Chapter 246 Brothers (First Update)
Ming'er knew how to avoid the garden guards. He rushed out of his residence and onto the bustling street. He saw a carriage waiting by the roadside and walked over breathlessly: "To Miaoshoutang!"
The coachman looked at him strangely.
He pulled a jade pendant from his waist: "Here!"
That was top-quality mutton-fat jade. Although the coachman couldn't tell if the jade was real or fake, he knew that there was a gold ingot hanging from the tassel of the jade pendant, which was real gold.
The driver immediately chuckled: "Alright, alright, young man, get in! Miaoshoutang, right? The one on Xuanwu Street? I'll make sure you get there!"
"Hurry up!" Ming'er said to the coachman.
The coachman laughed and said, "Good, good, quick, spur the horse on!"
It was also Ming'er's good luck that this was indeed a horse-drawn carriage for running errands and picking up customers, not a private vehicle belonging to some wealthy family; otherwise, they might not have done business with Ming'er.
Furthermore, the driver wasn't a con artist either.
The carriage arrived at Miaoshoutang.
Ming'er jumped off the carriage, his throat felt a little itchy, and he coughed twice.
I was in such a rush this morning that I forgot to take my medicine.
The clinic staff recognized the young patient, and a young apprentice approached and asked, "Young master, are you here for a follow-up appointment? Where are your parents?"
Ming'er didn't answer him, but asked seriously, "Where is Jingkong?"
He was the son of a prince and the grandson of the king, possessing the aura of royalty in his very being. His serious demeanor even startled the young medicine boy.
The young apprentice said blankly, "You mean Miss Gu's younger brother? He didn't come to the clinic; he must have gone to school."
"Where does he go to school?" Ming'er asked again.
"The Imperial College," the young medicine boy said.
"How do I get to the Imperial College?" Ming'er asked.
"Keep walking forward, and when you see that cloth shop ahead, turn west and you'll arrive."
As soon as the fairy tale song ended, Ming'er ran out.
The young medicine boy scratched his head, completely bewildered.
Ming'er went to the Imperial College.
The Imperial Academy hadn't let out yet, and he couldn't get in. He tried to claim he was an envoy from the Liang Kingdom, but no one believed him.
He could only wait at the door.
He forgot to put on extra clothes before going out; he was wearing his usual clothes from home, which were rather thin.
It was a sunny day, but the wind was quite strong and chilly, making him shiver a little.
He lingered at the entrance, sometimes squatting under a big tree to watch the ants, sometimes looking up to count the leaves on the tree. He didn't know how much time had passed before the Imperial College finally let out for the day.
The gates were opened, and a large number of students filed out. He plunged into the crowd and went against the flow into the Imperial College.
As long as someone has a mouth, it's not hard to find early childhood education.
Little Jingkong slowly walked out of the elementary school.
The children in the elementary school all went to the canteen to eat, running very fast. Among a large group of seven, eight, and nine-year-old children, only four-year-old Jingkong stood out.
Ming'er spotted the little glutinous rice ball at a glance. Its little face was serious and cute. Is this what Mommy likes?
Ming'er thought that after looking at it this way, the little guy didn't seem so bad after all.
He strode over and shouted, "Clear the sky!"
Xiao Jingkong was startled by the sudden appearance of the enormous creature. He looked up and saw...
That's right, it's about looking up.
Because I'm so short, I have to look up at everyone. It's so annoying!
"It's you?" Xiao Jingkong's face turned serious again. "Do you want to fight again?"
"No!" Ming'er felt that there were too many people here, making it inconvenient for him to express himself, so he grabbed Xiao Jingkong's hand.
My goodness, such tiny hands!
Ming'er was afraid of breaking these little hands, but why are they so soft?
Ming'er pinched it, then pinched it again, and thought, "Mmm, this is so much fun."
"What exactly do you want?" Niu Hulu, the old man, asked with utter disdain.
Ah, I almost forgot the important thing.
Ming'er looked embarrassed and said to Xiao Jingkong, "Come with me!"
After saying that, he dragged Xiao Jingkong out of the Imperial College.
Little Jingkong exclaimed, "Where are you taking me? I need to go home for dinner!"
