Xiaoyu
As the master and servant turned the corner, they encountered Cang Yi leading a little maid, bounding along in front. Zheng looked up and saw the uncle and nephew in harmonious harmony, chatting and laughing, completely unperturbed by the turmoil in the mansion. But Xiao Yu's chubby little hand clutched Cang Yi's, refusing to let go for even a moment.
Zheng smiled knowingly upon seeing this, and pulling Fu Yuanzi a few steps to catch up, she immediately asked, "Sister-in-law, where are you planning to take Xiaoyu?"
"Zheng."
"Aunt."
The uncle and nephew both looked back at the sound.
Zheng came up to the two of them and asked Xiaoyu with a smile, "Xiaoyu, your hair is done up beautifully today. Who did it for you?"
Xiaoyu immediately responded loudly: "Auntie——"
"Oh~ it's my aunt!"
Zheng couldn't help but flutter her hands as soon as she saw the adorable little tuft in the little girl's bun. Zheng feigned indifference, twisting two fingers and secretly pinching them. The next second, she was struck by Xiaoyu's cuteness. If Fu Yuanzi hadn't blocked her, she would have fallen to the ground with a thud.
so cute.
To give birth to a child like this——
Cang Yi scoffed at Zheng's little antics and then took over the conversation, saying, "I was just about to go to Fushou Pavilion to serve the old lady, leaving Xiaoyu alone with the servants at Yinjian Residence. I was worried about her, so I brought her here with me. What about you? Where are you going this morning?"
"Me? I'm going home. My dad asked me to go home for dinner." Zheng answered truthfully.
But when she thought about Cang Yi saying that he wanted to take Xiao Yu to Fushou Pavilion, Zheng asked again: "Sister-in-law, you are in a hurry to take care of the old and take care of the child at the same time. Can you handle it? How about..."
But before Zheng could finish her words, Xiaoyu, as if afraid that Zheng would send her back to Lanchun Garden, quickly assured the adults, "Xiaoyu won't cause any trouble. Xiaoyu is very well behaved."
"Xiaoyu can help my aunt take care of my great-grandmother!"
Zheng looked at the little elf in front of her and pouted sadly. She raised her hand and touched Xiaoyu's face. "Auntie knows that our Xiaoyu is the most well-behaved child. Auntie doesn't mean anything else. Auntie just wants to ask, Xiaoyu, do you want to go out with me to meet an old man? That old man's house is very big, and he will make a lot of delicious food for Xiaoyu. And the old man's house - there are several flying slaves, fluttering around, so cute~"
Zheng seduced her step by step. The little girl was playful and thought it was more interesting than going to Fushou Pavilion with Cang Yi.
Look at her blinking her eyes, fascinated.
But when she turned to look at Cang Yi, the little girl observed the adults' expressions again and scratched her lower lip with her finger. She didn't dare to respond to Zheng's voice. Seeing that Xiao Yu didn't answer, Cang Yi said softly, "Xiao Yu, if you want to go, go with your aunt. You can go with your third aunt, and your eldest aunt will be at ease."
"Xiao Yu...can I really go?" Xiao Yu held Cang Yi's hand and asked timidly.
Cang Yi noticed Xiaoyu's cautiousness and felt very distressed.
Fortunately, Cang Yi is not Zou Shuangtong. She will not say harsh words, will not vent her anger on children, and will not use children to deceive others.
After he finished speaking, Cang Yi slowly squatted down, looked Xiao Yu in the eye, and said to her earnestly: "Xiao Yu, from now on, you are with your aunt and uncle, don't be afraid. Whatever you like and want to do, just tell your aunt boldly, understand? Xiao Yu's own feelings are the most important thing in the world. At your great-grandmother's place, you have your aunt, grandmother, and great-uncle, so don't worry, Xiao Yu. Go, go with your third aunt to see that old man, just remember to be polite."
"Yes, Xiaoyu knows." Xiaoyu nodded.
Cang Yi stood up, took the little girl's hand, and handed it to Tai Shi Zheng, "Here, I'm handing Xiaoyu over to your third aunt. Please take care of us. Xiaoyu, if you want to eat or play anything, just tell your third aunt, your third aunt——"
"Your third aunt is rich!"
Zheng joined in the conversation, and the two sisters-in-law looked at each other and burst into laughter.
After exchanging palms, Zheng and Fu Yuanzi each held a small hand and said goodbye to Cang Yi.
Cang Yi smiled slightly, waved his hand and said, "Go ahead, but go slowly on the way."
-
As the New Year approaches, Bianjing is bustling with activity.
The streets were filled with people buying New Year's goods, completely blocking the main road leading to Huaiqingfang from Imperial Street. Zheng, holding Xiaoyu in her arms, sat in the slow-moving carriage, resting her chin gently on her head. She complained to Fu Yuanzi, who was looking out from the side, "This traffic jam is so bad, when will it end?"
