Chapter 1.1

After a ride of about a month, the carriage finally reached the boundary of Qing Zhou City.

Summer had arrived, and with it the sound of lively cicadas in the trees, causing people to feel drowsy as they listened.

Just past the moat, a delicate and tender voice sounded from the carriage. “Ah Niang, will be we living here from now on?” A corner of the embroidered gold curtains were lifted, revealing a round and defined chin, before they were quickly shut tight by the person inside. The curtains tightly blocked off the earlier, fleeting view of snow-like skin。

A woman’s voice called out, “Little lamb, don’t move too much, we’ll only draw the curtains when we reach home.”

The carriage was silent for a while, and the driver drove through the city gates, reaching the main street.

Qing Zhou could not compare to the prosperous and bustling capital; after all, it was a small place, so the streets were not as wide. When driving two carriages on the street, there was undoubtedly some congestion. Only after making several turns did they manage to successfully leave the place. After reaching the south of the city, there were fewer carriages, as most of the dignitaries and nobles lived in the south, and ordinary people did not dare to visit.

Beside both banks of the river grew many willow trees, providing shade in the sweltering heat. On the carriage, apart from a beautiful woman, there was also a maidservant and three young children. As it was incredibly spacious, there was more than enough space to easily accommodate all of them.

The three children were all asleep. There was one boy and two girls. The one who spoke up before was the eldest daughter Xie Zhen, who was five that year.

Xie Zhen inherited her mother’s beauty, and from a young age she was already beautiful beyond words, with an appearance of precious jade, like a young girl standing at the feet of the lotus seat of Guanyin. Her hair was combed into an elaborate bun, decorated with strings of small beads. She wore a cherry-coloured embroidered overcoat, and underneath she wore a gauze skirt embroidered with a hundred butterflies and flowers. Paired with a five colour auspicious lock pendant, she looked even more innocent and adorable.

At that moment she held a green feathered handheld fan and imitated Leng shi’s way of fanning herself. “Ah niang, when will we reach?”

Leng shi glanced at her meaningfully, and she stuck her tongue out, returning her fan to its original position.

“In another half-hour or so,” Leng shi said as she patted her head.

They were travelling from the capital in order to find the Second Master of Duke Ding’s household, Xie Liqing.He had been sent to Qing Zhou to be a magistrate, and having reached earlier than Leng shi and his children by a month, he had long ago finished preparing everything and was waiting for their arrival.

Hearing that there was only half an hour left, Xie Zhen’s limpid eyes curved upwards, and she cheered excitedly, “We’re going to see Daddy soon!”

She turned to look at Xie Rong, “Brother, aren’t you happy?”

Xie Rong calmly agreed, “Happy”.

Xie Rong was older than her by five years, and was also much more mature than her. He rarely expressed his emotions freely, and unlike her, he did not chatter and tweet nonstop as though he were a sparrow. On the way there he made sure to take care of his younger sisters. As the saying goes, the eldest brother is like a father, and Xie Rong had understood that since a long time ago.

On the bridge, the carriage bumped a little, and happened to wake up the youngest daughter Xie Qian. The three children together talked incessantly, and soon they reached the gates of Xie Fu.

At the front of the gates there were already people waiting to receive them. At the head was Xie Liqing. He was dressed in a light green robe, his stature tall and lanky, and with a bright smile on his face he looked in their direction. Behind him there were dozens of servants respectfully bowing their heads to welcome them. A few were curiously examining the people in the carriage, wanting to see what the Madame looked like.

The curtains were lifted, and the first to exit was a ten year-old adolescent, tall and slim, with a pair of defined and high eyebrows, making him seem upright and honourable.

Next stepped out Leng shi, carrying Xie Qian. The moment the crowd saw her, they couldn’t resist sighing, this whole family’s appearance is really so good.

Leng shi was 25 years-old that year, and had preserved her looks well, without too much powder, her face was soft and smooth, like a teenage girl’s. She wore a five-colour light plum skirt and a muslin jacket. In her arms was a three year-old doll-like child, looking even more delicate than her mother with cherry red lips and white teeth. Her sparkling eyes swept over the gates, making everyone delighted with her appearance.

Originally they thought that was all, but they never anticipated that behind, there was still one more person.

Accompanying a tender cry of “Ah niang, wait for me,” a small form followed the maid down the carriage. Everyone turned to her, only to see Xie Zhen holding up her skirt to jump down from the footstool, crossing over to Leng shi’s side in a few steps before looking towards Xie Liqing and smiling sweetly as she said, “Daddy.”

She was clearly only five to six years old, yet she had such an outstandingly beautiful appearance.

Her face was flawless, with a cute little nose, snowy white skin, and eyes that curved up as she smiled, effortlessly stealing away peoples’ hearts and souls. No one knew for sure whether her beauty was a good or bad thing.

