soft sunlight, and the red rose courtyard, with its eerie mix of love and gloom, stood apart.
A few steps away from Zhang Wei's main courtyard, a small group of servants and maids whispered among themselves, their attention fixed on a tiny life wrapped gently in Maid Chan's arms. The child was asleep, his tiny chest rising and falling with every calm breath.
"Is that the little Master Wei? How come he's so small?" a male servant asked, only to receive a sharp glare from the others.
"Idiot—that's Master Zhang Wei's child!" a maid whispered in delight. It had been years since they had cared for a child, and the thought that their master now had a grandson—the first of the clan leader's line—made their hearts swell with warmth and favoritism.
"Then where is Master Wei?" the servant asked again, leaving the rest silent.
"How would they know?" Maid Chan muttered under her breath.
She hurried toward Zhang Wei's main room, gently shooing the noisy maids and servants aside. Her eyes fell upon the small figure of Bai Ze, already awake and observing the middle-aged lady with quiet curiosity.
"Who's this?" Bai Ze's eyes widened as he noticed the new face.
"Where's Miss Yao?" he wondered, searching for the familiar maid who had once cared for him. But as his gaze swept the room, confusion and surprise settled over him.
"Where am I?" he murmured softly, still adjusting to the unfamiliar surroundings.
Maid Chan's heart softened at the sight of him.
"Young Master, this will be your new home," she said gently. Though she knew the little child couldn't yet understand her words, she wanted him to feel welcomed.
She adjusted the small blanket around him, smiling softly.
"You look so much like your father," she added, her eyes narrowing as she sighed before laying the child carefully on the bed. Her expression darkened slightly, and she muttered under her breath, "Those bastards..." as she went to chase away the noisy servants and maids.
Bai Ze yawned sleepily, his little body still unaccustomed to his infant form. Being a child again was frustrating, exhausting, and a bit boring—but it was also a second chance at life.
"Luckily he's still alive," the child's mind registered, thinking of his father, Zhang Wei, whom he hadn't seen for months.
"Was he dead?" he wondered for a moment, shaking his head. If he had been, the maids would have been gossiping and casting pitying glances his way.
He smiled softly, realizing the change in his father's fate. Zhang Wei was alive—a rare, precious miracle. Could this be some kind of butterfly effect, a chance to rewrite history as he returned to infancy?
Though Bai Ze now had a father he could call his own, he was still uncertain of Zhang Wei's current condition. From the rumors he had overheard, however, his father had survived the recent troubles in the clan—but danger still lingered.
The child's small mind sighed with the weight of adult-like understanding. Zhang Wei is in deep trouble within the clan.
A sudden draft from the red rose courtyard brushed the curtains, carrying the faint scent of blood roses. It made Bai Ze shiver, though he didn't know why. Somewhere beyond the walls of the manor, whispers of schemes, jealousy, and old grudges stirred, and his father would not be safe for long.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached.
"Head Maid Chan!"
Bai Ze frowned, unable to turn fully, but felt himself lifted into a warm embrace. Servant Kim's familiar voice broke through the fog of his thoughts.
"Servant Kim, I want you to head to the market at once to get new soft silk for the young master!"
Bai Ze barely noticed, too drowsy to resist. He yawned, fighting his eyelids, but exhaustion won. Soon, he drifted into a peaceful sleep, cradled safely in warm arms, while the manor prepared to welcome its new young master.
And somewhere deep in the manor's shadows, unseen eyes watched the red rose courtyard, waiting for the right moment to strike. The calm of Snow Manor was only temporary—the storm surrounding Zhang Wei's fate was far from over.
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