Qin Jingyi composed his facial expression, feigning enjoyment of the food, and looked up at Tang Shiya.
"It's...delicious..."
Tang Shiya visibly cheered upon hearing this.
So Tang Shiya wanted to put fish on Qin Jingyi's plate again.
Xiao Xi couldn't sit still in Qin Jue's arms anymore, so she stood on Qin Jue's lap and slammed her hands on the table.
"No, Brother, don't eat it!!!"
Tang Shiya was startled when Xiao Xi'er slapped her, causing the fish she was holding in her chopsticks to fall onto the table. She immediately stood up and knelt on the floor.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me."
Qin Jue did not make Tang Shiya, who was kneeling on the ground, get up, but instead looked at Xiao Xi'er.
"Little Xi'er, why won't you let your brother eat?"
"Don't you like him?"
"No, that's not true!"
Little Xi'er sat back down on Qin Jue's lap, her arms crossed, her little mouth pouting.
"That's because Guoguo doesn't like to eat fish~"
Qin Jingyao looked up at Xiao Xi'er in surprise upon hearing her words.
Tang Shiya didn't take Xiao Xi'er's words seriously, thinking it was just Xiao Xi'er talking nonsense.
Qin Jue raised an eyebrow in surprise upon hearing Xiao Xi'er's words.
"Little Xi'er, how do you know your brother doesn't like to eat fish? Did he tell you?"
"No, I found it myself!"
Qin Jue glanced at Tang Shiya, then looked at Xiao Xi'er and said...
"Shall we have Xiaoxi tell us?"
"When Guoguo and we used to eat together, there would be fish on the table, but Guoguo never ate a single bite."
"And just now, the pretty auntie gave Guoguo some fish, and Guoguo had a hard time eating it~"
"Guoguo's expression doesn't seem like he likes to eat fish."
"If you like eating fish, you should be very happy, but it seems that your brother isn't very happy~"
After hearing what Xiao Xi'er said, Qin Jingyao was completely stunned. He never expected that Xiao Xi'er had observed what he didn't like to eat during their several meals together.
Tang Shiya turned to look at Qin Jingyi in disbelief, only to see Qin Jingyi looking at Xiao Xi'er.
"Then why don't you tell me, Xiaoxi, what does your brother like to eat?"
"Mmm, my brother likes to eat corn, and I like to eat corn too~"
"Guoguo likes to eat green vegetables. Guoguo doesn't like to eat meat much, but he will eat some. Guoguo doesn't eat fish at all."
I like to eat lean meat, and my husband always gives me lean meat.
After she finished speaking, Xiao Xi turned her head and looked at Qin Jingyi, revealing her little baby teeth.
"Brother, brother~"
"Um"
Qin Jingyao also looked at Xiao Xi'er and smiled from the bottom of his heart.
Seeing how close Xiao Xi'er and Qin Jingyao were as siblings, Qin Jue felt that Xiao Xi'er had forgotten about him again.
"Little Xi'er, have you forgotten your father again?"
"No, that's not true!"
While Qin Jue was talking to Xiao Xi'er, he glanced at Tang Shiya and found that Tang Shiya was still standing there in a daze.
"Little Xi'er, shall we go back?"
"Hmm... okay then~"
When Qin Jue heard that Xiao Xi'er had agreed, he picked her up, stood up, and walked towards the door.
"Father, Father"
"What's wrong?"
"My buns (steamed buns)"
Little Xi'er leaned on Qin Jue's shoulder and pointed at the plate of steamed buns of various shapes on the table.
"Sanhezi, go and take the steamed buns the princess made herself."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I'll go and pack it right away."
"Is it okay?"
Qin Jue asked Xiao Xi'er in a questioning tone. Xiao Xi'er nodded, then looked at Qin Jingyi, who had stood up to see Qin Jue off.
He waved to Qin Jingyan, "Bye-bye, buddy~"
Qin Jue snorted coldly, then carried Xiao Xi'er away from the Purple Bamboo Pavilion.
As Tang Shiya knelt on the ground, Xiao Xi'er's words, "Brother doesn't like to eat fish," still echoed in her mind.
Then I remembered what Xiaoxi had said, 'Brother likes to eat corn and vegetables,' and her face was full of disbelief.
Seeing Tang Shiya's distraught state, Zisu helped her up.
"Your Majesty, please get up."
After Tang Shiya stood up, she let go of Zisu's hand that was supporting her.
Upon reaching the Qinling Mountains, his hands trembling, he took Qin Jingyi's hand.
"Qi'er... was what the little princess said just now true?"
Is it...really true?
Qin Jingyao thought of Xiao Xi'er and immediately said what he liked to eat.
He glanced at Tang Shiya again, then lowered his head once more, and murmured the words.
"Mother, what my little sister said is...it's true..."
"I...I don't like eating fish."
"Is it... because of that incident... that you stopped liking to eat it?"
Tang Shiya thought of what happened when Qin Jingyao was five years old, and stammered as she spoke to Qin Jingyao.
After Tang Shiya finished speaking, she saw Qin Jingyi lower his head, and her own eyes darkened.
He pulled Qin Jingyi into his arms, murmuring to her, "Jingyi, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
“Yi’er…that matter…it was all Mother’s fault, I’m sorry…”
Tang Shiya hugged Qin Jingyu and cried.
Qin Jingyao heard Tang Shiya cry and didn't know how to comfort her.
He could only let Tang Shiya hold him.
"Mother...I don't blame you..."
"Mother, you...don't...blame yourself."
But Tang Shiya, who was focused on blaming herself, didn't listen to what Qin Jingyan said.
"Daddy~, where's the kitten~?"
"Shating ran back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation on his own while you were eating."
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