Chapter 45 Young Master, you may be throwing a tantrum, but could you please let go of my hand before you leave...?
Hearing Li Xiao say that besides his birth mother, only his future wife could touch his face, he was deeply moved.
The little girl snapped out of her daze and stared intently at the boy's handsome face for a while, seemingly still wanting to reach out and touch it.
“…In that case, Zhuzhu…Zhuzhu can do it too.” She shook the candied hawthorn in her hand, her round little face full of stubbornness.
Upon hearing this, everyone present was taken aback.
I never imagined that Li Xiao's hair would be so attractive. Perhaps I underestimated children's strong fascination with beautiful things.
The most embarrassed among us was the woman holding the little girl. She probably realized that the newcomer meant no harm, so her concern for her own safety turned into helplessness at the child's innocent and careless remarks.
Li Xiao, on the other hand, only realized the meaning behind the little girl's words a little later.
For some reason, the boy's first reaction was to turn around and look at me.
I'd been quietly watching the commotion for so long, and being suddenly looked at like that caught me off guard. Mainly, I didn't know why the other person was doing that.
It was as if... they were confirming something.
Completely baffled, I was about to ask a question when Li Xiao turned his face away first. Whether it was an illusion caused by the lamplight, the tip of his ear seemed unusually red, as if it were about to bleed.
I saw the boy raise his hand to his mouth and cough lightly, then say to the expectant little girl in a serious tone, "Never mind, I'm not interested in a little brat like you who can't even speak properly. You should just enjoy your candied hawthorn."
He paused, then added, "Stay close to your mother and listen to her. After all, while I'm not a pervert, I can't guarantee that everyone here isn't. Don't wander off again, or else—"
At this point, Li Xiao lowered his voice and said in a sinister tone, "You might get caught by a monster that turns out of a lantern and eaten in one bite."
"..."
I think Li Xiao's last sentence was completely unnecessary.
Seeing the little girl's dark eyes widen suddenly, and her expression change from bewilderment to fright, I couldn't help but step forward, put the lantern in her hand, and give her a reassuring smile.
"Alright, alright, Zhuzhu, don't be afraid. This is your name, right? It's a very cute name. Here, take this. If a monster really comes, this can protect you."
The little girl's attention was diverted, and her face, which was on the verge of tears just a moment ago, turned into curiosity about the new toy she had received.
He lowered his head and fiddled with the long, fluffy white legs that extended from the round lantern body, as if he were using them as a substitute for the hair he hadn't touched.
"I'm sorry, that's just how my young master talks. Please forgive him if he has frightened your daughter."
As I spoke, I smiled apologetically at the woman who looked surprised, and then, without waiting for Li Xiao to say anything, I pulled the boy and walked towards the other end of the street.
From afar, I seemed to hear a sweet "Goodbye, brothers."
My heart stirred slightly, but I didn't turn around.
Perhaps because it was the first time I had dragged her along without warning, we walked through most of the street until we reached a less crowded area before Li Xiao finally realized what was happening and stopped, refusing to move.
Once he stopped, I naturally couldn't pull him away.
She almost stepped on the boy's foot again due to inertia.
A night breeze blew in from somewhere, its coolness easing the heat on my face.
Seeing the boy staring at me silently, I suddenly realized what I had just done and habitually lowered my head: "I...I'm sorry."
Li Xiao remained silent. I waited for a while before I heard a cool voice from above: "All you do is apologize. Is that all you can do?"
"Something else...?"
I looked up at Li Xiao, puzzled.
The latter snorted, "On such a festive day, late at night, all I get to hear is you apologizing. Honestly, if you're going to apologize, at least show some sincerity. Just saying it isn't enough."
I think I understood some of it, but I'm not entirely sure.
Li Xiao meant for me to take concrete action, but I impulsively gave away the gift he gave me to someone else, and I can't just conjure up a new one out of thin air.
In the rush of the chase, I didn't have time to grab anything—money, a thick coat…it seems like I forgot everything…
I awkwardly checked my pockets to make sure I really didn't have a single penny with me. I met the boy's gaze with some embarrassment and said, "I was in a hurry and didn't bring any money or anything."
My intention in saying all this was to discuss with Li Xiao that if all else fails, we could save this apology for later.
Unexpectedly, Li Xiao misunderstood. His already unhappy face became even longer: "Tch, do you really think that I, this young master, would be short of the little money you have?"
"I don't think so," I answered honestly. "Because even the little money that Pipa has is only possible because of Young Master Li's kindness."
That's true. When I was with Young Master Lan, I relied on this young master for everything, including food, clothing, and other necessities. Moreover, after Young Master Lan passed away, if it weren't for Young Master Li's "sentimental feelings," I probably would have returned to that kind of life I used to live in, where I never saw the light of day.
It might be even worse than before. After all, just the few months I spent living by Young Master Lan's side after being chosen by him were enough to make some people jealous and resentful enough to want me dead.
