Chapter 10: Shared Hardship

Two children on the street attracted special attention.

Passersby couldn’t help but glance over. Sometimes one look wasn’t enough, and they would continue to stare. Both children appeared to be around five or six years old. The boy wore a satin robe, with prominent eyebrows and big eyes, looking exquisite and almost like a girl at first glance. The girl beside him had a delicate complexion, bright teeth, clear eyes, and a small cherry mouth that made people inexplicably feel a bit heartbroken.

Walking together, the two children seemed like the golden boy and jade girl under the lotus seat of Guanyin Bodhisattva.

The girl closely followed the boy, occasionally asking, “Little Yu, do you know how we can go back?”

The boy shook his head, “I don’t know.”

Not long after, she asked again, “Can you find my brother and steward Wang?”

The boy patiently replied, “Let’s look for them first before saying anything.”

Her crying voice trembled, “I miss my brother…”

Without a response, she sniffed and continued following him, wiping her tears with her sleeve, trying to appear strong, “I’m not crying.”

The boy made a sound of acknowledgment without looking at her and quickened his pace.

Not far ahead, the pretty girl couldn’t resist speaking again, “What if we can’t go back? What if we’re lost? Will Father find us?”

“…”

“Little Yu, say something…” She shook his hand. Since he didn’t speak, she felt uneasy, “I’m tired of walking. Can we rest for a bit? I want to drink almond tea, and I also want to eat cream-filled pastries and lily puff pastry… Little Yu, wait for me, okay.”

Li Yu finally couldn’t bear it, sternly saying, “Shut up.”

After saying that, there was silence behind him.

He led her for a while, stopping in front of a pastry shop, then turned to look back. Not looking was fine, but when he did look, he felt a bit stunned.

Tears welled up in Xie Zhen’s eyes, her pink lips tightly pressed, probably trying hard not to cry, causing her eye sockets to turn red. The tears swirled in her almond-shaped eyes, making her clear and beautiful eyes even more radiant. It seemed that if she blinked, tears would roll down her cheeks.

Li Yu had never seen a girl cry, let alone made one cry. He felt a bit flustered, “What, why are you crying… I didn’t say anything to you.”

Isn’t not comforting her considered saying something? They had just separated from the group, and she needed comfort. But he, instead of comforting her, was impatient with her.

Xie Zhen lowered her head to wipe away her tears, feeling a bit embarrassed. She wasn’t someone who cried easily; Ah Rong was the crybaby… It’s all because of Little Yu, it’s his fault that she’s crying. After wiping away her tears, she lifted her reddened eyes and accused him with a touch of grievance, “You scolded me.”

Li Yu’s expression changed, vehemently denying, “I didn’t.”

She insisted, “Yes, you did.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“I’m telling you, you did!”

Li Yu compromised, “Fine.” This tone was learned from her, almost exactly like her usual demeanor.

The two of them argued without distraction, and although Xie Zhen was angry, she never let go of Li Yu’s hand throughout. In the end, she still didn’t give up, “I want to eat lily puff pastry.”

Li Yu remained silent.

She continued, “And I also want to eat cream-filled pastries.”

These pastries were specialties of the capital and rarely seen in Qingzhou. Even if they were available, they couldn’t replicate the authentic taste of the capital. Xie Zhen’s persistent demands wore down Li Yu’s patience. Annoyed and helpless, he glared at her and, holding her hand, walked into the pastry shop ahead.

He ordered two kinds of small pastries from the cabinet – one filled with red date and yam, and the other with kumquat and honey. Since he had no money on him, he took off a piece of dragon-patterned jade pendant from his waist to cover the cost. The jade pendant had a bright and flawless appearance, worth several hundred taels of silver at least. Astonishingly, he didn’t even blink an eye while handing it over to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper wrapped the pastries and handed them to him. Li Yu then handed them to Xie Zhen. His tone was filled with disdain to the extreme, “Eat.”

Xie Zhen’s eyes immediately lit up. She forgot about being angry and took the oiled paper-wrapped pastries. She stuffed a kumquat and honey pastry into her mouth, biting into it with a smile brighter than flowers, “Thank you, Little brother Yu.”

After the two left hand in hand, the shopkeeper pondered the jade pendant, wondering whose child was so naive to give away something so valuable. That jade pendant was worth a lot of money, much more than those two bags of pastries!

*

The two children walked on the street without any adults around, making them an easy target, especially with their outstanding and neat appearances like Xie Zhen and Li Yu.

