Jiang Huai keenly noticed her conflicted expression and asked, "Auntie Zhang, what is it?"
The woman called Auntie Zhang immediately stepped forward. "Sister Wu did mention when she first came to the Jiang household that her son had intellectual issues. He used to be placed in a school for the intellectually disabled."
The two of them had started working for the Jiang family around the same time and were quite close in private, so she was fairly well-informed about Sister Wu's family situation.
Guan Xuxu then asked her, "Do you know exactly when her son stopped being... slow?"
The woman thought seriously for a moment before answering, "It should have been eight years ago. I remember one day she was incredibly happy, saying her son was cured. It must have been during the summer."
Guan Xuxu understood. She turned to Jiang Huai and asked, "Eight years ago, was there any child around Sister Wu or the Jiang neighborhood who was originally of normal intelligence but suddenly became slow?"
Everyone present, including Jiang Yucheng, who had remained silent, was stunned by her question. "What do you mean by that...?"
"To make a child who was born missing a wit normal, one must take One Wit from someone else and swap it into them. However, the person whose wit is taken will inevitably take the other's place, becoming a disabled child."
She asked about Sister Wu's surroundings and the area near the Jiang house because Sister Wu had been a domestic helper for the Jiang family for ten years. Her daily activities were largely confined to the Jiang estate, meaning the pool of suitable candidates she could choose from was very limited.
Once Guan Xuxu said this, everyone understood what she was implying.
Jiang Su, who had been angry at Guan Xuxu for ignoring him, immediately thought of someone and blurted out, "Uncle Song's silly girl!"
Several people in the hall turned to look at Jiang Su simultaneously. Jiang Yucheng's face was cold and stern as he reprimanded him, "Don't refer to the Song family's daughter like that!"
He then turned back to Guan Xuxu.
At this point, even if he still didn't believe Guan Xuxu possessed extraordinary abilities, his expression had inevitably grown more serious. After all, if what she said was true and it involved the Song family, this was no longer just a matter involving Sister Wu alone.
The Song and Jiang families were old family friends, and it was true that the Song daughter had become slow eight years ago. However...
"The Song family's young lady became disabled because she had an accident while learning to ride a horse. She fell and hit her head."
Otherwise, given the Song family's wealth, they would have certainly sought out a master if their child had suddenly become slow without reason. Precisely because it was caused by external trauma, the Song family had never looked for any explanation outside of medicine.
Guan Xuxu remained noncommittal and simply asked, "Did the Song young lady visit the Jiang house eight years ago?"
Jiang Huai's expression sobered slightly, and he spoke with certainty, "She did."
As the eldest grandson of the Jiang family, Jiang Huai was always responsible for entertaining the younger generation when guests visited, so he remembered it clearly. Moreover, the Song daughter had been round and adorable, far better behaved than the other second-generation children, so he naturally had an impression of her.
It seemed that the fall from the horse happened shortly after her visit to the Jiang house. After that, the Song family never brought her over again.
"Do you have a photo of her?" Guan Xuxu asked.
Jiang Huai didn't have a photo himself, but it was easy enough to get one. He quickly had someone find a photo of the Song young lady on a social media platform and showed it to Guan Xuxu.
With just one glance, Guan Xuxu was certain. "It's her."
Guan Xuxu spoke with conviction, but the people in the living room did not look relieved. Since it involved the Song family, this was no laughing matter.
The Songs had deep roots and were a prestigious family with a century of heritage. If this matter were true, the Song daughter could be said to have been indirectly harmed by the Jiang family. Even if the Jiangs were completely unaware from start to finish, what Sister Wu did would be seen by outsiders as no different from the Jiang family doing it themselves.
Judging by how the Song family continued to dote on their daughter even after she became slow, one wrong move could end the friendship between the Jiang and Song families entirely.
"All this talk about swapping wits sounds like nonsense. If it were that easy to swap, couldn't I swap mine too?" Jiang Su couldn't tell if he truly didn't believe her or if he just wanted to spite his new cousin.
Seeing him jump around so tirelessly, Guan Xuxu finally graced him with a serious reply. "You actually could use a replacement."
Guan Xuxu had delicate features and still carried a bit of lingering baby fat on her cheeks, giving her a very obedient look at first glance. So, when she answered him so earnestly, Jiang Su actually thought she was giving him a sincere suggestion.
However, in the next instant, he realized exactly what that suggestion meant.
She was calling him stupid!
"You dare insult me!" Jiang Su's face turned bright red as he pointed at Guan Xuxu, looking like he was ready to start a fight.
When the second and third branches of the Jiang family came downstairs, this was the scene they walked into. Jiang Yutong immediately lunged forward and slapped his son's backside. "What are you doing?! Are you never going to stop bothering your sister?!"
Jiang Yutong's slap carried quite a bit of force. With a loud smack, Jiang Su yelped and hopped in place. "Dad!"
He turned around, neck straining as he yelled indignantly, "Why are you hitting me?! She's the one who insulted me first!"
"Nonsense. Why would Xuxu insult you for no reason?" Jiang Yutong kept a straight face, looking entirely unconvinced.
Jiang Su was nearly dying of rage. He pointed at Guan Xuxu and cried, "She did! She just called me an idiot!"
Jiang Yutong and the members of the second branch all looked at Guan Xuxu. Lu Xuexi, standing to the side, hurried to explain what had just happened. This included Guan Xuxu's claim that the Song young lady was disabled because Sister Wu had swapped away her wit.
The Third Madam, Jiang Su's mother, listened to the end and simply patted her son's head with pity. "Xuxu isn't wrong."
That brain really could use a replacement.
Jiang Su looked at his own mother in disbelief. Is this even his biological mother?!
However, compared to Guan Xuxu "insulting" him, the Jiang family was more concerned about Sister Wu burying Talisman Paper in the garden. Although they didn't really believe in such things, having such items buried in their own garden was still unsettling.
As for Guan Xuxu, they simply assumed she had stumbled upon the discovery by pure luck. None of them believed her story about the Song girl's wit being swapped.
"Young girls like to dabble in things like constellations and divination, which isn't a big deal, but don't say things like that in this house."
The second son, Jiang Yumin, worked in the entertainment industry, but he didn't believe in these things at all. He even felt his older brother's daughter was a bit improper, thinking she was just using these messy things to attract the adults' attention.
Jiang Yumin prided himself on understanding the minds of young girls. Wasn't she just trying to assert her presence since she had just been brought home?
He wasn't the only one who thought so; others harbored similar suspicions.
Jiang Yucheng observed everyone's reactions. His eyes darkened as he spoke to Guan Xuxu. "I'll have someone send a reminder to the Song family. You don't need to worry about this matter anymore."
She had just returned home; he didn't want her to become a target because of these things.
Guan Xuxu listened to Jiang Yucheng's words and stared at him for a moment before finally nodding in agreement.
Since the Jiang family didn't want her to get involved...
Then she would get involved secretly.
Regardless, she had to earn this money.
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