"have no idea."
Fu Yuanzi shook his head and started muttering to himself as he watched people coming and going outside the window.
"I'm saying this, but when the government opens the market, can't they ask the Street Affairs Department to take better care of these people blocking the road? They've almost put their cars in the middle of the road. Look, my lady, it's so congested, and there's even a quarrel going on up ahead—tsk tsk, if this keeps up, we might not even have dinner."
Fu Yuanzi is careless...
quarrel? !
The master and servant had a tacit understanding. They exchanged glances and said, "Let's go, let's go. Let's walk out."
-
Bianjing was full of temptations. Zheng had just found her feet in front of the carriage, holding the sweet and soft Xiaoyu, when an old man carrying a straw target and selling candied haws passed by. The little one, greedy, raised her finger and shouted, "Auntie, candied haws, candied haws. They smell so good!"
The older one was even more greedy. Baba looked at the tempting candied haws and floating yuanzi and said, "Yuanzi, go and get three strings of sugar balls—take them."
"Hey, give me money." Fu Yuanzi stretched out his hand.
Zheng curled her lips and complained as she took out some money. "Fu Yuanzi, I just gave you so much pocket money the other day, and you spent it all? How come you won't even treat us to a candy ball? You're so stingy."
"Oh, my lady, stop talking and give it to me." Fu Yuanzi snatched the copper coin from Zheng's hand, trotted over, and quickly stopped the old man, handing him the money and the goods. He turned around and happily handed the candied haws to the two people behind him who were drooling with greed. Fu Yuanzi took the first bite.
It turns out she is the greedy one.
Zheng was not in a hurry to eat. She carefully pinched off the pointed bamboo stick of Xiaoyu's to prevent Xiaoyu from being pricked by the crowd.
"Hey, Yubao, be careful." Zheng smiled gently.
Xiaoyu held up a candied haws that was much longer than her face, nodded obediently, and followed Cang Yi's instructions to be polite, saying thank you before she opened her little mouth and began to nibble.
This zheng is extremely rare.
She wanted to book all the candied haws on this street.
Looking up again, Zheng was holding Xiaoyu in one hand, having just taken a difficult bite of the sweet and sour candied haws. Fu Yuanzi had already tossed the clean bamboo sticks into a bamboo basket set up by the road. Zheng bit into the candied haws and looked at Fu Yuanzi in disbelief. "Yuanzi, are you a grasshopper?! Are you tasting it?"
"I tasted it, sour and sweet."
Fu Yuanzi didn't care. He smacked the remaining flavor and reached out to pat Xiaoyu in front of him, "Come here, Sister Yu, let me hold you."
Xiaoyu tilted her head and licked the icing.
She was not very familiar with Fu Yuanzi yet, so she could only stare at him and observe him, not daring to make any rash moves. Zheng pretended to be wronged when she saw this and said, "Oh, Xiaoyu. My arms are so sore, can you let Sister Yuanzi hold you for a while?"
When Xiaoyu heard Taishi Zheng say this, she immediately stretched out her arms towards Fu Yuanzi.
At this moment, Zheng's heart almost melted at Xiaoyu's favor. She was reluctant to let go, but she really couldn't hold her any longer. Fu Yuanzi took Xiaoyu, flirted with Zheng, and turned around to stroll happily with Xiaoyu in his arms.
Zheng followed behind and finally got to eat the candied haws she had been longing for.
So, the two adults and one child, after only a few dozen feet from the carriage, ended up buying a haphazard collection of things. Things like bamboo grasshoppers, clay bird whistles, canned fruit… Tai Shi Zheng grabbed everything Xiaoyu glanced at without hesitation.
But look at the three of them, they are having so much fun shopping that they forget everything else.
Finally, standing outside the crowd that was surrounding the quarrel, Zheng and Fu Yuanzi began to judge what was happening here.
"Madam, I think that man has something going on with that woman." Fu Yuanzi pointed at the crowd. Zheng shook her head, denying her idea, "No, no, no, I think it's this woman who has something going on with that man."
The master and servant spoke boldly.
This caused passersby to retort, "Stop guessing... This guy was having an issue with that girl, and then it turned out the girl next to him was having an issue with the guy over there, and then this guy got involved. So, four people started arguing. You can't even understand something as simple as this."
"ah?!"
Zheng and Fu Yuanzi looked at each other and fell silent.
Later, if the Street Affairs Bureau hadn't come to clear the way for them, they wouldn't have known where to return...
After walking out of the most congested section of the road, Fu Yuanzi lowered his eyes to see that there was still a half piece of candied haws in Xiaoyu's hand, and smiled with narrowed eyes, saying, "Sister Yu, can I have some of your candied haws?"
