Chapter 76 Leave this matter to the adults
My brother's body was shaking.
Xingxing could feel that his fingers holding her were icy cold. It was clearly early spring, but her brother seemed to be immersed in ice water. Even his voice was trembling and tense.
Xingxing knew why he was like this.
Xingxing heard the fear in her brother's heart.
My brother wants to stay away from this unknown fear.
but……
"Can't."
Facing her brother's stunned eyes, Xingxing pursed her lips, pushed her small body into his arms again, and then whispered, "Brother, we can't leave."
Not only can he not leave here, he also has to compete with Li Jinyuan for luck.
Not only that, he and Qiuqiu also learned another thing: Li Jinyuan has a system.
I don’t know what kind of system that is, how long that system has been bound to Li Jinyuan, and what its purpose is, but if you want to compete for Li Jinyuan’s luck, you must confront his system.
So the stars cannot move.
If you leave, that other star with holes in it will never shine again.
Xingxing raised her hand, gently held her brother's pale face, and slowly coaxed him: "Brother, don't be afraid, Xingxing will protect you~"
Don't be afraid of the unknown.
The stars protect his brother.
A star also protects another star.
Xiaowu shook his head in panic.
He felt a little weak all over, but he still hugged his brother instinctively. When he heard him say that he couldn't leave, his heart tightened and he said in panic: "Don't be afraid, Xingxing, I, I won't let them hurt you!"
He couldn't listen to anyone.
But he only cared about the younger brother in his arms.
He tried his best to embrace and protect his younger brother, even though he was still very young and already understood how much respect he should have for officials and imperial power.
The two children hugged each other at the door for a long time. When they finished washing up and got into bed at night, Xiaowu curled up in the quilt and whispered to his brother: "Xingxing, I don't know why, but I feel that the emperor doesn't like that child."
He couldn't really tell why.
But he still remembers the chill that came from his bones when he heard that the child was given the royal surname and would be treated the same as the princes from then on.
It's so weird.
Xingxing yawned, buried her head in her brother's arms, and then said in a muffled voice: "Well, the emperor doesn't like anyone."
It was a soft and gentle sentence, but it stunned the only two people in the room who could hear it.
"...You don't like anyone, why?" Xiaowu asked Qiuqiu's question at the same time.
What Qiuqiu wants to ask more is, how does Xingxing know?
Xingxing didn’t even finish listening to the original story!
In the silent darkness, Xingxing yawned one after another, and the sound became softer and softer, like a piece of sugar cake that slowly melted, "Because... the emperor only likes to be the emperor, and everyone in the world is his enemy."
"..." The room fell completely silent.
All that could be heard was the child's soft and steady breathing.
Xiaowu stared blankly in the darkness, with Xingxing's soft words still buzzing in his mind.
The emperor only likes to be the emperor?
The whole world is his enemy?
No, that's not right...
Don’t people say that all the people in the world are the emperor’s subjects?
The emperor is the Son of Heaven, the Son of God. How could the common people be the emperor's enemy? Everyone should fear and respect the emperor...
But according to what Xingxing said, does that mean the emperor’s son and the child holding the small stone are also enemies of the emperor?
Then why did the emperor want to train his son?
Why did the emperor continue to favor another child?
People say that the emperor likes him very much...
Is this all fake?
So what is true?
Why hide the truth?
Xiaowu's originally empty head was filled with all kinds of questions because of his brother's words.
But he didn't wake his brother up to ask him questions.
He didn't even bring these questions to the school and express them to the teacher.
The only thing he did was to work harder than before, read more books, attend more classes, and be more strict with himself.
Liu Peili naturally noticed the changes in Xiaowu, but he saw that the child was a determined and talented person, so he was happy to see him study harder. He would occasionally give him special lessons and lend him books from his home collection to broaden his horizons.
However, compared to his satisfaction with Xiaowu, Liu Peili was not particularly satisfied with Xingxing.
When Xingxing was once again carrying his small bag and preparing to go home with his brother, he was kept back by the old teacher.
Xingxing held her brother's hand and stood obediently in front of the old man, looking up at her fair and clean little face, waiting for him to speak.
Seeing him like this, Liu Peili raised the corners of his mouth, then coughed lightly and asked gently: "Xiao Wu, I saw your elders come to give Xingxing medicine at noon. Is Xingxing feeling unwell?"
It's just this one question that I've been thinking about since noon when I saw the child drinking medicine with a wrinkled face.
Xiao Wu was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that the old man would ask this.
He held his brother's hand tightly and answered honestly: "Master Liu, the doctor said that my brother's health is very poor, so he needs to take medicine every day, otherwise...it may affect his lifespan in the future."
After reading for a while, Xiaowu's speech became more elegant.