The Xie couple did not put much thought into that. Seeing his daughter, Xie Liqing was immediately happy, and stroking her head, he asked, “Little lamb, did you miss daddy? Did you behave during the trip; did you listen to your A niang’s instructions?”

Little lamb was Xie Zhen’s pet name. At a young age, her physical condition was not good, and she often got sick, like a helpless lamb, causing people to treasure her.

Xie Zhen smiled happily, without an ounce of fear, and said, “I missed daddy! I was really obedient, and listened to A Niang!”

With the family reunited, Xie Liqing hugged his three children tightly, and grinned from ear to ear.

Looking towards his wife, he held out his hand, saying, “This trip must have been hard on you.”

Throughout the years, the couple’s feelings never wavered. Instead, after enduring various difficulties together, they grew more deep and intimate. After not seeing each other for a month, Xie Liqing naturally missed her very much, but could only restrain himself in public.

As she followed her father to the main hall, Xie Zhen curiously glanced around. The hall was not as big as Duke Ding’s residence, but every corner was meticulously designed, most likely due to Xie Liqing’s efforts. Compared to Duke Ding’s residence, this place seemed even more tasteful, and Xie Zhen liked it at first sight. Together with Xie Qian, she ran two rounds around the trees, with their laughter lingering on peoples’ ears.

Xie LIqing laughed along with his two children, while Madam Leng could only shake her head fondly as she made Xie Rong stop them.

—

Definitions:

Ah Niang 阿娘: Mother

shi 氏: A term used to address a married woman

fu 府:Household, Residence

The Royal’s Cute Little Wife Chapter 1.2

Taking each of his sisters’ hands, Xie Rong brought them back, saying, “Don’t heedlessly run around, if not, you might end up falling down”.Xie Zhen nodded her head and held onto her elder brother’s hand tightly. However, she had never been well-behaved. In a moment, she struggled free from Xie Rong and ran to the pondside to gaze at the colourful carps.Both Xie Rong and Xie Liqing couldn’t control her; only when Leng shi put on a serious face and called her name did she then obediently follow behind the adults. Afraid that Leng shi was angry, she went forwards and held Leng shi’s hand. Raising her hand, she said, “Ah Niang, don’t be angry.” (adsbygoogle \= window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); With her mouth set in a pout, she looked very pitiful and cute.After seeing this scene, no matter how bad her temper was, Leng shi couldn’t help but soften her heart. Her daughter was just too adorable, causing her to feel reluctant when teaching her a lesson.Leng shi sighed, and stroking Xie Zhen’s nose said, “Ah niang isn’t angry”.Hearing her words, Xie Zhen’s eyes brighten. Regaining her vitality once again, her eyes were full of laughter and formed two crescents. However, this time round, she was well-behaved and followed the adults obediently to the main room of the house without any mishaps along the way.The fu’s chief steward Wang got people to prepare tea but because no children like drinking tea, he specially prepared yogurt pudding and some pastries for them. One might as well say that housekeeper Wang dealt with all matters, big and small.As Xie Zhen and Xie Xun took turns to take a mouthful each to finish a bowl, Xie Xun, smacking her lips, commented, “Not as tasty as home”.The home that Xie Xun was referring to was the Xie branch of Duke Ding’s residence in the capital. As she was still young, she could not get used to moving from one place to another.Without showing any mercy, Xie Zhen immediately saw through her and said: “Why did you eat so much then?”The three-year old Xie Xun’s face immediately reddened, unable to come up with a rebuttal. After what seemed like half a day, she puffed up her cheeks and said “That’s because I was hungry…”Xie Zhen tiptoed and took one piece of milk roll from the eight immortals table, passing it to her younger sister.“For you”.Although the journey wasn’t overly arduous, it was nevertheless still exhausting. The food and drink had been below their usual standard so it was obvious that all three children had lost weight. Feeling sorry, Leng shi told Xie Liqing “Let’s get the kitchen to prepare lunch. Don’t let the children go hungry”.Xie Liqing didn’t have any objections and let chief steward Wang make the arrangements.During this period, Xie Xun had eaten even more pieces of honey cake and milk rolls. As they had come from the capital, Xie Liqing, worried that they wouldn’t be accustomed to Qing Zhou’s cuisine, had specially invited a chef from the capital. After so long of not being able to have a proper meal, the three children ate quite a bit and even Xie Rong had one extra bowl of rice.Pleased, Leng shi patted and kissed each of them in turn, feeling endless love for them.Afer lunch, the children were all tired so Xie Liqing had the servants bring them to their rooms to rest.Worried, Leng shi accompanied them, taking the chance to observe the situation of the rear yard. The rear yard was adequate, with the main room reserved for Xie Liqing and Leng shi, while Xie Xun and Xie Zhen would live in the East wing, with Xie Rong residing in the West Wing. Besides these rooms, there were several other side rooms which could serve as the study and the embroidery room. Seeing this, Leng shi felt quite satisfied.The house was was well-arranged, furnished with all the necessary items, and there was nothing that she needed to worry about.In the wings, there were yellow pear wood tables and chairs and a red sandalwood wardrobe. Several kinds of antiques were displayed on the shelves, and the bedroom was behind a folding screen with twelve magpies drawn on it. (adsbygoogle \= window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Upon arriving in the new surroundings, Xie Zhen’s drowsiness completely disappeared. Looking everywhere at least three times, she finally committed her new home’s appearance to memory. Afterwards, Madam Leng assigned two maidservants to bring Xie Xun and Xie Zhen to the east area so they could have a rest. The moment her head laid on the pillow, Xie Xun immediately fell asleep. On the other hand, Xie Zhen tossed and turned on the bed for a good while before falling asleep silently.Leng shi called all the servants to the main room’s entrance. Including the maids and the old female servants she had brought from Duke Ding’s household, there were altogether 30 to 40 servants in the residence.As the house had only recently been set up, the servants were also new. Previously, as there had been no principal wife, no rules and customs had been put in place. But now, with Leng shi’s arrival , they knew they couldn’t be as relaxed as in the past. It was time to step up.Sure enough, Leng shi redistributed the duties and set several rules in place, leaving them to do their respective duties. Anyone who violated the rules would be punished.Leng shi was naturally a stern and indifferent person, and only in front of her husband and children would she become gentler. Unfortunately, it was precisely because of this natural disposition that the elders in Duke Ding’s residence disliked her. They thought that she had a naturally unkind face that was lacking in luck. In actuality, she was not unkind, she was simply aloof, which gave people the impression of arrogance.However, Xie Liqing was fond of this arrogance of hers. In front of others, she would be distant and cold, however, only in the night would he know of her passion.Having not seen each other for a long time, they spent a lot of time showing their affection to each other. If they had not had to consider their three children, the movements would definitely have been earth-shaking.At night, when it was dark and silent, Xie Zhen suddenly felt the sky flash brightly, with a ray of light passing through the windows. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she got up from the bed asking, “What happened?”The maidservant Shuang Yu had likewise been awakened. Wearing her shoes hurriedly, she came to find her, asking, “Second miss?”Xie Xun was still sleeping deeply.As Xie Zhen wanted to get out of bed, Shuang Yu went to help her put on a pair of embroidered shoes and lead her out of the building.Once outside, they found out that it wasn’t their residence that had been lit up. Rather, it was the neighbouring courtyard that was brightly illuminated. Xie Liqing and Leng shi had also changed into their clothes quickly and had people find out if anything had happened. Surely there wasn’t a thief next door?Xie Liqing had just moved in recently, and was usually busy with work. As such, he wasn’t very familiar with the neighbouring household. Even when Leng shi asked him whose household it was, he was unable to give her an answer.Soon enough the servant returned, and reported what they had heard. “The young master of the Li Household is sick, with a terribly high fever. Right now the Li household is busy finding a physician to treat him.”As there was no thief, several people sighed in relief. Rubbing her eyes, Xie Zhen returned to her room sleepily. In a daze, she thought. It was merely a fever, yet they had made such a big fuss. Their young master was surely even more delicate than her.