Xiaoyu was now lying in Fu Yuanzi's arms, and she finally became familiar with her.
Xiaoyu silently stretched out her hand and handed the candied haws to Fu Yuanzi. But Fu Yuanzi was not a good man. He opened his mouth wide and ate all the bamboo sticks in Xiaoyu's hand in one breath, making the little girl experience the dangers of the world.
"?"
Xiaoyu stared at the bare bamboo sticks, bewildered. Zheng raised her hand and struck Fu Yuanzi on the head, "Stinky Yuanzi—you're stealing a child's things. Your allowance for the next ten days will be cut in half."
Upon hearing this, Fu Yuanzi repeatedly defended himself, saying, "Ah, my lady, you really misunderstood me. Children will get bad teeth if they eat too much. I'm not afraid. I'll help Sister Yu digest it~"
The three of them joked around and rented an ox cart at a relaxed intersection and continued their journey towards Huaiqingfang.
It was bright and clear, and noon was still more than half an hour away. Xiaoyu hadn't cried or made a fuss about the candied haws on the way. She sat quietly in Zheng's arms, swinging her bamboo grasshoppers.
Fu Yuanzi sat opposite, squinting at the little girl. Why did this look so much like revenge on her?
-
Outside the historian's house, the ox cart stopped.
Zheng was in a place with few people, and only then did she dare to put Xiaoyu down.
After paying the cart driver, the master and servant led the little girl up the steps of their home. This familiar feeling brought peace of mind.
The three of them stood hand in hand in front of the door. Zheng turned to look at Fu Yuanzi, who then looked back at Zheng. With a tacit understanding, they let go of Xiaoyu and, with a loud knock on the wooden door, hid on either side of it, leaving the little girl standing in the middle.
The door opened slightly, and Taishi Zhengjiang looked out holding his long spoon.
A little girl with big eyes stood in the middle, smiling at him. Xiaoyu looked up at Taishi Zhengjiang and asked sweetly, "Wang Weng, do you have any flying slaves at home?"
Taishi Zhengjiang quickly put away his long spoon, fearing that he would frighten the little girl. When speaking to such a lovely child, even his voice became softer: "Whose little girl are you? How did you know that Weng Weng's family had a flying slave?"
Before he finished speaking, Taishi Zhengjiang was about to bend down, but was startled by two people hiding outside the door.
"father!"
"master!"
Oh, they are his little girls.
Taishi Zhengjiang, holding his frightened heartbeat, raised his hand and scooped up Zheng and Fu Yuanzi's heads, giving each of them a spoonful. "You little bastards, just go home. You're doing this to scare your father to death, and your master—"
It had been a while since they'd been spanked like this by Taishi Zhengjiang, and the master and servant weren't quite used to it. They each covered their heads and glanced at Taishi Zhengjiang, not daring to say anything.
Why is this person still so violent?
If my sister-in-law saw me...yes, my sister-in-law!
Zheng looked up into the courtyard and asked, "Dad, is my sister-in-law here?"
It would have been fine if Zheng hadn't said it, but as soon as she said this, Taishi Zhengjiang became unhappy. He just replied, "No," and turned to walk into the yard.
Okay, I'm angry again.
Zheng shook her head, wondering what she would do if these two met face to face. She knew herself but not her enemy, and a hundred battles would surely be a disaster! But before Zheng could take Xiaoyu's hand, and before Taishi Zhengjiang could fully turn around, someone came running down the avenue outside.
Everyone turned around and saw a domineering woman in armor and carrying a sword reining in her horse and stopping outside the door.
The woman was quite tall, and when she dismounted and stood before the crowd, Zheng had to look up. As she approached, she suddenly took a few-month-old child from her back. Her expression was extremely hurried, and her words had a Khitan accent. "General Taishi, I am your son...daughter-in-law, Yelü Heiyuan. Zhao Heiyuan is the Han surname bestowed upon me by the sage. This is your grandson, and he doesn't have a name yet. I must now enter the palace to see the emperor. I ask that you help take care of him. Farewell."
Zhao Heiyuan arrived in a hurry and left in even greater haste. It took barely a second for her to come and go before she shoved the child into Taishi Zhengjiang's arms and, without giving anyone a chance to react, immediately mounted her horse and rode away.
The avenue returned to silence, and the remaining group of people were full of confusion.
"What did she say? Who is this child? My grandson?!" Taishi Zhengjiang held the baby boy in his hands, shocked. Zheng pointed at the empty street, still in shock, "What? That was my sister-in-law just now?"
The father and daughter looked at each other in bewilderment. Fu Yuanzi, the slow-moving fellow, stood there in a daze...
Wait, did something just pass by?!
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