Zheng Boyuan thus settled down at the Xu family's house.

Because Xu Zhi still lives in the front yard, even though Xu Zhi is not yet ten years old, boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven. Zheng Boyuan is very careful about this. He usually practices martial arts and studies with Xu Di in the back yard. Xu Zhi often makes soup and snacks for Xu Di, so she makes extra for Zheng Boyuan to eat with her. No one in the family thinks there is anything wrong with it.

When Xu Zhi came to deliver things, Zheng Boyuan always stood very politely beside Xu Di. The young boy had a stubborn look on his face, and his two sword-like eyebrows were often furrowed. Even when Xu Bai deliberately provoked him, he never smiled.

Xu Bai was very interested in the young man who made his sister react differently from others. After waking up in the morning, he would go to the backyard to watch his brother practice martial arts with this young man, or quietly watch them study. When they rested, Xu Bai dared not be too naughty because of Xu Di, but Xu Di could not stay at home all day. When Zheng Boyuan was alone, Xu Bai began to think of ways to torment this handsome young man.

After entering the twelfth lunar month, every household began to prepare things for the New Year. Xu Zhi followed behind Granny Lu and Sister He, helping them make this and that. After steaming New Year cakes with millet, Xu Zhi cut them into thin slices and fried them in a thin layer of oil. The outside was crispy and the inside was soft and glutinous. Xu Bai knew that Xu Zhi would definitely send the delicious food to Xu Bai, so he volunteered. He knew that Xu Di had taken several guards to the manor on horseback that morning.

Zheng Boyuan was the only one in the backyard, so Xu Zhi couldn't go by herself. Her younger brother had to deliver it. Xu Zhi put the fried rice cakes on a small plate lined with pancakes, then put the plate in a small food box, and had Xu Boyuan carry it to the backyard.

Zheng Boyuan was writing at his desk in the west side room of the main house when he saw Xu Bai come in. He quickly put down his pen, stood up and helped him carry the food box to the kang table by the window.

To be honest, Zheng Boyuan really liked the young master of the Xu family, feeling that he was completely different from his own younger brother.

Zheng Boyuan felt that the young master of the Xu family was also the apple of everyone's eye, but he was very sensible, always smiling, and had a very talkative mouth. He spoke very logically. As for his younger brother, Zheng Boyuan couldn't help but frown when he thought of his brother. His brother was raised terribly by his stepmother. He spent his days with the maids in the mansion, acting like a little girl. Even if Zheng Boyuan raised his voice a little, his eyes would redden. Every time this happened, his father would scold him. Over time, Zheng Boyuan didn't like to get too close to his brother.

Seeing that Zheng Boyuan's brows were furrowed again, Xu Bai leaned against the kang table between him and Zheng Boyuan, gently stroked Zheng Boyuan's brow with his chubby little hand, and said, "Brother Zheng, don't frown, it doesn't look good."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Boyuan paused for a moment, then frowned slightly. After relaxing his brow, he frowned again, asking Xu Bai with some uncertainty, "Did I just frown?"

Xu Bai nodded and said very sincerely, "You're all wrinkled, and really wrinkled. Brother Zheng, is something bothering you? Tell me, I'm the person my whole family likes the most, and they like to tell me about their troubles."

Taking advantage of this rare opportunity to gather information, Xu Bai was determined to get some details from Zheng Boyuan, even if it meant making things up. Although his sister was not yet ten years old, children at this age are quite precocious. What if she fell in love with the eldest son of the Xiping Marquis's mansion at first sight? Xu Bai felt that at his age, everyone was less guarded. Adults might not want to tell others certain things, but with a two- or three-year-old child, knowing that the child was too young to understand, telling them was a way of letting them express their feelings.

Zheng Boyuan smiled and patted Xu Bai's head, saying, "I think you are also the most lovable person in your family."

Xu Bai didn't want Zheng Boyuan to touch his head. Hadn't he heard people say that a woman's waist and a man's head shouldn't be touched casually? But at this age, it was the time for everyone to show their affection by touching his head. If he protested, he figured they would touch him even more enthusiastically next time. Being a three-headed person was actually a time when human rights were pretty low.

Xu Bai was inwardly complaining, but outwardly he looked at Zheng Boyuan with concern, which made Zheng Boyuan a little embarrassed. This softened his stubborn heart a lot, and he sighed, saying, "I just feel that you are completely different from my brother. I don't know what other people's children are like, but my brother is always with my stepmother. He never goes out to play or talk to me. Sometimes when we meet at the mansion, if I raise my voice a little, his eyes will turn red, and he looks like he's about to cry, as if I've bullied him. My father will scold me at this time. After a while, I don't want to talk to him anymore." Zheng Boyuan frowned as he spoke.

Xu Bai felt that although this young master named Zheng Boyuan grew up in a complicated environment, the adults around him protected him too well.

Xu Bai sighed and said, "Brother Zheng, I don't think your brother is a good kid. He probably didn't have good intentions in doing this."

Zheng Boyuan sighed and said, "Of course I know he doesn't have any good intentions, but he's only a few years old, how come he's already so opportunistic? I don't know about your household, but in our household, my father has never applied for the title of heir apparent. I know very well why. I really don't care about the position of heir apparent. I want to carry on my grandfather's last wish to go to the frontier to guard the country in the future. That small marquis's mansion is really too insignificant compared to this vast frontier. I don't even want to stay in the mansion anymore."

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