—Definitions:八仙桌 Eight immortals table: an old fashion square table that seats eight奶卷 : milk roll

八仙桌 Eight immortals table: an old fashion square table that seats eight

奶卷 : milk roll

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Chapter 2.1

The neighbouring Li Household was still lit up all the way till morning, with the light never going out.

Xie Zhen was a light sleeper and sensitive to light. Even with just a little disturbance she could not fall asleep. For the whole trip she hadn’t been able to sleep well, and after the long and hard trip to Qing Zhou, she originally thought that she would finally be able to get a good rest. Never had she imagined that even after restlessly rolling around in bed for half the night would she still be unable to fall asleep.

The two doll-like girls were sharing a bed, and Xie Xun helplessly held Xie Zhen’s hand, pleading, “Sis, I’m tired...”

After that, Xie Zhen didn’t move around as much, and instead shut her eyes tightly throughout the whole night, but only at dawn did she manage to force herself to fall into a fitful sleep.

Xie Xun, on the other hand, had slept well, and woke up early in the morning. Seeing her sister still fast asleep, she pulled on her sleeve, wanting to wake her up. Just then, the maid Shuang Yu stopped her, saying, “Yesterday Second Miss stayed up until very late. Third Miss, please behave and don’t disturb the Second Miss. If you want, this servant will bring you to the Madame.”

Shuang Yu was the maid that Leng shi had brought over from the capital. Together with Shuang Yan, she had originally been one of Leng shi’s personal maid servants. Only after reaching Qing Zhou did Leng shi specially arrange for her to care of Xie Zhen and Xie Xun, as she had been afraid that the other maids were too young and immature, and would not be able to do things satisfactorily.

