To everyone's surprise, as soon as those words were spoken, a look of contempt, completely out of character for her age, appeared on the child's delicate face. Her eyes clearly said: You think you can hurt me?
Meng Zhao was always particularly tolerant of pretty children, and seeing this, she was not annoyed at all. Instead, she found it amusing and continued to ask gently, "Are you a friend of Shen Qingze and Shen Qingyu?" Although there was a few years difference in age, these two children had always loved making friends, so it was not surprising that they had a younger playmate.
As a result, her legs ached from squatting, but the child remained silent, even turning his head away to continue writing. Meng Zhao's lips twitched slightly, and she thought to herself, "Hmph, how rude."
She simply ignored him and found a chair to sit down. After a short while, the servant from before brought in a tea tray and placed it on the table next to Meng Zhao.
Meng Zhao asked quietly, "Whose child is this? I've never seen him before."
The servant shook his head. "I don't know either. I only know that Lord Shen personally brought him into the manor today and instructed him to take good care of him."
Meng Zhao nodded thoughtfully and waved for him to step back. The servant bowed respectfully and said, "If Madam Meng has any instructions, please feel free to call me."
After the servant left, the child suddenly put down his brush and stared intently at Meng Zhao with his large, clear eyes. Meng Zhao pretended not to see him, crossed his legs, leisurely sipped his tea, and glanced at the rose bush in the courtyard that was about to bloom.
Seeing that Meng Zhao remained silent for a long time, the child frowned and hesitated for a while before finally unable to contain himself and ran to Meng Zhao with his short legs.
"Your surname is Meng?" He tilted his little head up, his voice crisp and clear.
Meng Zhao didn't even lift her eyelids. She simply and slowly lowered her right leg, which had been crossed over her shoulder, and instead put her left leg over it, continuing to sip her tea. Seeing this, the child pouted, but still stubbornly went around to the other side.
"You are Lord Shen's sister-in-law?" This time, there was a clear hint of urgency in his voice.
Meng Zhao raised an eyebrow, secretly amused. This little guy knew quite a bit. But thinking about how he had squatted until his legs ached and still hadn't received a kind look from him, he deliberately closed his eyes to rest, pretending not to have heard.
When she heard the little guy stamping his feet in frustration, she slowly opened her eyes and said in a serious tone, "I don't talk to impolite children."
The child was taken aback, blinked his big eyes, and asked, "What does it mean to be polite?"
“It’s about being polite. I spoke to you politely just now, but you ignored me. That’s being impolite.”
To everyone's surprise, the child frowned and said, "You were the one who broke the rules first. If you're going to ask me, you should introduce yourself first."
Meng Zhao thought about it and realized it was true. So she didn't mince words and apologized readily: "Okay, I was wrong just now. I apologize to you. Let's start over. My surname is Meng and my name is Meng Zhao. I used to be the sister-in-law of that Lord Shen you mentioned, but not anymore. Now I'm her older sister. Now you can tell me which family you belong to, right?"
The child opened his mouth, but suddenly seemed to remember something, his little face stiffened, and he swallowed back the words he was about to say. Seeing his expression, Meng Zhao deliberately snorted, "Hmph, I've already introduced myself, why aren't you saying anything now?"
Upon hearing this, the little guy's face scrunched up, clearly realizing he was in the wrong. He pouted, and his eyes gradually reddened. Meng Zhao, who was most afraid of children crying, quickly waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, if you don't want to talk about it, then don't. Go back and write."
To everyone's surprise, the child didn't leave. Instead, he took two steps forward and hesitated for a while before whispering, "You can, you can call me A-Jin. That's what my mother calls me."
"Ah Jin?" Meng Zhao teased him deliberately, "Is it the 'Jin' of 'brocade'?"
The little one immediately pouted and shook his head angrily: "No!"
Meng Zhao was amused by his appearance and continued to guess, "Is that the 'jin' in 'hibiscus'?"
"Neither!" Ah Jin stamped her feet anxiously, puffed out her little chest, and said in a serious tone, "It is the 'Jin' of 'cautious.' My father taught me that we should think carefully before acting, avoid rashness and recklessness, and be cautious from beginning to end, so as not to fail."
He spoke in a serious tone, but Meng Zhao felt a headache coming on. He thought to himself that this father was too outrageous. He put so much pressure on his son from the very beginning of naming him. No wonder the child looked a bit dull. He didn't have any expression on his face unless he was teased. He didn't look like a child. He looked more like an old scholar. It was probably all because his father had scared him.
A-Jin noticed that Meng Zhao was distracted and was a little unhappy. "You have no patience. That's different from what Lord Shen said."
"Who said that?" Meng Zhao immediately retorted. "I have the most patience, but it depends on the situation. I once tried hundreds of different recipes for a braising sauce before I finally got the one I was satisfied with."
"Does it taste good?"
Meng Zhao proudly raised his chin: "It's not just delicious, it's simply heavenly. Otherwise, how could my braised meat shop have hundreds of chain stores?"
"What is a chain store?" The little guy tilted his head, looking completely bewildered.
Meng Zhao was speechless for a moment. He tilted his head and thought for a while, then waved his hand and said, "You're too young. You won't understand even if I tell you. Go back and practice your writing."
They had only been chatting for a short while when Meng Zhao told him twice to go write something, clearly indicating that she didn't want to talk to him anymore. A-Jin was furious, and the consequences were severe. He clenched his little fists, suddenly straightened his face, and said in a childish but unusually serious voice, "I order you to tell me what a chain store is!"
Meng Zhao's lips twitched, he could hardly believe his ears: "Oh ho, you little brat, you dare to order me around?" He then reached out and pinched A Jin's soft little face, kneading it like dough.
Ah Jin's face was distorted from being rubbed, but she still muttered defiantly, "Let...let me go! I...I'm going to tell Lord Shen that you bullied me!"
Meng Zhao scoffed, his hands still moving. "Tch, you've come to the wrong person. Even this Lord Shen you're talking about wouldn't dare speak to me like that!"
When threats proved ineffective, Ah Jin could only shout, "Guards! Protect the Emperor!"
Meng Zhao sneered twice, and just as she finished speaking, "Give up, no one will come to save you," she suddenly felt a cold wind coming from behind her. Her whole body stiffened, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a cold sword tip suddenly appear on the side of her neck. The sharp sword energy made her skin sting. If she turned her head at this moment, it would cut her neck.
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