Li Xiao remained silent for a moment upon hearing this.
I thought he would keep harping on this issue and keep harping on it, which is consistent with his usual behavior and also echoes his previous inexplicable and angry departure.
However, he only muttered softly, "Sometimes I really don't understand if you're genuinely bad at talking, or if you're just pretending to be stupid to upset me..."
I blinked blankly.
Then Li Xiao asked a somewhat unexpected question.
He asked me how much I've saved up now.
"ah?"
"What 'ah'? You live and eat in the building, and you send over so much money and gifts every month, you must have kept quite a bit for yourself. Or—"
The boy frowned, his tone rather unfriendly, and said, "That grinning old man secretly withheld your wages?"
Upon hearing this, I immediately shook my head and waved my hands, indicating that there was no such thing.
"The person in charge is very nice; they even gave everyone red envelopes during the New Year," I said, not wanting the person in charge to be unfairly held accountable by Li Xiao because of my careless remark.
Li Xiao narrowed his eyes and smiled with a hint of disdain: "That greedy old man? A good person? Only a country bumpkin like you would think that way. If it weren't for..."
He paused, then said, "Forget it, why am I talking to you about this? Hey, you haven't answered my question yet."
I thought about it for a while, did some mental calculations, and then gave a rough estimate.
"Is that really all?" Li Xiao asked with some doubt.
I nodded, wondering what the other person wanted to do by suddenly asking this. But then I heard Li Xiao mutter softly, "There's still quite a bit left."
Then, as if remembering something, she glanced at me, whose face was full of bewilderment, and shook her head to herself, saying, "But there's no rush, there's plenty of time anyway."
This series of self-talks really piqued my interest.
Before he could ask anything, Li Xiao pointed to a stall on a street corner not far away: "This young master wants to eat that. You treat me."
It was a small food stall selling fermented rice balls, and a simply dressed but clean and tidy elderly couple were busy around the steaming pot.
He looked to be in his sixties or seventies, with gray hair and a face full of wrinkles, yet he radiated a peace and joy that resonated with people.
I hadn't actually had dinner yet, but the sweet aroma of glutinous rice and fermented rice wafting from afar made me swallow hard.
But... I didn't bring any money with me at all.
Moreover, I just talked to Li Xiao about this. Could it be that he has some kind of memory problem at such a young age?
Li Xiao clearly understood what I was thinking and showed a somewhat displeased expression: "Of course I know you didn't bring any money, so I'll lend you this money first, and you can pay me back later."
As he spoke, he took the purse from his waist and handed it to me.
Although I was puzzled by Li Xiao's offer to lend me money so I could treat him to a meal, I couldn't help it, since he was not only the eldest son of the Li family but also a distinguished guest of Huayuelou.
I had no choice but to take the purse, and I immediately felt its weight in my hand, which made me hesitate: "Young Master Li, you don't need this much to eat a bowl of glutinous rice balls."
Hearing this, Li Xiao stared at me intently for a long while, making me feel extremely uncomfortable, before finally speaking as if he could no longer bear it.
"Are you an idiot? You're asking me to treat you, and you're really just going to treat me to a bowl of sweet fermented rice balls and call it a day? So how stingy are you? Or do you simply think I'm not worth your hospitality?"
A barrage of questions came my way, and before I knew how to answer, Li Xiao had already turned and walked away, looking all high and mighty, as if he couldn't be bothered with a fool like me.
But……
I really want to say, young master, it's fine to throw a tantrum, but could you at least let go of my hand before you leave? Short legs are really a pain...
"Oh~ It's two brothers out strolling through the lantern market together, holding hands. They have a really good relationship."
The proprietress, who was wearing a cloth-covered enclosure, looked up and saw the two of us. She immediately greeted us with a smile.
Upon hearing the old man's pleasantries, Li Xiao blurted out without thinking, "You've got it wrong, we're not brothers."
The proprietress was just being polite, and when he denied it so bluntly, she didn't know how to respond for a moment: "That's..."
Fearing that Li Xiao's blunt way of speaking might frighten the old man, I quickly spoke up before Li Xiao could answer.
"Boss lady, two bowls of sweet fermented rice balls, one with extra sugar and extra osmanthus honey, my young master loves sweets."
The proprietress realized what was going on, agreed, turned around and said something to the owner who was putting glutinous rice balls into the big pot, then smiled and invited us to sit down next to her and wait.
I breathed a sigh of relief and, while the proprietress was busy attending to the new customers, pulled Li Xiao to sit down at a relatively clean table in the corner.
As soon as I sat down, I heard Li Xiao's soft voice.
"When did I become yours? Or is it that—"
He paused briefly, a faint, mischievous smile appearing in his emerald eyes, like two shimmering bays reflecting my fleeting emotions.
"Are you so eager to enter the Li family's gates?"
"..."
So, you really like me that much?
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