Chapter 20: Special

Unconsciously, it has been two years since he arrived in Qingzhou.

Xie Zhen celebrated her seventh birthday in her own courtyard, receiving gifts from her parents and brother. They were a pink harp necklace and a silver hat flower with an auspicious pattern. There was also a gift from the Duke Dingguo’s mansion in the capital, a turquoise eighteen-piece, with a remarkable price and the effect of warding off evil spirits.

Among the children of the Duke Dingguo’s mansion, the old man liked Xie Zhen the most. Over the past two years, he kept mentioning her, thinking about her a lot, often asking when she would return. However, Xie Zhen is still young and cannot leave her parents’ side. It seems that she won’t be able to go back in the short term.

Although Xie Zhen is young, she has many ideas. Since she can’t return to the capital, she obediently sat at the table and wrote a letter to the old man. Xie Liqing patted her head with relief, “Little one, if there’s anything you can’t write, you can ask Father.”

Xie Zhen proudly stuck out her tongue, “I can write everything, don’t underestimate me, Father.”

She wrote half a page gracefully, didn’t let anyone see, sealed it with wax herself, handed it to Xie Liqing, and asked him to help deliver it to the capital.

After Xie Liqing contacted someone outside, he heard some news on the side.

Li mansion’s Li Xiqing’s sister had returned from her in-laws’ house, bringing back a seven or eight-year-old daughter. It is said that this elder sister-in-law had married a businessman in her early years, and three years ago, that businessman drowned at sea and has not returned since. The mother of that businessman insisted that she killed her son, scolding and abusing her, making her life difficult in her in-laws’ house. Finally, unable to bear it, she came to seek refuge at her brother’s house.

This was not an unusual matter, and neighbors nearby who needed to know already knew about it.

Xie Liqing mentioned this matter to the Leng family, and Leng Shi tidied up the needles and threads in the basket, “Then let’s find some time to go and take a look.”

Xie Liqing also agreed, after all, they were neighbors, and they should visit each other often. Since the incident with the two families’ children at the Puning Temple last time, both families have become more cautious, especially the Li family. They were rarely seen outside, even by their neighbors.

During dinner, Xie Liqing brought up the matter at the dining table.

Xie Zhen was the first to express herself, “I want to go, I want to go!”

It had been several months since she last saw Li Yu, which might not be a big deal in other families, but with just a wall between their houses, it seemed a bit unusual.

Xie Liqing asked the other two children, “What about you all?”

Xie Xian continued eating without lifting her head, “If sister goes, I’ll go too.”

Xie Rong had no objections; if his sister was going, he would naturally go to protect her.

So, the matter was settled. The next morning, they would visit the Li family as guests. Xie Liqing instructed someone to deliver a greeting card in advance to avoid being too abrupt.

It snowed a little at night, but by morning, it had stopped. A thin layer of snow covered the ground, and when the morning sun shone, it all melted.

The weather was colder than yesterday. Leng Shi was concerned that the three children might get cold, so she asked them to wear an extra layer of clothing each. Xie Zhen draped herself in a light beige fox fur cloak with a border, tied her hair into a flower bud, and stood under the sun. She looked almost as white as the accumulated snow in the courtyard, her laughter resembling a little sun. She skipped ahead, occasionally turning around to urge her parents to walk faster.

Even though the two families lived so close, she found the pace too slow.

*

They arrived at the Li family, where Li Xiqing and Song Shi had already welcomed them in the main hall. Besides them, there was a woman wearing a blue satin jacket, with a resemblance to Li Xiqing – she should be Li Xiqing’s sister, Li Shi.

Li Shi, who had endured mistreatment in her in-laws’ house for many years, behaved with a degree of restraint. Upon seeing Leng Shi and Xie Liqing, she deeply bowed, “Greetings, Prefect, greetings, Madam.”

Leng Shi nodded slightly in acknowledgment, neither too cold nor overly warm.

This made Li Shi even more anxious, thinking that Leng Shi disliked her. She stood on the side, feeling increasingly awkward. Only Song Shi understood her temperament, warmly pulled her over, and greeted with a smile, “Recently, Yu’er hasn’t been feeling well, so the Master and I stayed at home to take care of him. We didn’t have a chance to visit you, but you came first.”

Leng Shi smiled, “It’s the same no matter who comes. How is Yu’er’s health? Has the previous injury completely healed?”

At the mention of this, Song Shi shivered with lingering fear, moistening her eyes, “It’s already much better.”

“That’s good…”

Leng Shi was about to say something more when Xie Zhen poked her head out from behind her, curiously asking, “Aunt Song, where is Little Brother Yu? Where is he?”

Having just entered the room, Xie Zhen had looked around inside and out but couldn’t find Li Yu. Finally unable to contain herself, she blinked her watery eyes and inquired.

Every time Song Shi saw the children from the Xie family, she liked them dearly. She took Xie Zhen from behind Leng Shi, touched her bud-like head, and asked, “Does the little one miss Yu’er?”

Xie Zhen nodded earnestly, “Mm-hmm.”

The little girl grew up quickly; in the blink of an eye, she had grown taller, and her face was even more beautiful than the previous year. Rosy cheeks, white teeth, charming and lovely. Just like the bud of a plum blossom in the courtyard, that touch of charm hidden beneath the flower bud, making people eager to see what she would be like when she blossomed.

Song Shi didn’t hide anything from her, “Yu’er is in the study in the backyard, I’ll have a maid take you to find him.”

As she spoke, she called a maid named Jinlu to come over and led them to the backyard. Xie Zhen and Xie Xian walked in front, with Xie Rong following behind them. After the snow melted, the ground was somewhat muddy, making it easy to slip, so he watched them closely.

