On the way back to the inn after lunch, Aping bought Yaoguang candied hawthorns and asked her if she was tired, offering to carry her on his back.
The little girl happily ate her candied hawthorn and didn't ask him to carry her.
“Aping has seemed preoccupied these past few days. I asked Tian Shu about it, and Tian Shu said that he had spoken to him privately a few days ago. He said that something very bad had happened on the Lantern Festival, which is why he acted that way.”
But A-Ping didn't say what it was about. "Fei-Yan followed behind, walking alongside Hong Xiao-Duo, and said softly.
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo felt somewhat surprised, not because Fei Yan and Tian Shu had both noticed A Ping's unusual behavior.
Instead, Tian Shu actually knew to talk to A Ping in private.
She's no longer the child who needed her advice on everything, big or small. Now, when she discovers a problem, she actually starts to quietly try to understand it and solve it. She's really grown up.
“Okay, I understand. I’ll see. If it doesn’t work, I’ll talk to him again,” Hong Xiaoduo nodded in agreement.
Hong Xiaoduo didn't speak to A Ping, but after returning to the inn, Tianji, Tianxuan, and the others called A Ping to the stable, saying they were tidying up something.
Quan Jinghuai glanced at Hong Xiaoduo, and seeing that she didn't intend to speak, he turned a blind eye.
As his master, he knew his disciples' character all too well.
I suspect they called A-Ping over because of what happened to Yao-Guang at the restaurant.
She probably wanted to find out what happened to him, and she definitely wouldn't have lashed out at Aping just because Yaoguang had been wronged.
Since Xiaoduo chose to believe them and went with them, he naturally couldn't interfere.
As the innkeeper walked away from the stable, before Tian Shu could speak again, Tian Ji spoke first: "Brother Ping, what's wrong with you? Tell us what's on your mind. If we can't help you, we'll go back to Master and Mother."
After hearing this, Aping first looked at Tian Shu. If Tian Ji said this, then Tian Shu had not told them what he had said that day!
"Don't ask anymore. I just unintentionally remembered some unpleasant things from the past. I'll be fine in a few days," A-Ping said.
"What bad thing happened in the past that can't be told? You've been absent-minded for days. Are you still not better? We're family now. Whatever's on your mind, talking about it might make you feel better." Tianxuan frowned and said.
“That’s right. It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it and insist on bearing it all yourself, but look at how you treated your little sister just now. You’ve lost control of your emotions.” Tianji said again.
Seeing that Tian Shu remained silent while the younger ones kept pressing him for answers, A Ping grew impatient and sighed, saying helplessly, "It was indeed my fault regarding my little sister's matter. I promise this will only happen once and will never happen again."
After saying that, he went to the back of the carriage to get a brush and started brushing Little Grey's fur.
After hearing his words, Tianquan and the others understood that he didn't want to talk about it. The young men all looked at Tianshu, who remained silent.
"Alright, go back and practice your calligraphy," Tian Shu said.
Tianxuan and the others glanced at Aping, who was brushing Xiaohui's fur, before following Tianshu toward the guest rooms.
"Big brother, is he really okay? And why didn't you say anything just now?" Tianji said unwillingly.
The others, upon hearing this, also looked at Tian Shu with the same puzzlement.
“We all noticed his unusual behavior, so how could Master and she not know? But they didn’t ask about it, so they must have their reasons.”
"So, let's not interfere in his affairs. Besides, we've already tried, and it seems we can't control him anyway." Tian Shu thought for a moment and then said.
The younger ones listened and it seemed to make sense!
However, there was a sense of defeat and disappointment.
"Alright, don't overthink it. Although he's been with us for a while, he's still different from us. It's understandable that he can't completely trust us and confide in us," Tian Shu added.
This time, Tianji and the others remained silent. Yes, the seven of them had been together since they were old enough to understand things, enduring beatings, hunger, and cold together, trusting and relying on each other.
In the stable, after brushing Little Grey's coat, Aping brushed Little Black's coat, then left the rest of the horses unattended. After brushing them, he gave them individual fodder.
Seeing the expressions on the faces of the children who had returned from the guest room, Hong Xiaoduo guessed the outcome. She suppressed a laugh and didn't ask them where they had gone or why one of them hadn't come back.
Although Yuheng didn't go with them, he had a general idea: "So, did you find out what happened?" Taking the opportunity, Yuheng asked Tianxuan in a low voice.
Upon learning the result, Yuheng was a little worried. If Aping's problem was not resolved properly, and something similar to what happened to Yaoguang at the restaurant happened again, then there might be a conflict between Aping and them, which could develop into a rift and estrangement. What would happen then?
Dinner was at a restaurant next to the inn, and Lan Zechen's men insisted on paying the bill as usual.
At the end of midnight, a rhythmic knocking sound came from the window of Lan Zechen's room.
The next morning, Lan Zechen, who was still lying in bed with his eyes closed, heard the sound of raindrops falling on the tiles. He sat up with a start, hurriedly dragged his shoes to the window, pushed it open, and the wind swirled the raindrops in his face.
Instead of closing the window, he rubbed his eyes hard. It was raining, and quite heavily at that.
That girl was right. If we had been hit by rain on the road, even if the carriage was sturdy and wouldn't leak, it wouldn't have been as comfortable as staying in the inn like this!
She's amazing! With such abilities, she's able to work in the Imperial Observatory.
Lan Zechen got up to wash up with great excitement and was about to go find Hong Xiaoduo when he suddenly remembered that the girl liked to sleep in.
Liu Zhaoqiang is back. He said that Young Master Tian Shu bought meat buns and porridge and is waiting for everyone to eat in the lobby downstairs.
The steamed buns were delivered by a steamer shop diagonally opposite the inn, and the porridge was served in a bucket, along with side dishes.
Lan Zechen went down and looked around, and sure enough, he didn't see the girl.
Okay, she doesn't get up early to travel even on sunny days, so she's even less likely to get up early on a rainy day like today. On the contrary, she might even sleep until noon.
Sure enough, after everyone finished breakfast, the girl still didn't come downstairs.
Lan Zechen waited and waited, and began to get anxious. He hesitated, wondering if he should just go and knock on the door himself. After all, did he really need to see her, and was it something important?
The news she urgently needed arrived late last night. I thought that even if she was in a hurry, a few more hours wouldn't make a difference, and I wouldn't bother waking her up in the middle of the night.
Someone who loves to sleep in would definitely be very annoyed to be woken up in the middle of the night...
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