Unaware of the danger, they continued searching for their brother and steward Wang. Along the way, they passed by a jewelry shop, the same one Gao Xun mentioned. Xie Zhen, still holding onto her initial purpose, dragged Li Yu into the shop.

The shop displayed numerous pearl and jade jewelry, but Xie Zhen was too short to see. Anxiously, she gestured to the shopkeeper for the kind of hairpin she wanted, “Do you have a white one with a golden peacock and a carved cicada on top?”

The shopkeeper, a woman in her thirties or forties, still retaining some charm, wore a vertical-collared cloak with peony patterns. Her hair was elegantly styled with a dangling bun, adorned with a pair of twin emerald hairpins, exuding a graceful and charming demeanor. The shopkeeper smiled warmly, naturally fond of pretty little girls. She immediately had someone fetch a small stool and placed it under Xie Zhen’s feet, “What kind are you looking for?”

Standing on the stool, Xie Zhen’s field of vision widened. Leaning on the counter, she scrutinized the jewelry on display but couldn’t find exactly what her mother had. She felt disappointed, “Is this all the hairpins you have?”

Since the shop was relatively empty today, the shopkeeper showed more patience. Smiling, she patted Xie Zhen’s head, “There are many more behind. You tell me what you want, and I’ll bring it for you.”

Feeling awkward, Xie Zhen hesitated. Didn’t she just describe it? Did she describe it wrong?

After a pause, she said, “It’s… a jade cicada.”

Li Yu, unable to tolerate it any longer, answered for her, “It’s a jade cicada and golden peacock hairpin.”

Relieved, she nodded, “Yes, that’s the one.” She then looked up with bright, hopeful eyes, “Do you have it here?”

The shopkeeper, Miss Zhao, found these two children too adorable. If it were other kids, she might not bother as much.

“We do have one. Wait here; I’ll have someone fetch it for you.” Miss Zhao called a servant girl to bring the hairpin from the back.

In no time, the maid returned, holding a box.

The shopkeeper opened the box and presented it to them, “Is this the one you’re looking for?”

Xie Zhen leaned her head over and saw inside a jade cicada and golden sparrow hairpin identical to her mother’s. She was overjoyed, “Hmm, this is it!” She jumped off the stool and stood in front of the shopkeeper, “Can you sell it to me? I want this.”

Zhao Shi smiled faintly, “Sure, but you have to pay me one hundred and twenty taels of silver.”

Xie Zhen, who was kept in the deep boudoir, usually had whatever she wanted from the Xie family. She had no concept of money, and she didn’t know if this number was big or small. Thinking of Li Yu exchanging a jade bi for snacks, she took off the jade orchid-patterned sachet from her waist, “Can I exchange this for you?”

Zhao shook her head, indicating it was not acceptable.

Not giving up, she continued to take off the peace charm from her waist, “How about this one?”

Zhao still shook her head.

After several attempts, she had nothing left on her waist. The little one finally became clever, took off the valuable silver Yun Head Immortality Lock from her neck, and handed it to Zhao, “Can I use this? This is very valuable.”

Zhao Shi looked at it in her hand. The Yun Head Immortality Lock was made of pure silver, finely crafted, and the chain was embedded with four rubies. It was indeed valuable. She finally nodded and handed her the box containing the hairpin, “Your Yun Head Immortality Lock is more precious. I’ll keep it for you. If you want to redeem it in the future, I’ll return it to you.”

Xie Zhen got the hairpin and didn’t even think about the Yun Head Immortality Lock. She had several locks like this, and her mother wouldn’t notice one missing.

She happily walked out of the jewelry store, suddenly remembering to ask, “Little Yu, how did you know I wanted the jade cicada and golden sparrow hairpin?”

Li Yu walked beside her and casually replied, “Gao Xun told me.”

“…”

Xie Zhen was so angry that her face puffed up like a bun. She angrily said, “He clearly promised not to tell anyone! I won’t tell him secrets anymore!”

Li Yu glanced at her, thinking, “Do you two really have secrets?”

Finally, he snorted. So what if there are secrets? It has nothing to do with him.

*

There was a person who had been watching Xie Zhen and Li Yu for a long time. He followed them from the moment they walked out of the alley, listening to their conversation. He knew they were wealthy children who had separated from adults, casually carrying jade pendants and Yun Head Immortality Locks. If he could capture them, it would surely be a big deal.