But the sadness in his tone made the listeners feel heartbroken.
"What's going on?" He frowned, stretched out his hand to pull the little guy who was standing obediently in front of him to himself, touched his chubby little face, pinched his little arms and legs, and his eyes gradually became gloomy.
Too small and too thin.
It looks like he has gained some weight, but when I touch him, my first impression is that he is too weak.
To put it in a really unpleasant way, it is a sign of "early death."
While he was examining Xingxing, Xiaowu also told him the reason in a low voice.
He knew that Master Liu had always been very good to the two brothers, so he did not hide too much. He said that they were refugees before, concealing their past as beggars. He only said that they suffered on the way to Kyoto in exile. This way he could cover up the fact that they were beggars and did not have enough money to settle down and go to school.
The more he spoke, the more resentment and heartache appeared in the old man's eyes.
In the end, Liu Peili even slammed the table with shaking hands, saying sadly: "This is the inaction of the court! It is the dereliction of duty of the officials, and it is also the country-"
"Master." A soft voice interrupted his angry words.
Liu Peili's voice suddenly stopped.
He lowered his head and met the child's bright eyes. His heart ached, but he finally smiled bitterly, put his arm around him, and said softly, "Your master's wife said she wants to make pancakes for you today. You and Master will go to her house to eat before you go back, okay?"
Xingxing turned and looked at her brother.
Xiaowu hesitated for a moment and nodded in agreement.
So the two children were abducted by their teacher and taken home.
Throughout the whole process, Xiaowu held his brother's hand tightly.
Because he found that the Master's house was much bigger than theirs, but very empty. Xiaowu was amazed and puzzled.
They already knew that the Master had once been a high-ranking official, but why did a high-ranking official have so few servants at home?
This does not match Xiaowu's impression of dignitaries.
Liu Peili, who came back with two children, first took them to see his wife.
The two kids still called her "Master's Wife Grandma" in a weird way, as if they were calling her "Master Grandpa", but both of them smiled and didn't correct them.
Xingxing and his brother were welcomed with the highest treatment by the master's wife and grandmother. All kinds of dried fruits, snacks and small things were piled in front of them, as if they were afraid of mistreating them.
After getting over the initial awkwardness and nervousness, Xiaowu, as the older brother, took on the role of the little diplomat among the two brothers. No matter what the master's wife and grandmother asked, he could always give the answer quickly and clearly.
Liu Peili was helping his wife knead the dough, listening to the idle chatter between the old and the young, and humming in his heart with a hint of pride.
He thought that since he was so old, it would be good enough if he could just teach a few good seedlings to grow up. Unexpectedly, God was still kind to this old guy. Look, God directly sent him two little seedlings.
But when he thought of Xingxing's body, he felt upset again.
At this moment, he suddenly heard his wife casually asked about the parents of the two children.
Liu Peili was about to speak when he heard an answer that was completely different from what he expected.
Xiao Wu took his brother's hand and sat on a low stool, and said seriously: "Master's wife, I don't have parents, but Xingxing does, but they passed away, and other family members don't know that Xingxing is their child."
Almost instantly, Xingxing heard her brother's thoughts.
He did it on purpose.
He said this deliberately, hoping that Master's wife would ask more questions, and then ask Master to help investigate the affairs of Anqing Marquis' Mansion.
Xingxing was a little slow in pinching the pastry and stuffing it into her mouth, but soon returned to normal.
Hearing the questioning from the master's wife and grandmother, everyone, including the master, stopped kneading the dough and looked at his brother. Xingxing puffed out his cheeks and chewed, like a little hamster who didn't care about anything and only cared about eating snacks.
With his brother around, Xingxing has no worries.
The child slowly swung his short legs dangling on the bench, and inexplicably felt a sense of security as if he was next to Uncle Hu.
He likes this feeling of security, which makes him relax.
"Xiao Wu, do you know who Xingxing's biological parents are?" Liu Peili's voice became serious.
Xiao Wu tilted his head to look at his brother, and after meeting his curved eyes, he took a deep breath nervously, then nodded and shook his head, "Yes, Xingxing's biological parents are gone, but his other relatives are still there, but I don't dare to take Xingxing to find them."
He didn't lie.
Children's eyes are the cleanest and purest. An old man who has lived for decades can clearly see the sincerity and the fear that cannot be hidden in Xiaowu's eyes.
Including the little thoughts he had just now.
But the two old people didn't care about this little thought.
What they care more about is why they dare not take Xingxing to find the blood relatives of his biological parents?
According to Xingxing's physical condition, the sooner she finds her biological parents, the better her safety will be. But in this situation, Xiaowu would rather take Xingxing with her and let the two children live together than look for her original family... What kind of secret is hidden in this?
Liu Peili wanted to know, so he asked.
