Chapter 9: Unexpected Encounter

Why is it this annoying girl?

Li Yu immediately dropped the curtain and looked at Gao Xun, “You’re waiting for her?”

Gao Xun, still unaware of Li Yu’s dislike for Xie Zhen, nodded happily, “I made plans with Ah Zhen just yesterday. I forgot to tell you; you don’t mind, do you?”

How could he not mind? He minded a lot!

Li Yu’s face darkened, and he stood up to leave, “You guys have fun; I’m going home.”

Unfortunately, before he could take a few steps, Gao Xun grabbed him from behind, “Hey, why are you leaving? I promised Uncle and Aunt today that I would take good care of you. What if something happens to you?”

In the past, Li Yu’s parents would never agree to him going out with Gao Xun. Both were just kids; what if something happened? But today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Gao Xun brought several attendants, so they reluctantly agreed.

Now there’s only one carriage; how is he going back? Isn’t he afraid of being kidnapped on the way?

Li Yu was firmly held by Gao Xun. He couldn’t leave even if he wanted to. Half of his body was poking out of the curtain, and coincidentally, Xie Zhen, who had just left the teahouse with Xie Liqing, saw him.

In Xie Liqing’s arms, Xie Zhen’s cute and lovely face attracted many glances. Everyone passing by couldn’t help but take a second look at her. There were many children on the street, but none were as eye-catching as her. Standing in the crowd, she seemed like a luminous, pink and white jade-like figure.

Xie Zhen pointed in that direction.

Xie Liqing walked over while carrying her.

From a distance, one could hear her soft and surprised voice, “Little brother Yu, why are you here?”

Li Yu was pressed down by Gao Xun and couldn’t speak. His delicate face turned bright red.

Gao Xun quickly got up from him, dusted off his clothes, called out “Uncle,” and then said, “Ah Yu will also come with us. It’s more lively with more people.”

Xie Zhen didn’t mind having one more person; on the contrary, she was quite happy. Since the birthday banquet of old Madam Gao, Little brother Yu hadn’t played with her for a long time. Every time she visited the Li mansion, he never came out to see her.

On the other side, Li Yu pursed his lips, feeling a sense of betrayal by his little buddy.

Xie Liqing looked around and saw that there were indeed eight attendants standing around the carriage, all of them tall and strong, clearly skilled in martial arts. He still had some concerns and asked Gao Xun, “Where are you taking our little lamb?”

Gao Xun pointed to the street ahead, “Just across that street. Uncle, rest assured, I guarantee Ah Zhen won’t have any trouble.”

Although it wasn’t far, the crowd was too large. Xie Liqing initially wanted to go with them, but there was suddenly something urgent at the yamen, and he had to go there immediately. After leaving instructions to Xie Rong and the steward, reminding the two children to be careful, he reluctantly left.

After Xie Liqing left, the steward sat outside the carriage, and the four kids sat inside.

Xie Zhen sat across from Li Yu, with Xie Rong beside her, and Gao Xun farthest away. However, Gao Xun was fond of talking to her. Ignoring the icy gaze from Xie Rong, he laughed without realizing, “Ah Zhen, where do you want to go? I know a fun place; do you want me to take you there?”

Before Xie Zhen could respond, Xie Rong had already answered for her, “Little lamb can’t go too far.”

Undeterred, Gao Xun continued, “Do you want to eat delicious food? The crystal buns and osmanthus-flavored cream at Ruyi Pavilion are unparalleled…”

Ruyi Pavilion was several streets away, and the round trip would take quite some time. Xie Rong straightforwardly rejected, “Little lamb won’t go.”

Xie Zhen innocently blinked her eyes, indicating that it was her brother’s decision, and it had nothing to do with her. “I just want to go to the jewelry store you mentioned… I want to buy a hairpin for Ah, Ah Xian.”

She almost let it slip but managed to sneak a glance at Xie Rong, luckily, he didn’t notice.

When she withdrew her gaze, she happened to meet Li Yu’s eyes. She smiled warmly and asked, “Little brother Yu, why did you come out?”

Li Yu maintained a stern expression and answered coldly, “No reason.”

“Okay.” Xie Zhen was used to his indifference and didn’t get angry. She continued to chat with Gao Xun with a pout.

*

When the carriage turned a corner, it violently shook.

The carriage tilted, and Xie Zhen, who hadn’t been sitting securely, lunged towards Li Yu. Her forehead collided with his chin, and both of them were in pain. Tears were welling up in her eyes.

“Wu…”

Before she could cry, another harsh collision occurred, and the carriage made a loud bang. It sounded like they had collided with another carriage. Inside the compartment, they couldn’t see what was happening outside.

This time, Xie Zhen was frightened. She tightly wrapped her hands around Li Yu’s neck, burying her head in his chest. Her voice trembled as she asked, “What’s happening… What’s happening outside…”

After the commotion settled down, she still refused to let go. Her little arms clung tightly to Li Yu. Sensing a slight movement from Li Yu, as if he wanted to resist, she hastily said, “Little brother Yu, don’t push me away!”

Li Yu immediately stopped moving.

To be honest, he did want to push her away, but seeing her so scared, it seemed a bit heartless to do so. Well, even though he really disliked her, he reluctantly allowed her to hold onto him for a while.

Xie Rong lifted the curtain and stood up to inquire about the situation outside, “What happened just now?”