The moment she heard that her sister hadn’t slept well, Xie Xun, an understanding child, immediately stopped disturbing her. She raised her arms to get carried by Shuang Yu and ordered, “Take me to find Ah niang.”

Out of the three children, Xie Xun was the least temperamental, and the most well-behaved. Her sweet voice, paired with her pair of limpid, watery eyes, caused Shuang Yu to find her very adorable. After helping her put on a light red beizi embroidered with begonias and a white threaded skirt, along with a pair of soft gold shoes, she then brought Xie Xun to the main room.

After being with Xie Liqing until late at night, and then having to get up and see what had transpired at the Li Household, Leng shi hadn’t rested well for the whole night. When Xie Xun arrived, she was still on her bed getting ready.

Once she was properly put together, Leng shi’s beauty was even more apparent, and she seemed like an entirely different person from the day before. Her eyelids flowed nicely, making her every gesture seem flirtatious. With her glamorous eyes, she seemed to be extremely charming at a glance.

Of course, Xie Xun was not familiar with these, and she climbed down from Shuang Yu’s arms before throwing herself into her mother’s embrace. “Ah niang, sister’s still asleep!”

Afraid that she would accidentally knock into the foot of the bed, Leng shihurriedly leaned over and held her securely. “Your sister didn’t sleep well, so you aren’t allowed to disturb her, understand?”

Leng shi knew the two girls’ like the back of her hand. Similar to herself, Xie Zhen was an extremely light sleeper. Anyway, after reaching Qing Zhou, they no longer had to strictly get up at dawn to travel, so she might as well let her sleep for a while more.

Xie Xun nodded her head vigorously. “I understand!”

Leng shi smiled lightly and gently pinched her small round face.

Soon enough, Xie Rong also arrived at the main room, alert and filled with energy. The events at the Li Household seemed to not have affected his sleep whatsoever. Shuang Yan ordered the servants to bring in breakfast. There were not only delicacies from the capital but also Qing Zhou fully occupying the whole table. While the food wasn’t of the same standard as that of Duke Ding’s Residence, there was a much greater variety of it, making peoples’ appetites much larger.

Xie Xun wanted to eat the walnut cheese, but due to her small body and short legs, even while sitting on the chair she simply could not reach the table, and she could only say, “I want to eat too, I want to eat...”

The little girl was incredibly anxious, and as she pulled her ears, she really made people want to laugh.

Shuang Yu rapidly picked up the walnut cheese, and after placing it in front of Xie Xun, helped to feed it to her bit by bit.

After finishing her food, Xie Xun was satisfied. She smiled until her eyes were almost closed shut, and did not ask for more.

Seeing the sun outside, Leng shi put down her chopsticks and told Shuang Yan to check on Xie Zhen and see if she had woken up.

Not a while later did Shuang Yan return, shaking her head.

Never mind, might as well let her sleep, Leng shi sighed. There had been no lack of bumpy roads on the way to Qing Zhou, and she pitied her delicate daughter. Since they had already arrived, a long rest was good compensation for her children.

Right after they had finished eating breakfast, Xie Liqing just so happened to return. He thought back to the scene he had witnessed at the gate, and said, “The Li’s have just sent back the physician, it seems like this time his son’s illness is quite serious. Since we’re neighbours now, even if we lower our heads and try to avoid them, we are still bound to meet them sooner or later. After you finish packing, come with me to visit them for a while.”

Leng shi had similar thoughts, and had just been wondering of how to approach him with the topic, not expecting him to mention it first. She said, “We also can’t go empty-handed. I brought over some medicinal herbs from the capital. Even though they aren’t rare and precious, it’s still a show of our sincerity.”

Xie Liqing nodded and agreed with her, ” There are also many things in the storehouse. Later I’ll tell Steward Wang to pass the key to you so you can bring some servants over to see if there’s anything.”

Xie Liqing looked around, but didn’t manage to find his eldest daughter. “Where’s the little lamb?” He asked.

“Yesterday she was woken up by the noise, and after that she couldn’t sleep well, so she’s still lying in bed now.” Leng shi helped him change into a green shidi-patterned robe.

Xie Liqing suddenly felt immensely bad for his daughter, and didn’t want anyone to disturb her rest. “Then she doesn’t need to go with us later, and can rest at home to recuperate instead.”

Leng shi laughed, “If she sleeps any longer it’ll already be afternoon time.”

“So what?” Xie Liqing’s treatment towards his daughters was superb, and he pampered them immensely. “Get the maid servants to look after little lamb well, if she wakes up they should prepare some small snacks for her.”

Leng shi agreed, and the couple sat together to talk.

Xie Liqing held her hands, and brushing his lips over her ear, asked, “Yesterday night did I hurt you?”

Leng shi glanced at him, and didn’t answer his question. The longer she stayed silent, the more Xie Liqing felt like provoking her, so he continued to ask, unashamed. “You’ve already given birth to three children, yet you don’t seem to...”

