"Of course." Meng Qingluan said without changing her expression, turning the tables on me. "On the contrary, it was you. I clearly told you to wait for me where I was before I left, but when I came back, I didn't even see you."
After hearing this, the little boy kept biting his lower lip, turning his originally pink lips white and leaving faint teeth marks.
"I'm sorry, sister, I didn't mean to... but they found me and dragged me away."
The more he spoke, the lower his voice became, until finally it was completely inaudible.
He saw her disappear and, in a panic, ran out of the artificial hill to look for her, only to be caught red-handed by the guards and maids he had summoned.
He was also punished by his parents by not being allowed to eat for two days, and was only allowed to drink some medicinal soup to keep him alive.
Meng Qingluan waved her hand magnanimously, "I'll forgive you this once because you know you're wrong and are willing to correct it."
Hearing her tolerant and generous words, the little boy happily raised his head, then timidly lowered it again.
She whispered, "Thank you, sister."
Meng Qingluan smelled the bitter medicinal scent on him, which was not only no weaker than last time, but also much stronger.
I couldn't help but ask, "Are you still not better?"
He shook his head. "No."
Looking at his thin frame, Meng Qingluan frowned. "What illness do you have?"
“I…” He looked conflicted, his eyes darting around, “I don’t know, but it’s a very serious illness.”
Seeing his guilty look, Meng Qingluan knew he was lying.
But she didn't want to pry too much, after all, children have their own worries. If she pressed him for answers, she might accidentally touch on something painful and make the little kid cry.
As if to make up for his lie, he asked Meng Qingluan solicitously, "Sister, are you hungry?"
I'm not hungry.
Meng Qingluan shook her head; even if she was hungry, she couldn't eat in her dreams.
"oh……"
His efforts went unanswered, and he murmured in disappointment.
Meng Qingluan yawned, not expecting to feel sleepy even in her dreams, looking at the candle that was already more than half burned.
Aren't you sleepy?
The boy shook his head. His eyes kept glancing towards the door, his fingers twisting the hem of his clothes into a pretzel, fully revealing his inner unease.
Just as Meng Qingluan was about to ask him what he was looking at, there was a knock at the door, and a respectful but stiff female voice came into the room.
"Young master, Madam says there's no need for acupuncture tonight, you should rest."
"knew."
His tone was much lighter, and even his shoulders relaxed, as if he had been granted a pardon.
"You still want to have acupuncture?"
“Hmm,” he said, deliberately pulling his sleeve down a little to conceal his true intentions, “My parents said that this way, the medicine can be infused into the body.”
"..."
Meng Qingluan clicked her tongue.
That must hurt so much.
Meng Qingluan urged him, "You don't need to do acupuncture anymore, why don't you go to sleep? Staying up late is bad for your health."
He slowly walked back to the bed and asked, "Aren't you sleepy, sister?"
"Not sleepy."
As soon as Meng Qingluan finished speaking, she involuntarily yawned, which was quite a slap in the face.
Seeing the smile in his eyes, Meng Qingluan's face flushed, and she started to use manipulative tactics again.
"You're still laughing? I'm not sleeping because of you. I'm afraid you'll kick off the covers in your sleep, so I stay by your bedside and tuck you in."
As Meng Qingluan spoke, she coughed twice.
The smile faded from the boy's eyes, replaced by a mixture of self-reproach and gratitude. He took the initiative to lift the blanket and pat the bed beside him.
"Sister, don't stay with me, sleep with me instead."
Meng Qingluan shook her head, looking relieved. "Good child, you can sleep by yourself. I won't squeeze in with you."
"It's not cramped at all, the tatami mat is very big!"
To prove it, he rolled around on the huge bed, then rolled back.
"No need, you go to sleep. If you sleep, I can go and rest."
Meng Qingluan still refused.
“No,” the little boy insisted, “I won’t sleep if you don’t stay with me.”
"Oh, then don't sleep."
Meng Qingluan ignored his tactic; after all, she wasn't the one who was trapped.
You can't spoil a brat.
"You!" His eyes reddened, not expecting such a response. "You said you would protect me."
After saying that, he leaned back, head down, and tears began to fall again.
Meng Qingluan was scared.
It's just a little kid, so there's nothing wrong with lying together.
She was terrified of children crying, as it made her feel like she was abusing him.
"Stop crying, or I'll never see you again," Meng Qingluan threatened.
Upon hearing this, he hurriedly raised his sleeve to wipe away the tears on his face and obediently leaned to the other side.
Meng Qingluan closed her eyes, feeling a bright, piercing gaze.
When he opened his eyes, the little radish lying next to him hurriedly closed his eyes again, pretending that he was already asleep.
Meng Qingluan withdrew her gaze, closed her eyes again, and felt that intense gaze once more.
I suddenly opened my eyes and saw those eyes that hadn't had time to close and were spying on me.
"Are you going to sleep or not?" Meng Qingluan could no longer bear it.
"I can't sleep..." He lowered his eyes in distress.
"What's wrong? Is it a side effect of the medicine?" Meng Qingluan asked gently.
“No,” he shook his head, “I was so happy to see my sister that I couldn’t sleep.”
Meng Qingluan found it somewhat amusing. "We've only met a few times, and you're already this happy to see me? Little one, lying will get you a spanking."
He quickly explained, "I wasn't lying. I was really happy to see my sister."
He buried half his face in the pillow, his voice tinged with melancholy, "They don't like me, and my parents don't want to see me either. My sister is the only one who smiles at me when I don't take my medicine. I love my sister, even though you won't protect me."
Meng Qingluan was stunned, and subconsciously felt that this was a sensitive misunderstanding by the little boy.
"No way... How could your parents not like you?"
He shook his head. "No...they don't like me."
“They only supervise me when I don’t take my medicine. They are only satisfied when I take all the medicine. The other servants are the same. They get scolded and have their wages deducted if I don’t take my medicine, so they are fed up with me. They only smile when I finish taking my medicine.”
Hearing his words, Meng Qingluan felt a pang of sadness and offered words of comfort.
"Maybe you've misunderstood. If your parents didn't like you, why would they care so much about your illness? They scold you for not taking your medicine because you feel unwell if you don't take it."
Upon hearing this, his eyelashes trembled. "But...but after taking the medicine, I'll feel even worse."
Meng Qingluan was also puzzled. Why would she feel unwell after taking the medicine?
"Well... how about this, next time you feel unwell after taking the medicine, just tell your parents, and they will definitely change your prescription or let you stop taking the medicine."
"Really?"
"Yes! Really, you believe me."
"Thank you, sister, you're so kind."
He thanked him sweetly, then suddenly threw back the covers and jumped out of bed. He walked to the cabinet, opened it, and took out a package. It seemed to contain something wrapped in oiled paper, and it was bulging.
The contents inside the oil paper were wrapped up in layers upon layers, and it took the little hands a long time to pry them open.
He held it up like a precious treasure, his eyes shining.
"Sister, here you go."
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