The coachman and the steward both had frightened expressions as they nervously recounted what had happened. It turned out that when they were turning, another carriage suddenly rushed towards them. The coachman tightened the reins to try to move aside, but due to the urgency of the situation, they accidentally hit the wall. They thought it was over, but unexpectedly, the other carriage changed direction and still came towards them, resulting in the two shocks they experienced.

The coachman sighed and said, “The wheel is damaged; I’m afraid we can’t continue.”

Everyone had to get off the carriage, but luckily, they weren’t far from the jewelry store. It was only a fifteen-minute walk.

The others didn’t think much of it, but Xie Rong furrowed his brow.

Why did the other carriage hit them when the road was so wide?

He tightly held Xie Zhen’s hand, not allowing her to leave even a step. “Gao Gao, follow me.”

Having experienced the danger just now, Xie Zhen became more obedient. She followed her brother closely. “Brother, why did that person collide with us?”

Xie Rong couldn’t figure it out either. He was worried that there might still be danger. If it weren’t for the fear of disappointing his sister, he would have wanted to take her home now.

“Maybe it was an accident,” he comforted her.

Xie Zhen let out a relieved sigh and didn’t press for more details.

*

The streets on both sides were much busier than usual. Sitting in the carriage, they couldn’t see clearly, but walking on the street, they truly experienced what it meant to be in a bustling crowd.

There were various street performances and theatrical troupes on both sides, along with people making sugar figurines and selling sweet cakes. Xie Zhen was still a child at heart, quickly forgetting the recent danger and curiously looking around.

If you were to pick the most lively spot, it would be the theater troupe of Pear Blossom Spring ahead. Even from a distance, you could hear the melodious opera music, attracting many spectators. Looking into the distance, the crowd was packed tightly, making it difficult to see through. Xie Zhen also wanted to join in the excitement. She pulled Xie Rong and said, “Brother, let’s go and take a look!”

Xie Rong stood still, shaking his head. “No, there are too many people.”

The steward from the mansion also repeatedly advised her, stating that such places were chaotic and could be dangerous. Xie Zhen begged a couple of times, but neither of them budged. She had no choice but to give up.

High above, Gao Xun and Li Yu caught up. Gao Xun, trying to please, said, “If Ah Zhen wants to watch, next time I’ll take you to listen to the opera inside.”

Xie Zhen immediately agreed, “Sure!”

However, Gao Xun received a cold glare from Xie Rong.

Gao Xun rubbed his nose, pretending not to have seen it.

If Xie Zhen could be called a little fairy, then Xie Rong was an unforgiving and stern judge, capable of determining life and death with just a glance. Those with a timid heart might find it unbearable.

As they passed by Pear Blossom Spring’s theater troupe, the crowd inexplicably dispersed, flowing out like a tide. The children were startled and, caught off guard, were pushed back several steps. Looking inside, they realized that the opera performance had just finished, and the crowd was leaving. Xie Zhen tightly held Xie Rong’s hand, getting bumped by several adults. She had never experienced such chaotic scenes, her mind went blank with fear, and all she knew was to look for her brother.

The steward protected the young master and miss tightly, moving towards the crowd’s direction to exit. The servants from the Gao family also came over to help.

However, after the theater troupe finished their performance, they headed towards them, coincidentally blocking the path of the servants, preventing them from getting closer. The steward’s arm was hit hard by someone, causing him to loosen his grip, and Xie Zhen got pushed out by the crowd. Stumbling a few steps, feeling lost, she looked around, and within a moment, she couldn’t see her brother and the steward anymore.

Tears welled up in Xie Zhen’s eyes, and she struggled to hold back from crying. “Brother…”

Just as she felt despair, a pair of hands grabbed her from the side, leading her into a nearby alley.

Thinking it was a bad person, she struggled and shouted, “Who are you? Let me go!”

Li Yu’s voice came from the front, “Don’t talk!”

She choked up, forcibly holding back her tears. At this moment, the familiar voice was like a heavenly melody to her. She wiped away her tears with her sleeve and followed Li Yu into a secluded alley.

The alley was very narrow, barely allowing one person to pass through. Occasionally, a foul smell emanated from within. Li Yu and Xie Zhen hid shoulder to shoulder inside, and neither of them spoke. After a long time, she asked in a low, pitiful voice, “Little brother Yu, what happened just now?”

Li Yu didn’t know what happened either, but he had a gut feeling that those people from the theater troupe had malicious intentions. They deliberately trapped them, blocked their way, and scattered them one by one. If they hadn’t run fast, they might have already been captured.

After waiting for a while, he cautiously peeked out, seeing that the street had returned to calm, with not many people left, and then walked out with Xie Zhen.

They searched around several times but couldn’t find Xie Rong, Gao Xun, and others.

Even though Xie Zhen had a brave heart, she couldn’t help but feel scared at this moment. She stepped forward and tightly held Li Yu’s hand, looking pitiful, “Little brother Yu, don’t let go of me.”

Li Yu paused, shook his hand to free himself, “We don’t need to hold hands now.”

The previous situation was special; that’s why he held her hand. Now, it’s unnecessary.

But Xie Zhen disagreed, gripping his hand again, “What if the two of us get separated…”

Li Yu said it wouldn’t happen and once again shook her off.

Unyielding, Xie Zhen quickly clung to him again.

Li Yu was about to shake her off when he turned and saw her teary eyes. It seemed that if he let her go, she would really cry. He hesitated, realizing that she was extremely frightened.

After a moment of hesitation, Li Yu expressionlessly held her hand back and continued walking.

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