Today, the elementary school class started a little early, and the casual class ended a little late, causing Xiao Liulang and Xiao Jingkong to miss each other completely.
This kind of situation has happened before. Xiao Jingkong doesn't run around. He always waits obediently for Xiao Liulang at the entrance of the elementary school. Today, he was dragged out by Ming'er. Xiao Jingkong is quite flustered.
Ming'er pulled Xiao Jingkong to a secluded corner and said to him solemnly and hesitantly, "Okay, what I'm about to say might be hard for you to accept, but I swear every word I say is true!"
As expected of a child from a royal family, her speaking skills are top-notch.
Xiao Jingkong looked at him strangely: "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Ming'er took a deep breath and steeled her resolve, saying, "You are my brother!"
"Huh?" Little Jingkong looked at him with a disapproving expression. "You're not my brother!"
Ming'er had a knowing look on her face: "See, see, you really didn't believe me! But I really am your brother! My mother is your mother! You've met her! Don't you like her?"
Xiao Jingkong met Princess Yu twice, the first time at the clinic and the second time at the palace. Princess Yu was a very kind lady, and like Yao Shi, Xiao Jingkong liked her.
But for some reason, Xiao Jingkong had a vague feeling that the "like" that Ming'er was referring to was not the "like" he understood.
Xiao Jingkong was momentarily conflicted.
Ming'er took another deep breath and made her next decision with great difficulty: "It was my fault in the palace. I shouldn't have yelled at you or pushed you. Don't refuse to come back with us because of this. Mother is very sad; she even cried!"
Children's thoughts are always simple. Ming'er thought that Princess Yu was the best mother in the world. He liked her, and her younger brother must like her too. Her younger brother didn't want to go back, so it must be because of her.
Then I'll apologize to him!
Ming'er held Xiao Jingkong's hand and promised, "I will never bully you again, and I will protect you! The Prince's Mansion is wonderful! It has a very, very big courtyard, lots and lots of delicious food, and many servants and horses! I can teach you to ride a horse! I can also teach you to shoot arrows! Come back with me!"
Seeing that Xiao Jingkong remained silent, he continued, "Every child has parents and should be with them! Your mother didn't abandon you on purpose back then. She thought something had happened to you. Now she and Father have come back to find you! If you refuse to acknowledge them, your mother will continue to be sad!"
Xiao Jingkong pondered for a moment seriously, then said to Ming'er, "But I want to be with Jiaojiao."
Ming'er exclaimed in surprise, "Jiaojiao isn't your mother!"
By the way, who is Jiaojiao?
Ming'er had said everything she needed to say. Her mother was still crying in the courtyard. Ming'er couldn't wait for Jingkong to nod, so she pulled Jingkong and headed towards the Royal Garden.
He remembered the way he came and that it wouldn't take long to travel by carriage.
However, he underestimated the speed of the carriage and overestimated the speed of walking, and the two of them, one big and one small, were sweating profusely from walking.
Xiao Jingkong looked at him speechlessly: "Where exactly are you taking me?"
"Let's go home!" Ming'er held his hand with one hand and used the other to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
He held on tightly, afraid of losing his younger brother.
It seemed that Ming'er's luck had run out. The two walked onto a sparsely populated street when suddenly a well-dressed middle-aged man approached them.
He had a kind face and a friendly smile; he looked like a good-natured person.
He stopped in front of Ming'er and Xiao Jingkong, and said with a kind smile, "Little brothers, where are you going? Why aren't your parents with you? Did you get separated from them?"
Ming'er looked at him warily: "This is none of your business, get out of here!"
Young masters from royal families are used to being bossy and will naturally not take a commoner seriously.
His orders always worked, though he didn't realize it was because he was always accompanied by guards from the Prince's Palace.
Now, alone with a four-year-old toddler, he has instantly lost all his intimidation.
After all, even the fiercest cub is still just a cub; no adult sheep would be afraid of a tiger cub.
The middle-aged man smiled and, instead of backing down, reached out to touch Xiao Jingkong's head.
"Don't touch my brother!" Ming'er decisively slapped his hand away!
Xiao Jingkong suddenly pointed to the other side of the street: "Uncle, someone is calling you from over there!"
The middle-aged man turned his head to look.
