Chapter 22: Quarrel

Now, there was no need for an answer. Li Yu also knew that she was truly angry.

But why was she angry? Was it because he didn’t help her? Wasn’t she always smiling, never getting angry no matter what happened?

Little did he know, no matter how much Xie Zhen loved to smile, she had a temper too.

She was someone who stood up for her loved ones, and when it came to matters involving her family, she would never back down. She couldn’t bear to watch Ouyang Yi bully Ah Xian, ordering her around. That would make her very angry.

Especially since Li Yu not only didn’t stand by her side but also sided with Ouyang Yi, it made her even more unhappy. Thinking about how he had abandoned her in the study earlier to go watch birds with Ouyang Yi, she didn’t care about propriety and pushed Li Yu away, “Little Brother Yu doesn’t want to play with me, I won’t play with you anymore! Go away, I want to go home!”

Xie Xian was still crying, and to vent her frustration for her sister, Xie Zhen turned to glare at the dog on the ground, threateningly saying, “Don’t get too proud; we don’t fancy you!”

The dog, following its owner, not only was not intimidated by her aggression but also barked even louder.

Xie Xian, being timid, cried even louder.

Xie Rong comforted Xie Xian while standing in front of them, addressing Ouyang Yi, “Please, Miss, control your dog.”

Ouyang Yi stood confidently, showing off, “If it wants to bark, how can I control it?”

Thinking that Xie Rong would be helpless, unexpectedly, he expressionlessly rolled up his sleeves, “Since you can’t control it, let me help you.”

Without waiting for Ouyang Yi to react, he lifted one of the dog’s hind legs with one hand and held a silk handkerchief from Xie Zhen with the other. He walked towards a plum tree. The dog, startled, barked loudly, but its body was lifted off the ground, losing all dignity.

Ouyang Yi caught up, “What are you doing? Give me my puppy back!”

Xie Rong acted as if he hadn’t heard, using the silk to tie the dog’s hind legs, about to hanging it upside down on the plum tree, and securing the other end to a branch, making a tight knot.

The dog struggled, flailing its front paws, howling miserably, in a pitiful state.

Ouyang Yi, furious, argued with Xie Rong. However, Xie Rong remained unmoved, showing no intention of letting the dog go. She had to turn to Li Yu for help, “Cousin, quickly get someone to drive them away!”

As she turned around, she noticed Li Yu’s face was also not looking good.

Li Yu was just pushed by Xie Zhen, stumbling back two steps. He had never been treated like this by her before and was momentarily stunned. “Are you not playing with me anymore?”

Xie Zhen held Xie Xian’s hand and puffed up her cheeks, repeating, “Yes, you bullied Ah Xian with her, and I won’t play with you anymore!”

She was quite determined, showing that she was genuinely upset. It was unclear whether it was because Xie Xian was bullied or because Li Yu had just left her. She was determined to go home, and Li Yu couldn’t bring himself to let her go. He stood in front of her, trying to hold her back for quite a while.

Xie Zhen stared at him for a moment, smartly walked around him, and continued walking outside the plum forest.

Li Yu was still unsure where he went wrong, but he didn’t want Xie Zhen to leave. After all, they hadn’t seen each other for so long, and they were having a good time just now. He grabbed Xie Zhen’s hand and blurted out, “Mother is preparing to keep you for dinner, and Aunt Leng has agreed.”

The effectiveness of this statement proved not to be good. Xie Zhen angrily shook him off, “I don’t want to have dinner with you. I dislike Little Brother Yu.”

Li Yu’s face stiffened, staring at her in bewilderment.

He almost asked her, “Didn’t you just say you missed me?” Unfortunately, he didn’t have the courage to ask. What if she said something more hurtful? The words “I dislike Little Brother Yu” poked a big hole in his heart, letting in the cold wind, making it chilly.

Afraid that he didn’t hear clearly, Xie Zhen emphasized, “I dislike you!”

Li Yu’s face immediately turned black.

He felt that his efforts to stop her had become a joke, glowering at Xie Zhen, wishing he could just swallow her whole. “Then go, don’t come looking for me again!”

Xie Zhen, with determination, turned and left. “I won’t look for you at all!”

So, she left with Xie Xian, exiting the plum forest and returning to the main hall under the guidance of Jinlu. One insisted on going home, and the other cried with red eyes. The Xie family thought something major had happened, anxiously inquiring about the reason. However, these two little ones, whether they had discussed it in advance or not, both refused to say anything, keeping their mouths tighter than anyone else’s.

Leng Shi was helpless, so she had to bid farewell to Song Shi and promised to visit the house again another day.

After returning home, Leng Shi called Xie Rong into the room and asked him a few questions. After Xie Rong left, she also understood the ins and outs, knowing it wasn’t a big deal, just some petty quarrels among the children. Only then did she completely let go of her worries.

However, this was not a trivial matter in front of Xie Zhen. She was upset; Little brother Yu told her not to look for him again. She wouldn’t go, who would be a little dog for someone else!