But what he got was silence from the two children.
Xiaowu wanted to say this.
But before he said it, he saw the white hair on the master's head and the wrinkles on his face, and also saw the not-so-young face of his master's wife.
He suddenly felt a little annoyed about his little calculation just now.
He knew that Master and Master's wife were both good people. During the nearly half year they had been together in the academy, he and Xingxing had received a lot of care from Master.
But Xiaowu didn't know that it was his moment of hesitation and regret that made the two old men look at each other, and they became more determined to get to the bottom of the matter and help them.
Of course, they are not afraid of being calculated by the little guys. They are a little bit cunning and know how to make profits for themselves. This is an instinct that they have developed in the struggle for survival in troubled times. Xiaowu cannot be blamed for this.
But what is commendable is Xiaowu's silence.
Liu Peili sighed softly and raised his hand to rub the top of the head of the child who lowered his head and said nothing, then turned to look at the stars who were still silent.
Then I met a pair of clear eyes that seemed to see through everything.
It was watery, black and white were clear, and it seemed that nothing in this world could be hidden from his eyes.
But the little owner of these eyes remained quiet throughout the day, quietly listening to his own affairs, as if it had nothing to do with him.
But only when you really look into his extremely clear and beautiful eyes, you will find that he is not an indifferent bystander, but rather like a child who is puffing up his cheeks and slowly licking a candy.
The elder brother's carefulness, the elder brother's calculation and protection, the elders' insight, the elders' care and worry...
They were all hidden in his round cheeks, making him reluctant to chew them all at once, and he could only lick them slowly to savor them.
He is very happy.
Her eyes were curved into beautiful little crescents, hiding a lovely smile.
A villain.
Liu Peili's heart softened at his look, and he started to laugh as well. He rubbed the little guy's head with his backhand and helped his brother out: "What is Xingxing thinking about?"
He asked, and all three pairs of eyes turned toward the stars.
The little hamster was interrupted while eating. He blinked blankly while holding the sweet cake in his hand. He paused for two seconds and then answered obediently: "Grandpa Master, I was wondering if you and grandma are angry~"
In fact, he knew that there was no such thing.
She was not angry at all. Instead, she was filled with worry for the two children.
I feel that without the protection of their relatives and elders, their lives would be extremely difficult.
So there is no anger, only heartache and worry.
These are two very kind human beings.
Xingxing felt that their flesh and blood must be as warm, sweet and delicious as their personalities.
This is the top evaluation of human beings from the little zombie king!
Liu Peili was about to laugh when he heard his answer, but he saw Xiao Wu lowering his head again. The words on his lips changed to: "Oh? Then Xingxing, what if we get angry?"
Xiao Wu: “…”
This time it was better. Even the fingers that were twisted together lost their blood and turned pale due to the force.
Xingxing reached out and held her brother's cold fingers, and stuffed the remaining piece of cake in her hand into her brother's mouth. Then she looked at Master Grandpa and Master's Wife Grandma, and said with curved eyes: "Grandpa and grandma are angry, so punish brother to read more books!"
Xiaowu was stunned and looked up in a daze.
The two old people didn't expect to hear this answer, and they were both amused by Xingxing.
Liu Peili had always been fond of Xing Xing. Now that he saw that the little fellow, though frail and with a rough and miserable life, was not gloomy at all, but rather smart and quick to understand, he loved him even more. If he hadn't had the flour in his hands...
etc!
The old man looked down at his hands, then slowly raised his head to look at the two children's heads which were covered in flour, and his expression gradually became stiff.
Noticing his gaze, Xingxing first looked at his hand, then turned her head to look at her brother's head, and finally thought of herself, and also became stunned.
I would like to ask, if a child has grown long hair and it is covered with a lot of flour, can I still keep it after washing it?
The master's wife laughed so hard that her stomach hurt. She reached out and scooped the stunned child into her arms. She pinched his little face lovingly and coaxed him, "Xingxing, be good. It's okay. I'll boil a pot of hot water for you later. After dinner, we'll take a warm bath. After you wring out your hair, you'll be a clean and lovable Xingxing again."
The child's cheeks were soft and tender, and the old man was afraid that the calluses on his fingertips would hurt him, so he moved particularly gently.
After Liu Peili apologized to the two little guys who had suffered an unexpected disaster with a red face, he started asking about Xingxing's relatives again, leaving Xiaowu no room for regret.
Under his questioning, Xiaowu finally said the four words "Anqing Marquis' Mansion" with guilt and more complicated thoughts.
Little did he know that as soon as he finished speaking, his master's wife asked incredulously: "Xiao Wu, are you sure it's the Anqing Marquis' Mansion?!"
Xiaowu looked up at her and nodded in response to her suspicious gaze.
