We talked about other things after that, but neither my parents nor Xie Yuancheng were interested in this matter, and I also found it boring, losing my enthusiasm as we talked.
We only dispersed after the little ones had finished playing. Su Ling and Xi Zhi went to drink milk with their mother. I thought Yu'er had gone too, so I planned to take a nap with Xie Yuancheng.
"Daddy~" Yu'er carried the bamboo over, which was filled with milk.
"Yu'er, why have you come to see your father and mother?" Luckily, I hadn't helped Xie Yuancheng take off his clothes.
"I want to go out with you guys~" Yu'er said so innocently. I pinched his little face and called him a little rascal.
He guessed that he wanted to go today, but Xie Yuancheng told him that he would go out tomorrow. Yu'er pouted and puffed out his cheeks.
"However, once Yu'er wakes up, I can take you out for a walk~"
In the end, Xie Yuancheng changed his mind, and Yu'er came to me, reaching out his hands for me to take off his clothes so he could go to sleep. I shook his little bamboo tube to make sure it was empty before I held him and put him to bed.
Xie Yuancheng wanted me to rest with him on the soft couch. My husband and son are both hard to please, but I managed to take care of both of them.
I was still asleep when I felt something sliding across my face. When I opened my eyes, I saw Xie Yuancheng's enlarged face as he brushed a peacock feather across my face.
"You're so annoying~ I'm still sleeping~" I snuggled into his arms, always causing trouble.
"Ying'er, our good son has gone to change his clothes. I want to wake you up properly, but I don't want to surprise you."
"Okay, I'll get up right away."
I yawned and reached for my clothes, but Xie Yuancheng was quick and changed me in no time. I stretched and was about to leave when he pulled me back.
"Ying'er~ Yu'er just passed by, have some tea to calm down."
I was about to take the teacup when he drank from it and came over to me. I had just leaned on his shoulder to catch my breath when Yu'er's voice rang out.
Luckily, he was a few doors away. I rubbed the lower half of my forehead that I had bumped into Xie Yuancheng, and looked at him with a wronged expression.
"Ying'er~ You're always so impulsive, I'm very sensible, okay~"
Xie Yuancheng smiled and pulled me outside to see Yu'er. Yu'er was wearing a small silk cloth on her head and her hair was tied into a small bun. Her smile was bright and sparkling.
Mother chased after us from behind, specially giving us change, and repeatedly told us not to spend too much money on Yu'er, lest he become arrogant, before letting us leave the mansion.
Yu'er nestled happily in Xie Yuancheng's arms, turning around every now and then to look at the beautiful scenery, exclaiming, "So pretty!"
"Yu'er~ Stop spinning, doesn't your little head get tired?" I played with Yu'er's little hand, and Yu'er laughed so hard that she stretched out her little finger whenever she saw a bird seller.
"Haha~" He's so noisy. It was Xie Yuancheng who was holding me, and I was wearing a veil, but he kept reaching out to pull it off.
"My dear son, your mother is being naughty. If you lift the veil, she'll run away. You can't lift it, understand?"
Xie Yuancheng is such a troublemaker, he just talks nonsense and Yu'er actually believed him. He hugged Yu'er and brought him close to me, and sure enough, Yu'er stopped trying to pull on my veil.
"Mommy is beautiful, I want Mommy~"
He's so simple-minded; he believes everything Xie Yuancheng says. I was laughing so hard I could hardly believe it. Yu'er rubbed his face with her little finger and then started laughing.
"Yu'er~ Daddy's face is precious, we can't ruin it~"
I winked at Xie Yuancheng, and he smiled at me, then brought Yu'er to me, which I quickly picked up.
"Daddy, baby~" Yu'er is so cute, she'll come back to me after a little teaching.
I carried him happily forward, with Xie Yuancheng protecting us from falling. Just then, someone ran towards us from the opposite direction carrying a bowl, with straw on their head. Xie Yuancheng quickly pulled us into his arms.
"Stop right there! You sold yourself to bury your father, and we've already paid you. You still dare to run away!"
That's when I realized it was a girl; her hair had been cut, and she was running very fast. But there were people surrounding her, and she couldn't squeeze through; the people chasing her could only drag her back.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please help me! I never took his money. My father is still lying in that corner over there."
Yu'er clung tightly to my collar; he was probably terrified. I whispered, "Yu'er, don't be afraid. Mommy and Daddy are here to protect you."
Seeing that he was looking at me with his eyes open, I felt a little relieved. The onlookers had already moved on, and I was holding Yu'er, not wanting to watch the commotion. I planned to take him for a walk on another street, and Xie Yuancheng took him over as well.
"I want to see~" Yu'er pointed to the crowded area, looking at Xie Yuancheng with hopeful eyes.
"Alright, boys need to be braver. When Daddy was half a year older than you, he was already a little giant!"
I moved closer and helped Yu'er squeeze in to see what was happening. The man had started slapping people, and Yu'er immediately shouted, "He's hitting people!"
There was indeed a straw mat covering the corner, and when the person with a mole on their face tried to come over, the onlookers talked about it.
“Even a child knows you’re wrong, yet you still dare to come here. You’re doing something inhuman in broad daylight.”
"That's right. The girl said you didn't pay her at all. There are a lot of constables now. Be careful they don't arrest you and send you to jail."
"Why do grown men have to bully the elderly, the weak, women, and children?"
The onlookers began to curse, and the girl knelt down and kowtowed, begging everyone to testify. Xie Yuancheng blindfolded Yu'er; it was best if he didn't see this scene.
"You're bullying me!" Yu'er yelled again, and the people on both sides joined in the commotion.
"Make way, make way!" The constables came over, and when the girl saw them, she scrambled over to beg for help.
The constables in front helped the girl up: "What exactly happened? They're beating and cursing each other in broad daylight in the street."
“My father died of illness, and I had no money for his burial, so I sold myself into servitude to pay for his funeral. But these people insisted that I had taken the money and wanted to take me back to be their maid.”
"My father is still lying in the corner, where is he buried!" The girl began to cry loudly.
She was pitiful; she was dressed entirely in plain clothes, and her hair was cut short. I thought she was a man.
"Fellow constables, she took the money but won't admit it. These days, it's not easy to buy a maid. Just like those prostitutes from a few days ago, she's a fraud!"
The man wouldn't let it go, bringing up what happened a few days ago. He said this girl was different; she looked like she came from a poor family and was being bullied when she encountered difficulties.
"They're bullying people!" Yu'er shouted. The constables looked over and saw Xie Yuancheng about to bow when he coughed.
“Look, even the kids say you’re bullying them. Children have such sharp eyes, yet you still won’t admit it. Luckily, we have the torture instruments we used last time with us. You two, go ahead and torture them.”
"yes!"
Two constables took him away with torture instruments. Behind the man with the mole on his face were three other people, all of whom were beaten to their knees. Before the torture even began, they all confessed.
It turns out they wanted to use those petty swindlers causing trouble in the capital as bait. Today, they saw a girl selling herself to bury her father, and seeing how beautiful she was, they wanted to take her home without spending any money.
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