*

As the winter snow melted, the weather gradually warmed up. After the spring began, everything revived, and flowers bloomed in the courtyard, presenting a vibrant scene.

During this period, Xie Zhen kept her promise and truly did not visit Li’s house even once. Initially, it was because of anger, and later, Xie Xian fell ill, lying in bed for half a month. She was so worried that she had no mind for playing. After Xie Xian recovered, a month had passed.

Today, the sky was clear, the wind gentle, a rare good weather.

Xie Zhen suddenly remembered the kite that Xie Liqing made for her before the New Year. She eagerly brought it out from the storeroom, preparing to fly it in her own yard. It was a large goose kite with a bamboo frame, even bigger than three Xie Zhens combined. She couldn’t lift it alone, so she sought help from Xie Rong.

Xie Rong took them to a spacious area in the backyard, teaching them how to fly the kite step by step.

The backyard was large enough for them to run freely, but the only drawback was that it was separated from the Li family’s backyard by just a wall. The sounds here could be heard clearly on the other side.

With one hand pulling the cotton thread and the other holding the kite, Xie Zhen joyfully ran ahead, “Brother, look, I’m flying!”

She turned back with a smile, making all the flowers in the courtyard pale in comparison.

The kite soared higher in her hands, the goose circling in the sky above her, following her as she ran. Xie Xian followed behind, openly expressing admiration in her eyes, “Sister, you’re amazing!”

Proudly, Xie Zhen wanted to fly the kite even higher, but unexpectedly, a gust of wind blew. Before she could react, the kite was blown into the neighboring Li family’s yard.

She pulled the broken cotton thread, looking forlornly at Xie Rong, “Brother, what should we do?”

This was the kite her father gave her, and she liked it very much. She hadn’t played enough with it yet. Xie Rong reassured her and went to the Li family to retrieve it.

After Xie Rong left, Xie Zhen and Xie Xian stared anxiously at the wall, hoping that their brother would appear on the other side holding the kite. Unfortunately, their wish was in vain. Instead of Xie Rong, it was the disgruntled face of Li Yu that appeared on the wall.

Since Xie Xian had just recovered from her illness and couldn’t endure the wind for too long, the nanny had taken her back inside. In the courtyard, only Xie Zhen and a few maids were left.

Xie Zhen blinked, confirming that she wasn’t mistaken. The person on the wall was undoubtedly Li Yu.

But why was he appearing on the wall? Didn’t he say he wouldn’t play with her anymore?

While Xie Zhen was lost in thought, Li Yu lifted the kite and asked her, “Do you still want it?”

The two little ones were still sulking, both refusing to give in. Xie Zhen hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Li Yu snorted lightly, “Then come up and get it.”

Perplexed, Xie Zhen looked up at him, “Why don’t you just throw it down?”

In that moment, there seemed to be a change in Li Yu’s expression, but the strong sunlight directly above his head made it hard for her to see clearly. She only heard him say, “Do you want it or not? If not, I’ll throw it away.”

Afraid that he would really throw it away, Xie Zhen hastily said, “Don’t throw it, I want it!”

She instructed the maids to bring a ladder, placing it in the corner of the wall. A few people surrounded her at the bottom, carefully supporting her, fearing she might fall. Xie Zhen climbed up step by step, and when she looked up, she saw Li Yu’s face. He was standing on another ladder on the opposite side, and they were so close that she could even count his eyelashes.

There were beads of sweat on Li Yu’s forehead and nose, maybe from staying under the sun for too long. He continued to look at Xie Zhen with a somewhat stern expression, probably still mad at her.

Xie Zhen took a step back innocently and asked, “Now that I’m up, can you give me the kite?”

She really didn’t mean to not smile at him.

Li Yu, feeling both annoyed and defeated, had personally given her the kite, so why wasn’t she smiling?

After the last incident, he had been reprimanded by Song Shi, who told him that he shouldn’t have left her alone in the study. Upon reflection, he agreed that what he did was not right. All he needed to do was not abandon her, and couldn’t she forgive him once?

Seeing him silent, Xie Zhen couldn’t help but remind, “My kite…”

Li Yu had no reason not to give it to her. His expression became increasingly sour as he handed the kite to her, “Here.”

The kite was too large, and Xie Zhen struggled to maintain balance while holding it. She had to climb down from the ladder. However, as soon as she took a step down, Li Yu grabbed her hand.

“You’re leaving just like that?”

Xie Zhen looked at him in confusion but quickly realized, “Thank you!”

That wasn’t what Li Yu wanted to hear. After a long silence, this time without evasion, he stared straight at her and said, “Didn’t you say you would take me to fly kites?”

Unbeknownst to himself, there was a hint of anticipation and an almost imperceptible trace of complaint in his words.

Xie Zhen, understanding, tilted her head and asked, “But didn’t you tell me not to look for you anymore?”

Li Yu choked for a moment. When did she become so obedient?

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