He thought again of the day when the child exchanged half a wheat cake for the small stone.
Perhaps it was because this time there was finally someone who listened to his anger, or because he felt sorry for the elders who were so kind to him, so the 8-year-old child, with tears in his eyes, rarely lost control of his emotions, and told the story of what happened that day in a hoarse voice.
Finally, he wiped away his tears and said in a deep voice: "I have no choice. I want to help Xingxing get the stone back, but he is followed by many servants. Xingxing and I can only watch him take the stone away."
All I can do is watch!
Xiaowu will never forget the feeling of knowing that something is extremely important and precious, but someone else took it away so easily in the cheapest and most arrogant manner!
Xingxing was in the arms of her master's wife and turned her head to look at her brother.
I saw tear marks all over his face.
My brother loves to cry.
My brother loves stars very much.
That's why I like to cry.
A strange equation was established in the child's mind. Xingxing said to the silent Master's Wife and Master's Grandpa, "It's okay. Xingxing can go find him by herself."
Don't be embarrassed.
Don't worry, brother.
Neither do kind humans.
But his words were covered by his master's wife's hand.
He raised his eyes and met his master's wife's look with a look of hidden heartache.
"Silly child, this is a big matter. You are still young, so leave this matter to the adults." She actually took the responsibility of this matter on herself.
Without waiting for her husband to speak, she explained to the child in her arms and Xiao Wu, who was staring at her with eyes wide open in astonishment, "You know, the old lady of the Anqing Marquis's Mansion and I were close friends back then. Although we haven't been in touch for a while, the friendship we had when we were young cannot be faked. Although this matter cannot be made a big deal for the time being, I can communicate with her privately first."
After a pause, she touched Xingxing's head lovingly and coaxed her softly, "Don't be afraid, Xingxing. She is your biological grandmother. If she knew that someone had replaced your identity, she would definitely arrange everything for you. Leave this matter to your master's wife and your biological grandmother. Other than that, don't tell anyone else casually, understand?"
Xingxing opened his eyes and looked at her quietly for two seconds, then nodded slightly.
Xiaowu also stood up and bowed to the two old men very seriously to express his gratitude.
He knew that his previous little attempt had not succeeded in hiding it from the two old men, but they were still willing to help him and Xingxing.
This made Xiaowu feel more guilty, but also more grateful.
But he is still at an age where he can't do anything, so he can only suppress this gratitude deep in his heart, study more seriously in the future, and when he grows up and has the ability, he will do his best to repay the kindness of the two old people to him and Xingxing today.
They didn't go home tonight.
After washing and bathing, the two children slept in the warm and clean guest room with a light on.
In the flickering candlelight, Xiaowu hugged his younger brother who was curled up in his arms and whispered his thoughts to him.
"Xingxing, I want to study and practice martial arts at the same time."
He said: "I read in books that it is said that one should start training martial arts from a young age to build a solid foundation. I am already quite old compared to those who have been training martial arts since childhood, but I still want to practice martial arts and go to the battlefield in the future."
From today's conversation with the two elderly people, Xiaowu realized the importance of status.
Obviously, no one mentioned the words such as status and power during the chat, but from the cautious attitude of the master's wife and grandmother when she was going to meet the wife of Marquis Anqing, from the brief silence of the two old people when they heard about the Marquis Anqing's Mansion, and even from the flash of astonishment and hesitation when they heard that the child occupied the identity of a star, Xiao Wu saw the importance of "status and power".
He used to be a beggar, so people could buy his brother's precious stone with just half a wheat cake.
Later he was no longer a beggar, and passers-by on the street would no longer spit on him or call him unlucky.
Afterwards, he went to school and had a former high-ranking official as his teacher, so he finally had a small and narrow channel to contact the Anqing Marquis Mansion.
The constant change in his identity and status made Xiaowu realize that only when he became stronger and stood higher could he solve more problems and obstacles that he and his brother would encounter in the future.
He has to get stronger.
He even had to stand in the court.
That way he would not be considered an ordinary citizen, he would not have to queue up in the snow at the city gate, he would not have to fawn over the city guards, he would not have to kneel before the officials...
Most importantly, he had to protect his brother.
I wonder if the Anqing Marquis’ Mansion will be willing to recognize Xingxing after they have that child.
I don’t know how the Anqing Marquis’ Mansion will respond after knowing the existence of Xingxing, whether it will be good or bad for Xingxing.
The future, which is clearly coming but remains unknown, makes Xiaowu feel more and more urgent.
He was eager to become stronger, to stand on a higher ground, so that his younger brother would no longer be robbed of everything he deserved just because of half a piece of wheat cake.
Therefore, he had to practice martial arts and not waste his energy.
He was going to the battlefield, where promotion was the fastest.
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