Xie Chang'an's expression froze.

It took him a long time to recover from being called "Chang'an Brother," and then he lunged at Ye Jingchen fiercely.

It's all Ye Jingchen's fault!

Xie Shaoling, quick as a flash, grabbed Xie Chang'an by the collar, while Chen Xi immediately stepped in front of Ye Jingchen.

"What are you doing? What are you doing?! You're already a younger brother, and you won't even let others call you that?!" Xie Shaoling grabbed Xie Chang'an with one hand and forcefully suppressed all his resistance with the other, scolding him as he did so.

Whether his reprimand was intentional or unintentional, Xie Chang'an's expression grew increasingly gloomy.

"Pfft!" Ye Jingchen couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Wow, that's a real bamboo shoot!

He even felt a little sorry for Xie Chang'an!

"What you said is indeed correct. He is a big bamboo shoot, and you are a small bamboo shoot. You two make a perfect family!" Xie Chang'an said sinisterly.

Only then did Ye Jingchen belatedly realize that he had actually spoken his true feelings aloud!

He could understand Xie Shaoling being called a "big bamboo shoot," since Xie Shaoling was indeed very cunning! But why did Xie Chang'an call him a "small bamboo shoot"?

"You don't like people calling you 'little brother'? Then I won't call you that anymore. You don't need to be so angry; getting angry is bad for your health!" Zhizhi quickly said when she saw Xie Chang'an's strong reaction.

Xie Chang'an was too lazy to argue with a little girl; he just glared fiercely at Ye Jingchen, who was hiding behind Chen Xi.

"Zhizhi, don't mind him, he just needs to be taught a lesson!" Xie Shaoling grabbed Xie Chang'an by the collar, spun him around several times, and then let go.

As soon as he was released, Xie Chang'an was dizzy and almost fell to the ground. When he finally calmed down and wanted to settle accounts with Ye Jingchen, he saw Chen Xi standing in front of Ye Jingchen like a gatekeeper.

After assessing the gap in strength between himself and Chenxi, Xie Chang'an suddenly felt somewhat depressed.

He picked up the small stool he had been sitting on, moved it to the far corner, and then sat down with his back to everyone.

If he can't afford to offend him, he can at least avoid him.

His father is a madman, and Ye Jingchen is sick. When the two of them are together, he can only be played with!

"Chang'an, little brother, your spot doesn't get any sun. You'll get cold if you sit there for too long," Ye Jingchen said loudly on purpose.

Xie Chang'an silently covered his ears.

So what if he has bodyguards? If he's so capable, let him keep them with him all the time. What if one day he doesn't have any bodyguards by his side?

Xie Chang'an will definitely make him pay the price for provoking him!

Seeing that Xie Chang'an ignored him, Ye Jingchen stopped teasing him and instead began to examine the layout of the courtyard.

This courtyard has excellent natural light and plenty of sunshine; it would definitely be perfect for sunbathing in winter.

The yard is large but not empty. Clothes are drying in the sun, and there are many household items on display. It's full of life.

The little girl named Xiuxiu was taking care of the youngest child inside the house, while Zhizhi was entertaining them. The other children were quietly reading or practicing calligraphy on the side.

They didn't practice calligraphy on paper, but rather they spread out a small area of ​​sand and wrote on it.

"Didn't your teacher prepare writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones for you?" Ye Jingchen asked curiously.

He had actually arranged for two people to be here, one to teach them to read and write, and the other to take care of their daily lives, but he hadn't seen either of them even after he'd been here for so long.

“The teacher has prepared it, but pen, ink and paper are expensive. We are just learning to write, and using paper would be too wasteful. We can practice on the sand tray first,” Zhizhi said.

“Writing on paper is ultimately different from writing in a sandpile. There’s no need to save money in such a place, and I don’t care about the few dollars,” Ye Jingchen told Zhizhi.

“Yes, Zhizhi, don’t underestimate Ye Zi just because he’s young. His family is rich, so they don’t need to skimp on this money. There’s no need to save for him,” Xie Shaoling chimed in.

"But we feel unworthy of it. Xiao Ye, you have already helped us so much, yet you haven't asked us to do anything in return—"

"What I asked you to do is something very important. Although it seems simple, it's not easy to stick to it for a long time, and it's really important to me," Ye Jingchen interrupted her.

“Between us, it is not a matter of the rich helping the poor, but an equal exchange where each takes what they need. So don’t feel guilty; you deserve all of this!” he added.

Zhizhi wanted to say something more, but couldn't find the words.

It was incredibly difficult for those children to survive in this world. If they hadn't met Xiao Ye, they might still be going hungry, and they would never have the shelter, food, and education they have now.

Although more than half a month has passed, it still feels like a dream to them.

If it weren't so unbelievable, and if she weren't so worried that it was just a pie in the sky, she wouldn't have chosen to tell Xie Shaoling about it.

Although she had met Xie Shaoling before and thought he was a good person, and even later learned by chance that Xie Shaoling was the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and had power and influence, she did not tell him about her predicament, nor did she have any intention of asking him for help.

Taking in these abandoned children was her own personal decision. Since she made this choice, she must be responsible for these children, but this has nothing to do with Xie Shaoling or the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

There are so many people in this world who are struggling to make ends meet, and the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has no obligation to help them all. She met Xie Shaoling and became friends with him, but it wasn't because of his power.

In comparison, asking Xie Shaoling to confirm the credibility of his young benefactor's identity is a trivial matter.

Although her actions violated the principles of their transaction with their benefactor and were unethical.

But compared to morality, the lives of her younger siblings were more important, and she couldn't afford to gamble with them.

After she described in detail to Xie Shaoling the appearance and clothing of the two benefactors, as well as the contents of their transaction, Xie Shaoling brought Xie Chang'an to her the following evening.

Although Xie Chang'an was much younger than her, he acted with composure and maturity, not at all like a six-year-old child.

He said he should know who his benefactor was.

They also said that their benefactor was trustworthy.

She added that if he guessed correctly, her benefactor would definitely come to find her on the fifteenth.

Unexpectedly, Xie Chang'an's predictions came true.

The fact that Xie Chang'an knows his benefactor so well shows that they must have a very good relationship!

Her guess was later confirmed.

When his little benefactor kept calling him "Brother Chang'an," Xie Chang'an didn't seem too happy, but he didn't seem too resistant.

However, she only called out "Brother Chang'an", and Xie Chang'an reacted like a cat with its fur standing on end!

It really hurt her!

She didn't even let Xie Chang'an call her "little aunt"!