Xiao Jingkong seized the opportunity and ran away with Ming'er!
The two ran until they reached a crowded area before stopping. Ming'er was out of breath, while Xiao Jingkong, who was in good physical condition, didn't pant too much.
"Why...why did we run?" Ming'er asked, exhausted.
“That’s a kidnapper,” Xiao Jingkong said. “A kidnapper is a person who abducts children.”
Ming'er asked, puzzled, "How did you know?"
Xiao Jingkong said, "I guessed."
When he was walking chickens in the countryside, the villagers always liked to joke with him, saying that he was so young and that he should be careful not to be taken away by a kidnapper.
Jiaojiao also taught him not to talk to strangers.
Ming'er looked back; the person didn't seem to be chasing after them, but he was still a little scared: "Then let's hurry!"
The two continued walking forward.
Unfortunately, Ming'er's good luck had run out on the way here. The middle-aged man they had dodged eventually caught up with them. In broad daylight, he angrily walked up to the two of them, picked up Xiao Jingkong, and then slapped Ming'er to the ground.
He pointed at Ming'er and cursed, "What kind of older brother are you? I just said a few words to you, and you ran away from home with your younger brother, didn't you? Don't you know your brother is still sick? How could I have given birth to such a wicked child!"
Ming'er was furious: "You're talking nonsense! You're not my father!"
The middle-aged man pointed at his nose with exasperation: "Fine, fine, you wretched child, you don't even recognize your own father anymore! I'll beat you to death! I'll beat you to death!"
A crowd gathered around.
A woman rushed over, crying, and hugged Ming'er tightly in her arms: "Master, please don't hit the child! It's all my fault! I didn't watch him properly!"
"Get away from me!" Ming'er struggled.
The woman's tears streamed down her face; she was truly heartbroken and anxious: "Son, don't argue with your father anymore! Your father is only for your own good, that's why he's forcing you to go to school!"
Ming'er roared, "Get away from me! You're not my mother!"
The man slapped Ming'er again, knocking her half-conscious: "How can she not be your mother? She's your stepmother! She's your mother!"
So that's the relationship between the stepmother and the biological father. No wonder the child keeps saying he doesn't recognize either of them. He probably resents his stepmother and even his biological father as a result.
This kind of thing is not uncommon, so no one doubted that it was fake.
The middle-aged man kicked the woman several more times, each kick landing on her body, making the scene even more realistic.
All of Ming'er's struggles were seen as rebellion by everyone, and endless anger surged in Ming'er's heart. At the same time, she felt a deep fear and helplessness.
If he had known, he wouldn't have come out by himself.
He was kidnapped by a kidnapper, and his younger brother was also kidnapped by a kidnapper. The two of them will never see their mother again.
In the end, the middle-aged man carried Xiao Jingkong in his arms, while the woman helped the exhausted Ming'er away from the scene.
No one would report such a family matter to the authorities, and the crowd quickly dispersed.
The two arrived at a secluded courtyard and threw the two children into the house.
The middle-aged man had intended to use some medicine on the younger child, but the child was so frightened from the beginning that he couldn't even cry anymore, so the middle-aged man didn't bother with it.
After all, sleeping potions are very expensive and can easily harm the body. Such a young child is very delicate, and if he doesn't wake up, they will lose a lot of money.
"Honey, these two children are quite good." The woman's usual gentle and shrewish demeanor vanished, replaced by a sharp and smug expression.
The middle-aged man looked at the two children sprawled on the ground with satisfaction and said with a wicked smile, "Yes, it's been a long time since I've gotten such top-quality goods. I'm sure I can sell them for a good price! Where's Old Liu?"
The woman said, "Go prepare the carriage! We'll send them out of the city in a little while!"
The middle-aged man looked at the two men coldly and said, "Change their clothes first! Shave their heads too!"
"Hey!"
The woman went to another room to prepare clothes and a razor.
The man closed the door to their room, walked to the front yard, peeked out and looked around, then cautiously closed the gate.
The terror in Xiao Jingkong's eyes disappeared. He crawled to Ming'er's side, nudged his arm, and whispered, "Brother Ming'er, Brother Ming'er, wake up."
(End of this chapter)
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