"What do you mean?"

"The person my brother is looking for is indeed not here, but I heard something strange."

"What news?"

"Well, it seems like they are going to auction not one painting, but two paintings."

Two paintings?

Gu Nuan quickly recalled that according to Xiao Shuju and Xiao Shuzhu, the four sisters each had a painting. They’ve only seen the one belonging to Xiao Shuzhu. As for Xiao Shumei’s painting, it’s unclear whether her husband has contacted the Zhao Family to confirm it. Excluding Xiao Shumei’s, Xiao Shuju’s painting and Xiao Shulan’s could indeed end up in an auction.

Could it be that these two paintings are the ones referred to here?

Zang Xiaolian said, "I’m not quite sure yet. I’m currently trying to gather information from all around, to find out what’s going on. Is there any connection between these two paintings, and why is the auction house selling them together?"

"Wait a moment," Gu Nuan said, "first find out where the painting came from."

"Could they be auctioned together, if not owned by the same person?"

It sounded plausible.

As they were talking, Xiao Yebai, conscious of his wife being present, dared not spend too long shaving, fearing she might take offense. He washed his chin and wiped it with a towel, then hurriedly came out.

Gu Nuan looked up and asked him, "Have you contacted your brother-in-law?"

Knowing what she meant, Xiao Yebai sat down, crossed his legs on the carpet beside her, and said, "I called once and asked him if he knew where my older sister’s dowry was kept. He said it was all placed in my older sister’s room, and no one dared move it. I asked him to confirm whether there was such a painting."

"There’s no such painting, is there?"

Xiao Yebai gave his wife a ’you’re so smart’ look and said, "Indeed, there isn’t."

Among the four sisters, only the third sister, Xiao Shuju, is somewhat naive. The likes of Xiao Shulan, who is shrewd, Xiao Shuzhu, who is intuitively wise, and Xiao Shumei, who is calm and composed, certainly have already discovered the peculiarities involved. This item definitely needs to be kept separately, in a safe place for emergencies.

So, where did Xiao Shumei place the item? Likely, only Xiao Shumei herself knows.

Gu Nuan pondered for a moment and said, "This painting refers to that special inheritance, right? Where it was placed."

While saying this, Gu Nuan took great care with her tone, mainly fearing she might touch her husband’s inner feelings. Think about it; their mother left the most important items to the four daughters instead of the son. How would Yebai feel about this?

Generally, Yebai is very possessive of those he cares about, not liking it if they value others more than him.

After her words came out, he stayed silent for a long time.

Gu Nuan started to worry a bit, and she leaned closer to him, "I believe there must be a special reason for mothers doing this."

"Because I hadn’t been born yet. And my sisters had already grown up. Those four were raised by her hand, knowing their innate nature better than anyone else. She realized, no matter how much the four daughters were influenced, the most deep-rooted emotions belonged to her. So, she believed it safest to entrust them with the items. Besides, distributing risk is much better than leaving everything to me alone."

Ruan Ruzhen, being savvy in finance and investment, was surely adept at spreading risks. Moreover, having so many children, she could distribute all the risks among them, preventing the greatest dangers.