Leng shi originally wanted to push him away, yet she did not expect him to move first, pressing her down on the narrow sofa.

The two of them tumbled around for a while, and after that Leng shi’s hairpin was loose, and her cheeks were bright red, making her seem very attractive.

Of course, with that kind of appearance there was no way that she could go out and meet people, especially not the Li Residence, where she would be a guest. Due to this, she sat down in front of her lotus-pattern mirror to comb her hair again and changed into a sleeveless, smoky grey light robe. After she finished touching up, she told Xie Xun and Xie Rong to prepare to leave.

Hearing that the Old Master Li liked calligraphy, a hobby befitting of a scholar, Leng shi picked a rosewood brush holder embellished with cranes. She also chose a few flower hairpins and headpins that were popular in the capital for Madame Li as a gift.

The two households were extremely close to each other, and not long after setting off, they reached the Li Residence.

When Xie Xun heard that they would be visiting another fu, she was so happy that she was ready to do a dance. It was a pity that her sister wasn’t there with her, otherwise she would be just as excited.

As they hadn’t informed them of their visit prior to their arrival, when they reached the gates, the Li servants were rather surprised for a moment before they scrambled to welcome them inside.

Old Master Li, named Li Xiqing, was a merchant based mainly in Qing Zhou. He primarily dealt in the tea business, and his family’s tea leaves were prominent in Qing Zhou. Li Xiqing was a sharp businessman, with a pair of all-knowing eyes. Fortunately his smile was incredibly sincere, and caused people to feel more comfortable around him.

—

Translator Comments:

We’re still getting set up on novelupdates, as the mods haven’t approved us as a group yet, but we’re working on it! Right now we’re registered with Google Search Console so it’s easier to find us. We’ll be posting the next chapter either today or tomorrow as we’re halfway through now. Thanks for waiting! In the next part we finally meet our ML!

Chapter 2.2

Li Xiqing’s wife, Song shi’s appearance was gentle, kind and hospitable. She brought Xie Liqing and Leng shi over to sit, and told the servants to prepare some tea.

Leng shi took the medicinal herbs from her maid servant. “Yesterday your house was brightly lit, so we had some people go over to check what had happened and found that the Young Master was heavily sick. Here I have some medicine for headaches and high fevers; after boiling and drinking it for three dawns, the next day his temperature should go down.”

Song shi was touched by the gift, and hurriedly had the maid take it.

Actually most of the Qing officials were reluctant to interact with the businessmen, so although the Li’s knew that the new Qing Zhou governor had moved in beside them, they did not visit them. However, they had never thought that Xie Liqing would visit them first. The Madame of Duke Ding’s Residence, on the outside, seemed perfect and aloof, yet she was actually willing to give precious gifts to them, making them feel moved.

Leng Chan Yu had the maids bring out the gifts, saying, “We came over on short-notice, and didn’t prepare anything particularly good, so both of you musn’t laugh.”

Song shi repeatedly denied it, saying,”All of these things cannot be found in Qing Zhou, for Madame to give us these, is already this commoner’s blessing...”

Song shi saw the two precious and adorable children, and had the servants bring out some small snacks to show her hospitality.

Like this, the two families struck up a conversation, and without their knowing, half an hour passed.

Seeing that it was nearly noon, Leng shi was worried that Xie Zhen would be lonely at home, and prepared to leave, only to see an old maidservant enter. “Madame, the Young Master has woken up!”

Song shi was also someone who tenderly loved her children, and immediately stood up, “How is he? Has the fever subsided?”

The old maidservant answered, “He still has a slight fever. Just now, he even mumbled some words deliriously.”

At this Song shi was somewhat worried. His fever had gone for a full day, what if it had managed to burn his brain cells? She sat uneasily, wanting to go over to see, but she also didn’t want to offend the Duke Ding Household.

Leng shi saw her dilemma, and called Xie Xun and Xie Rong over to her side, sensibly saying, ‘Children are most important. Song shi should quickly go over to see him, we were planning to leave before anyway.”

Song shi was also deeply anxious about her child, and stay longer than needed after sending them back and rapidly walking to the back hall.

The child really hadn’t gotten better, and Song shi was worried till her head spun. Remembering the medicinal herbs that Leng shi had brought over, she gritted her teeth and ordered the servants to quickly prepare it, hoping that it could save her child’s life.

*

Only after they had returned did they realise that Xie Zhen had already awoken.

The young girl was seated on the steps before the vertical chui hua door with her palm supporting her head, constantly staring outside. When she first arrived in Qing Zhou, her heart was always uneasy. Even though Shuang Yu had advised her to wait inside for very long, she still refused to move, until she saw her family. The moment she saw them, she excitedly welcomed them back, stood up and shouted, “Ah niang, Ah Tie!”

Leng shi saw her from faraway, and her lonely silhouette made her heart hurt, so she hurriedly walked forward and hugged her. “Why was little lamb sitting here?” She asked.

