Chapter 150 Extra 3

"Where did you read this folk tale?" Xie Qingyu teased her.

Zhao Xiheng didn't notice anything amiss, and instead argued with him, "It's just delicious. Add some jam and honey stored from the summer, and it's perfect to eat while watching the snow. I've definitely tried it."

Wei Li looked dazed, lost in thought, his mind a jumbled mess, like a bowl of stirred-up stewed turtle jelly.

"Aren't you going to eat it?" Zhao Xiheng glanced at the unmoving sweet soup in front of him, swallowed hard, and said, "If you don't like it, then I'll eat it for you."

Wei Li didn't care about anything else and nodded blankly.

Zhao Xiheng ate his portion without any hesitation.

Seeing that she liked the food, Xie Qingyu gave her her share as well.

He glanced at Wei Li with a hint of shyness. He felt a little embarrassed that Wei Li had given him the money, which he had borrowed to offer as a gift.

Wei Li couldn't afford to fuss over such trivial matters.

Could it be that Zhao Xiheng also has memories of her past life?

But if she really had memories of her past life, how could she not recognize him?

He found it difficult to think about, and the more he thought about it, the less sense it made.

“Ah Dan…”

"Hmm?" Since she had eaten his food, Zhao Xiheng was more agreeable. Although she wasn't happy that Wei Li called her by her childhood name, she still responded to him.

"I've heard that in Pingzhou, iron tastes sweet in winter." He probed cautiously, with a tiny bit of expectation in his heart.

Zhao Xiheng was surprised. "Really? Pingzhou was only established by Father a few years ago. I haven't been there yet. But it's too far away and cold. I don't want to go. If you go, bring back a piece of iron for me to taste so I can see if it's sweet."

turn out to be……

It turns out she didn't remember.

The light that had shone in Wei Li's eyes suddenly went out.

I don't remember, and that's fine too.

She suffered too much in her past life, and she is so happy in this life, so she shouldn't remember anything from her past life.

Zhao Xiheng kept pestering him to ask if the iron from Pingzhou was sweet, and Wei Li forced a smile, "Yes, I'll bring you some when I have time."

In the morning, people float on the water; in the afternoon, local folk fairs hold dragon boat races and throw zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) into the river.

At night, they release lanterns, lotus lanterns, into the river.

They also sell mugwort sachets.

There is no curfew during festivals, and people can wander around until late at night, while vendors can close up shop after midnight.

Zhao Xiheng's little habit has resurfaced; she finds every sachet appealing.

Xie Qingyu didn't bring any money, so she naturally turned her attention to Wei Li, clutching the sachet, her target clear.

A few small sachets—it was easy to satisfy her small request.

But he pretended not to understand and instead urged her, "What's wrong? Hurry up and choose."

Zhao Xiheng pouted, it was hard to tell if he was genuinely stupid or just pretending.

But since Wei Li is spending money, she can't be too domineering. What if he gets upset and runs away without paying her?

She tugged at Wei Li's sleeve and said sweetly, "Brother, I want them all."

Wei Li was amused by her.

No matter which generation, Zhao Xiheng's "whoever feeds me is my mother" mentality has never changed.

When they need you, you're a good brother and husband, saying all sorts of mushy things; when they don't need you, you're a bastard.

"Who's your brother? Didn't you disown me as your brother?" Wei Li teased her, but afraid she would get angry, he quickly added, "Just beg me, and I'll buy it for you."

"Please!" Zhao Xiheng didn't care about such a small amount of face.

Besides, once she gets back, the palace will be her territory. She can then go ahead and cause all sorts of trouble for Wei Li to make up for the loss of face.

Wei Li's lips curled up, unable to suppress her smile, "Alright, I'll buy them all for you."

"It's so annoying, just like before, you always have to listen to me begging you..." Zhao Xiheng complained after he finished paying.

Xie Qingyu sensed something was amiss. "A-Dan, how long have you known him? What do you mean by 'same as before'?" He suddenly lost his composure, stood up in surprise, and asked, "Did he make you beg him before?"

He looked at Zhao Xiheng on the left and Wei Li on the right, almost questioning him.

"I just said it offhand..." Zhao Xiheng scratched her head, not knowing why she had said the word "before". She and Wei Li had only known each other for a short time, yet she was talking about the past.

Xie Qingyu then sat down and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Zhao Xiheng tugged at Wei Li's sleeve when she saw him standing there dumbfounded again.

Wei Li then came to his senses. He felt like he had shed tears, but when he wiped his face, it was clean and there was nothing there. "No...it's okay, I'll go buy you some more river lanterns."

The shaved ice in winter and the past were probably just her innocent remarks when she was young.

How could there be such a coincidence in the world?

Did he go back to the past, and did Zhao Xiheng also go back to the past?

Having him is enough to fill the void of her childhood.

Zhao Xiheng was young and playful. After releasing the river lanterns, she was reluctant to leave and rarely went out of the palace.

Despite yawning repeatedly, he insisted on walking around the East Market again.

The people who used to come and go on the street have all dispersed.

Xie Qingyu really didn't want to yawn, as it was too unseemly, but she simply couldn't hold it in any longer, and tears were almost streaming down her face.

He consulted with Zhao Xiheng, "Adan, shall we go back? His Majesty and the Empress must be worried."

Zhao Xiheng was also sleepy, but she still shook her head, "No, I haven't had enough shopping yet."

