That day, when Meng Ruqiao invited Su Xiaoning on a trip, an accident occurred. Feeling unhappy, she found another day to pick up Su Xiaoning from the Ninth Prince's Mansion. The two of them went out together affectionately.
The two girls chatted and laughed as they walked along the street. Along the way, many beggars came up to them and asked for money. They were kind-hearted and gave money to each of them.
"Two kind ladies, please have some money..."
A weak voice rang out, and a disheveled little beggar who looked only seven or eight years old walked up to Su Xiaoning and Meng Ruqiao, carrying a broken bowl.
Su Xiaoning felt sorry for the little beggar and was about to throw him a few coins as usual when she suddenly noticed that the little beggar's face was abnormally flushed.
She quickly knelt down and brushed aside the little beggar's disheveled hair. She saw that the redness on his face had spread to the roots of his neck; his lips were chapped, his eyes were lifeless, and he mechanically repeated, "Give me some money..."
Seeing that the little beggar's condition was not right, Su Xiaoning worriedly touched the little beggar's forehead and was immediately shocked: "He has a fever!"
She didn't bother to continue shopping, and grabbed the little beggar's hand to walk back: "You have such a high fever, come with me to see a doctor right away!"
"I..." The little beggar hesitated for a moment, then his eyes suddenly turned gray, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
He fainted!
Su Xiaoning was anxious and quickly picked up the little beggar. The little beggar was so thin that he was just skin and bones, and he felt as light as a feather in her hands.
"Miss Meng, I'm sorry, I have to take this child back to the Prince's Mansion for treatment. Let's reschedule for another time."
Unexpectedly, another accident occurred. Although Meng Ruqiao was helpless, she could only nod. Su Xiaoning then hurriedly carried the little beggar back to the Ninth Prince's Mansion.
As soon as she entered the Prince's mansion, she ran towards Bai Hua's room while calling his name. Bai Hua opened the door upon hearing her voice, and Su Qingcai, who was discussing matters with him, came out with her.
Su Qingcai immediately noticed the little beggar in Su Xiaoning's arms, and his expression turned cold: "Who is he?"
"I met a beggar on the road. He was sick and had fainted, so I brought him back to treat him," Su Xiaoning explained simply. Just as she was about to hand the little beggar over to Bai Hua, Su Qingcai suddenly blocked her way.
"How could you just bring a stranger home? What if he has ulterior motives?"
Su Qingcai blocked Su Xiaoning's path, his gaze fixed on the little beggar with extreme hostility.
Su Xiaoning looked at him with some displeasure and said unhappily, "He's just a child. Do you expect me to just watch him faint and die without helping him?"
"The prerequisite for saving someone is knowing their true identity," Su Qingcai said calmly, leaving no room for argument. Bai Hua, standing behind him, didn't know whether she should reach out to catch the child.
"What's wrong with you?! He's passed out, how am I supposed to find out his real identity? If there's anything wrong with him, I'll take responsibility myself!"
The little beggar in her arms was burning hot. Su Xiaoning was extremely anxious. She shouted in a low voice, and without caring about anything else, she pushed Su Qingcai and forcibly stuffed the little beggar into Bai Hua's arms.
Su Qingcai's face was so dark it looked like it was about to drip water. He pursed his lips and didn't speak. Only the terrifying aura around him revealed that he was in a very bad mood.
It wasn't that he didn't want Su Xiaoning to save people, but the situation was different now. He didn't know how many people were watching Su Xiaoning and wanted to harm her. Su Xiaoning no longer had the protection of the koi fish mark, so he could only regard every stranger around her as an enemy.
However, Su Xiaoning was kind-hearted, and even knowing Su Qingcai's thoughts, she wouldn't stand by and watch someone die. She urged Bai Hua to hurry back to the room to treat the patient, then followed her into the house, slamming the door shut without even glancing at Su Qingcai.
Su Qingcai felt a tightness in his chest. He wanted to leave, but he couldn't bear to leave Su Xiaoning. So he simply took Ding Yi's longsword and began to practice his swordplay silently in the courtyard.
The sounds of Su Xiaoning and Bai Hua talking could be heard from inside the house; they seemed to be discussing the little beggar's condition. Perhaps Bai Hua's treatment was effective, because Su Xiaoning even let out a clear laugh.
"You heartless little brat..."
Su Qingcai was extremely frustrated; Su Xiaoning really hadn't thought of him at all.
He gritted his teeth, feeling as if a thousand ants were gnawing at his heart, causing him immense discomfort.
Just as he was feeling anxious and frustrated, a maid walked by in the corridor, carrying a bowl of medicine that Bai Hua had previously instructed him to prepare. Upon seeing this, Su Qingcai simply took the bowl of medicine from the maid, sent her away, and then carried the bowl of medicine into the room himself.
Hearing the door open, Su Xiaoning glanced up instinctively. When she saw Su Qingcai walk in, her eyes narrowed slightly, but she remained silent.
Su Qingcai lowered her head, handed the medicine bowl to Bai Hua, and carefully picked up a towel to personally wipe the little beggar's dirty face clean.
Su Xiaoning raised an eyebrow and teased, "What? You don't mind now?"
“I didn’t dislike him before, I was just worried about you.” Su Qingcai sighed slightly and looked at Su Xiaoning with some helplessness. “If you want to save people, then go ahead and do it. But you must always remember to prioritize your own safety and not act rashly.”
It seems he still gave in to her.
Su Xiaoning's heart softened, and her anger towards Su Qingcai subsided. She smiled and nodded at Su Qingcai, her eyes unchanged from before.
Su Qingcai breathed a sigh of relief and, together with Su Xiaoning, began to take care of the little beggar.
The little beggar was suffering from a high fever, and during the examination, Bai Hua also discovered many wounds on his body. Some of these wounds were new, and some were recent. The most recent wound appeared to be a whip mark, spreading across the little beggar's thin back, which looked quite shocking.
Su Xiaoning's brows never relaxed as she carefully cared for the little beggar, wiping his body and applying medicine to his wounds. She was busy for a long time, and even when Bai Hua and Su Qingcai left, she stayed by the little beggar's bedside without leaving him for a moment.
After a whole day of fussing, the little beggar's condition had improved considerably, and the exhausted group went to bed early. But in the middle of the night, a loud knocking sound suddenly came from the door.
"Bang bang bang!"
The knocking echoed throughout the entire Prince's mansion, and Su Qingcai was the first to wake up. He frowned and listened intently for a while, but seeing that the knocking showed no signs of abating, he had no choice but to get up and go to the gate of the mansion himself.
As soon as the door opened, a man stood outside. The man was burly, broad-shouldered, and had a fierce look on his face, with an ugly scar on his face. He didn't look like someone to be trifled with.
He glared at Su Qingcai for a moment, then suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Su Xiaoning from your household has kidnapped my son! Hand him over now! Or I'll make you pay!"
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