She pouted, saying, “Where did all of you go? Why did you abandon me alone at home?”

Leng shi explained, “We went to visit our neighbours at the Li residence. Just now you were still sleeping, so we didn’t ask anyone to wake you up.”

After she knew what had happened, she didn’t seem as despondent as before.

Regarding whose house they visited...She originally hadn’t even thought that much about it.

Children’s emotions come and go, and very quickly Xie Zhen was playing with Xie Xun like nothing had happened. Out of the three children, Xie Zhen was the most mischievous, and her laugh was the most clear and ringing. When she laughed, her eyes would curve into crescents, and it was as though even if she wanted the stars in the sky, nobody would have had the heart to reject her.

A few days later, the Li couple and their son Li Yu came over to visit Xie fu.

Due to the medicinal herbs, Li Yu finally recovered, and Song shi was thankful beyond words.

Leeng shi was at the front entertaining the guests, and Xie Zhen wanted to bring her little sister over to see, “Ah Xun, let’s also go over to the front hall.”

However, Xie Xun held no interest in those sort of things, and she squatted under a tree digging for earthworms, never lifting her head. “I’m not going; Brother said that if I could dig out some earthworms, he would bring me to fish.”

Xie Zhen stomped her foot, “What’s so fun about fishing?”

Raising her head, Xie Xun retorted, “What’s so fun about the front hall?”

The two girls stared at each other, and Xie Zhen sighed loudly, saying, “Then I’ll go by myself!”

Saying that she ignored Xie Xun, lifted her skirt and walked off in the direction of the front hall.

Shuang Yu shook her head, and helplessly followed.

Xie Zhen was a naturally lively person, and she always ran towards wherever there were people. Now that she’d heard that there were guests in the house, she would of course go over to look.

With a small body and short legs, she couldn’t walk very quickly. To go to the main hall it already took her an hour.

Voices could be heard from the main hall. She could hear Ah niang’s and another unidentifiable voice.

Just as she was about to step towards it, another person came out from the hall.

The other person had a powdered, snowy-white face, and long, thick eyelashes, making him look even more adorable than Ah Xun. It was only that he was a little skinny and small, his face sickly pale, and seemed to have been gravely ill lately. Xie Zhen blinked and took a second look before asking, “Who are you?”

The aforementioned person was actually the Li’s only son, Li Yu, who was five that year and wasn’t even as tall as Xie Zhen.

Li Yu saw her brazenly staring at him, and looked away saying, “I am Li Yu.”

Xie Zhen heard his name as ‘Li Yu’, with ‘Yu’ being jade, and as Ah Niang’s birth name also contained the word jade, she assumed that Li Yu was actually a girl. Since he was a guest, she treated him hospitably, saying, “You look very pretty! I’m five this year, what about you? How about I call you Little Sister Yu from now on?”

Li Yu blanched, and only replied after a while. “I’m not a little sister.”

Xie Zhen’s mind was incredibly quick. “Big Sister Yu?”

It wasn’t that Xie Zhen was oblivious or careless, as in actuality Li Yu’s appearance was too beautiful, and when one took a glance at him, all their attention would immediately be focused on his face, and they would ignore his male clothing. Furthermore, after his illness, he was also wearing a white robe, making him seem even more delicate...

Annoyed, Li Yu corrected her. “Yu is actually the Yu from wealth, ‘Fu Yu’. I am neither a little sister nor a big sister, in fact you should call me big brother!”

Xie Zhen then understood, and widened her eyes in incomprehension and doubt. A beaty like this was actually a male? She didn’t believe him! Her brain whirring, Xie Zhen remembered that when she was small, when she bathed with her brother and there was a place on her brother.

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Chapter 3

Liyu hadn’t lied, he was, in fact, a boy.

Their ages weren’t that far apart, as he was only older than Xie Zhen by half a year. But because he had been a sickly child since young, coupled with the fact that boys developed later than girls, he wasn’t as tall as Xie Zhen. It was no wonder that Xie Zhen had wanted to call him little sister when she first saw him...

After the truth was revealed, the atmosphere between both of them became rather awkward.

After all, Xie Zhen was still a child. After carelessly groping him, she did feel sorry and put her hands behind her back saying, “Don’t blame me, who asked you to look so pretty...”

It hadn’t been easy for Li Yu’s complexion to go back to normal, but after hearing her words, his face once again turned green,

“But you still shouldn’t have...”

Speaking midway, he couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence.

He had come with Song shi as a guest, but feeling bored after sitting in the main hall for half an hour, he had wished to go to the toilet, and so followed the maidservant out of the hall. Unexpectedly, as soon as he walked out, he bumped into this unreasonable stinky girl.

Although Xie Zhen had been in the wrong, she was used to acting coquettishly and pretending to be innocent to get out of trouble. She went up and grabbed Li Yu’s hand, smiling and saying, “Don’t be angry, why not I sing a song for you?”