Even if he couldn’t extort money from their families, he could sell them to wealthy officials. It is said that some rich gentlemen like these pretty and tender children as slaves, especially these two. “Pretty” is not enough to describe them; if they grow a little older, who knows how stunning they will be.

The person watching them saw Xie Zhen and Li Yu as if they were two money trees.

After following them for a while, he stumbled and ran ahead, blocking their way, crying with tears streaming down his face, “Miss and young master, I finally found you. Come home with me quickly!”

Xie Zhen, who was walking, was startled, grabbed Li Yu, and retreated in panic, asking cautiously, “Who are you?”

The person said, “Miss, don’t be scared. Surprisingly, you don’t recognize me… I am Steward Wang!”

“Nonsense!” Xie Zhen tightly wrinkled her bun-like face, pouting her pink lips, “Steward Wang is not as ugly as you!”

No wonder Xie Zhen hit him with harsh words. He really looked unattractive, with rat-like eyes, a flat nose, yellow teeth, and a mouth emitting a foul smell. Xie Zhen was disgusted, and being so clean herself, she refused to talk to this dirty person. She covered her mouth and was about to leave, saying, “Little Yu, let’s ignore him.”

But the person was not easily dismissed. Putting away his fierce expression, he looked worried and followed up, “Miss, don’t get confused. If you don’t follow me, what if you encounter bad people again? Don’t be temperamental. Let me take you back to find the master and madam…”

Onlookers heard him speak so convincingly, and surprisingly, no one doubted him, let alone came forward to help.

At most, some people were puzzled. These two kids were clearly from a wealthy background, so why does the steward of their mansion dress so shabbily?

Li Yu knew this was a kidnapper and told Xie Zhen not to pay attention to him, leading her to walk in crowded places. Unexpectedly, this person had a bold heart. Seeing that the two little ones were smarter than he had anticipated, afraid of losing this deal, he gritted his teeth and tried to pick up Xie Zhen right there on the street.

Xie Zhen felt that he was dirty and smelly, making her nauseous. She cried out and kicked wildly in his arms, “Don’t touch me, don’t touch me!”

Li Yu’s eyebrows furrowed, “Let her go!”

The kidnapper ignored them, gradually attracting the attention of many onlookers. He wanted to pick up the other one but feared losing both deals in the end. So, he had to abandon Li Yu and turned to run.

Li Yu was anxious, his eyes turning red. He picked up the box that Xie Zhen dropped on the ground and threw it at the kidnapper, seeking help from the passersby, “Everyone, stop him! He is not our family steward!”

Xie Zhen lay on the kidnapper’s shoulder, tears streaming down, “Save me, Little Yu, save me…”

Coincidentally, Li Yu’s throw was accurate. The wooden box hit the kidnapper on the back of his head. He staggered, cursed, and continued running into the alley. Seeing that Xie Zhen was about to be abducted, a few kind-hearted people finally stepped forward, blocking his way and telling him to put the child down.

At first, the kidnapper wanted to force his way through, but in the end, he was beaten by a few young and strong individuals. He fled with his head covered. After the turmoil, Xie Zhen’s neat bun came undone, and her clothes were wrinkled. Strands of hair hung on her cheeks, adding a pitiful look to her disheveled appearance.

She picked up the wooden box, opened it, and saw that the jade cicada and golden sparrow hairpin had broken into two pieces.

This time she didn’t cry, but softly said, “It’s broken again.”

Li Yu felt a bit guilty since he was the one who accidentally broke it. “Next time, I’ll buy you a new one.”

She responded with an acknowledgment and thought for a moment before saying, “But Mother will scold me.”

He assured her that he would help explain to the Xie family’s madam. They didn’t walk much further before Xie Zhen’s sniffles gradually faded. After a day full of continuous scares, even the bravest courage was frightened away. The streets were too dangerous, and she vowed never to go out alone again.

But can they find their older brother? Can they go home?

Xie Zhen walked slower and slower, starting to act spoiled: “I can’t walk anymore…”

Li Yu said, “Even if you can’t walk, you have to.”

He had just asked a passerby. As long as they found the yamen, they could find Xie Zhen’s father, Xie Liqing. Then they could go home.

Xie Zhen was tired, her soft and tender voice dragging on for a long time, sweet enough to make people’s teeth ache: “Little brother Yu, can you carry me?”

Without thinking, he replied, “No.”

He hasn’t even grown taller than her!

She whimpered like a little lamb, “Carry me…”

“…”

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