Xin He stared at him as he turned and walked away, not reacting until he was completely out of sight, and then she was furious: "Is this brat trying to challenge me now!?"
Xiao Bei was also taken aback and quickly said, "Sister, don’t be angry. Li Nan has always listened to you the most. How could he possibly..."
"And yet he dares to walk away on his own! His manners are getting worse and worse! Now that he’s older, he must think his wings have hardened! I think this brat is asking for a beating now."
Xiao Bei held Xin He’s arm and said, "Sister, let me go and ask him. I’ll teach him a lesson for you while I’m at it, and make sure he comes to apologize to you later. Don’t be angry, don’t be angry!"
With that, he too ran off like a whirlwind.
Xin He, calming herself, sat down with the support of a chair, "This stinky kid, and to think I used to say he was obedient and sensible. The older he gets, the more he infuriates me!"
Shulan and Xiaoyu hurriedly brought in tea, "Please drink some tea to calm down, princess. We think Li Nan isn’t really that unreasonable. Perhaps there’s been some misunderstanding. He’s been feeling down lately, and you’ve seen it too."
Xin He frowned, and her anger subsided a little, but she still said resentfully, "What a waste to care for him so much! This stinky kid."
----
"Li Nan! Li Nan, wait for me. What are you in such a hurry for?" Xiao Bei caught up with Li Nan, who had already left the Royal Mansion,
Xiao Bei grabbed Li Nan’s arm, angrily saying, "What’s wrong with you today? Don’t you know how angry your sister is? How could you talk to her like that? She treats you like a kid because she cares for you. You’re only hurting her with your behavior!"
Li Nan lowered his eyes, his expression betraying no emotion, "I understand."
"Never mind. I know you’re feeling bad. We’ve grown up together, and I know you better than anyone else. No matter what, you couldn’t have said those words easily, so there must be another reason for it today. I won’t force you to talk about it if you don’t want to. Just think it through for yourself." Xiao Bei paused before continuing, "Once you’ve figured it out, come and apologize to your sister personally. Admit your mistake, and she won’t stay mad at you."
Growing up, Xiao Bei had never felt Li Nan to be unreasonable, but he still didn’t understand that perhaps the only person who treasured Li Nan as a family member was Xin He.
How could Li Nan bear to hurt such a person?
Li Nan nodded and mounted his horse, "I understand."
He galloped away without even going back to the public school, not knowing where he was heading. He just raced along the streets until he ended up in the outskirts. He didn’t understand Xiao Bei’s heart, and he thought of Xin He as not only a family member but also someone even more important to him.
Li Nan led his horse, walking on the grass in the outskirts, his face tinged with a little desolation. When had he ever wanted to hurt her? In order not to disappoint her and not to make her worry, from the first day of helping her, he had been on guard, always being vigilant for fear of any slip-up causing her loss or danger.
Xin He often said that giving any task to Li Nan was the best because she never had to worry about him failing or making a mess of things. However, no one is perfect, and he had only managed to avoid mistakes by devoting all his energy to every task for all these years. He had never found it hard, and she had given him so much, including glory, a second chance at life, and dignity. It wasn’t because she wasn’t good enough; he was just asking for too much, and it was his fault.
Li Nan lowered his head, feeling sad. He had never imagined gaining his heart’s desire, but God was not willing even to allow him this.
----
Half a month passed, and Xin He never saw Li Nan again. She sent a letter to Xiao Bei, asking about him. Xiao Bei replied that Li Nan was busy studying at the public school, which somewhat relieved her.
However, the "quarrel" half a month ago still left a light but noticeable mark on Xin He’s heart.
"Mother, are you not happy?" Ah Guai came up to Xin He, tilting her head.
Xin He said irritably, "Isn’t it because your Little Nan Uncle only knows how to annoy me?"
As she said that, she poked Ah Guai’s little nose with her finger, "You must not learn from him and make me worry in the future."
Ah Guai giggled, "Ah Guai would never want mother to get angry, and Little Nan Uncle must not be willing to make you mad either."
Xin He glared at her lightly, "And now you’re defending him."
Ah Guai held Xin He’s arm, saying, "Ah Guai only speaks up for mother. I just feel that Little Nan Uncle has always been considerate of mother. Even if he’s made you angry, he probably has no choice. If mother is angry with him, maybe Little Nan Uncle wouldn’t dare to come and apologize to you. Why not go see him? It’s been a long time since Ah Guai has seen Little Uncle and Little Nan Uncle. Let’s go to the public school, okay?"
Ah Guai’s excitement grew as she spoke, her eyes sparkling with laughter.
Xin He pinched her face, "You just want to go play in the prefecture city, you little girl. You’re getting too cunning."
Ah Guai blinked innocently, "Not at all."
The public school was in the prefecture city and not in Lian’an Town. It was relatively rare for Li Nan and Xiao Bei to visit since they would only come back once every month or two.
Shulan hesitated before laughing, "It just rained yesterday, and the weather today is not so hot but rather refreshing. It might be a good idea to head to the prefecture city and see Young Master Ji and Li Nan since you have an excuse. Plus, the princess wants to go out too."
Xin He smiled, "When does Ah Guai not want to go out? This child can never sit still, and now you’re helping them speak up too." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Ah Guai hugged Xin He’s arm, pleading, "Mother, let’s go, let’s go!"
Shulan laughed, "Honestly, the princess has been in a bad mood these past few days, and it would be good to go out and clear your mind. I bet Li Nan is too afraid to come because you’re mad at him."
Xin He patted Ah Guai’s head, "Fine, let’s go. Who can deny our little princess the chance to play in the prefecture city?"
"Great! I’ll go change my clothes and follow mother out!" Ah Guai cheered and bounced away.
Xin He shook her head with a smile, "This child."
Shulan laughed, "I’ll help the princess change clothes too."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