Her soft voice, coupled with her sweet smiling face, made Li Yu suddenly realise that she actually looked rather cute. Soon after, he snorted mentally, what’s the point of looking cute, after all, she’d still groped him!

Seeing that he didn’t reject her offer, Xie Zhen enthusiastically pulled him to down to the porch, and clearing her throat she began to sing: “White pea, I’m here again, I’ll stay until the fire wood is chopped...”

This was something she learnt on the way to Qing Zhou. There had been a group of children amongst the crowd on the streets. At that time, they’d been singing this song and Xie Zhen had remembered it immediately. Her voice was soft and pleasant sounding. Despite being brought up in the capital, her voice was better sounding than girls in the south.

Li Yu’s arm was still being pulled on by her. He was still unwilling to follow her, having had a bad impression of her.

Just then, he carefully looked at her face and caught her shining black eyes looking at him steadily. His face immediately reddened and he turned his head away.

“Where are you planning to go? Towards the river, where there are loaches.”

The cooling wind breezed through the hall, bringing with it the smell of Iris petals from the yard, along with a whiff of sweet milk. Li Yu’s neck was stiff and he had no choice but to turn his head once again. With a glance he saw her gazing intently at the irises in the yard. Her face was as fair as a freshly peeled boiled egg, different from other girls he had seen before. The other girls had not been as good-looking as her, her skin was sparkling and clear, soft, white and with no flaws.

She was good-looking, and that was a fact, it was just that she was a little not right in the head.

Feeling a pressure in his lower abdomen, Liyu suddenly remembered the purpose of him coming out. Wanting to push lightly away her hand, he pleaded, “I want to go...”

Xie zhen didn’t let go of him, anxiously saying, “Wait a moment, I haven’t finished singing the song.”

Having been interrupted earlier, she wanted to continue singing.

Liyu really wanted to cry. Even though she sang well, he was really in a hurry!

He struggled for a while, but because he had just recovered, he didn’t have much strength, so he finally was unable to forcefully break free from her claws.

Seeing this, the two maidservants at each side also felt conflicted. Both of these kids were the household’s little ancestors, and both couldn’t be offended, causing them to be in a dilemma.

Finally, Liyu’s maidservant went forward and said, “Second miss, our young master...”

But she still said these words a bit too late, at this time, Liyu could hold on for no longer.

Before Xie Zhen could react to what was happening, Liyu in one movement pushed her away due to his embarrassment, and angrily exclaimed, “Don’t touch me!”

Caught off-guard, Xie Zhen was forced back a few steps.

If not for Shuang Yu catching hold of her from the back, Xie Zhen would have fallen to the ground.

Seeing Liyu turning and leaving, Xie Zhen looked up at Shuang Yu, confused, and asked, “Why is he so angry?”

Shuang Yu sighed, even children had their own self-respect, and with just a glance one could tell that Li Yu was the kind of prideful and dignified child, so it was better if she helped cover up for him. “Young Master Li probably doesn’t like listening to music.”

Hearing this, Xie Zhen nodded, deep in thought. If he didn’t like it then it was fine, but shouldn’t he have just told her so?

It wasn’t like her singing ability was that bad. *

At the main hall, Li Yu had returned, his face pale.

The moment Song shi caught sight of him looking like that, she was stunned. Why did his facial expression look so unsightly? Hurriedly she asked the maidservants what had happened before, and as Leng shi was also there, the maidservant could only stutter unclearly, “The Young Master met Second Young Miss Xie...”

Li Yu looked at her, and quietly told her to stop talking.

Immediately, she stopped.

In front of Song shi, he looked down and said, “Ah Niang, let’s go home, I’m not feeling very good.”

Unexpectedly, as soon as he left their house it was like he’d changed into a different person. Both Song shi and her husband were perplexed. Hearing his words, they anxiously felt his forehead, asking, “Could the fever have returned?”

Not finding anything out of the ordinary, Song shi sighed in relief. Smiling at Leng shi, she said, “That child isn’t sensible, please excuse his behaviour. If not for your medicinal herbs that day, he wouldn’t have recovered so quickly.”

3.2

At this, Song shi once again thanked Leng shi profusely.

Without that medicine, while Li Yu wouldn’t have died, he definitely wouldn’t have recovered so quickly either. Even worse, if the fever had continued the way it did before, there was no saying whether his brain cells would’ve been burnt or not. As such, Song shi was incredibly grateful towards Leng shi.

Shaking her head, Leng shi replied, “There’s no need to thank me anymore. We’re neighbours, and it was only right for me to help you.” Looking down, she saw Li Yu bowing his head silently, and said, “Just now, Young Master Li said he was feeling unwell. Should we get a physician to look at him?”

Moved, Song shi stood up, pulling Li Yu up with her. “We are immensely thankful for Madame’s care, but our Residence just so happens to have a physician. It’s already quite late, so we will leave first.”