The little darling wanted to continue, so of course she had to stay with him. By the time it was almost midnight and all the vendors had packed up, Zhao Xiheng squatted down on the ground, a string of sachets hanging from her waist. "I'm tired, I can't walk anymore, I want to sleep."

Xie Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief, looking dejected. That was enough.

Before he could speak, Wei Li squatted down first and said to Zhao Xiheng, "Get on, I'll carry you back."

Xie Qingyu felt utterly bored and swallowed back all the words she wanted to say.

"Brother, you're so nice!" The little flatterer praised him generously as she climbed onto his back and hugged his neck.

Her father was actually quite prescient; this older brother is really good.

He would buy her little trinkets, let her bully him, and even carry her on his back when she was tired.

Considering how useful he is, she decided not to look down on him and would try her best to get along with him in the future.

Xiao Tao stood on the street waving to them as they approached from afar. Seeing Xie Qingyu yawning repeatedly, she advised, "Young Master Xie, why don't you go back to your residence and rest? Young Master Wei and I will escort the princess back to the palace; it's not on your way."

Xie Qingyu waved her hand, "No, I'll take you all the way."

Wei Li was annoyed by his clingy nature, so she turned around and looked him up and down. "Are you sure you can manage this tired? I've been worried about you falling into a ditch the whole way. There's no place for you to stay in the palace."

Zhao Xiheng opened her eyes and spoke up at the right moment, "Brother Qingyu, you should go home first. Someone will take me home. I have to go to school tomorrow."

Xie Qingyu was also extremely tired. After much persuasion, he had no choice but to nod and take the servant home.

Wei Li wasn't the type to initiate conversations, and remained quiet the entire way.

He walked steadily, and Zhao Xiheng slept well the whole way.

As they approached the palace gates, Xiao Tao lowered her head and took out a token from her bosom. Wei Li lifted Zhao Xiheng up, as she was about to fall off.

Zhao Xiheng was still half asleep, her chin resting on his shoulder, her eyes not even open, her voice slurred, "Wei Li, next year when we watch the lantern festival, don't leave Zhizhi behind again."

When Xiao Tao looked up, she saw Wei Li standing still. She called out twice, "Young Master Wei? Young Master?"

Looking at Wei Li's face again, tears were falling in large drops, and her eyes were red.

She was startled. "What's wrong? Is our princess too heavy?"

Even if it's too heavy, it shouldn't make someone cry.

Gardenia...

Gardenia...

She said Zhizhi.

Wei Li freed one hand to wipe away her tears, her body and voice trembling, "It's okay, keep going."

In this life, Zhao Xiheng can always talk about things related to her past life, but it's all unintentional, and she may not even be aware of it herself.

He didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

Zhao Xiheng has memories of her past life just like him, so he's not all alone anymore; but her memories of her past life are so bitter, how painful it must be to think about them.

Shen Yining has a heart condition. She was originally determined to wait for her daughter to come back, but she was tricked into drinking a bowl of calming soup and eventually couldn't hold on and fell asleep.

Zhao Xinglie was reviewing memorials while waiting for his daughter to return.

He saw Wei Li carrying Zhao Xiheng on his back and a smile spread across his face.

Look, what a good older brother he is; he has a good eye for people.

Zhao Xinglie stood up and greeted him with a smile.

Hey, after he passes away, Ah-Dan won't have to worry about being taken care of. The two siblings love each other so much, how wonderful.

He affectionately patted Wei Li's head, "My eldest son, you've worked hard. Your little sister is always causing trouble. Take a rest and let me hold her."

Zhao Xinglie tried to take Zhao Xiheng from behind his back, but Wei Li avoided him.

"Your Majesty, let me carry A-Dan inside so as not to wake her." Wei Li nodded and went straight in.

Zhao Xinglie was almost moved to tears.

He clapped his hands and sighed.

If he were to actually give birth to a biological brother for A-Dan, he probably wouldn't be as considerate as Wei Lizhong.

Wei Li placed Zhao Xiheng on the bed and touched her hair. Xiao Tao then wrung out a damp towel to wipe Zhao Xiheng's face and change her clothes. He couldn't stay any longer. Although he was reluctant to leave and had many doubts in his heart, he could only go out.

Some things are either completely unknown or fully known; such half-concealed, half-revealed clues are the most alluring.

Wei Li was the one who was hooked.

He didn't sleep a wink all night.

As soon as it was light, he ran to Zhao Xiheng's door and waited for her to wake up.

He had so many questions he wanted to ask, even though she herself didn't know she had memories.

He was sitting on the steps in front of the palace when he met Zhao Xinglie, who was on his way to court. Zhao Xinglie patted his head and said affectionately, "Eldest son, you're here so early? Are you awake?"

Wei Li nodded and rubbed his hand against Zhao Xinglie's.

His heart pounded, and his fingers clenched nervously. Since Ah-Dan had some memories, then he…

"Your Majesty, if I want to take care of A-Dan for the rest of my life..."

Zhao Xinglie stopped moving. Wei Li's heart pounded, his breathing became rapid, and his body stiffened even more. He didn't even dare to lift his head.

Zhao Xinglie patted his shoulder, "What are you saying, silly boy? You're the older brother, of course you have to take care of your sister for the rest of your life. You two should get along well and support each other. I'm going to court now, don't listen to what people are saying. Is someone saying I'm going to kick you out again? Don't be silly!"

"No..." That's not the kind of care I'm looking for.

Before Wei Li could finish speaking, Zhao Xinglie hurriedly left.