In front of the study, there was a small courtyard, and under the tree in the courtyard lay a barking dog, which belonged to some servant. Xie Xian liked it at first glance and squatted down under the tree to play with it, unwilling to leave.

Xie Zhen had to say, “Let brother accompany you here; I’ll go in by myself.”

Xie Xian looked up at her, smiling and agreeing.

A few more steps led to the study. The maid was ready to open the door and invite her in, but she quickly waved her hand and said, “No need, no need.”

Jinlu looked puzzled.

She cunningly smiled, quietly moved to the window, closed one eye, and sneakily peeked inside. Indeed, she saw Li Yu sitting behind the raised desk, earnestly reading a book. She silently chuckled, reached out, and tapped on the lattice window, making a steady knocking sound.

Li Yu looked up at the sound, but there was no one outside the window.

Thinking it might be his cousin Ouyang Yi, he frowned displeasedly and ignored it.

However, not long after, the sound echoed again, the same rhythmic knocking.

He didn’t even lift his head.

After several repetitions, Li Yu finally couldn’t bear it anymore, his voice filled with annoyance, “Stop bothering me!”

After a moment, a small head slowly appeared under the window, the girl’s playful smile still lingering in her eyes. With her hands supporting her chin on the window frame, her voice soft and slightly accusatory, she asked, “Why is Little Brother Yu so mean to me?”

Li Yu was stunned, not expecting it to be her.

He subconsciously explained, “I thought…”

Mid-sentence, looking at her smiling face, he remembered her prank just now and deliberately put on a stern expression, questioning, “Why are you in my house?”

She stood outside the window, tilted her head, looking at him with a hint of soft and playful smile, innocent and romantic, “I missed you.”

Perhaps it was because her smile was too beautiful or maybe because they hadn’t seen each other for a long time, Li Yu inexplicably felt his face warm up. Trying to change the subject in a dry tone, he said, “Then why don’t you come in?”

She exclaimed, as if just realizing it. Suddenly, she disappeared from outside the window, and quickly ran in from the door, her fox fur wrapped around her, with a lovely and tender smile on her face.

Li Yu subtly shifted to the side, giving her a bit of space without leaving any traces.

The young girl was not polite at all, standing beside him, she leaned over and asked, “Aunt Song said you’re reading a book. What are you reading?”

Li Yu said, “Yijing.”

On the table lay a book with various hexagram techniques depicted on it. Xie Zhen had seen it in Xie Liqing’s study before, but it was too profound, and she still hadn’t understood it. Xie Zhen wasn’t very interested in the book; she flipped through two pages and then turned to ask him, “Little Yu, what have you been doing at home lately? Why haven’t you come to find me?”

A fire burned in the room, making it much warmer than the courtyard. Soon, her face turned rosy, with a blush that made people want to take a bite. Li Yu suddenly remembered the day they had a snowball fight in the Xie family’s yard. When he bit her, her face felt as smooth as a peeled egg…

Li Yu shifted his gaze and said seriously, “Father will test my knowledge in a few days, and I’m studying.”

Two years ago, Li Xiqing had hired a tutor for Li Yu. Although Li Xiqing himself was a businessman, he placed great emphasis on his son’s studies and was strict in this regard.

Xie Zhen pressed on, “Will you come to find me after the exam?”

Li Yu remained silent.

Feeling a bit disappointed, she said, “Really not coming? Father bought me a big kite. After the snow melts, we can fly kites together. It’s so much fun.”

She added, “If you don’t come to find me, I won’t find it interesting.”

Li Yu thought she must be lying. How could it not be interesting? He could hear her voice every day at home, and she laughed so happily.

He picked up the book again, maintaining a serious posture. “Didn’t you also not come to find me?”

Xie Zhen made a sound, supporting her little head, thinking for a moment. It seemed like she really hadn’t come. However, she would never admit it. Defending herself was her strong suit. “Aunt Song said you weren’t feeling well, and my mother told me not to disturb you, so I didn’t come.” She blinked, trying to please him. “Are you feeling better now? Can you play with me?”

Li Yu glanced at the text, not really paying attention, nodded slightly.

It wasn’t clear which question he was answering.

The two little ones chatted with each other, and half an hour passed without them realizing it. Jinlu , standing outside the door, found it quite strange. Normally, if it were his cousin coming over, the young master would have driven her out in no time. How come with Xie Zhen, the treatment was completely different?

Xie Zhen was completely unaware of her uniqueness. While Li Yu read nearby, she was lying on the side, doodling on a piece of paper with a pen. In no time, she drew a plum tree.

Li Yu took a glance and felt that her drawing was too ugly. He took the pen from her hand and said, “You should draw it like this…”

Before he could start drawing, a loud voice came from the entrance, “Cousin!”

He startled, and the ink spilled all over the paper.

Xie Zhen pouted, pointing at the large ink blot, “Little Yu’s drawing is even uglier, and he ruined my picture…”

Before she could finish, a person rushed out from behind, grabbing Li Yu and pulling him outside.

“Cousin, come quickly. I’ll show you something good!”

Following the sound, Xie Zhen looked up and met a pair of spirited eyes. It was Li Yu’s seven-year-old cousin, Ouyang Yi. Ouyang Yi clearly noticed her too. At first glance, she thought Xie Zhen was part of the drawing. She blinked and realized she was a real person.

“Who are you?” Ouyang Yi raised her eyebrows.

Xie Zhen was about to answer when she looked down and saw her hand holding Li Yu’s hand.

“…”

Li Yu remained impassive, but under the table, he quietly withdrew his hand from Ouyang Yi’s.

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