They had visited for quite a while, till lunchtime.

Leng shi originally wanted them to stay and eat together, but unexpectedly they were insistent on leaving, so she didn’t force them to remain.

When they were leaving, Xie Zhen suddenly came out of nowhere, clutching at Leng shi‘s thighs. Blinking her dark almond eyes, she looked at Song shicuriously.

The other time she hadn’t visited the Li Residence with them, so Leng shi explained, “Little Lamb, this is Aunt Song.”

Xie Zhen obediently greeted her, “Aunt Song.”

A cute little dumpling suddenly appeared out of the blue, and Song shi almost couldn’t bear to leave. The Xie Family was really blessed with good looks, every single one of them made other people feel ashamed.

Leng shi told her, “This is Young Master Li. He’s older than you by half a year, so you should call him Big Brother.”

Xie Zhen nodded, saying, “Big Brother Xiao Yu.”

[The ‘Yu’ she uses is actually the ‘Yu’ for jade, which is not the same as the Yu in his name. ‘Xiao’ also means small, so she’s actually making fun of him.]

Upon catching sight of her, Li Yu’s face abruptly changed colour. He’d already embarrassed himself of her time after time, so he never wanted to see her again.

Seeing that her son was staying silent, Song shi laughed apologetically, saying, “Yu er has been reticent since young, and doesn’t like talking to people that much. Second Miss shouldn’t find it too strange, sooner or later, after he becomes more familiar with you, then he’ll talk more.”

Xie Zhen didn’t mind it one bit. “Big Brother Xiao Yu is very pretty, even when he doesn’t speak he’s still good-looking.”

Li Yu looked like a disgruntled cat whose tail had been stepped on, and immediately glared at her.

When Song shi had left, Xie Zhen stood at the door and laughed, seeming to be unbelievably cute. After promising to visit soon for them to play again, Song shileft for the Li Residence.

The moment Li Yu reached home, he went into his room alone and changed his clothes. From then on, he decided resolutely to never interact with the Xie Family ever again. Especially not with that smelly girl. Even if she looked adorable, and no matter how good her singing was, he still didn’t like her!

*

After sending off Song shi and Li Yu, Xie Zhen happily bounced back into the hall with Leng shi.

They hadn’t reached the hall before Leng shi stopped and turned around. With an unscrutable look on her face she asked, “Little lamb, what exactly happened just now?”

Puzzled, Xie Zhen blinked. “What do you mean?”

Leng shi recalled Li Yu’s earlier attitude, and the unfinished sentence that the Li maidservant had spoken before cutting herself off. “Did you meet Young Master Li before that?”

Xie Zhen honestly nodded, and pointed towards the side hallway. “I met him there.”

Ah, that explained why Li Yu’s behaviour had been so strange earlier. Her daughter must have provoked him, and eventually angered him. Leng shisighed heavily. Little lamb had been different since young, and was mischievous and naughty. Ah, never mind, she would act innocent and pitiful anyway, and even if she wanted to teach her a lesson she herself couldn’t bear to do so.

In the beginning, Leng shi had actually assumed that the two children had a simple fight. But after Shuang Yu told her the truth, she realised it had been entirely different from what she had thought.

This, this Little Lamb...

No wonder Li Yu’s face had been so pale when he left!

Poor child, she reckoned that the incident had left him with a rather bad impression...

Leng shi’s guess was correct. In the next two months, whle Song shi had visited a number of times, there had been no sight of Li Yu.

Xie Zhen had even disappointedly asked, “Aunt Song, why hasn’t Big Brother Xiao Yu come?”

Song shi thought of Li Yu’s unyielding rejection, and smiled politely. “His health hasn’t been too good these days, so he needs to stay home to rest.”

Xie Zhen nodded sensibly, and didn’t ask again.

✕

Two months later, summer turned into autumn, and the weather became much more cool.

When Xie Liqing had just arrived in Qing Zhou as an official, he had initially been very busy, but now that everything had been completed, he could finally spare some time to take a break. Just when he was thinking of bringing his whole family out to the countryside to look around, he received an invitation from the upper level of government. Gao Qing was a Military Scribe in the Central Governing Office, and his mother’s 70th birthday celebration would be held in a couple days, so they had invited many officials in Qing Zhou to go.

They had just moved to Qing Zhou, and hadn’t visited many places in the city. It just so happened that they could use this chance to network and get to know more people.

Xie Liqing informed Leng shi of this, and Leng shi immediately started making preparations for the gifts and clothing.

On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, she woke the children up early in the morning. Xie Zhen still looked half-asleep, and burrowed into her mother’s arms, mumbling, “Ah Niang why is it so early...”

Leng shi pinched her face lightly, before having Shuang Yu and Shuang Yan bring her and Xie Xun to bathe. She then picked out some clothes from the closet. That day was her daughters’ first appearance in front of the nobility, and they definitely needed to dress up beautifully for it.

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